D.H. Jonathan’s Books

This is a review of the naturist fiction novels of D.H. Jonathan. If you read this blog often, you may have already heard of D.H. Jonathan, even if you don’t know it. It’s the pen name of our friend Dan Hawkins, who we have featured a couple of times already. Here’s a video of Dan explaining his books, and then I will share my thoughts. The transcript is included at the bottom, if you don’t want to watch the video which features nudity.

As Dan stated in the video, these aren’t Christian books. However, they have some Christian themes coming through them. They are meant for a wider audience, not just the very small niche that is Christian naturism. I appreciate this approach, to introduce some Christian ideas and concepts in a non-threatening and tactful way. For this reason, there are also some elements in the stories that might make some Christian uncomfortable. Some language. Some eroticism. However, his characters are portrayed as real, and that these things are to be expected. He will be the first to admit that the characters have some wrong ideas about nudity and grow through them as the stories develop. I can commend Dan on this authentic progression.

I’ve read all three novels. I think my favorite is his newest, “The Girl Who Stopped Wearing Clothes.” Here is one section that resonated with me quite a bit:

“Tell me,” Don said, “have you ever heard of Imago Dei?” Adam wasn’t sure he heard him correctly, so he just shook his head no. “It’s Latin for ‘Image of God’. Genesis says that we, human beings, were created in that image of God. When God was almost finished with creation, he called it ‘good’. Then he made us human beings. And he called that ‘very good’. We were made in the image of God, and it was that image that upgraded creation from good to very good. So when we humans call the nude body obscene, call ourselves obscene in fact, we are also calling that image of God obscene. I cannot abide that, especially in this day and age when the Internet has given us an epidemic of pornography.” “Pornography?” “Yes. A pandemic of it.” Adam scratched his head. “You know, a lot of people called Dani’s Stossel episode pornographic.” “And therein lies the problem. When people, and especially those within the church, take a pornographic or sexualized view of the body, they become unable to distinguish between what God has called very good and what Satan has used for lies.” “So you are anti-pornography?” “Oh yes. Absolutely. Pornography is one big lie. It’s addictive and destructive, both of those who make it and those who consume it.” “But you don’t think what I’m trying to do is pornography?” “What is it you’re trying to do?” That was a good question, Adam thought. (page 164)

And later this excerpt:

He took a long pause, looking out at everyone in the makeshift pews. “I’m going to be honest with you. We have a pornography epidemic. And I’m not talking about in the world; I’m talking about within the church. And not just within the church membership. Within the clergy.” He paused again, as if to let what he had just said sink in. “In one survey I’ve seen, 63 percent of pastors confirmed that they are struggling with secret sexual addiction or compulsion, including, but not limited to, the use of pornography. 63 percent. And what does it tell us that 63 percent of the people who are supposed to be guiding us have a problem with pornography? First, what is pornography? What is its essence? Pornography is a lie. A lie from Satan. It lies about how people look, how people act, how one can achieve pleasure with no responsibility, no consequences, no sacrifice, no patience, no kindness, no love. And how do you counter lies?” He paused, and Dani heard a few people mumble “Truth.” “Truth,” the pastor said, holding up a Bible. “Truth. Truth is not found in the rules of society, in legalism. Truth is found here, in the word of God. (page 206)

So you can see here that there are sections with the naked truth being revealed and propped up in stark contrast to the lies we have typically believed. This is done in a way that is both entertaining and inspirational. He pulls from his own experience, mostly in his “Life Models” book, but also asks himself what the characters in all his stories may be feeling. Those raw emotions come through the pages in very real ways that you as the reader can sympathize with and feel.

If you haven’t read anything from D.H. Jonathan, you may want to add him to your reading list!

Click on the book covers to view on Amazon:

For more on Dan, see “Meet Dan Hawkins” and “When Naturism Gets Misunderstood.”

Transcript of video:

I’m an author right under the pen name D. H. Jonathan, which is actually kind of a variation of my real name because I was blessed with two middle names Daniel Hoyt Jonathan Hawkins. So I’m up here names, dates, Jonathan, the first novel is called “The Volunteer.” It’s about a an experiment in public nudity. And it’s kind of an idea I had, you know, modeling for a class and having to get dressed to leave.

I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could just be naked all the time?” So I started turning that idea into a novel and then to draw up more conflict I thought, “Well, what if somebody had to be naked?” Well, that changed the whole the whole idea around. And then the second novel is called “Life Models.”

And I worked on that a lot longer than I worked on “The Volunteer.” It’s fiction. There are some things in it, some just episodes that actually happened. But the whole story is just fictional, made up, and it’s basically a love story between two people who model together for an art class, and that’s how they met. And actually, the genesis of that idea came from watching a movie called “When Harry Met Sally.” And when Harry met Sally there are these scenes that are intercut with the main part of the movie where couples or older couples are sitting on the couch talking about how they met. And I remember the first time I watched it, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if this old couple came on and talked about how they were both naked when they first met?” So that was the genesis of what became “Life Models,” because I started thinking, well, how can I have two people first, me naked and just modeling for our class?

