Showtime is preparing to air a documentary chronicling the life and philosophy of a family of evangelical Christians who don’t believe couples should so much as kiss before getting married.

The documentary Virgin Tales focuses on the Wilson family: The parents founded the Purity Ball, and they’ve raised their seven children to adhere to strict standards of abstinence.

Showtime, known for its raw, uncensored scripted series such as “Dexter,” “Nurse Jackie” and “Californication,” may seem to be an odd fit for a serious documentary on the evangelical purity movement. Many might suspect the program is designed to mock the Wilsons, but director Mirjam von Arx says that’s not the case.

“We really wanted to do an observational film, and I didn’t want to go and make fun of them or put my opinion on top and tell our audience what to think,” she said. “I just wanted to observe, stay neutral, force the audience to be exposed to this world and make up their own minds.” (Fox News)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.