Historically researchers have struggled to understand why child sexual abuse occurs and why some children appear to be at greater risk than other children. Early theories of child sexual abuse did not have empirical evidence to rely upon and, thus, appeared to mirror the sociocultural biases present in society. As such, the author examines whether the current theory being utilized to explain child sexual abuse, attachment theory, is also susceptible to becoming laden with cultural values regarding the family and notions of appropriate sexual activity. In the first part of the article, the author reviews the historical literature on child sexual abuse and shows how early theories reflected societal values and assumptions. The second part of the article examines the tenets of attachment theory and how it is applied to the phenomenon of child sexual abuse. The author argues that attachment theory provides a useful framework for understanding the many dynamics of abuse risk, abuse initiation, and the manifestation of sexual abuse. The author cautions that attachment theory will continue to provide a useful framework for child sexual abuse only so long as it remains free of cultural biases regarding the ideology of the family. In the final section, the author explores methodological issues involving the measurement of attachment, which provides an empirical basis for the theoretical understanding of child sexual abuse. References