Authentic Human Sexuality: An Integrated Christian Approach

by Judith K. Balswick, Jack O. Balswick

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, 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 in 1999, Authentic Human Sexuality has established itself as a standard text at numerous colleges and seminaries. While maintaining the book's overall structure, this new paper edition offers updated discussions and bibliographies throughout, including a completely new chapter on sexual development throughout the human lifespan and a substantially revised chapter on sexual beings in relationship that incorporates a trinitarian theological perspective. A new generation of students, pastors, psychologists and sociologists engaged in counseling will be indebted to the Balswicks for this updated study of this endlessly fascinating and perplexing facet of human identity.

Genres: Theology, Psychology, Sexuality, Counselling, Nonfiction, Christian, Spirituality

356 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

Judy Balswick (MA, EdD) is senior professor of marital and family therapy at the Department of Marriage and Family School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, California).

Reviews

[Alix · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book when beginning to read it. It was helpful in some aspects, but I disagreed with the authors’ logic and application (or lack thereof) of Scripture in several of their conclusions. I’m not sure I would recommend this to others.

[Ashley Chesnut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read critically. I don’t land where the authors do on a couple of points. It has more of an emphasis on statistics and looking at inauthentic vs. authentic sexuality. It’s not a examination of Scripture’s relevant passages or what to do if you struggle with a particular sexual sin, in case it helps to know what to expect as you read. I felt that several of the chapters lacked nuance.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

“In our view, Scripture seems consistently to refer to marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman, leading us to uphold the heterosexual union as God’s original intended design for humankind…. Yet, we support our gay friends and family member who choose to commit themselves to lifelong, monogamous marital union in the belief that this is God’s best for them. They do so in the belief that it reflects an authentic sexuality that is congruent with themselves and with Scripture, and seek to serve God and each other in a faithful, committed, covenant relationship before God.” (page 84)

“Masturbation and lust distinction. The Bible is silent on masturbation, but not silent on sexual sin. The realities of sexual sin, such as the use of internet pornography, which becomes a compulsion, is a problem. Jesus addresses the issue of lust in Matthew 5:27-28: “You have heard that it as said ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say you you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (RSV) Jesus does not condemn being attracted, sexually aroused, or even having sexual thoughts about a person. Rather, Jesus is warning that lusting after a certain person sets one on a potential path of committing adultery. Fantasy can be used to increase responsiveness in the relationship, or it can become a substitute for unmet needs.
Lust need not be equated with fantasy. Fantasy allows us to imagine God-given dreams and goals.” (page 126)

“Second, it is important to respect our Christian liberties when viewing erotica. Once again we refer to the 1 Corinthians 6:12 passage about Christian liberties: ‘I can do anything I want to if Christ has not said no’ (LB). Although this principle may feel uncomfortable to some, it is important not to judge another’s actions where Scripture’s teachings are not absolute. In addition, honest discernment is helping in discriminating between the things that direct us in God’s way, and those that do not.
Third, the effects of erotica are dependent on the context of one’s situation. Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 6:12, ‘But some of these things aren’t good for me. Even if I am allowed to do them, I’ll refuse to [do so] if I think they might get such a grip on me that I can’t easily stop when I want to’ (LB). Paul’s use of but qualifies freedom in Christ… Paul is not saying that ‘these things’ are not good, but that they are not good for him.
For the Christian, ‘these things’ may include erotic material. It is a strong possibility that Paul was specifically addressing the issue of erotica. In the following verse, Paul writes, “But it is not true that the body is for lust” (1 Cor 6:13 NEB). According to Paul, certain types of erotica may not be wrong in and of themselves. However, the context of the erotica can determine whether erotic material is healthy or unhealthy.” (page 235)

For further reading on sexuality, singleness, and things of that sort from a conservative view I recommend:
Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry
7 Myths about Singleness by Sam Allberry
Sex, Purity, and the Longings of a Girl’s Heart by Kristen Clark and Bethany Beal
The Heart of Singleness by Andrea Trevenna
Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken by David Powlison
Everything Rosaria Butterfield has written.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s Talk About Sex

Authentic Human Sexuality, 3rd Edition, by Judith K. Balswick and Jack O. Balswick

“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?”

This is the question tackled by Judith and Jack Balswick in their updated edition of a much used college text.

This is a well-read text and that is well deserved. The authors are thorough in their approach to the issues of sexuality and it is thoroughly updated, even having a section regarding the #MeToo movement.

