This was originally a Facebook post, then adapted for a forum post, and eventually by request as a guest post on the beautiful Aching For Eden blog. I’m now in a different job, and have learned more and developed in spiritual maturity further since writing this in October 2023, but its core is no less valid.
Hi, I’m Martin, from the UK but now living in Romania, I’m married and in my mid-40s, and I’m a musician, arranger and church worship leader and pastoral assistant. As with many people my age, I grew up during the purity culture era, which set up every single young person to fail. Even those of us fortunate enough to be socially awkward and not fail with our bodies, still failed with our minds. Is it any wonder that vast swathes of young people left the church at that time?
A little while ago I shared on social media a few body-positive / nudity friendly posts, which led to a couple of conversations with people from our church, including our pastor. He’d never really thought about naturism / nudism before, so didn’t have any pre-existing reaction to it, and after our conversation he suggested that if I could explain things to others the way I did to him, I’d probably help a lot of people understand my perspective. So I wrote the basis of what follows:
For anyone struggling to come to terms with nude recreation or clothes-free living being compatible with the Christian life, I’d encourage you to read “Who Told You That You Were Naked?” which is very detailed and full of truth. But below is a summary of what I’ve found. I trust this will come across in love.
A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction to nudity, borne of a conservative upbringing, cultural stigma, or misguided teaching. But few seek to look at what the Bible says about it, which is strange, because as Solomon said, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.” (Proverbs 18v13, NLT). So let’s look at some Scriptural context:
The Garden of Eden
God made us, male and female, in His very image (“So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1v27, NLT), naked and without shame (“Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” Genesis 2v25, NIV), and called it “very good”, the pinnacle of His creation (“Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good!” Genesis 1v31, NLT).
The serpent tricked Adam and Eve into believing that their bodies were shameful, because the very image of God is abhorrent to Satan’s eyes. That lie has been repeated to us ever since (“He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ the Lord God asked.” Genesis 3v10-11, NLT).
After man’s failed attempts to hide themselves from God with leaves, He cast them out of the safe environment of the garden, and used what many believe was the first blood sacrifice to make leather clothing (“And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” Genesis 3v21, NLT) to protect them from the harsh, cold environment outside Eden (“So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” Genesis 3v23, NIV)
Naked Prophets
God cannot command or ask us to sin (“When tempted, no-one should say ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” James 1v13-14, NIV). He told Isaiah to prophesy naked and barefoot for 3 years (“the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, ‘Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals.’ Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said, ‘My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years.” Isaiah 20v2-3), Micah prophesised naked (“Therefore, I will mourn and lament. I will walk around barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and moan like an owl.” Micah 1v8, NLT) and King Saul was confused with the prophets because he was prophesying naked alongside them (“He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, ‘What? Is even Saul a prophet?’” 1 Samuel 19v24, NLT).
New Testament Nudity
Jesus was baptized (naked, as all baptisms were until at least 350 AD – it was a ritual washing based on the Jewish Mikveh ceremony), entered Jerusalem surrounded by naked people (“Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him,” Matthew 21v8, NLT), washed His disciples’ feet naked but for a towel to dry them (“So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” John 13v4-5, NLT), was crucified naked, and appeared after His resurrection naked to Mary (who confused Him with a gardener because that was how they worked)
Peter, as fishermen were, was naked working on the boat until he jumped overboard to rush to Jesus (“When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.” John 21v7). Clothing was expensive, so was typically removed for any manual labour so it was undamaged. Non-sexual nudity is never condemned in Scripture, just mentioned occasionally in passing. He later oversaw the (naked) baptism of over 3000 believers at Pentecost (“Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2v41, NIV)
Common Misconceptions
Some people claim that the “unpresentable parts” Paul refers to in 1 Cor 12v22-25 are the genitals, but as the circumcised penis was a visible sign of being Jewish, most scholars believe this is unlikely. It makes far more sense for this to be referencing the internal organs of the body, that do essential work but do it unseen. They are treated with extra care because they are protected by the skin and flesh.
Jesus’ command to “clothe the naked” has nothing to do with covering the undressed, but is about providing for the destitute. Everyone needs protection from the cold of night, or the harsh sunlight, or sandy desert winds. Those who are unable to help themselves, we should help.
