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Sex and the Supremacy of Christ | 
 enlarge | Creators: John Piper, Justin Taylor
Publisher: Crossway Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.99
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 30025
Media: Paperback
Edition: Pap/DVD
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1581346972
Dewey Decimal Number: 261.8357
EAN: 9781581346978
ASIN: 1581346972
Publication Date: June 14, 2005
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Product Description
The Bible has a way of shocking us. If Americans could still blush, we might blush at the words, Rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love (Proverbs 5:18-19).
But, of course, sin always tries to trash God's gifts. So we can t just celebrate sex for what God made it to be; we have to fight what sin turned it into. The contributors to this unique volume encourage you to do both: celebrate and struggle.
This book has something for all men and women, married and single from contributors like John Piper, C. J. and Carolyn Mahaney, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, Carolyn McCulley, and others.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 A Christian worldview of sex December 29, 2008
On those rare occasions when the church does speak about sex, it is almost invariably a message on the evils and ills associated with it. Premarital sex is bad. Adulterous sex is wrong. Homosexuality is evil. While most Christians might agree with these premises, to stop there is to fall far short of teaching all the Bible has to say on sex. While there have been some note-worthy books published on the Christian perspective of sex in recent years, most seem to have been influenced more by western culture and current trends in relationship counseling than the Bible. This is why Sex and the Supremacy of Christ fills a much needed void in for both the church and our society.
This book features several contributing authors including notables John Piper, Mark Dever, Justin Taylor, C.J. and Carolyn Mahaney, Albert Mohler, and several others. Each contributes a chapter or two on a different aspect of the Biblical worldview of sex.
John Piper authors the first two chapters exploring the two main premises of the book: 1) sexuality is designed by God as a way to know God in Christ more fully; and 2) knowing God in Christ more fully is designed as a way of guarding and guiding our sexuality. Or, when stated negatively, all misuses of our sexuality distort the true knowledge of Christ and all misuses of our sexuality derive from not having the true knowledge of Christ. Drawing from the Old Testament books of Hosea and Ezekiel, Piper shows us beautiful descriptions from Scripture where Israel, or the church, is compared to the bride and Christ to the bridegroom. Piper goes on to illustrate that God "brought us out of death to life and from darkness to light" by choosing to save us, or marry us, when we were desolate, naked, and helpless. He made a covenant with His people that He never broke though we are the picture of an adulterous wife time after time.
Ben Patterson writes the final chapter of the first section on "The Goodness of Sex and the Glory of God." Using ample illustrations from Scripture and by quoting from the likes of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, Patterson reminds us that God made sex to be both pleasurable and good. He concludes that the Bible is a book about marriage and sex and supports this with five statements: 1) in the beginning of the Bible there is a marriage (Gen. 2:23-25); 2) at the very end of the Bible there is a marriage (Rev. 19:6-7, 9; 21:2); 3) central themes from the Bible are emphasized and reinforced with marriage metaphors (i.e. Hosea's marriage is a picture of God's marriage to Israel, Jesus saying He is the bridegroom to His people, and Paul using marriage as a demonstration of God's marriage to His people); 4) the sexual, in the Bible, is a chief arena of the brokenness of sin - and therefore occupies an important place among the things Christ came to redeem (Gen. 3:16, Rom. 1:21-24); and 5) tucked away in the Bible is the gem of all collections of songs on sex and marriage, the Song of Solomon.
The second section of Sex and the Supremacy of Christ deals with sex and sin. Here David Powlison has written one of the best pieces about dealing with the brokenness of sexual sin that I have ever read. As he writes, his chapter is "about making new, about the long restoring of joys to the broken and dirtied." In the chapter, he deals with several different kinds of sexual sin including pornography, adultery and premarital sex. More importantly, though, he addresses the guilt that often accompanies sexual sin and shows that no matter what sin we might fall into, our relationship with Christ can always be restored.
The other chapter in this section, entitled "Homosexual Marriage as a Challenge to the Church: Biblical and Cultural Reflections" was written by Albert Mohler, the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Understanding the Christian's duty to compassionately tell the truth, Mohler states that Christians cannot begin a conversation about homosexual marriage by talking about homosexual marriage, obviously referring to the deeper problems underlining the fact that homosexual marriage is even being considered by our society.
The next four chapters are written for more specific audiences though I gleaned information and learned from all of them. One chapter each is devoted to single men, married men, single women, and married women.
In "Sex and the Single Man", co-authors Mark Dever, Michael Lawrence, Matt Schmucker, and Scott Croft deal with sensitive topics like masturbation in a straight-forward and Biblical manner. They also probe whether an increasing commitment legitimizes increasing levels of physical intimacy before marriage. They conclude that it does not and then give four reasons why there should not be any physical intimacy between any man and woman who are not married. While I have previously heard arguments calling for abstaining from all levels of physical intimacy before marriage, I always found them lacking in Biblical support and sound theology. Not so here. For the first time I am considering the idea that a Biblical approach to dating and courtship would be to keep from all physical aspects of a relationship until after one is married. The chapter concludes by defining courtship and dating and examining the differences between them.