The authors work off this basic presupposition: “God created us as sexual beings and intends for our sexuality to be a genuine, believable, and trustworthy part of ourselves.”

The book examines three parts:

1. The formation of sexuality.
They take a biblical look at God’s creation and the formation of sexuality. They also take in the sociocultural context, sexual identity formed in minors, and they take on LGBTQ issues.

2. Authentic sexuality.
What it means to be in true relationship. What it means to be single. They also tackle tough issues regarding premarital cohabitation and truly maximized sexuality in the context of marriage.

3. Inauthentic sexuality.
What happens when infidelity occurs? What is truly a covenant in marriage? Issues regarding sexual harassment, abuse, and rape. They examine pornography and also other sexual addictions.

The goal is thus stated: “Authentic sexuality is a longing for a rich sharing of our lives with another.” The authors work toward an authentic sexuality that is reflective of an authentic spirituality.

The social context is taken into consideration and they offer a brief history of how western culture has viewed sexuality. The move from strict “puritanical” views to very “open” views of sex has always been a challenge in the western cultures. Sexual identity is changing as well. These are tough waters to navigate.

The authors lay out the ideal of how sexual identity should be worked on in the lives of individuals, from childhood on. The family is core, then the congregation, then society.

When it comes to LGBTQ issues, the authors lay out four very broad categories that demonstrate how the American church is responding. There are the extremes of being very punitive and rejecting LGBTQ people and then be very open to every sexual idea. The “middle ground” is the tough part.

The authors work to hold to an orthodox understanding of Scripture and use that guideline to narrow the parameters of their discussion. They discuss these issues within the Christian context and not the broader cultural context. This is an area I could take a lot of time on to process in writing. They have challenged my thinking and left me with a lot to process.

The worthwhile goal of this book, and worthwhile discussion that should take place in the Church, is to see what it means in a church community to have truly authentic relationships. When families are living in healthy sexuality, the church community can have a better shot at “getting it right”. This can have a positive influence on the culture around us.

IVP Books sent me a review copy of this book. I am under no obligation to give this book a positive review.

[Nathan Marone]

The aim of this book is to combine insights from the field of psychology with Christian thinking. This approach has great appeal to me, because though scripture operates as a standard for Christian belief and practice, it is not always crystal clear on a number of issues, including many questions related to sexuality. Balswick and Balswick present a survey that tries to get at how people can be sexually authentic within the Christian context. As any reader here can guess, that will present some challenges.

The Good.

B&B offer a good survey on all the potential issues and also give the reader some good insight and helpful principles. I found myself thinking "Yeah, that makes sense," or "Okay, I can see that."

The Bad.

There is, however, one major flaw here. Given that the book takes an integrative approach, my expectation is that the authors will be able to interact with scripture with some level of sophistication and consistency. Quite frankly, I found B&B's handling of scripture to range from cliched to flippant to downright irresponsible. One example: they strongly suggest that 1 Cor 6:12-13 is about erotica. In context, there's virtually nothing in the text itself to suggest that this is the case, because 6:12-13 form the opening statement in a longer argument about marriage, singleness, and sex. It's better, in my view, to trust the immediate context of the passage itself. In the end, B&B's lack of skill with biblical material rendered this book wildly uneven. This isn't about whether or not I agreed with their conclusions on specific issues - sometimes I agreed and other times not. Rather, it's about my own insistence that biblical interpretation be done with more seriousness than what is offered here.

As a survey, Authentic Human Sexuality isn't horrible. I read it as a part of preparation for a class I'll be teaching. I'll use some of their insights and am glad for the refresher on a few different issues. But I don't think I could confidently recommend it to others unless I felt that they were quite strong in their understanding of scripture and their ability to handle it.

[Adam Gossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in seminary I took three classes from Jack & Judy. It was great. Since I audited the classes I didn’t ever read this book.

15 years later I find it at a used book sale.

It’s time.

It’s a great book.

[Ingrid O. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a reading requirement for the Bachelor's program I am participating in, it is a very comprehensive read.

[Rebecca (booksandbreggs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for one of my classes. It was extremely interesting and very informative. I will definitely use it again for my Psychology papers.

[Sarah Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful textbook in understanding Gods view of sexuality.

[Jennifer Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great resource and so timely.

[Benton Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't agree with a few things but overall a helpful tool for counselors.

[Erin Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Read it for my university class and it did not disappoint. Highly, highly recommend.

[Rod · Rating 4 out of 5]

clear, concise and informative.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a course for my Masters in Counseling. Very comprehensive.