Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Roy Moore's alleged pursuit of a young girl is the symptom of a larger problem in evangelical circles

We need to talk about the segment of American culture that probably doesn't think the allegations against Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore are particularly damning, the segment that will blanch at only two accusations in the Washington Post expose: He pursued a 14-year-old-girl without first getting her parents' permission, and he initiated sexual contact outside of marriage. That segment is evangelicalism. In that world, which Moore travels in and I grew up in, 14-year-old girls courting adult men isn't uncommon.

I use the phrase "14-year-old girls courting adult men," rather than "adult men courting 14-year-old girls,"

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times3 min read
Editorial: Biden’s Plan To Reschedule Marijuana May Finally End ‘Reefer Madness’
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency plans to reclassify marijuana from the most restrictive category — Schedule I, up there with heroin — down to Schedule III, in the company of testosterone and Tylenol with codeine. This does not mean that the federal
Los Angeles Times5 min read
As LA County Sees An Increase In Homeless Families, Agencies Are Struggling To Help
LOS ANGELES — On a Friday morning, just before 9 a.m., men, women and children packed the lobby of the Family Solution Center in South Los Angeles. A mother with her two young boys said they had been sleeping in her car for months. She had arrived ho
Los Angeles Times10 min read
Meow Wolf Supercharged The Way We Experience Art. Now LA Is Joining The Wild Ride
LOS ANGELES — A Meow Wolf exhibition is designed as a dream space, a walk-through floor-to-ceiling collection of psychedelic art with a sci-fi bent and an anything-goes, punk rock spirit. Apples that melodically squeal when squeezed? One can find tho

Related Books & Audiobooks