"Beautiful Union" (Joshua Ryan Butler)

TITLE: Beautiful Union: How God's Vision for Sex Points Us to the Good, Unlocks the True, and (Sort of) Explains Everything
AUTHOR: Joshua Ryan Butler
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Multnomah Press, 2023, (288 pages).
 

Sex is beautiful. It is also sacred. When God created the human race, he was highly pleased. When sin entered the world, all hell broke loose. Whatever God had created became corrupted or tainted with sin. Sex is one of them. Just like how Adam and Eve allowed sin to turn their innocence into shame, more often than not, sex had negative connotations. What God had created as good and beautiful, descended into something people are generally ashamed of. So, they hide. They say that sex talk equals promiscuity. They presume that any thoughts of sexuality or sexual act are "dirty" until proven otherwise. We need a healthy correction to this beautiful gift of God. This book is an attempt to do just that. It studies the intent of God's gift, the beauty, the mystery, and the vision God has for us. In other words, sex is a beautiful thing from God and we need to recover this beauty culturally, mentally, and theologically. Butler first looks at the way modern culture has corrupted the original meaning and intent of sex. He compares the biblical and cultural use of language to describe sex. One of the distinctions is how the Bible does not shy away from the description, unlike the way modern culture treats the subject. Perhaps, this has something to do with the way sin has triggered the human tendency to hide things that they perceive as inherently shameful. Butler then makes his case by boldly pushing back against the cultural norms with two words: Generosity and Hospitality. Taking on biblical boldness, he tries to connect sex with the nature of grace. Using complementary language, one party receives while the other gives. Butler makes a theological stretch (albeit a stretch too far), to cement the roles of each gender into the giving and receiving metaphor. He spends some time describing what union is and why it is beautiful. Going back to the umbrella of God's creation, sex is indeed a beautiful gift from God. Freedom and grace accompany this beautiful gift. Using God's identity as the Triune God, he shows us how we are made to belong to one another. He then goes on to describe and also redeem words deemed taboo, like "orgasm," "making love," "semen," "vagina," etc. He also covers topics with regard to abortion, adultery, birth control, diversity, divorce, singleness, gay-sex, "the leave and cleave gospel," and the dangers of "cheap sex," the "sexual prosperity gospel," the latter being the comparison between purity keeping and legalism. In that aspect, I think Butler has given us lots of food for thought on how to think about such issues from a biblical standpoint.

"Tell Her Story" (Nijay K. Gupta)

TITLE: Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church
AUTHOR: Nijay K. Gupta
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2023, (224 pages).

One of the negative comments I have heard from modern readers is about the patriarchal nature of the Bible, especially the Old Testament. They note how the heads of households in the past are restricted to men. There are also many instances where modern folks quickly accuse gender discrimination. Why should Eve be a "helpmeet" to Adam and not the other way around? Why are most of the judges male? What about the way women are been treated? Is God being fair to the oft-referred "weaker" sex? Even in the New Testament, why did Paul put restrictions on women when it comes to teaching in the Church? These questions not only colour the minds of people, but they can also sometimes affect their faith. It might even cast doubts about God being fair and just. Sometimes, this has spurred the rise and development of modern feminism. Aware of such trends, scholars and theologians have begun addressing the issue of women and gender inequality in the Bible. In this book, author Nijay Gupta looks at the women leaders in the New Testament to highlight how such "hidden figures" have impacted the development of the Early Church. Apart from people like Mary, the mother of Jesus, Priscilla, and a few others like Phoebe and Eunice, the number of women leaders is agonizingly few. By shedding light on the impact of women leaders in the Bible, the author hopes to inform readers about the significance of women in ministry yesterday, today, and into the future. At the same time, there is definitely more than meets the modern cultural eye about women in the Bible. Gupta aims to debunk some of the myths that people have, such as women being resigned to insignificant roles in society then; and the unfair status imposed on women, etc. More importantly, by understanding the stories of these women, we get a better understanding of contexts. "Her Story" includes:

"See-Through Marriage" (Ryan and Selena Frederick)

TITLE: See-Through Marriage
AUTHOR: Ryan and Selena Frederick
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2020, (256 pages).

In any marriage, honesty is a given. Couples are expected to be truthful to each other in all things. Put it another way, good marriages have transparency as the key attribute. No secrets. No lies. No hidden agendas. According to marriage counselors Ryan and Selena Frederick, "unfettered transparency rescues relationships, glorifies God, and multiplies joy." Transparency means vulnerability. Vulnerability involves openness and humility. It invites trust. Why is this critical? One major reason is the widespread show-off culture driven by the popularity of social media. This tempts one to pretend one is well by putting forth photos and pictures of what people wanted to see. The authors believe that we live in a culture of what we see is what we expect to get. Marriages too can fall into such falsehood. The challenge is to take meaningful risk by being vulnerable and transparent. Avoid false vulnerability which essentially hides what is important and only displays what is less important. With the central thesis of cultivating a "see-through marriage," the authors lead us through different ways to accomplish that. Using Bible teachings as the key guide, they remind us that we do not need to hide in darkness but to boldly live in the light. Living in the light according to 1 John 1:6-8 contains two promises when we do that: Purification and fellowship. Transparency means not only we not hide from God, we learn not to hide from each other. There is no fear in love. A healthy marriage means we learn to be open with each other instead of hiding things from each other. That means we learn to know ourselves and the identity God has given us. If we are secured in knowing our identity in God, we will not easily compare ourselves with others. They expand on this topic of identity through the physiological self as well as the psychological self. Experiencing oneness is one of the deepest experiences transparency can provide. 

