The Book and its Topic
Sex God, Rob Bell’s new book, had big shoes to fill. It came after Velvet Elvis, in my opinion one of the better books ever written. Did it manage to fill those big shoes?
Not quite, but see they are two different books. This is a book that is (as Rob calls it) “Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality”. Velvet Elvis was a much wider look at the Christian Faith.
Sex God should be read by every Christian. I think we are taught too little on sex by our parents and society as a whole, and we don't like discussing sex. This aside, I think that it will help Christians everywhere find freedom from sin.
Understanding who we are and what our true identity is, and gaining insight into the greatness of God, helps us realize the impact of our sin. What are you really doing when you sin, and what are the eternal implications of your actions?
There is this one chapter called ‘Leather, Whips, and Fruit’ that blew me away. I think that this is one of the best chapters in any book on any subject ever! At least from those books that I have read. When I read Christian books I use a pencil to underline things that stand out and are worth remembering. You will laugh when you see my copy of Sex God. I underlined almost the whole chapter called Leather, Whips and Fruit.
It’s that good!
I had to choose between 6 quotes from this chapter for the BookDisciple.com Power Quote for this review. Unreal. The chapter deals with lust.
Not just lust for sex, but any type of sinful lust that can overcome Christians. It shows us why we experience lust, why we find bad things attractive, why we shouldn’t and how channeling our energies into positive things is the only solution.
Rob gives you a very handy list of questions you have to ask yourself when facing temptation.
That is one chapter. What about the rest of the book?
The rest of the book is an easy to follow discussion on lots of by-products of a sexually immoral world, together with some powerful insights into the way we should be looking at sexuality, marriage, and wounds from the past.
The way the book concludes is a profound illustration that sex (with your spouse in a healthy marriage) is most probably the closest to heaven we will ever come while we are on earth. Literally. That is also the main reason why we will not be married in heaven as Jesus said. It won’t be necessary...
BookDisciple Power Quote
“We are addictive creatures. We try things, we experiment, we explore, and certain things hook us. They get their tentacles in us, and we can’t get away from them. What started as freedom can quickly become slavery. Often freedom is seen as the ability to do whatever you want. But freedom isn’t being able to have whatever we crave. Freedom is going without whatever we crave and being fine with it.” – Velvet Elvis, p.75 (italics mine).
So, how does it read?
Just like his previous book, Velvet Elvis, Sex God is a very entertaining, informative and easy read. It is a quick weekend read at 175 pages, and has some really funny moments (especially in the end notes).
As usual, I had to tell my wife what it was about every time I laughed... Part of the job, I guess.
At first, I was a bit perplexed as the first 40 pages do not mention sex, the subject of the book. I guess it is a bit less about sex, and a bit more about the link between the experience of sex on earth and the God who created us. More than I initially thought, in any case.
What did this book mean to me personally?
I am married, and therefore in a sexual relationship. I have a daughter who I want to teach about sex from a young age so that she does not learn from her school mates. I am a man with hot blood.
All these things are good reasons why I had to read Sex God. I learned a lot, and (maybe even more importantly) I can now see my relationship with my wife and my responsibility toward my daughter from a fresh perspective.
Maybe this is the perspective that God wanted me to have from the start?
Either way, this book had a positive influence on me. I am sure that this will flow through to my wife and daughter. And it is not only applicable to my sexuality. Sex God also illustrated ways in which I can deal with temptation in general.
Conclusion
All Christians – single Christians, married Christians, Christians struggling with sexual sin, Christian struggling with any sin, Christians with children – all Christians need to be taught more about sex. Especially sex in terms of how God sees it, and what He was trying to establish when creating us as such sexual creatures.
We all need to know more. And what better way to learn more than reading a Rob Bell book. Go buy Sex God, and read it!
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