Review of Sex And The City Of God
Review of Sex And The City Of God
Book Review by Rick Nau
I apologize if this review appears to be hastily written, but I wanted to finish a draft while the holiday season is still with us. It is a time when we give gifts in celebration of Christ’s birth and remember the reason that He, the Son of God, came into the world.
Two books I highly recommend as Christmas gifts are Carolyn Weber’s “Surprised by Oxford” (see my review), and her most recent book, “Sex And The City Of God.” The books comprise a single memoir, the first telling of her incredible journey in becoming a Christian while at Oxford, and the second telling of her joys and struggles after becoming a faithful follower of Christ (she goes by Caro in both books).
Not surprisingly, one of Caro’s struggles is with sex. How is she to deal with her old boyfriend, new suitors and the one man she truly loves—TDH (tall, dark and handsome)? She wants to obey God’s word about sex, but it is a struggle, nonetheless. During this struggle she calls to mind the words of Saint Augustine in City of God:
Indeed, this is already sin, to desire those things which the law of God forbids, and to abstain from them through fear of punishment, not through love of righteousness.
She wants to obey God’s Word about sex, not because it is an arbitrary rule that must be followed, but because she wants to show her love for God. So much of this she learns from TDH, who constantly encourages her in the wisdom of God:
Of course he (TDH) was far from perfect, but he spoke honestly with me about his struggles to remain committed to Christ first, especially in his sexual desires, and how he had to trust that God’s design for sexual purity and for singleness or for marriage, if it should happen, had a very specific purpose.
Realizing that she cannot understand all of God purposes, Caro calls to mind the words of Proverbs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all you ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” She goes on to conclude, “Faith and obedience. The two are often interchangeable forms of each other.”
Her faith and obedience are not to some far distant and inscrutable power, but to a God who loves her with all His heart and soul.
God was the partner I would now check in with first and foremost: the partner who loved me unconditionally regardless of my other worldly statuses, or lack thereof. This partner was by far my superior and yet fully entered my limitations, a friend closer than a brother, closer than a lover, who lived and died and lives still for me. The partner who assures me that regardless of circumstance, sin, and even doubt, he is with me always.
He is the same God who created sex and intends it to be celebrated in marriage between a man and a woman.
Our schools teach our children about using protection when having sex. But what about being protected from sex, or through sex? Such complete intimacy of a covenant within a covenant helps protect a marriage; it fosters a powerful bond as well as a certain kind of shell around two people, enclosing them in the safety of each other within the safety of their bond, shielding them from the blows of fallen world, sustaining them to do good battle together, to run a good race together.
This is just a small sampling of Carolyn Weber’s memoir. I have left out mentioning her rocky relationship with her father, which is an integral part of the story, as well as a later difficulty in her marriage to TDH, which moved me deeply. But these you can read about yourself.
Let me close by saying this: If there is one thing that stands out about Caro’s memoirs, it is her love for Christ and her love for all the people who are a part of her life, be they Christian or non-Christian. It is a love which will shine through to anyone who reads her story. And what better gift could there be for Christmas, than the gift of love.
Review of Surprised By Oxford
Review of Sex And The City Of God
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