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What Happens When You Choose Jesus Over Sex With Ciara

Photo: Olivier Douliery/Getty Images

In an interview on The Rock Church, Ciara’s NFL quarterback boyfriend, Russell Wilson, really opened up about their relationship. Wilson confirmed that he and Ciara are dating and have been for about six months. He then revealed that despite being two incredibly sexy people, the two have yet to have sex, and in fact are practicing abstinence:

“I met this girl named Ciara who was the most beautiful woman in the world, the most kind person, the most engaging person, everything that I could ever want. She was on tour and I was looking at her in the mirror, and she was sitting there. And God spoke to me and said, ‘I need you to lead her.’ And I was like, ‘Really? Right now?’ And he goes, ‘No, I want you and need you to lead her.’ And I asked her, ‘What would you do if we took all that extra stuff off the table? And just did it Jesus’ way?’”

Wilson went on to clarify that, yes, the “extra stuff” meant sex:


“Yeah, we’re talking about sex … Can we love each other without that? If you can really love someone without that then you can really love somebody … I ain’t gonna lie to y’all now. I need y’all to pray for us. Because I know y’all have seen her on the screen now. If there’s a 10, she’s a 15. Pray for me, keep my mind clear, keep my heart clear.”

It’s rare to hear celebrities be so open about their sex lives and even rarer to hear them discuss their sexless lives. In fact, the public celebrity-abstinence pledge feels like a vestige of Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, late-’90s pop era (give or take a Jonas brother). But the admission is actually on brand for Wilson: As seen in this 2013 documentary, The Making of a Champion, he’s a devout born-again Christian, and the interview took place on a Christian talk show. Still, it’s managed to spark a few Twitter beefs.

After ESPN host Bomani Jones mocked Wilson’s sexless relationship on his show, ESPN writer Chris Broussard called the host out on Twitter for insulting “Bible-believing Christians”:


Jones retorted:

To Jones’s point, there is something patronizing about the way Wilson phrased his announcement. His use of the word “lead” (“I want you and need you to lead her”) suggests that he’s guiding some fallen woman back to the path of righteousness — which is all a bit loaded, since Ciara (a) already has a child, so has definitely had sex, and (b) exudes sexuality in her work.

So, naturally, there’s also been extensive discussion of Ciara’s sexuality and how she will continue to tempt Wilson — from Wilson’s own jokey call for prayer assistance because Ciara is a “15,” to tweets asking “how can you resist banging someone that sexy”:

It would help if the conversation hadn’t originated solely from Wilson — we’ve yet to hear from Ciara on the matter. But, of course, she’s entitled to her privacy. And while Wilson might be protecting her chastity, he hasn’t protected that.

Russell Wilson Chose Jesus Over Sex With Ciara