Family Christian provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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Sometimes it surprises me how timely a book comes into my hands for review. It’s Valentine’s weekend and a certain movie has set box office records. A certain movie that goes against our innate desire for relationships. A movie that is focused more on physical than relational. A movie that would most likely never be allowed in theaters twenty years ago. I admit I never had the desire to read these books and I won’t be watching the movie. Instead, I picked up a little book this week called The New Rules of Love, Sex, and Dating.
Here’s something interesting. One of the first things Andy Stanley mentions in his book is our culture. He says, “We live in a highly sexualized culture. Images in contemporary advertisements are more graphic than previous generations’ pornography.” Let that sink in for a minute. No wonder relationships are hurting, no wonder people are in a hurry to leave a relationship and look for the next one instead of making an effort to strengthen the one they are in. Stanley is a father. He is a pastor of a large church in a large city. He admits he is not a counselor but he hears stories from people who have been hurt, who feel hopeless, when it comes to relationships.
With humor and understanding, Stanley unpacks what is wrong with our culture. He emphasizes a need to change ourselves instead of trying to change the other person (become the person that the person you are looking for is looking for). He breaks down what the Biblical definition of love is (I Corinthians 13), and he challenges readers who are struggling with any part of his book to take a step back, evaluate themselves, and consider a hiatus from dating and sex.
This book is a great resource for teenagers as it goes beyond the short talk a parent may give or the sex education offered at school. It’s a resource for anyone in college struggling with finding “the one”. Parents, teachers, and pastors should keep it in their libraries for reference. It is more important than ever for us to guard our hearts and protect our purity. But if it’s too late for you, or someone you know, there is also hope in this book. Hope that you can write a different story than the one you’re currently in.
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