Read the chapter "lies the church tells about sex" the night I bought the book. I was quite interested; I identified with/recognized most of these "lies."

Starting at the beginning, however, I found less engaging, which is surprising considering this is a book on the topic of SEX. The only classes I didn't sleep through in freshman Biology were the ones covering the menstrual cycle! Of course, Winner is focused on moral and social concerns rather than biological ones, but her approach does seem split between attempting to appeal to an academic audience and a popular Christian one.

Let's face it, on some level the point always boils down to the immorality of pre-marital sex, and while I'm less inclined to express my opinions as emphatically as Winner sometimes does, I do appreciate her attempt to emphasize the truth that sex/marriage/singleness is in its essence both a powerful Christian symbol and a crucial aspect of communal, kingdom living. I can think of few examples in my life where the topic of sex is treated as such, but this view has become the only view in recent years that helps me make much sense of this crazy-ass sexy topic.