I received this book from iconmediagroup in exchange for my review.
Today the book I am reviewing broaches a topic many Christians shy away from. And to be honest, when first approached to review this book I wasn't really sure I wanted to, or would be comfortable covering this on the blog.
About The book:
Christian women don't have to choose between being sexual and spiritual. They have legitimate longings that the Church has been afraid to talk about, and books like Fifty Shades of Grey exploit. Whether you are single or married, sexually dead or just looking to revive your sex life, Pulling Back the Shades will address your desire to be both sexual AND spiritual. With solid Biblical teaching and transparent stories, trusted authors Dannah Gresh and Dr. Juli Slattery, offer an unflinching look at the most personal questions women ask. The book offers practical advice for women to address five core longings:- to be cherished by a man
- to be protected by a strong man
- to rescue a man
- to be sexually alive
- to escape reality
God designed women with these longings and has a plan to satisfy them. It's time for women to identify their intimate longings and God-honoring ways to fulfill them.
You can find this book in these places: Pure Freedom Website, Amazon, Deeper Shopping
About the Authors:
Dannah Gresh is a best-selling author of several faith-based books on the subject such as What Are You Waiting For, Get Lost, and And The Bride Wore White. She has long been at the forefront of a movement to encourage healthy sexual choices and is often called upon to use social science and medical research to defend a conservative position on relationships and gender in news media like USA Today, CNN.com, FoxNews.com, Chicago Tribune and Women's Wear Daily. As a resident of the hometown of Penn State, Gresh coaches college students seeking to define their sexual and relationship theology. She was honored to deliver a TED Talk entitled "The Walk of Fame vs The Walk of Shame." Learn more about her at dannahgresh.com.
Dr. Juli Slattery is a widely known clinical psychologist, author, speaker and broadcast media professional. Her commitment to biblical principles, relatable style and quick wit have made her a highly sought after speaker to women's groups.
Juli served as the co-host of the Focus on the Family daily broadcast from 2010-2012. She then sensed the Lord calling her to leave her position at Focus to co-found Authentic Intimacy, a women's media ministry focusing on intimacy in marriage & intimacy with Christ. Juli's books include Finding the Hero In Your Husband, No More Headaches, Beyond the Masquerade and Guilt Free Motherhood.
She and her husband Mike have been married for 19 years. They are raising their three boys in Colorado Springs where Juli can be found playing in the mountains and trying to manage her addiction to soy lattes.
I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion. I was not required in any way to give a positive review.
So... What did I think??
For starters, I have never read 50 Shades of Grey, so my opinion is not of that book. Actually, I had never even heard of it until I was enlisted to read this book. Apparently, though it is very popular reading material even for good Christian people.
I chose to read books I think will bring glory to God, as I believe, from experience, that Satan uses our mind above all else as a gateway. Most of his lies, deception, fears, etc... begin in out thoughts.
To me, that was the purpose of this book, to make readers aware of how the enemy works, and what he uses to entangle us and to open our eyes to the lies he feeds us.
This book addresses single and married women and our God-given desires, being cherished, protected and sexually alive. Those things are not wrong, but the way we approach fulfilling them could be wrong. This book addresses the dangers of reading erotica and how harmful a world of bondage through BDSM (a term I was not familiar with prior to this book also) really is.
Dannah and Juli talk about God's design for sex verses the selfish ways society suggests to fulfill us sexually - which completely miss the mark and are not fulfilling long term. They use the woman at the well as an example of a woman who is thirsting - yet all the sexual fulfillment she has tried has only left her longing for more. Jesus is the only one who can truly satisfy the needs that she has. He is also the only one still today who can truly satisfy out deepest needs, so that we do not have to keep searching. The authors give insight into finding the hero in your husband or waiting for him; and discovering the joy of an intimate relationship verses what the world has to offer. God calls us to choose a different path from the world - the path of Holiness. He wants us to set up a wall of holiness in our lives for our own protection, as the children of Israel did in the book of Nehemiah.
Personally, although I believe this book would be good for all women to read, I think it mostly addresses the Christian community. If you are a woman seeking God's will for your life in this area, the insight and reasoning in this book is outstanding and helpful, otherwise, it may be seen as just another "opinion" and somewhat "goody-two-shoes" type mentality.
For myself, I thought this book brought to light alot of questionable areas and was very helpful to me as well as learning things that may be helpful if I encounter a woman in this situation.
Your thoughts? I would love to hear them as long as they are shared in a kind and considerate manner. Thank you!
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