Sex, Lies & Religion

by Randy Elrod

A seductive God desires to know us intimately. As Lover He calls for all of our spiritual and physical senses to come alive during this journey called life. Your freedom to be spiritually sexual is far less limited than your religious baggage would have you think. Sex, Lies, and Religion will help the • Enjoy Guilt-Free Sexual Pleasure • Unlearn Sexual Lies • Know The Difference Between Art and Pornography • Bring ALL Of Who You Are To The Sexual Experience • Let Sacred Consummation Deepen Your Passion And Intimacy • Embrace Sexual Redemption • Understand The Beauty and Sexual Symbolism of Holy Communion

162 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2010

About the author

Randy Elrod is an artist, author, and adventurer whose path has led from rural Appalachia to Barcelona's artistic streets. His works span memoir "A Renaissance Redneck in a Mega-Church Pulpit" and self-discovery "The Quest." His life has been marked by creative exploration and physical challenges, including twenty-five marathons and wilderness survival in Alaskan grizzly country. "The Purging Room" is his first work of fiction, written from his current home in Barcelona, where he continues his mission of empowering others to embrace their authentic selves.

Reviews

[Louis Vigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lots of interesting things to think about. Some are right on, such as how our culture wants to objectify women and sex. Others are a bit more edgy (and for some it may be a bit offensive), such as sexual fantasy and masturbation. But I like how Randy leave many of these questions unanswered, just like the Bible does.

I love his thoughts on celebrating a sacred sexuality where sex is akin to a sacrament. And the parallels he draws from the intimacy of communion, but I've yet to figure out a practical way to think about it from that perspective.

Also his thoughts on immortal longings. If sex is really at the heart of so many of our actions and things in our culture then it's good to be discussing and thinking about it in relation to not only theology, but our everyday life (which is just theology in motion). Explore the mystery of oneness, not only the oneness experienced with your spouse, but the oneness you can experience with God

As a parent, I realize that its my responsibility to understand things... about sex and the deep mystery it conveys about our spirituality and our temporal existence here on earth... in preparation to have open and frank conversations with my kids about these things... when the time is right. If I don't do it, then certainly culture will. And culture undoubtedly doesn't have a healthy view of sexuality from any standpoint

I certainly wish I had found a book like this years ago for my own sake.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another review after a year: I have been reading or re-reading books on sex because I am helping to lead a small group of newly married couples and we have been discussing sex. I appreciated this book even more now that I have read a few more recently. On a second reading I understood more of the underlying theology, especially the references to Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. I have picked up a book to read that is directly about that and look forward to reading more. Honestly, with the weaknesses of this book, it is still the best book on a real understanding of Christian sexuality that I have found.

My full thoughts on a second reading at http://bookwi.se/sex-lies-and-religio...
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Full review at http://bookwi.se/sex-lies-and-religio...

Short review: This is a good addition to the theology of sexuality. The only other book to really compare it to is Rob Bell's Sex God. And that was more about sensuality than sexuality. This book is about sexuality. It is not a perfect book. I wanted more history of christian thought on sexuality. But I would still recommend it. It is a brief read.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate that the author wasn't afraid to take an unpopular view (ok, several). There's lots of wisdom in this book to chew on.