I picked this book up out of curiosity and let it sit on my shelf for a bit. But once I finally got around to cracking it open, I was floored!
The book is split into two parts. In the first section, Grant explores and diagnoses modern culture's sexual ethos. Grant has a firm grasp on the moores and social narratives of a postmodern (and post-Christian) culture, and turns to the research and expertise of Charles Taylor, Christian Smith, and James K A Smith, to bolster his already solid estimation. His conclusion is that in contemporary culture the individual is paramount, and his/her needs come before all else. As a result, meaningful and lasting sexual fidelity and chastity are rare.
Part two prescribes a uniquely Christian response to contemporary culture's sexual convictions (or lack of) by proposing that the Church ought to incarnate an alternative narrative; one in which the "other" or the community are paramount, as we seek to emulate and embody the sacrificial love of God in Christ. Grant owes much to Stanley Hauerwas and Stanley J. Grenz in this respect, and with their help his case is made with stunning clarity and conviction.
With the two pieces put together, book essentially functions like a philosophical/theological "State of the Union" address - assessing where we are, and projecting where we ought to be going as Christians. Sexuality is at the center of the conversation, but it's used as a crux around which larger conversations about culture and God can revolve. It all rotates spectacularly and left me with my highlighter running out of ink as I strove to capture Grant's vision for myself.
But while the book is intellectually engaging and provoking, what really makes it a gem is its spiritual depth. Grant clearly has a thriving devotional life and his pastoral heart is on display here, especially towards the end of the book. Certain parts of the book read almost like devotion texts, while never straying from the academic rigor necessary to write on a topic this complex. Such a balancing act is nearly impossible to find in modern Christian literature.
Grant does a phenomenal job of providing a road-map of how traditional Christian sexual convictions allow us to flourish and thrive in the context of our own hypersexualized modern Babylon. I wish every modern Christian had this book as a lens through which to view our ever-changing sexual landscape. I recommend this book regularly, and can't wait to read whatever Mr. Grant writes next!
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Top reviews from other countries
Darrellbm
A greaaat read Sexuality without the sex
Reviewed in Canada on November 18, 2015Cheryl Berto
a good philosophical/historical accounting of our present sexual ethos -- I'm only on Chapter 3
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2021