The next chapter, "Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know" is authored by C.J. Mahaney. Its content is drawn from his book of the same name, Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know. Mahaney begins by glancing at passages from the Song of Solomon and looking at the poetic way in which the couple's relationship is discussed. Here Mahaney makes a few good observations. He notes that the descriptions in Song of Solomon are never crude or clinical, but still manage to discuss the provocative and intimate. He also states that this book in the Bible is "not about the act of sexual intercourse. Rather, it is about the remarkable nature of the couple's overall relationship - in all its romance, yearning, desire, sensuality, passion, and eroticism." After looking at the theological lessons of Song of Solomon, Mahaney then successfully attempts to practically apply its lesson to the modern marriage relationship. He does this by dispensing advice concerning date nights, gift giving, getaways, surprises, phone calls, and emails to one's wife.
Carolyn Mahaney, C.J.'s wife, writes the next chapter for wives, taken from her book, Feminine Appeal. In "Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Wife Needs to Know," Carolyn makes it clear that sex is a gift from God for women too. Like her husband, she turned to the Song of Solomon and found five "be's" from the book that Christian wives should apply to their marital sex lives: 1) be attractive; 2) be available; 3) be anticipatory; 4) be aggressive; and 5) be adventurous. Most of the writers in this book used humor where appropriate, but Carolyn probably best utilized it, as she peppered many of her points with humorous anecdotes.
One such account concerned a young mother who approached Carolyn for advice, saying that she had little time for her husband now that she had kids. The young mother relayed that before her and her husband had children she had plenty of time to keep a clean house, cook gourmet dinners, and make love to her husband but that now there was little time for such activities. The young mother wanted to make her husband a priority, but did not know how to with so much on her plate. Carolyn replied, "Honey, fix your husband a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner and give him great sex after dinner, and he will feel prized by you!"
The next section of the book is actually about history and sex, and includes a chapter by Justin Taylor on "Martin Luther's Reform of Marriage" and Mark Dever's chapter entitled "The Puritans on Sex." Many Christians understand Luther's important contributions to Protestant Christian theology including justification by faith alone and Christian freedom. What we often overlook, myself included, is the significant contribution Luther added to the doctrine of marriage. Taylor does a good job here of describing the times Luther lived in - a time when the Catholic Church emphasized sex for the purpose of procreation only and did not allow its clergy to be married and thus enjoy normal sexual relations. Luther, by contrast, understood God created us as sexual beings and needed the healthy outlet of marriage to exercise these urges and desires. Taylor also gives a brief look at Luther's friendship and eventual marriage to Katherine von Bora, a former nun, as well as an interesting look at their home life after their marriage.
In the last chapter of the book, Mark Dever looks at what the Puritans wrote and said about sex and dispels some of the commonly held assumptions on the prudishness of the Puritans. While quoting from several different Puritan preachers and writers, Dever mostly looks to Richard Baxter and John Flavel for Puritanical opinions on sex. Dever also noted that, while the Roman Catholic Church emphasized sex and marriage for the purpose of procreation, and Luther accentuated marriage for the purpose of not falling into sexual sin, the Puritans highlighted marriage for its companionship.
It is rare to find a Christian book dealing straight-forwardly and honestly with the reality of sex and intimacy in today's world. It is also rare to read a modern Christian book that combines deep, sound theology with good practical applications. To find both in the same book is a marvel. I doubt if there is a more relevant message that the church and, by extension, the world, needs to hear today than a clear and straight-forward presentation of the Biblical view of sex and marriage.
 What An Eye Opener April 20, 2006
In the eleven years I have been married I have read many Christian books on dating, marriage, relationships and sexual intimacy. Several of them have been mixtures of psychology and theology at best. Others were solidly grounded in scripture. Sex and the Supremacy of Christ falls into the latter category. In fact, it is unlike any book that I have ever read on the topic of sex.
If you're single, check it out. If you're engaged, check it out. If you're married, check it out. You'll not be able to count on all your fingers and toes the things that you will learn regarding the theology of sex. The bottom line: everything is for God's glory, including sex. Piper, Dever, Mahaney and the other authors do a superb job at explaining how this all pans out in scripture.
Read the rest of the review here.
What kind of persons should Christians be? September 27, 2005
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
Piper presents the moral issues surrounding homosexuality with a challenge to embrace the principles of faithfulness and love with a goal of glorifying God.
This book needed to be written a long time ago! August 25, 2005
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
Last Spring, Justin Taylor of Between Two Worlds Blog (and Desiring God Ministries) put out a call for bloggers to review a book he had a part in - Sex and the Supremecy of Christ. I was one of the lucky few who got in early enough to be blessed with the opportunity, and below entails my thoughts on the book.
First, I would like to comment on how appropriate the subject for the book is for Christians today. As Christians, we are called to glorify God in all that we do, and within that fall our sexuality. This is often directly opposed by how the world that surrounds us views sex and sexuality. As yet to be perfected Christians we are impacted by the graphicness and pervasiveness of the inappropriate and negative message that society showers us with on a daily basis. This book serves to begin to balance that out by giving us a clear explanation on God's design for sex.