I just went with it. And of course, there’s a lot of of me in that book, a lot more so than “The Volunteer.” They both delve into the faith of the characters, Christianity, but they’re not really Christian novels. I wouldn’t call them faith based novels. I never really considered writing a faith-based novel because I always thought it was like preaching to the choir.

I want to reach a wider audience, and even if I just put a hint of faith or Christianity in it, maybe, maybe somebody will get an idea that, “Hey, you can be a nudist and a Christian at the same time.” Because most people, especially people I’ve gone to church with see them as incompatible, because that’s what we’re taught by society, that naturism and Christianity are two separate things.

Meet Mudwalker

Today we are interviewing our friend Chris, aka Mudwalker.

Question: Can you briefly tell us how you got into naturism?

Answer: Around 2010-2011, I got really serious about conventional modesty. As a teenager of 15-16 years old, I was struggling with the usual surges and urges that come with adolescence, and I felt like some of it was the fault of the young women in my youth group. They just weren’t covering up enough! So, in 2012, I decided to load up on biblical ammunition to lob at them to force them to cover up… but there wasn’t any. That drove me to look outside the Bible for the best way to live with clothes, and the evidence spoke for itself… so, I became a naturist!

Question: What does the name Mudwalker mean to you?

Answer: It means I walk where others daren’t tread… even though what I’m doing isn’t actually a big deal! It’s a symbol of my willingness to explore things that are taboo and assumed to be bad but actually turn out to be harmless or even healthy in the end. When I get interested in a subject, I study it as extensively as I know how and reach an informed conclusion. Then, if it seems fine, I start dabbling. That’s what happened with going barefoot in the woods and also with naturism.

It’s also a symbol of our natural place on the Earth, directly interfacing with the environment instead of divorcing ourselves from it.

Question: Have your beliefs created any problems for you? If so, how did you navigate them?

Answer: My acceptance of naturism definitely threw some sparks up with my parents. It almost ended my dating relationship with the woman who would become my wife. But we all worked through it together, and here we are. My relationships with my parents and my wife are all amazing now, and they all agree now that naturism is at least not harmful or immoral.

My family and I moved to a new church recently to get away from an aging, declining, toxic church environment, and I met with the new church’s staff to let them know that number one, I’m an outspoken naturist, number two, given time, I will bring this up to people in the church, and number three, this may spark some controversy. I told the pastors that I wanted them to make an informed decision on our membership, and they did. We are now members. I didn’t know how it would go, but in the end, they were very welcoming!

Question: What would you want non-naturists to know about this practice?

Answer: I’d say that it’s nothing like the mainstream secular or evangelical cultures think. Contrary to the conventional assumptions (and they are assumptions), humans of all ages (yes, even Americans) can tolerate social nudity without losing their minds or their sexual purity. The first time I went to a naturist resort, I saw a beautiful woman across the way, and her body was everything the conventional view of modesty had taught me to fear. But she was just a person to me in that moment, and I went back to reading my book. I was shocked how normal it all was, how easy it is to adjust to a nude environment, and how safe a resort visit is for women and children.

Question: What’s on your naturist bucket list?

Answer: I haven’t written it out before, so this probably isn’t a comprehensive list, but here are some of the big ones!

I want to visit Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park and Sunsport Gardens because I hear such wonderful things about their policies, cultures and facilities.

I want to hunt naked. I feel like making a clean kill naked would be a really spiritual experience.

I want to debate a prominent Christian in a public, moderated debate someday when I have the credentials to attract the big fish. Naturism doesn’t get the attention it deserves on the debate stage – I intend to change that.

I want to participate in (or start!) a World Naked Bike Ride in Baton Rouge.

I want to start putting on nude events in the Baton Rouge area for young people, featuring activities like Ultimate Frisbee, barbeque, swimming, volleyball, and party games. I love my local nudist campground, but I want games! I want to move. (And I also don’t want to drive 1.5 hours to get my kit off. Lol!)

I want to facilitate a naked cold plunge event.

I want to go on a naked camping jaunt into the wilderness with just a canoe and a backpack and no clothes.

Things I’ve crossed off my list: visiting Cypress Cove and participating in a World Naked Bike Ride.

Mudwalker’s Extra Bit!

If you’d like to connect with me on social media, I have two Facebook groups! One is “Young Naturists Baton Rouge.” Once we get enough local naturists connected, we can start doing fun in-person events. The other is “Mudwalkers,” which is focused on the rewilding aspect of Mudwalkers. The two groups are specialized: Young Naturists Baton Rouge” is naturist-focused, and Mudwalkers is focused on rewilding.

Bonus: Chris also has a youtube channel with great content. Check out Mudwalkers on youtube. Here’s one example:

Who Told You That You Were Naked?

Dave Carlson and our friends at www.naturist-christians.org have put together a beautifully designed and helpful online booklet on the subject of Christian naturism. It’s concise and has many great pictures to support the excellent content.

You can and should read the whole thing for yourself, but here are some of my favorite parts and my reaction to them.

They start out with a very brief history of naturism to say what it is and what it isn’t. I like this line that says, “Most historical references to naturism point to its beginning in Germany during the 1930’s. We believe naturism is much, much older– as in since day six of creation. Humans were originally created to live naked and without shame.”

