This week’s book review is Intimate Issues: Twenty-One Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex by Linda Dillow & Lorraine Pintus.

 

SEX … it’s everywhere! It’s in commercials, situation comedies, on billboards, even subtly injected into children’s movies.

And yet … the questions we most want to ask, we find too embarrassing, especially as Christian women.

Intimate Issues tackles that problem in an open, honest, sensitive way. Linda and Lorraine are two godly, mature Christian wives. I attended one of their conferences years ago and had the privilege of hosting Linda in my home. She is just as real and honest in person. She loves the Lord and seeks to honor Him even in this delicate topic. I know Lorraine has the same heart.

In their own words:

Many people are embarrassed to talk about sex while others blare SEX! from the rooftops. Making public what God intended to be private seems to have become a national pastime. Recently, we saw a television newsmagazine that featured a couple explicitly describing how Viagra had catapulted them into wild ecstasy. We flicked the off button in disgust. Then, a week later, we read a newspaper article about the captain of a South African Airways jumbo jet who had to leave the cockpit to scold two passengers who were openly engaging in sex in the plane’s business section.

Everywhere we turn, people are talking about sex. Yet, Christian wives have few places to turn for biblical, frank information from a woman’s viewpoint on this sensitive topic. We wrote Intimate Issues to provide this much needed perspective.

Before we go any further, let us tell you about ourselves. We are not sex therapists, psychologists, or sociologists. We are students of the Scripture, women who seek God and want to know Him and reveal Him in every aspect of our lives, including our sexual relationships with our husbands. We are both authors and speakers who teach on marriage and the sexual relationship, but also on spiritual-life issues.

In preparation for this book, we asked one thousand women, “If you could have two questions answered about the sexual relationship between a husband and wife, what would they be?” The most frequently asked questions became the chapter titles of this book. We’d like to thank the many women who not only asked the questions, but gave us permission to tell their stories so you might receive wisdom and encouragement. We appreciate their candor, and we’ve protected them by changing their names.

As part of our research, we read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, noting every reference to sexuality. We are concerned that Christian women grow in their sexuality from God’s perspective. We wish we could sit down over a cup of coffee or tea and talk about your questions and pray with you over your concerns. Because this is not possible, we have asked God to meet with you as you read this book. And, we’ve asked Him to help you feel you are not only meeting with Him, but also with two friends who care for you.

The book is divided into three groups of questions. Part one contains those “Simmering Questions” that are always in the back of our minds. Part 2 is called “Smoldering Questions,” the ones that burn and cause pain, and Part 3 provides wise answers for what Linda and Lorraine call “Sizzling Questions,” those that are so “hot” they need immediate answers. A section at the back of the book holds, in their words, “an Intimate Secret, which offers step-by-step instructions for exciting romance with your spouse.”

The book is practical and informative, backed up with a great deal of Scriptural insight, and provides some surprising insights into God’s perspective on sex. As they examine the teachings of Scripture in this area and expose the lies of the world, their hope is that the physical relationship in your marriage will become all that God wants it to be.

 

Other Posts Coming Up:

 

In the coming days, we will look at biblical prosperity and the prosperity doctrine, talk about freedom, bondage and co-dependency, look at what the Bible means by wheat and tares, and talk about the mirror of God’s Word.

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Blessings,

 

Quotations taken from:
Dillow, Linda; Pintus, Lorraine (2009-07-23). Intimate Issues: Twenty-One Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex. The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

 

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.

 

This post may contain affiliate links. But I only recommend books and resources that I have personally read, that were written by authors and ministries I know and trust or have been recommended by people whose recommendations I trust. I never receive any compensation for my reviews or opinions. I recommend them because I believe reading biblically sound books is one key to Christian growth.
Read my full disclosure statement here.

 

You can get a copy of Intimate Issues: Twenty-One Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex or shop for other resources here.

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Previously featured books:

Taming the To-Do List: How to Choose Your Best Work Every Day by Glynnis Whitwer. Read about it here.

Resolving Everyday Conflict by Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries. Read about it here.

Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald. Read about it here.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. Read about it here.

When Life Is Hard by James MacDonald. Read about it here.

Pleasing People: How Not to be an Approval Junkie by Lou Priolo. Read about it here.

Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life by Elyse Fitzpatrick. Read about it here.

Gift-Wrapped by God: Secret Answers to the Question “Why Wait?” by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus. Read about it here.

The Heart of Anger: Practical Help for the Prevention and Cure of Anger in Children by Lou Priolo. Read about it here.

Sweethearts for a Lifetime: Making the Most of Your Marriage by Wayne and Carol Mack. Read about it here.

If I’m a Christian, Why Am I Depressed?: Finding Meaning and Hope in the Dark Valley One Man’s Journey by Robert B. Somerville. Read about it here.

Anger & Stress Management God’s Way by Wayne Mack. Read about it here.