A New Wave of Romance Novels (& Why Women Can't Put Them Down), #590
Java with Juli - Making Sense of God and Sex
Authentic Intimacy®
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 8 December 2025
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Women everywhere are turning to spicy romance novels to escape stress, overwhelm, and the monotony of everyday life. Today, Juli talks about why these trending titles feel so intoxicating, how they subtly shape our expectations of intimacy, and why they often leave us feeling disconnected from real relationships.
Instead of escaping into fictional worlds, hear how you can rediscover the adventure and connection God designed for real life.
Co-host: Hannah Nitz
Give to Authentic Intimacy today! Between now and January 1st, your gift to Authentic Intimacy will be matched dollar for dollar up to $70,000.
Follow-up Resources:
What Do I Do With My Sexual Desire? by Dr. Juli Slattery (blog)
Masturbation: Is It Wrong? by Dr. Juli Slattery (blog)
Confessions of a Former Erotica Author by Francine Rivers (blog)
Java with Juli #579: Good Girls, Bad Books: Erotica in Young Adult Fiction?
Follow Hannah Nitz at @hannahnitz
Follow Authentic Intimacy at @authenticintimacy
Resources quoted in this episode:
The Rise of Smut: How TikTok is reviving romance literature.
Thanks to BookTok, Barnes & Noble is opening more stores than ever.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey friends, it's Julie. One of the most awkward parts of my job is explaining it. When people ask, |
| 0:07.7 | what do you do for work? I never quite know how to tell a stranger that I run a ministry that's |
| 0:12.6 | focused on sexuality. Well, a few years ago, a young woman helped me find the perfect answer. |
| 0:18.8 | After we talked, she said, thank you for helping me make sense of |
| 0:22.5 | God and sex. And that's really what we do here on Java with Julie. Because as we wrestle with |
| 0:28.9 | questions about sexuality, we're not just asking about behavior. We're really asking about |
| 0:34.4 | identity, about love, about God himself. Questions like, is he good? Can I trust him? |
| 0:41.6 | Does he see me? We are living in a moment where many people are walking away from their faith in God, |
| 0:47.5 | not because they don't care about God, but because the answers they're getting from questions |
| 0:52.2 | about sex just feel shallow. |
| 0:55.6 | And I've learned that when sex becomes confusing, God becomes confusing. |
| 1:00.4 | And that's why this podcast exists to help people encounter a God whose design for sex is good |
| 1:07.3 | and whose word brings clarity and healing. |
| 1:10.5 | As we close out this year, would you consider |
| 1:12.7 | supporting this work? Between now and January 1st, your gift is going to be matched dollar for |
| 1:18.6 | dollar up to $70,000, and that's doubling your impact. Friend, your generosity helps more |
| 1:25.3 | people discover that God is not afraid or embarrassed by their |
| 1:28.8 | questions. His heart is good towards them. You can give securely today at authentic intimacy.com |
| 1:36.4 | and thanks so much for being a part of this work. |
| 1:42.1 | Hey friends, welcome to another episode of Job with Julie. My name is Julie Slatery and with me today |
| 1:48.8 | is the one and the only Hannah Nitz. Hey Julie, so good to be with you. Thanks so much for being with me. |
| 1:55.2 | You know what? I come any time that you text me. You do. That is true. I have a very short list |
... |
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