We like to call our state of undress as being “as created” or “as intended.” Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “If God had meant for us to be naked, we’d have been born that way.” Well he did. Job declared in chapter 1, verse 21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.” It’s God’s idea. He does not make mistakes. In fact, this booklet points out that, “The Trinity called this arrangement ‘very good.”

On what it is and isn’t, Dave points out that, “Naturism has a long history of being beneficial to physical, mental, and spiritual well being. It advocates for body positivity and the freedom to enjoy appropriate settings while naked. Naturism is NOT about exhibitionism, sexuality, swinging, swapping partners, pornography, pedophilia, or being sexually provocative.” Right out of the gate, these assertions are made boldly to counter the knee-jerk reactions that people can make when hearing about these ideas for the first time. Sure anything can be corrupted by those who don’t hold to the true convictions, but this truth has been proven millions of times over. This is a great quote: “Naturism is not magical. But over a century of experiences by millions of people supports the idea that simple, non-sexual nudity- both alone and in social settings- can do wonders for damaged psyches.” The booklet goes through these benefits in a systematic way.

Much later in the booklet, the admission is made that, “We understand your skepticism. Most of us doubted all this was possible until we experienced it for ourselves. For naturists, being is believing.” I love that. I have often said that, “Seeing is believing.” But I may have to change that now to, “Being is believing.” You can argue with ideas and Scriptural interpretations all day long. But it’s hard to argue with experience. And yet, it’s vital to understand something such as this. We’ve seen firsthand this claim to be the reality: “Until you’ve experienced it, it isn’t easy to image how freeing taking off your mask can be. People now see you as you really are. You see them as they are. Suddenly you realize how normal and alike you are to everyone else you are on equal footing with others. You instantly reconnect to your humanity, and it only takes a few minutes to understand it’s acceptable to be you, just like you are, in that very moment.” It truly is for everyone and everyone would be better for having fully understood these concepts through personal experience.

The subtitle of this work is “How Naturist Values are in Harmony with God’s Will for Christian Living.” So this reconciling of naturism with Christian faith is both introduced and explored. Entire books have been written on this. The booklet serves as a primer to whet one’s appetite for further exploration and dare I say experimentation. Helpful tips are suggested, such as starting doing regular things nude in your own home. We have certainly put these ideas to the test to see if they were God-honoring and an enhancement to our faith, which comes first, of course.

The case is made logically and, “The inescapable conclusion is, God is not offended or shocked by your bare body. If you are offended or alarmed by seeing a naked body (especially your own), perhaps examining exactly why you feel that way is in order. Adopting a healthier perspective about the human body will benefit you physically, mentally, and spiritually.” Naturists know how great this body freedom is. They’ve escaped the gnostic heresy that is still alive and well today. They love to include others in the same freedom they so much enjoy. So don’t take our word it, try it out for yourself and you be the judge!

“One of naturism’s greatest features is recognition of the dignity of the human body in and of itself. This applies to all bodies without regard to weight, surgical scars, the presence of visible medical devices, or impairment requiring wheelchairs or other mobility equipment.” This is one of the many things I love about naturism. The world desperately needs this perspective. It’s called “Imago Dei” (the image of God) and it is the way it’s always supposed to be.

Again, the booklet is a great resource and a quick read. I suggest you read it for yourself. Another great part of the piece is a couple of pages on more resources to explore for further study. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this blog, Aching for Eden, listed first in the websites section! Well, you’re already here. Check out some of the others now.

Meet Dan Hawkins

Fair warning: today’s video interview obviously contains nudity. Dan is a personal friend who has been an art model for 37 years. It’s been great to see Dan in person on many occasions as he travels through our area. He is an author and has some other interesting and unique experiences which we will be showcasing here on the blog. So be sure to subscribe, so you don’t miss it. Without wasting any more time, here’s your introduction to Dan.

My name’s Dan Hawkins. I got into naturism really young. I grew up in a, going to a Pentecostal church. We were only, I mean, we were only naked to shower and bathe and change in and out of swim swimsuits. But even as a child, that little moment when I got the swimsuit off felt so much better than having it on. And I was like, “Why do I have to wear this when we’re swimming? Why can’t we just skinny dip? And I remember seeing a painting in a book one time of just people skinny dipping. And I thought, that looks more fun than swimming with bathing suits on.

So as a teenager, I found like a place at night to go and just take a walk with nothing on, where I wouldn’t be seen. So when I went away to college, I was 18 and I found out that they drew nude models in their drawing classes. And I immediately just wanted to do it.

The models got paid $5 an hour, which was better than minimum wage back then, you know. You know, $15 for 3 hours. Sounded good to me when I was 18, in 1984.

I modeled for the first session; it was on Election Day, Reagan and Mondale. So a lot of people stayed home to watch the election returns. So there were only two women who showed up to draw that night, which, you know, made it easier on me not having a whole bunch of people drawing me.

I modeled again. Well that class had 20 something people in it. So it was a big change and I was really nervous to start having that many people. But by the time the class was over, I was comfortable and it was like, I want to do it again! So you know, it’s a job that I still do regularly. And that was 37 years ago.

