Mimi Haddad
President of CBEInternational.org
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Mimi Haddad
“Authentic Human Sexuality is by far the best book I've read on this topic in decades. Seminary educators at the forefront of marriage and family research, Jack Balswick and Judy Balswick bring decades of social science and biblical wisdom to their analysis of today's sexual norms. Exploring a wide range of contemporary issues―including sexual orientation and gay marriage, singlehood, cohabitation, marriage, and divorce―the Balswicks evaluate each according to its impact on human flourishing, especially concerning children. Their content on sexual harassment, porn, and abuse is indispensable. Significantly, Authentic Human Sexuality also offers a robust critique of male dominance and its affront to human flourishing and authentic human sexuality. Whether pastors, students, or just life-long learners, readers will value this careful review of the ethical and spiritual issues Christians face in discerning the meaning of authentic human sexuality and how it shapes our communities.” (from Amazon)
Sex pervades our culture, going far beyond the confines of the bedroom into the workplace, the church, and the media. Yet despite all the attention and even obsession devoted to sex, human sexuality remains confusing and even foreboding. What, after all, is authentic human sexuality? That is the question Judith and Jack Balswick set out to answer in this wide-ranging and probing book. Informed by sociology, psychology, and theology, the Balswicks investigate how human sexuality originates both biologically and socially. They lay groundwork for a normative Christian interpretation of sexuality, show how authentic sexuality is necessarily grounded in relationships, and explore such forms of "inauthentic sexuality" as sexual harassment, pornography, and rape. Since its first publication, Authentic Human Sexuality has established itself as a standard text at numerous colleges and seminaries. Now this third edition features updated theological and social science research, insights from current neuropsychological evidence, and an expanded biblical model of authentic sexual relationships, along with updated discussion of sexual minorities, same-sex attraction, and LGBTQ issues. A new generation of students, pastors, psychologists, and sociologists engaged in counseling will be indebted to the Balswicks for this study of an endlessly fascinating and perplexing facet of human identity.