In this pioneering study in religion and culture, Mielke acknowledges the power that pornographic images continue to assert in a culture whose conscious intention is to deny their attraction. Despite efforts by Christians and feminists alike to radically alter the sexual agenda in the direction of a more tender and respectful eroticism, much of contemporary America continues its sexual odyssey with unrepentant enthusiasm—and with an increasing interest in overt sexual imagery. Mielke's unique analysis brings together a wide range of sources—contemporary as well as historical Christianity, sex therapy, secular feminism, contemporary psychoanalysis, and behavioral science research studies—in an attempt to explain the prevalence of pornographic themes and imagery in human sexual arousal and fulfillment. Contents: Preface; Acknowledgements; Introducton; The Problematic Place of Pornography in Culture; Sexual Liberalism in America; Feminists Confront Pornography; Christian Perspectives on Sex and Pornography; The Dynamics of Sexual Excitement: The Research of Robert J. Stroller, M.D.; Pornography's Challenge to Theology; Bibliography; Readings for Further Study; Index.