Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  BOOKS on SEX & RELIGION [Most, but not all, focus on the Christian Faith] Book Review List I read several books along with research articles when I wrote A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures . Following is a list of book summaries and reviews and availability of the books.   A House Divided : Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures by Geoffrey W. Sutton Read Review s BUY on AMAZON BUY on GOOGLE Christian Morality:   An Interdisciplinary Framework for Thinking about Contemporary Moral Issues by Geoffrey W. Sutton and Brandon Schmidly, editors    BUY ON AMAZON *****     Authentic Human Sexuality by Judith & Jack Balswick (links to 3rd edition) Read Review BUY on AMAZON BUY on GOOGLE     God and Sex : What the Bible Really Says   by Michael Coogan    Read Review   BUY on AMAZON BUY on GOOGLE The Great Sex Rescue by Gregoire, Lindenbach, & Sawatsky       Book Review     AMAZON     GOOGLE   Sex God

  A House Divided Sexuality, Morality, and   Christian Cultures By Geoffrey W. Sutton Reviewed by   Various Reviewers Several authors read A House Divided and provided reviews. This post quotes from some of the reviews and provides links to those published in journals. *************** "As we march ominously toward the November 2020 elections, this book, A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures, becomes increasingly relevant. It really is about how we might be more intellectually humble—but it deals specifically with religious humility as it touches on and intertwines with political humility. Churches split. Denominations break apart. Families disintegrate. Christians have divided into (at least) two camps that at times seem hostile to each other. People do not seem to be listening to each other anymore. A generation of young people are leaving the church or never seriously considering it. A House Divided asks, What, if anything, can be done to mend the rending

UNPROTECTED TEXTS The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions   about Sex and Desire Author:   Jennifer Wright Knust Date: 2011 Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Knust’s book, Unprotected Texts , has an intriguing title for anyone thinking about the sex-related moral issues constantly in the news. I purchased a copy of her book as I was writing A House Divided:Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures , and I’m glad I did because I referenced some of her insights. Knust has impressive credentials. At the time she wrote Unprotected Texts , Knust had a Ph.D., from Columbia University and was an Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Boston University School of Theology. She’s also an ordained American Baptist pastor. Unprotected Texts is a well written book, which addresses biblical sex in six chapters with primary titles that do not easily identify the subject matter until you’ve read a few pages.  In this review, I’ll prov

SEX TEXTS from the BIBLE Selections Annotated      & Explained Translation and Annotation By Teresa J. Hornsby Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton I read Hornsby's text as part of my research for  A House Divided .   I found her matter-of-fact and easy-to-read analysis helpful to consider alternate perspectives than one often gets from pulpits and those less skilled at the nuances of biblical languages than is professor Hornsby. Teresa Hornsby is Professor of Religion at Drury University, Springfield, Missouri. Her biosketch indicates she is well prepared with master's degrees from Harvard and Vanderbilt in addition to her Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Vanderbilt. As she says on her web page, her research has focused on sexuality and gender in the Bible. I came across Hornsby's book in a local bookstore and I am glad I did. She has organized her short work using four sections: Marriage and Family Life, Women's Sexuality, Destructive Se

SEX GOD EXPLORING THE ENDLESS CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SEXUALITY AND SPIRITUALITY     By Rob Bell Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton What Rob Bell Says about Sexuality and Christian Spirituality  When I was writing A House Divided , I read Bell’s book, Sex God , as part of my quest to see what various evangelical Christians have said on the subject. Bell, a graduate of Wheaton College and Fuller Theological Seminary, founded the evangelical Mars Hill Church in Grandville, Michigan. His bestselling books have sometimes promoted controversy within Christian cultures because of his nontraditional views on classic teachings about such doctrines as salvation. He has been associated with the emerging church movement. In my book, I cite Bell as an example of the views of progressive Christians in contrast to those of conservative Christians. As with most of Bell’s writings, Sex God is an easy-to-read poetry-like collection of essays aimed at a general