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Book Review: Sacred Unions



It was an interesting twist when MTV took relationships and over-sexualized everything. We in the Church argued that they were twisting what God intended for men and women. Then, subtly, we began to use what MTV offered as a framework for relationships. Guy/Girl relationships all became filtered through what we were scared to let happen.

This book asks the question; what would happen if we started over with a Biblical definition instead of our society's definition? There is a lot of blame, if not all the blame, placed on Freud, who definitely had mommy issues. Freud sexualized all relationships, both cross-gender and same gender. Thanks Sigmund!

This book goes on to describe a bit of Church history and give several examples of purely platonic friendships that would be looked at with great suspicion in our current culture. But simply because we have issues does not mean that everyone has issues, right?

The question should be asked; if we view marriage as the epitome of relationships, where does that leave single people? With nods to Jon Acuff and his view of the Church and single-hood, we can't just ask this for single adults. Are we saying that children and teenagers are incomplete until their parents let them out of the house to find a mate? Are we to forever segregate boys and girls from each other until they are mature enough to pursue a marital relationship?

Dan does a great job of making references to data throughout history, even including these couple of gems when discussing how men view women. Quoting Nancy Tuana, "a woman left uncontrolled was one of the greatest dangers to mankind." So felt the Greeks. Even Aristotle believed that women should not be left to their own. Something about great destruction and damage left in their wake. Those silly philosophers. Dan balances it all out by showing how Jesus, as usual, was ahead of His time. Ahead of ours as well.

To me, it seems obvious once it is pointed out, but how much of my married adult life has been lived blind to this reality. Marriage is a choice. It's not the better choice. It's not the inevitable choice. It's simply a choice. But in the midst of redefining terms and changing our view of the opposite sex and appropriate friendships, let's make one thing clear. I still believe all girls have cooties.

http://danbrennan.typepad.com – Dan Brennan’s blog
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Dan Brennan said…
Hey Rick, thank you so much for your kind review. I appreciate you engaging SUSP!
July 8, 2010 at 10:34 PM
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