What I liked best in the book:
First, I greatly appreciate the readability of this book. With authors like John Piper and Albert Mohler, there is always the chance that it could quickly become very heady, making it a difficult read for the entry level reader. This is a book that I think most high school students could read, and I would recommend it for that application.
I suspect this book will be challenging to those who have been taught to be ashamed of sex and sexuality. It is a tragedy that some in the body of Christ have perverted one of God's greatest gifts to us in this way. This book takes great steps to undoing some of that harm, and is a great reference for developing a biblically informed view of sexuality. While it is not specifically written as an apologetic against this, it nonetheless would serve ministries well that are helping people overcome those feelings of shame.
The part I enjoyed reading the most was the section on Martin Luther and his wife. It added a needed lightness to what can sometimes be a heavy subject. It also was great to get a window into the life of one of the most influential Christians of all time.
The section I initially felt I would not find very interesting was Dr. Mohler's segment on homosexuality. I was pleasantly surprised by what he had to say. I almost always find Dr. Mohler interesting, but the past two years I have been filled to the top with data, opinions, and stories about homosexuals and Christians. Dr. Mohler made it interesting, and informative, and I suspect I will read the section again. He did not present anything new to me, but he always has a way of saying things that makes me say "I wish I could have said it that way."
I grew up in the church, and I can honestly say I did not hear much regarding any of the topics covered in this book spoken about at church. Sex was something people talked about in private. Sex was something that jokes were made about. Sex was everybody's dirty little secret. I think this book serves to shine a light in an area of much darkness for Christians throughout the world. I highly recommend the book, front to back, without any hesitation. I suspect I will be buying a few copies to share with some important people in my life who might greatly benefit from it.
What I would do different/like to see changed or added:
My criticisms are very limited. I would love to see this offered as a 3 part paperback series, with a Bible study guide to go with it. That way churches could utilize different segments with different groups or at different times. I honestly don't know if something like that is in the works, but I would suggest it if not.
Piggybacking on my previous idea, a section (or perhaps a separate tool) with sermon outlines would another great blessing for the church. Providing a framework for pastors to introduce these subjects to their congregations would be a wonderful gift. While we all know we should be hearing these kinds of things from our pulpits, all too often we are not, and we can see where that has been getting the church. Anything to enable and encourage pastors to utilize this material in their churches would add to it's impact.
I would also like to see an online resource with current info and articles pertaining the subjects discussed. There is a very nice list of references, but they are to print materials. The world is changing, and while I see the humor in asking for electronic info from a paper book, I still think it would be a nice addition for those seeking to grow deeper in these subject areas.
Final Analysis:
I give it 5 of 5 stars, with a hearty reccommendation. I suspect this will be an award winning book, topping many book lists and must read lists in the next few years.
This review was originally posted on my blog at http://mrclm.blogspot.com
Excellent all around resource August 3, 2005
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
recommend this book as a solid resource for churches, Christian leaders and individuals to teach and understand a total view of practical and Biblical teaching on human sexuality. Even though the book is a group effort of twelve different writers, it is comprehensive enough to challenge every Christian to grasp the concept that sexuality is not only good, but a God ordained creation for living as the creatures that he has made.
While merely having the word Sex as the first word of any title of a book is sure to gain access to more eyes than not having it there, the title for the interested reader would be best The Supremacy of Christ over Sex. This being a book that comes with John Piper's name as an editor means that the focus will be on what he has termed Christian hedonism and the pleasure of enjoying God's creation, under his redemptive will in Christ, to the fullest extent lawful, to honor God to the greatest extent possible.
Sex, in our time especially, seems to either be either an act of selfishness, guilt or, like the Gnostic heresy of old, a complete separation for the Christian between holy living and action. The purpose of this book is to remind, encourage and develop thought and action in people to embrace sexuality as part of God's world. Even the failings, brokenness, and sin that develop through sex can be redeemed.
The book is divided into five sections covering the theological applications of God and sex and sin and sex in the first two sections. The middle sections of the volume deal with more practical concerns that men and women at various times of life regarding sex, and the book ends with very intriguing histories of Martin Luther and his wife and how the Puritans understood and applied sexuality.
he last section holds interest to me as a reader of history, including church history. The Protestant Reformer Martin Luther's marriage to the former nun Katherine von Bora is described with all its unique joys and foibles. The Luther's are presented as a couple that married out of duty and grew in deep love as their family grew. It is a delightful tale worth checking, especially for what would be shocking to us, 16th century German wedding customs. The book concludes with an attempt to explain the 17thcentury Puritan approaches to sexuality and marriage written by Washington's Capitol Hill Baptist pastor, Mark Dever. Probably no other group suffers today from historical misrepresentation as the Puritans and Dever attempts to change the record a bit by explaining how revolutionary the Puritan approach to marriage was that we are still the beneficiary of it. His attempt to explain the Puritan approaches as a revolution against medieval asceticism helps to explain why marriages in the West developed from loveless matches to passionate matching. Probably no one in history valued the role of the wife towards the success of the growing passion between a Puritan husband and wife.
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