Heretical Influence
Gnostic philosophers in the 1st and 2nd centuries, who believed they knew better than Christians (or indeed God) taught that everything material was sinful and worthless. This began the culture of shame that the church sadly still teaches today. Jesus spoke about the teaching of heresy (“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces.” Matt 23v13, NIV) but missionaries destroyed whole cultures and instigated racism and slavery in the name of “clothing the savages”.
The Sinful World
This world is deeply sinful, sexualising the body, whether clothed or unclothed. Lustful thoughts, as with all vile things, come from within, not from what we see (“He went on: ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.’” Mark 7v20-23, NIV). If seeing skin caused lust, there would be no issues with sexual assault and misogyny in Islamic countries, and we know them to be at least as bad as anywhere else!
The secular cultural precepts of this world are based on lies. But we in Christ are called to see the truth, and to be set free from the things of this world (“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8v32, NIV). We are called to be in this world but not of it (“… but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” John 15v19, NLT) so we should not allow the world’s twisted values to warp how we perceive God sees us and how we see each other.
Introducing Naturism
Naturism is, by definition, non-sexual nudity. It is not exhibitionistic, there is no swinging, it is not perverse, shameful, sinful… in fact, it is wholesome, fun, healthy for body, mind and spirit, family-friendly and encourages personal growth and acceptance, community, and freedom. It removes barriers of class and culture, raises self-esteem and confidence, and promotes a connection between man and nature that has been left behind by many in this ultra-fast, ultra-convenient, ultra-connected world (but are we really connected with anybody?).
There is nothing wrong with sex, far from it, but that should be private, between husband and wife in a loving relationship, and that desire should be driven by that relationship, not the specific physicality of either partner. If we can separate the body from sex, as artists, doctors, nurses, therapists and many others do daily, and allow Christ to purify our hearts, we can remove the impact of lust from our lives.
Once you can view all people as beautiful, and as people, not pieces of meat, you can truly appreciate the wonders of God’s creation. Then pornography loses its appeal, the sleaze of Hollywood shows its superficiality, and we stop killing ourselves to look like the 1% who live up to some artificial beauty “standard” (and even then, only once the best of 100 pictures is photoshopped!).
Young people who grow up in more clothing-relaxed environments are shown to have better self-image, a better handling of puberty, are less promiscuous, integrate better with others, develop fewer eating disorders, experience less gender dysmorphia, fewer teen pregnancies, have better hygiene, watch less unsavoury material and relate better to their parents. Don’t we want that for all our young people?
My Personal Viewpoint
I was taught growing up that the body was shameful and indecent, which cannot be true if we are made in God’s image. I’m not saying naturism is for everyone (I wish it could be, because it is universally beneficial, but I am a realist). Some people will never release the chains of shame that years of cultural and emotional baggage have laid on them. And I’m certainly not saying all Christians should be naturists, in the same way that not all naturists are Christians. But I truly believe that seeing our bodies, and the bodies of those around us, as God sees us, can bring us into a better relationship with Him, and into better relationships with each other.
I hate the idea that any of us are being prevented from being the people God wants us to be because we are held down by shame, when Jesus took all our sin and shame and defeated it on the cross. I believe God has called me to help my brothers and sisters overcome the shame that is holding them back, and I know from my own life the damage that body insecurity, pornography and shame can cause.
I am a mental health survivor. Without Christ, I wouldn’t be. From 2005-2015 I was in a very dark place, brought on by body shame (a change in career without a change in lifestyle caused me to gain a lot of weight), depression (Bipolar Disorder (NOS) and Seasonal Affective Disorder are a fun combination) and stress (I hated myself so much that I gave up caring for myself properly). But always knowing that however dark it was, there was light… however bleak it was, there was hope… however sad I was, there was joy… however isolated I felt, I was not alone… THAT was the Holy Spirit holding me up when I wanted to sink below the waves. That and the wonderful woman that God blessed me with all those years ago, who’s stuck with me through thick and thin.
Rediscovering naturism (my wife and I were involved in the lifestyle 20+ years ago, but didn’t properly have the spiritual maturity to reinforce our beliefs back then, and then life got in the way when I couldn’t even look at myself in shorts, never mind naked!) was almost a by-product of coming to a true and full understanding of being made in the IMAGE OF GOD. How can anyone disrespect His greatest work? That would be disrespecting God Himself, and I for one have far too much to be thankful for to do that.
I thank you for this opportunity to share a little something of my faith journey, and why I believe naturism is 100% compatible with my relationship with God and His church. God bless you all.
Martin