Review: Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God's Grand Story

Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God's Grand Story by Christopher Yuan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I'll admit that when I heard Christopher Yuan was coming out with another book, and that it was going to talk about the topic of sexuality and holiness, I was pretty excited and greatly looked forward to reading it. However now that I've had a chance to read it, I'm honestly a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's still a pretty decent book and one that I would probably recommend for someone to read if they were interested in conversing on the subject of human sexuality, thought I would do so with some caveats of sorts.

1. Yuan come across SUPER strong on a certain theological position (one, that I may add, isn't held by 100% of Christians around the world), and comes just short of saying that if you don't hold to this position, you're essentially saying Jesus' work on the cross didn't do anything. While I appreciate his passion and dedication to maintaining the honor and significance that is due and necessary in the realm of atonement theology, I felt like the weight he was placing on his particular position was a bit putting off.

2. There were times when Yuan would quote parts of Scripture and take them at a 'super face-value', and I think miss something that the text is actually saying. Now I NEVER want to come across as one who believes he knows more than another, ESPECIALLY when that person is like Dr. Yuan and holds degrees which highlight the work he's put in and the sacrifices he's made to study Bible and theology. Yet, I can't help but think of other scholars who would disagree a little (or would at least be open to the possibility of an alternative exegesis from particular passages) with some of his conclusions. One such example that I can remember is his dealing with the passage outlining the Sadducees attempted trap of Jesus talking about whose wife the woman who was married multiple times would be. Yuan seemingly concluded that the only possible understanding of this passage, was that marriage would cease and has no part/place in eternity. New Testament scholar (and one of my favorite authors) Scot McKnight presents an alternative interpretation of this passage in his book "The Heaven Promise", which quite frankly I like more. (Rather than spoiling the surprise, I'll just encourage you to check out his book for yourself... it's an EASY read and I think you'll love it!).

Despite hesitations such as these, there were still many parts I found to be enriching, challenging, and down-right brilliant. For example, I love that he sought out to correct an easily believed lie within our culture today. Heterosexuality IS NOT the opposite of homosexuality, rather holy sexuality is (which Yuan sums up simply with "chastity in singleness & faithfulness in marriage)! By simply limiting our goal to 'heterosexuality', Yuan argues, we open ourselves to accept behavior that elsewhere is condemned as sinful, just for the sake of correcting the homosexuality one. We must not settle for less, but instead strive to level of holiness Jesus calls us toward, even if it's difficult. I also REALLY enjoyed his discussion on human identity (minus the original guilt part... see my first hesitation above), and think that his handling of that would be a great addition to the conversation on sexuality and identity, that we SHOULD be having with Christians today.

Can you read this book if you disagree with Yuan on certain things he holds to strongly and still be blessed by it? Absolutely! It wouldn't be my first book to recommend on the subject (currently that place is held by 'Messy Grace' by Caleb Kaltenbach), yet it is one that I will probably use and recommend as a secondary or tertiary source matter for the conversation.

One last thing, there were many times when Yuan would write something about our holiness being more important than our happiness (even in the context of marriage). This reminded me of my favorite marital book that I've read thus far in my life, which I HIGHLY recommend to you here: "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas. =)

"I received this book from the publisher through their book launch program."
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Review: Spirit of the Living God

Spirit of the Living God by Leon L. Morris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this book with a friend of mine who had it as a textbook in his graduate program years ago. Overall, this is a great little book to read if you're interested in exploring the realm of pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit). There was much I was already acquainted with that Morris discussed in the book, but that might simply be because this is an older book and I've read other books that used and references his work. There were parts within Morris' arguments that I found myself disagreeing with his conclusions and claims (… such as his stance that there was nothing attractive to God on account of man... something which I believe Scripture presents and hints of the opposite being true. I'm not saying man was 'deserving' by any means, however I do believe God saw His creation as something worth loving and saving.]), yet even then Morris does a good job (though the language is dated) at walking with a person who has never studied the person of the Holy Spirit, and guiding them into the often confused and manipulated waters of learning about Him.

If you are interested in learning more about the Holy Spirit, this book is a great primer. If you're wanting something to help you brush up on your understanding of who the Holy Spirit is, you'll benefit from this book. However if you're looking for something a little more 'in-depth', you're probably better off looking elsewhere.

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