Although less institutionally anchored than hitherto, for many people religion remains important in everyday life. This exploratdry study examines the management of sexuality and spirituality by practicing Christians as heterosexuals in relationships prior to marriage, focusing on individuals' lived experience of being sexual in the context of their religious faith. Christian teaching traditionally confines sex to within heterosexual marriage, yet previous research has shown that the majority of self-identifying and practicing Christians are sexually active prior to marriage. Thus the stereotype of the apparently un-sexual unmarried Christian living th~ 'no sex outside marriage' lifestyle is at best deficient, an un-examined 'truth' which merits questioning. Using' Biographical Narrative Interview Methods, this study explores how practicing Christians experience their sexual desires and Christian beliefs around sex and manage any perceived conflicts in the context of their pre-marital relationship. I