I did find an ad at the back of one of those Gazette newspapers for a nudist resort out east of Dallas. And I lived in Fort Worth. And so I drove out there and visited. It was called the Ponderosa Ranch, and visited the resort for the first time and loved it.

I thought, this is, these are my people, so I’m going to keep on doing this. My current wife and I have been married for 23 years. And you know, she enjoys it. She comes out with me. I mean, she’s not as big a nut about it as I am, but she comes out with me and enjoys it. I just like being able to relax without the covering. Talking with other people, without their covering.

Because the clothes we wear are almost like a mask. You come out to a resort, and when everybody’s naked together, the person you’re talking to, you don’t know them. They could be the CEO of a major company. They could be a fast food worker. You don’t know because that sign that denotes who they are in the outside world, the clothes that they wear isn’t there. It’s just them as a person. And it’s just me as a person. And you get little more meaningful conversations that way. Even if somebody you’ve never met and, you know, you make friends faster here than you do in the outside world.

37 years. I don’t know. There’s a lot! 10 to 15 years we’ve been carrying cell phones with cameras in them. So I’ve been getting a lot of them, a lot more photographs of drawings of me. That’s not the case in the when I was 18 and through my twenties, I don’t have many, I don’t have any drawings and I don’t have any pictures of the drawings. I don’t know. I wish I did because, you know, it’d be interesting to see how artists saw me when I was younger. Because I was I was pretty skinny back then. I was like 140 pounds or less, you know, the same height I am now. I was a skinny kid when I started out doing it.

More Straight Talk from Mike and Linda

Warning: Video contains nudity. We’re saddened that this needs to be a warning. It’d be great if simple and chaste nudity was no big deal in today’s society.

You may have met Mike and Linda in this blog post. If not, check it out as it is part 1 of this interview. Then either watch this video (preferred) or read the transcript below!

Mike: What is it like to wear clothes?

Linda: There’s someone I know that doesn’t like it at all!

Mike: We live 365 naked. I mean, we’re able to be nude pretty much all the time at home. We have enough property to do that. But if I got to go to Wal-Mart, I need to go get some groceries periodically or I want to do certain things that require clothing. We either need to get those clothes on and go do our thing because you automatically get hot.

The Lord’s made you to enjoy the breeze. To enjoy this, you start putting clothes on and restrict all that. I find myself getting hot immediately, so I either need to get on the motorcycle and start riding or get in the car or go someplace and enjoy it. But a lot of restraints, you know, I mean, the seatbelt starts pulling on your shirt. You know, shorts don’t feel so good, you know, and sometimes so I mean, it’s just not good. God got it right!

God got it right!

Mike: My goodness gracious, man. Some of the actresses and actors need to put some groceries on
because they are anorexic. So the body image thing was huge. I mean, it’s just ridiculous.

Linda: But once you get that, once you experience that, then that changes, that changes everything.

Mike: So anybody watching this that’s had cosmetic surgery of some sort– because the world has provoked you to do that, which is fine. Don’t feel that that is not okay in a naturism realm. What I’m trying to get at is when you’re in a naturism venue or with others or with others, or even on the cruise ship. That is, so many people don’t have augmentations or those type of things because they’ve learned to accept their body as Christ made them. If somebody has had a cosmetic surgery of some sort, that’s no big deal because there’s lots of it.

But what I’m trying to get at is it’s like if you’re going to Wal-Mart, as I say, this weekend. Everybody you see at Wal-Mart, if they were all naked, that’s what naturism is about. It doesn’t matter. Does not matter.

Linda: An you’re not looked at for that reason, too, you know, in society you would be. With clothing on that. you’d be like, “Okay. Okay.” But here, nobody… It doesn’t matter, you know?

When is it ok?

When is nudity ok?

Is it ok to be nude when you are married in front of your own spouse? Yes? I agree. Should there be any shame there? No? Agreed again. That’s why I think Adam and Eve (a married couple) should not have felt ashamed of their bodies to cover themselves with fig leaves. It was not God’s idea. The text says they were afraid, not ashamed (Genesis 3:10). We project our own shame onto them. The text does say that the pre fall state was that they were naked and unashamed (Genesis 2:25). All of a sudden it’s shameful for a married couple to see themselves? Might they have been listening to the serpent who hates God’s image (Genesis 3:11)? Could he be the “who” of “who said you were naked?“ God was never ashamed of their nakedness. He seemed more upset that they covered themselves with fig leaves. Jesus would later curse the fig tree (Matthew 21; Mark 11). A coincidence? Maybe so. Maybe not.

When is nudity ok? 

At the doctor’s office? I agree. You reason that they can maintain a professional and respectful demeanor when viewing your nakedness while checking on your health and wellness. Then I would simply ask why we can’t all hold that same respect toward another person? Do we need training and credentials to be respectful? A piece of paper makes a difference? Or do we simply need to unlearn some social conditioning?

When is nudity ok?

In the changing room at a gym? Well, sure. Most changing rooms in the United States, at least, are not co-ed. Even then, many are too ashamed of their bodies to be uncovered in front of those of their own gender. Gang showers are practically a thing of the past and privacy is the new normal. For more on this point, read, “Way too much privacy!” on this blog.

