Book Review on "Gift of Sex"

Book Review 10 pages (2744 words) Sources: 6

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Gift of Sex

Clifford and Joyce Penner, clinical therapist and nurse have written a sensitive and forthright guide to understanding sexuality and how it fits into God's design for marriage. This revised and updated version features a new introduction, new illustrations, a section on addictions and the Internet, and a timely discussion on sexually transmitted diseases and their consequences. With the latest information on sexuality and intimacy, this best-selling book is ideal whether you are newlyweds or have been married for many years.

A Biblical Perspective

This was an interesting chapter because the authors painted the picture of how sexuality and theology are commonly being utilized. This chapter talked about the myth of how most people tend to think that we as people are basically divided into parts. According to Penner (2003) they make the point that the soul is the good part of the self and the body is basically considered the bad or lustful part of the human being. However, as lot of pastor's and Christian teach that the body is very immoral and the soul is just trapped waiting to get out. However, the authors in this book go against the grain and attack this idea. They make it very clear that they do not believe that idea or perception. The authors chose to believe in a little more holistic or biblical view by using the bible.

The authors in this chapter made it very clear from the start that even though the bible to them was not an instruction book for sexual fulfillment but that it does gives a clear picture of God's value of individual sexuality. They also make the point that it God does have high regard of people having sexual relationships that are inside of marriages. The author's main point was to show how the scriptures view sex as cherished by those in the bible. They made the point that it was cherished as though it was some expensive jewel that is waiting to be purchased. They describe how sex is something that should be stored very carefully and that it should not be tainted in any form or fashion. A lot of other cultures also share in that same philosophy especially in countries where they do a lot of arranged marriages (Martindale, 2009).

The chapter goes on to make the point that sex in today's society is seen as a piece of junk. They book describes it as something given to a teenage child and them just using it as a dirty tool or device. The authors bring up the point by saying that the bible uses sex as a prize and that it is something that is done out of commitment. They go on to mention that sex is something that should be done between a man and woman out of love and not lust. However, many other authors disagree and believe that sex is something that can be done without commitment or marriage (Rosenau D.D., 2005). In defense of the bibile, the Penner's states how the bible displays sex as a symbol between God and his people. It puts sex in the frame of the deepest committement that one human can make with another. A lifelong committement to cherish, honor and be faithful with until the time of death. The authors state that when we accept sex as a wonderful and precious gift from God then it sets people aprt from the world and will not be seen as a tool to misuses and not thrown away like junk.

The authors even use the Book of Genesis in the bible to make the point that "Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed" enocuntering a connection that was free with no type of barriers since life before the fall was considered to be perfect. Their relationships were not all about powere, prestige or even control. The Penner's make the point that sex without shame is a practical potential for the Christian. Unfortunately, the authors make the point how the church has let social culture dictate a lot of distorting imageries regarding sex. The authors believe that when people can sort of rid themselves of these limitations and be able to live their lives sexually free and fullfilled. Their purpose for this chapter was to enocurage those by using the bible as an influence with sexual relationships. They were hoping that his biblically-based view would become central to their attitude in people enjoying their sexual relationship with their spouse. They wanted to make the point that people can cofirm their body including their sexuality as a Godgiven gift to be enjoyed if it is used properly. They wanted to stress that people sexuality is part of who they are and that it is their total being an not soley a physical, fleshy evil part that is just waiting to jump out of its cage. They belive that sex reflects the image of God.

The Physical Dimension

The authors talk about things such as the body images in this chapter. They make the point that how another person feels about themselves mainly in the sexually area. The chapter makes the point that women who have not have had their orgasm do not really feel good about themselves and have a hard time accepting who they are as women. To some it makes them feel as though they are less than a woman. The authors mention that these women have to deal with this issue to prevent severe low self-esteem about them. They make the point that when Christ gives the rule to love to your neighbor just like you would love yourself. They were using this to make the point that Christ was spelling out the fact that your feelings about yourself affect your ability to love another person.

This chapter makes the point regarding how body image is really a part of who a person really is and how vital it is for a person tom accept who they are in their body. It is clear as the authors bring up that a lot of people go through stages in their lives where they are not pleased about who and what they look like or their body shape. Most people normally do strive to have that perfect shape because of the media and what they see around them. It gives people the image that beauty has to be set at a certain standard (Rosenau D.E., 2005). In the case of women they feel it the worse because in their eyes, they are very self-conscious especially when it comes down to things like their breast and hips. They think that they are too small or flabby or numerous other things that make them feel very insecure about their body.

However, for the male, he will have different fears. The authors make the point that one of those fears is the size of their penis. It is inside many man's brain that it is their obligation to make sure that their woman is satisfied when it comes to sex. The other thing about this is the fact that this satisfaction is based on the size of their penis. However, this chapter sort of puts the myth to rest that the size makes any difference. The author makes the point that in reality, the female has the organ of what is considered to be the accommodation which means that the vagina actually changes to accommodate any size penis. With that said, this chapter in the book makes it pretty clear that the size of the penis has very little to do with sexual pleasure or them being satisfied.

The authors also in this chapter bring up the issue of weight. This is dissatisfaction for both women and men. In our society, people are trying to do things like lose weight or even put on a couple of pounds or even try to get the weight to be proportioned properly. In the end, whatever people are feelings regarding themselves either good or bad is all connected to how they may feel about their own bodies?

The Total Experience

The total experience brings up the vital query of the participation of the mind in the sexual experience, which is something that was also brought up in the section on the physical also. The chapter on sex as a total experience is really interesting because it demonstrates how the authors think that sex should not only be observed but treated as one of numerous questions that are defining human life and not discrete from other features of life.

This chapter brings up the points of what gets a person aroused. It makes the point that there are numerous outside stimuli that are serving to get a person in touch within their own body. It makes the point that it is pretty much different for everyone. For some people this sort of stimulation could involve listening to certain types of music, having a good read of a sexual book… READ MORE

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