Musings of Navigating The Finite remainder of life from Porchville, with the hope of a glimpse of The Infinite

Monday, August 10, 2015

The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating by Andy Stanley

The New Rules for Love, Sex, and DatingThe New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating by Andy Stanley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Kindle version was cheap, $2.99 so I bought it out of a curiosity for what the loyal opposition is doing.  While I am a rather poor excuse for a Christian (I like Christmas Trees) with a one way ticket to hell for some matters involving lusting over a bare thigh (in church no less) for which I refuse to ask forgiveness, I am a rather dyed in the wool monogamist.  So for the price, I thought I would see what the good pastor has to say.

Actually I was pleasantly surprised.  The book starts out fairly secular.  Later chapters he drags out the sin and purity and starts thumping the Bible, but if you can get around the rhetoric,  for the most part the suggestions in this book are good and would apply to non-religious folks as well as the religious.  Let us say that I agree with most of his methods.

His main tenet is that instead of looking for the right partner become the right partner.  Become the person that you are looking for.  Pretty good advice.   He goes a little overboard in my estimation on premarital sex...the sin and purity stuff that doesn't set well me.  That said however I will admit that I think he is right, jumping into sex prematurely blinds one to the relationship flaws.  Sex is a powerful binding element in human relationships, but it does not guarantee longevity in a committed relationship.   He states the way to resolve your relationship issues is with a clear head before you get involved with sex.  I agree, but I don't think waiting until your  wedding night is a good maneuver for determining your sexual compatibility.  But then again I don't find premarital sex conducted in a committed loving relationship with the aim of marriage to be sinful.   Am I willing to bet my Soul on that?  Yes, but I am not willing to bet yours so read what he has to say and decide for yourself.

While I didn't agree with all he had to say and perhaps the theology behind it, I have to say if you can ignore the churchy hype, this guy has something important to say about love, sex, and marriage.  




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