When is nudity ok?

Maybe it’s good to ask what nudity was ok? This piece from The Biblical Naturist answers that question and links to several other sites such as this one to back up its claims. The main point is that in Greek and Roman times (when the New Testament was written), while clothing was normal, so was nudity in certain places like the river, or the bath houses, or the gymnasium. In fact, the word gym comes from the Greek word for nude. There were religious prude types back then too, but culturally in Jesus’ day, even in Jerusalem, non-sexual nudity in mixed company was not a big deal, like it is today.

When is nudity ok?

Let’s continue asking when it was ok. In Bible times, work was often done in the naked state, which makes sense if clothing (before the industrial clothing industry) was extremely expensive. Why mess up your only garment (in many cases) while working? In Scripture, we see this mostly in the case of Peter fishing (John 21:7) and Jesus post-resurrection, being mistaken for a naked gardener.

XIR130941 The Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite, detail of cupids fishing (mosaic) by Roman, (3rd century AD); Louvre, Paris, France; out of copyright.

ANC351864 Fishermen in a boat, 2nd-4th century (mosaic) by Roman; Musee Archeologique, Sousse, Tunisia; Ancient Art and Architecture Collection Ltd.; out of copyright.

When is nudity ok?

Let’s come back to today’s times. How about on TV and entertainment? Is that ok? You may say no, and yet you may still indulge. You rationalize that it’s how culture is today, and you can’t escape it. Then you may feel guilty about it. For me, since I was pretty sheltered, any glimpses of flesh on movies and such was a thrill and a temptation. Since I equated nudity with sex, I’d have an immediate sense of arousal and could not just view it in a natural way. It was like I was doing something wrong something bad and needed to repent. There is a lot of legalism around what a Christian should or should not watch. It does come down to one’s own conviction and freedom or lack thereof. How you view the body is key. Is it a dirty and obscene source of temptation and forbidden fruit? Or is it the image of God and the crowning glory of his creation? To see it as such changes everything. The prudish view degrades the individual and calls bad or evil what God created as “very good” (Genesis 1:31). This body bad/ spirit good talk sounds like gnostic heresy to me!

When is nudity ok?

What about museums and art? What about sculptures? I recall a fountain outside of a Cheesecake Factory restaurant. My mom had us take a family photo in front of it. There were nude figures all over the fountain. This was before I had told her we were naturists. My wife and I looked at each other, both sensing the irony of the situation. My mom was oblivious.

A friend wrote this on social media the other day: “This statue is on a street in Las Vegas, and you can see families passing it all day. No one cares. No one is offended. No one is upset that women and children can see it. Yet if it were revealed that it is a live person doing a “human statue” all of a sudden it would be obscene and vulgar. It’s almost as if people tacitly say that the human body is not obscene, just actual humans.” A real double-standard!

Michelangelo’s ceiling of the Sistine chapel is worth studying. It’s a brilliant piece that then was censored and restored as nudity was banned and then reinstated. He is quoted as saying, “What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?”

When is nudity ok?

For Skinny dipping? Absolutely! Most people have had a skinny dipping experience. Whether they thought they were rebelling at the time or were fine with it. That amazing feeling you had, you can have all the time by embracing the way we were made and the way we will go from this life (Job 1:21)! Given enough privacy, most owners of hot tubs have probably soaked in the nude. This is my theory anyway. When my non-naturist friends talk about their pools with privacy, they say things like “You’re welcome anytime, but you may want to call ahead before you come.” The idea of skinny dipping is fairly normal. It’s the mixed company that presents a problem for the same people who like it otherwise. I say we just shed our hang ups about clothing and our insecurities as well as our soggy bathing suits.

When is nudity ok?

Bathing and showering? Yep. Sadly, these are some of the only moments people are ever nude. This and during sexual relations, which is why nudity is so sexualized. This is part of the problem today with clothing compulsion.

When is nudity ok?

Sleeping naked? Some might agree or disagree or wish they could agree. Sleeping naked is great and has certain health benefits. The pajama manufactures will never tell you this, but I wouldn’t expect them to. When asked to write some advice to newlyweds, we just say “Sleep naked.” A pastor friend heard us say that, and wished he could, except what about the children coming in? They’d see us naked! We shrugged and instantly were saddened by how dreadfully scared everyone is by the prospect of being seen in such a vulnerable state.

When is nudity ok?

Is it ok for the naked cultures that have been or those still in existence today? Well it certainly is for them! That is, until we come and clothe them. In the Bible clothing the naked is more about helping the poor than it is covering nakedness. Whether we like it or not, it’s been documented many times over, that when clothing was introduced to naked cultures (oftentimes by well-intentioned missionaries) the problems with pornography and sexual temptation were introduced right along with the clothes. We unwittingly imported a body taboo and accompanying shame which brought about devastating consequences. This angered us so much when we read about it and reflected on the “Who said you were naked?” question in Genesis 3. Read more about this in this book.

When is nudity ok?

