Sex, Dating and Relationships Book Review

Title: Sex, Dating and Relationships.

Author: Gerald Hiestand and Jay Thomas.

Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Relationships.

Plot: In our culture, sex and dating are the norm. But what does the Bible say about sex before marriage? Why is sex so important to God anyway? And if dating is so wrong, what should we be doing in order to meet people and find our true love in a safe way?

First off, I have to say that I didn’t finish this book. I’ll explain that in the section below. I did however, really like the part on engagements and I will quote one particular paragraph. “Make a beeline to the altar. And one last word about timing: if things work out and you get engaged, keep your engagement short. Engagement exists for one purpose only – to plan a wedding. It is not a final vetting process or an attempt to buy time while your parents warm to the idea. Too many Christian couples are sacrificing their purity on the altar of a perfect wedding day. So don’t think of engagement as uber-dating, where you buy more time and have the benefit of a closed deal. Engagement is there to plan a wedding. Once she says yes, it’s beeline time.” My husband and I had a really hard time going from engaged to married because my parents dragged their feet and threw wrenches into the plans at every opportunity. So I’m a strong believer in short engagements. I often wish they had read this book when my husband and I were courting.

Likes/Dislikes: One of my major dislikes about this book and the reason I didn’t finish it is that the authors will make a point, say in the first two pages of a chapter, and then spend the next six pages going over it three or four more times. It got very boring very fast and going over it again and again didn’t strengthen their point or add more weight to it. It just made me bored. Another dislike I had was their take on dating. Personally, I prefer courtship over dating. Their idea of having “friend-dates” was fun sounding though. All in all, I really liked what I read from this book; it just wasn’t for me. I really enjoyed the first chapter on the history.

Rating: PG-17 and up, mainly for content as it’s about sex and getting married.

Date Report Written: April 1^st, 2013.

I received this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I wasn’t required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.