Welcome to the first edition of Matter of Faith in the new year. I’m looking forward to getting started on reporting. There’s a lot coming up this year with the 2024 election cycle and continued violence worldwide.

To start off the year, let’s talk about some of the most harmful purity culture books of all time:

The impact of “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” authored by disgraced pastor Joshua Harris in 1997, introduced an alternative to dating called “courting,” emphasizing strict rules on physical touch and supervised dates within Christian teenage circles. However, this book is just one example in a series of influential works promoting unrealistic modesty rules and harmful abstinence-only rhetoric, also known as “purity culture.”

Despite its long-standing existence, these teachings have been linked to adverse outcomes, including increased rates of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and mental and physical health issues stemming from sexual repression.

While books perpetuating sexual health misinformation continue to be available in bookstores and classrooms nationwide, Reckon spoke with sexual health experts and readers to identify and highlight these problematic reads, aiming to create awareness about their detrimental impact.

Add these books to add to your anti-reading list

If you’re looking for new things to read, watch and listen to this year, Reckon has you covered.

May 2024 be a year of gasp-worthy movies, television binges, books you can’t put down and windows down music.

Here’s where we think you should start.

Reading list: The January 6 insurrection 3 years later

Saturday will mark three years since a mob of Trump supporters tried to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election, when President Joe Biden won the race against former President Donald Trump.

Since then, there’s been a litany of media produced about that historic day and the people who were involved in it. I’ve been reading, watching and listening to much of this content over the last 3 years. Here’s what I’ve had at the top of my reading list:

Just a note:

Thanks for joining me for the first edition of Matter of Faith. I hope your new year is filled with joy and purpose.

You can find me online on Instagram, Threads and X. You can also send your feedback on the newsletter to [email protected].

Happy New Year!