You say it may be ok in some of these cases. You might concede a few of these but still maintain that it’s wrong in a social nude setting. You are free to believe that, but we’ll have to agree to disagree. We explore the insanity of making exceptions to rules in “It should be that easy!” on this blog. I say it’s ok any time provided that it’s not violating any laws and it’s done with those of a like mind. Perhaps the issue isn’t really the nudity, but rather our mindset toward it.

From Pastor to Nudist (Part 2)

If you haven’t already, you should watch or read part 1 of this series here. This video contains non-sexual nudity, just as a fair warning. If non-sexual nudity is new to you, maybe watch and you’ll see how non-sexual it is. Otherwise, just read the transcript below:

Jim: We have all of this theoretical knowledge now. We have the Bible on it, but what’s the practical application like? So on Friday we stopped in at Whitetail Resort in Ivor, Virginia. And we paid our day
visit fee, checked in at the office and we drove our minivan over to the clubhouse where the indoor pool was.

And I’m looking at her to see if she’s going to get out first. And she’s looking at me to see if I’m going to get out first. And neither one of us could get out of the van. We drove away after paying the stupid fee and spending 10 minutes sitting in the van talking to each other. We drove away without ever
getting out of the van. Hmm.

And we were both kind of like, this is stupid. What are we afraid of? And so we talked about it all week long that we would go back the following weekend after the retreat was over. We’d get a room and we’d spend them, you know, that we could get some acclimation time on our own. And, you know, we got undressed in the room, the hotel room kind of thing. And we’re kind of like looking out the window, right To see if, you know, anybody else is out there.

And there were a lot out there. We we remember a lady off to our right was gardening in her garden
outside as God intended. And we look over at the basketball courts. There’s a couple of teenagers
playing basketball and an older fellow on a riding lawnmower mowing the lawn, an older couple walking their dog. Everything was so normal.

Everything was so normal.

And so we’re standing out on the porch, on the deck outside our hotel room. And it just was like a little mind blowing. That these folks were all naked but doing just normal, everyday things. Which is, which is what we expected but didn’t expect.

We met the most wonderful people that weekend and had the most wonderful time. In fact, at that very resort we’ve met some of the folks that have been 20 year friendships now.

We’re sitting by the pool, their kids are playing and they have a newborn. And so I asked him, I said, “What do you do for a living?” And he says, “Well, I’m a Baptist preacher.”

And the mouth thing again. You could have pushed me over with a feather because I’m sitting here
and he goes, “What do you do for a living?” I said, “I’m a Baptist preacher.” It’s like, “Oh, that’s great!’ I’m like, “That is just weird, man.”

Kim: Really great people and friends through the years. They don’t hide anything. I think the friendships are real compared to the normal people who can hide behind their clothing.

It’s just, we’re like family. Everyone, everyone. This whole week!

Jim: Feels like it’s how it’s supposed to be, doesn’t it?

Kim: Yeah. It’s relaxing and just good people, and I enjoy it. Yeah.

Jim: The first. The first visit was tough. That second visit was easy.

Kim: For him. For you. It took me a little bit, but just the people you meet. And once you’re there, it’s
great. It’s just… I mean, I’d rather have this kind of vacation any day! The freedom. You almost don’t
want to put your clothes back on when go home, you know?

Jim: What do you think about going to the beach? Would you rather go to the beach and wear a swimsuit or go to a nudist beach?

Kim: Oh my gosh. Yeah.

Jim: How about our pool in the backyard? Swimsuit or no?

Kim: No, never.

Means of Grace

Grace defined: the free and unmerited favor of God.

In just under 3 years, I have come to call myself a naturist. It’s not all of who I am, but it’s a big part of who I am. Initially my Bible study and soul searching was to make sure this practice didn’t go against my faith. I’ve come to realize over time, though, that I had been associating my faith with a denomination (Christian) instead of associating my faith with my Heavenly Father. If I were to ask church leaders of any denomination if naturism was congruent with the Bible, they would probably tell me no. We’ve shared lots of Scriptures and their context and explanations here already as to why we feel it is congruent with the Bible, so I’m not going to do that. Instead, I want to talk about things a little differently. 

While at a Christian Naturist retreat a few weeks ago, I was speaking with a well known author in the Christian naturist world. At one point during our conversation he used the term “means of grace,” and it struck a chord with me. This man was using examples such as the Lord parting the Red Sea for the Israelites. The parting wasn’t grace itself, but it was a means of grace. The cross wasn’t grace itself, but it was a means of grace. I’ve been saying for awhile now, that I’ve felt like the Lord used naturism as a catalyst (the means) in my life to show me so many other areas where I have not been living in the freedom that Jesus died for. I love that term, “means of grace”! Phil and I have been talking a lot lately about the Lord’s grace in our lives and what it means to live in it. 

I have been a Christian my whole life, and thought I had a pretty good relationship with God. I went to church regularly, prayed, read my Bible (occasionally and almost always with an attitude of obligation). I served in the church nursery. I was on the children’s ministry team. I was a pastor’s wife for cryin’ out loud! I didn’t smoke, I didn’t chew and I didn’t go out with boys that…did. I followed all the rules. I lied to my parents once, and confessed that I lied to them about 15 minutes after I did it. Really, I was the epitome of a good Christian girl. I carried around a sense of pride when I did all the things I was supposed to do, and when I didn’t, the guilt and shame was thick. I thought I was supposed to feel guilty and I would try harder not to fail God the next day. 