"Men Who Love Fierce Women" (Leroy Wagner and Kimberly Wagner)

TITLE: Men Who Love Fierce Women: The Power of Servant Leadership in Your Marriage
AUTHOR: Leroy Wagner and Kimberly Wagner
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2016, (240 pages).

Traditionally, it has always been men who were expected to be the leader, the authority, and the voice of the family. Ancient Israel was largely a patriarchy where the head of the family was expected to take responsibility for the sake of the whole family. For many centuries, men are the ones to bring in the dough while women are confined to domestic duties. Not anymore. In contemporary times, we are seeing more women taking initiative in leadership roles. Traditional roles are gradually been replaced by egalitarian perspectives where both male and female are seen to be equal. Even traditional sports and careers done by men are also extended to women. Everywhere we go, we see more women in traditionally male-dominated industries. This year, the USA looks set to have the first woman to be nominated for President of the country! This phenomena is also evident in marriages where women seem to be taking the initiative as 'fierce women.' There are husbands who will feel insecure when wives outmaneuver them in matters that are traditionally expected of men. This calls for a re-examination of what it means to be a real man. What is the essence of manhood? What can men do in a world where "women who eat men for breakfast?" When women assert superiority in manly tasks, what happens to the male psyche? Biblically, if God created men to lead, what about women who can lead?

"Malestrom" (Carolyn Custis James)

TITLE: Malestrom: Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World
AUTHOR: Carolyn Custis James
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015, (224 pages).

The Bible, especially the Old Testament has often been accused of patriarchalism. For many contemporary ears, the language, the culture, and the social status of men in the ancient near east have become out of date with modern sensitivities. Not only that, most people nowadays will be up in arms with women over equal rights and equal treatment, anyone using the Bible to justify masculine superiority will be in for a big fight. Worse, when we let cultural norms both past and present to define how we read the Bible, we will fail to interpret what the Bible is actually saying to us. The single biggest point in this book is this: Reject distorted models of patriarchy. Beware of the hidden dangers of the "malestrom" which is a play of words of a wind whirlpool phenomena called "maelstrom."  Carolyn Custis James writes out of her comfort zone to write about males issues, stating what "malestrom" is. She writes: "The malestrom is the particular ways in which the fall impacts the male of the human species — causing a man to lose himself, his identity and purpose as a man, and above all to lose sight of God’s original vision for his sons. The repercussions of such devastating personal losses are not merely disastrous for the men themselves, but catastrophic globally."

"40 Days in the Man Cave" (Todd Stahl)

TITLE: 40 Days in the Man Cave: Men's Devotional
AUTHOR: Todd Stahl
PUBLISHER: Winnipeg, MB: Word Alive Press, 2015, (96 pages).

Too busy? Spaced Out? No time for any leisure? Wanting to find a place to chill out but can't? If you belong to that category of men who are constantly on the run but unable to find a place to rest, this book may very well be a safety float for people drowning in an ocean of responsibilities and anxieties. Using the popular 40-days method to inculcate focus and intentional doing of the same discipline, Todd Stahl has written this devotional for men to experience what Jesus had experienced during his quiet time with God. For Jesus, time with God means time alone in a quiet secluded place away from people. For Stahl, it is a metaphorical mancave where one can squirrel away from the world into a place to refresh, to recharge, and to be renewed from the inside out. It is not just an escape from the world. It is a retreat in order to have a more meaningful and purposeful work out there. With forty brief devotions based on a biblical verse, Stahl helps readers to refocus their minds on God's Word. He shares simple examples on the day to day problems in this world and how we need to learn to exchange doubt with faith, uncertainty with assurance, irritation with patience, enslavement with the past to liberation for the future.

There is encouragement in the pages of this book geared particularly to men in positions of leadership. Stepping back to a mancave is not some cowardly act, but a sensible breather in order to catch a fresh perspective of the whole situation. With God's Word as a guide, the encouragement is always God-centered but human-sensitive. Toward the end of each chapter, there are a few biblical verses for further reflection. It is tempting for one to simply skip this, which is why I suspect the main devotional is intentionally kept brief. A devotional should not be too lengthy or theologically heavy. It needs to be simple and to inspire one to pray and to seek God more. At the end of the 40 days, it is hoped that the reader would have cultivated a regular time-out and to be more independently assured to do his own devotion, hopefully with regular reading of the Bible.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Word Alive Press and Graf-Martin Communications in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.