Reading Reflection:

Sexual Detox, Tim Challies (Cruciform Press, 2010) Cruciform Press is a new, small publisher that does things a little differently.  In light of the technological changes that are affecting the publishing industry, they have a mission to embody our new realities.  They publish one book a month, short (about 100 pages), clear, and gospel-centered.  You can subscribe to take advantage of cheaper rates both for print and e-format.  As for me, I still love holding a real book with its smells, textile pages, and fashionable covers.  But I digress.  Sexual Detox is authored by one of the owners of Cruciform, and was the first book they put out.  It started as a series of articles on Challies’ blog.  He then combined them into a free e-book, which tens of thousands of people downloaded.  Hmmm, might be a topic people need help with.  The subtitle is A Guide for Guys Who Are Sick of Porn.  Love it.  Also, as a woman, I wanted to catch some perspective of how men are dealing with the constant barrages our culture pumps out. This was a great little read.  Again, a one-dayer.  Challies is honest about the struggle of conscience going on in a man’s mind: Every Christian guy who looks at porn wants to stop, but many of us want to stop just a little bit less than we want to keep going.  The problem isn’t knowledge—it’s desire and ability.  And so sin prevails (17). Challies takes us to the Bible for both the knowledge of love and sex, and the desire to make it good—which is how God intended it.  I wonder if many guys have considered before that pornography, and all other sexual acts (yes, he definitely discusses the taboo independent one) outside of biblical marriage actually make them worse lovers.  There’s a mood killer for ya.  Anyway, he talks a great deal about putting off the flesh and putting on the Spirit.  One of the passages that he shares in regards to appealing to a better desire was Gen. 26:8.  King Abimelech discovered that Isaac and Rebekah were more than brother and sister by the way they were carrying on with one another.  Looking out the window, the verse says he saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah.  Challies explains that the Hebrew is difficult here, and sporting would also be a good translation.  Both paint an intimate picture of playfulness that busted Isaac.  Challies looked to this verse as a way he wanted to be with his wife (not the cowardly lying about their relationship part).  Aww.  And you can’t have that intimate playfulness in marriage if you are enslaved to sexual sin.  You need detox.  Read the book!