The things the Father has been showing me about grace though are the complete opposite.

The things the Father has been showing me about grace though are the complete opposite. He’s been showing me that he wants a relationship with me like the relationship I want with my children. I love it when my kids want to talk with me and spend time with me! What if the Father feels the same way about me? Does he long for me to come to him like I long for my kids to do the same? I think that he does! 

I am not required to serve in the church nursery to be a good Christian, although I should if I feel led to. I am a sinful person, saved by grace and free to live in the freedom that was bought by the blood of Jesus. Guilt and shame are not from my Father; they are from the father of lies, and he has no claim on me! Because I am a new creation and the Holy Spirit dwells in me, I am a good person. When I am living in the grace given to me, I will automatically want to do those things that I used to see as requirements and obligations. I am no longer under the old law, but under grace.

I’ve found the Lord can use whatever He wants to draw his children to himself.

I’ve found the Lord can use whatever He wants to draw his children to himself. These are things the Lord revealed to me after he showed me the freedom I had concerning my body. Once I had studied how he felt about the body and realized what I had been taught didn’t quite line up with reality, I wanted to study more and find out what other areas the Lord wanted to teach us new things. I’ve been amazed at the journey the Lord has taken us on! 

Obviously the Lord can use whatever he wants to draw his people to himself. For you it may have been an illness or an accident or some other incident in your life, big or small. For Phil and me, the Lord definitely used naturism as a “means of grace.” Naturism isn’t the grace itself obviously, but the Lord used it to draw me into a closer relationship with him– a relationship I only thought I had before. A relationship that keeps me excited and eager to learn new mysteries. A relationship of grace, mercy, love, joy, peace and so much more!!

From Pastor to Nudist (Part 1)

Continuing the series of new videos from Aching for Eden Productions, here’s part 1 of an amazing true story.

WARNING: This post contains nudity. If this offends you, skip the video and just read the transcript. Hopefully if you are on this site, the sight of simply nudity is ok, or you’re reconditioning your mind to see the innocence in it.

And here’s the transcript:

We were at a business meeting in a friend of ours’ home, and after the meeting was over we were sitting around just drinking coffee and visiting and having a great time. And the lady of the house, she kind of like embarrassed looking and hesitant. And she says, “I need to ask you for a favor.” And she says, “You’re a pastor, right?” “Well, yeah, of course, yes.” She says, “I really need you to help me. My sister and her husband and their family are nudists.” And she kind of she kind of whispered it like like it was a bad word, you know, nudists. “And I need you to help me talk them out of it.” And we kind of looked at each other like it was kind of funny, you know?

But I said, “Oh, absolutely, I’m in, but give me a week so I can get some ammo. We need to do a Bible study, find out what the Bible says so that we have some ammo for them.” I said, “I don’t want to just wing it.” “We’ll straighten them up!” And so we drove home that night.

We kind of joked about it on the way home, you know, because we had about an hour and a half drive home. And it was just it was one of those odd things.

We started looking up every verse on naked or nude or anything to do with that subject. We already knew ahead of time we could not use anything with Adam and Eve, so we kind of just glossed over that right away. But suddenly, everywhere we looked was positive.

You know, we’ve got King Saul was naked with the prophets, which meant that when they assumed he was a prophet because he was naked, well, then the prophets had to have been naked. So that that didn’t fit the narrative. So we kind of threw that aside.

And then it was, you know, King David and Isaiah under the command of the Lord for three years naked. And just in case you were wondering how naked, naked and barefoot!

And then there was, I mean, just over and over again throughout the Old Testament. So we were like, okay, well, that’s because that was Old Testament. So let’s look at the New Testament. And then you find, you know, Peter naked while fishing. And rather than being reprimanded by Christ or straightened up, it just mentioned it like it was just in passing.

And then we find out that Jesus, you know, it says that he took off his robe to wash the apostles’ feet at the Last Supper. And I’m thinking, “Hmm, that not doesn’t fit.” Peter doesn’t fit in.

And then you find that the Bible tells us that at the triumphal entry that they took their clothes off and laid them in the way for Jesus to ride the donkey. Everywhere, Old Testament, New Testament,
nothing fit. We couldn’t find any.

If you would pull Leviticus 18 out of context, well then you could use it. But we make a habit of not doing that. We look at the Bible from a legitimate standpoint, not make it say what we want it to.

So everything we found didn’t fit the agenda, which really threw me for a loop as a pastor, frankly, because we’d been taught our whole entire educational system as a pastor and the church growing up naked, equal sex and naked equals bad, right? Well, that’s not what the Bible said. Not at all.

So we go back. You can tell she’s wanting to bring the subject up. Right? So I said to her, I said, “You’re going to want to sit down. Because what we found was not what we expected.” And they both were like, “Really?” Boom, sit down. We’re at the kitchen table. And I had, I brought a printout of all the verses with me. So I kind of slid the printout over and I said, this is all of the verses in the Bible that specifically referred to just simple nonsexual nudity.

