A comprehensive Christian appraisal of human sexuality.Sex pervades our culture, going far beyond the confines of the bedroom and spilling over into the workplace, the church and the media. Yet despite all 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.
Authentic Human Sexuality will prove an important work for ministers, psychologists, sociologists and students searching for an up-to-date and wise introduction to an essential--and endlessly fascinating and perplexing--facet of human identity.
"Few contemporary issues can generate as much heat and conflict as those having to do with human sexuality. Just when the Christian church is becoming more vocal in affirming a biblical standard of sexual relationships, reports show that 3 out of 4 single adults will engage in sexual intercourse before they reach age twenty, 1 in 2 will cohabit before marriage and 25 percent of men and 15 percent of women will have already engaged in extramarital sex. Controversy continues over homosexuality, including debates over causation, legitimization and the ability to change orientation. Easy access to pornography on the Internet is a serious problem, accompanied by an ever-increasing bombardment of other pornographic materials and increased reports of sexual addiction even in the Christian community. Perhaps most disturbing of all are the high rates of uninvited and nonconsensual sex that are reported, especially by women, ranging from sexual harassment to sexual abuse, rape and other violent sex crimes.
"At the heart of the issue is a contemporary struggle to define the meaning of human sexuality. Most needed, we believe, is a forthright and clearly articulated affirmation by the Christian community of the biblical meaning of sexuality. In this book we integrate evidence from biological, psychological and sociocultural factors with a biblical perspective in order to define and identify authentic human sexuality." from the introduction
Judith K. Balswick is director of clinical training and assistant professor of marital and family therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary. Jack O. Balswick is professor of sociology and family development at Fuller Theological Seminary. Jack's books include Men at the Crossroads (IVP). Judith's books include Then They Leave Home (IVP). They are also the coauthors of The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home.
