This is an article forwarded to me by a Chastity educator. Its a good read. :)
What Is Chastity?
Chastity is sexual self-control. It means placing sexual intimacy within one relationship and one relationship only: marriage.
Although we've used the word “abstinence” in this book and have encouraged you to abstain from premarital sex, we actually prefer the term chastity when talking about sexual morality.
Abstinence is about what you cannot do (engage in sexual intimacy).
Chastity is about what you can do — lead a positive lifestyle that respects self and others. For centuries, chastity has been an admired moral virtue. Author Pat Driscoll defines chastity as “sexual goodness” — living out the truth, beauty, and goodness of human sexuality. In one of her pamphlets, “God's Plan for Sex,” Driscoll boldly states “Sex is great!” and then lists some reasons why it is:
God created sex, and it's wonderful.
God gave us operating instructions for sex (in the Bible).
Only the abuse of sex (through fornication, adultery, masturbation, etc.) is wrong.
Following God's law brings joy.
Disobeying God's law brings unhappiness and problems for ourselves and society.
God has given us many ways to express our sexuality genitally (in marriage) and non-genitally (outside of marriage).
2. Chastity applies to everybody, unmarried people and married people. How?
For unmarried people (both those planning to marry and those who intend to remain single), chastity means staying pure in thought and deed, refraining from sexual intercourse and other forms of deliberate genital arousal, and expressing one's sexuality in non-genital ways.
For married people, chastity means having sex only with your marriage partner. This form of promised faithfulness between husbands and wives — giving themselves sexually only to each other, never to anyone else — is also known as fidelity. Chastity in marriage also means keeping sex open to life. (We talk more about this in Chapter 17.)
Celibacy is a special form of chastity. People with a religious vocation — for example, priests, brothers, and nuns — take a vow of celibacy. As part of their deep commitment to God and sacrificial service to God's people, they promise to lead a life that excludes all forms of genital sexual intimacy.