And she’s like, “Wow, that’s a lot of verses.” I said, “Yeah, and they’re all pro non-sexual nudity. This is not good news for you. This is bad news for you. These are all verses that are pro body acceptance.”

God made us in his image, not ashamed and called it very good. And so we went through each verse at a time and answered all the questions. And she says at the end, she says, “Well, what do we do about this?” Which was, it’s a really good question.

And Kim says, you wanna tell him what you said? In our house, we believe if God says it. No. If God is for it, we’re for it. And if God is against it, we’re against it.

And so my mouth fell open because I hadn’t, I actually hadn’t asked the question, what do we do about it? Right? I just studied it. Couldn’t help them any. And she’s like, “Well, if God is for it, we’re for it.” And I went. [speechless] Because what do you do with that? Right?

And so a couple of weeks later… (I didn’t say it wouldn’t be hard.) [laughing] But if God is for it, we believe the Bible. Right. That’s the bottom line, isn’t it? Is we believe the Bible is the word of God. And if God is for it, we’re for it.

So we’re Jim and Kim and been naturists for 20 plus years.

---

Go to part 2.

Check out www.nakedandunashamed.org while you’re at it.

A Conversation with Mike and Linda

This is the first of a series of short videos from Aching for Eden Productions.

WARNING: This video contains nudity. If that offends you, please go to another part of the blog and read article after article until hopefully nudity (the Image of God and crown of creation) offends you no more. If you’re just not there yet, that’s ok, we get it. We were once there too. If so, you can skip the video, and just read the transcript.

Mike: I would walk around periodically on the property naked and I would ask the Lord, “Why does the wind and why does the sunshine feel so good?”

I started Googling naturism. And the world has a lot of bad areas that they claim as naturism,
which was nothing biblical. So I took a complete biblical view of it. So whatever I felt, I needed
to seek the Lord if it was true or not. Is it in His word? Is it somewhere where I can accept it being godly?

And then I stumbled across www.nakedandunashamed.org. That put things in context. But even though I saw it on his page, I still tested it with the word.

Linda: Right. Oh, it took me some more time, you know, obviously the body image thing
and all of those things. But, you know, with Mike’s help and teachings that… you know, helped
me to realize that I am beautiful. You know, we’re all created in His image and just accepting that, learning that it’s okay. I mean, so much more acceptance in this atmosphere than in the world’s atmosphere. There’s so much judgment out there. And there’s just no judgment in this lifestyle, this, you know, living as God intended.

Mike: Total non judgment, no body image issues. You would think that growing up in textile world, Hollywood’s got it right. You’ve got to have this particular figure. You got to have, you know, a guy’s got to have a six pack. I mean, perfect body image. That’s what they portray.

Covering up God’s creation and what he truly designed for us from the beginning, that’s Satan’s lies. It is just everything that God created good, Satan tries to reverse it. So once you start looking at the world
and what they say is good and you actually get up enough courage…

Whoever sees this give naturism 15, 20 minutes at a naturist venue and all of that garbage will be gone. This is what God intended, as far as I’m concerned. It gives you true freedom. All the worldly garbage is gone. You have to just throw the world behind you.

And every time Satan or anybody makes you think of, “Oh, this isn’t right or that isn’t right.” who’s telling you that? Christ or Satan? True freedom in naturism is putting Satan Step on him!

One of the first biggest things we did was, and it’s huge, going on in a bare necessities cruise.

2500 naked people all… nobody cared. But the reason why I brought that up is body image. A woman has had mastectomy. She’s got scars all across her breasts. She’s the happiest one on the beach because God has given her the peace, that she’s still beautiful.

Linda: And the acceptance from the people.

Mike: That was… people that have amputees, missing limbs. You know, the world says you need to put a fake prosthetic on so you can, you know, look like us. You know, they need them for walking too. Okay, don’t get me wrong, but the world has said so many of these things. You go to a naturist venue, it doesn’t even get noticed. You are what God’s made you. You know, whether you’re born with a situation or something happened in life. It’s just a blessing.

Linda: You know, it still takes a little while for you to get through that, because you can’t really believe
that people aren’t judging you for your imperfections and all the things that you feel are imperfect. Although God does not see it that way because He made me perfect. But here, nobody… It doesn’t matter, you know? No, it doesn’t matter.

Mike: Hollywood says you have to look like A-B-C, and naturism is delete A-B-C and what God’s given
you is a blessing. Yeah.

Linda: Unless you experience it for yourself, you’re never going to understand. And if you just give yourself that opportunity to just not worry about what anybody else has to say, because that’s your first thing, what are people going to say? How are they going to look at me? Am I going to look too heavy, too
thin too this, too that? If you just give yourself the opportunity to experience it, then you’ll understand why God created us this way.

Mike: 15 minutes. That’s what I say. 15 minutes. If you allow yourself to come to the naturist venue in 15 minutes, if you have clothes on, you’re going to feel like the oddball. You’ll want to take them off. And not one person is going to notice that you’re naked. You’re the only one that’s going to notice you’re naked. And then in another few minutes, you’re like going to go, “Why did I wait so long? Why did I wait so long?”