Sex, Dating, and Relationships: A Fresh Approach
Considering the pervasive immorality and high divorce rate of our contemporary Christian culture, we evidently need a biblically based, theologically compelling, practical understanding of sex, dating, and relationships. Pastors Gerald Hiestand and Jay Thomas counteract this problem with their paradigm-shifting view of purity and relationships—a view that challenges even the basic assumptions of evangelical subculture.
Unlike most books on dating, this one cuts straight to the heart of dating relationships, asserting with confidence that the line must be drawn at "no sexual activity" whatever. Few have dared to define and apply the Bible's understanding of purity in premarital relationships to this degree, but Heistand and Thomas have done it. Furthermore, both authors are vocational pastors who communicate regularly with the target audience and have a proven ability to express biblical truth in a winsome and compelling manner. Sex, Dating, and Relationships adds a new, almost provocative voice to the conversation that, with straightforward theological insight, pleads with Christians to get serious about honoring Christ with their sexuality.
Top Highlights
“Scripture expressly states that God created sex to serve as a living portrait of the life-changing spiritual union that believers have with God through Christ.” (source)
“Scripture makes quite clear that God’s commands are not about what works best for us but about what brings him the most glory.” (source)
“Here’s what we’re driving at: the Bible is silent about sexual boundaries within a dating relationship precisely because God does not view a dating relationship as something distinct from the neighbor relationship.” (source)
“Ultimately, we will discover that God created the physical oneness of sex to serve as a visible image, or type, of the spiritual union that exists between Christ and the church.” (source)
“Sex with a prostitute, then, is forbidden because it breaks the picture of Christ’s single-minded connection and devotion to his bride. Just as Christ reserves himself spiritually for his spouse (the church), so too we are called to reserve ourselves sexually for our husband or wife. The way we behave sexually must conform to that which God has created sex to illustrate: the life-changing nature of the gospel. Monogamy and permanency are vital aspects of this image. Christ is united to the church alone; thus a man must be united to his wife alone. Christ does not divorce his bride; we must not divorce our spouse. Do you see the connection? Our sexual activity must align with the way Christ relates spiritually to the church.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : Sex, Dating, and Relationships: A Fresh Approach
- Authors:
- Hiestand, Gerald
- Thomas, Jay S.
- Publisher: Crossway
- Publication Date: 2012
- ISBN: 9781433527142
Gerald Hiestand (MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the senior associate pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois, and executive director of the Center for Pastor Theologians. He is the author of a number of scholarly papers and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. Gerald lives in Oak Park, Illinois, with his wife, Jill, and their four children.
Jay Thomas (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves as the lead pastor of Chapel Hill Bible Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was previously the college pastor at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. Jay and his wife, Rebecca, have four children.