Love and Sex: A Christian Guide to Healthy Intimacy

Sex therapist Houston draws on her professional expertise in this guide intended to help Christian men and women better understand their attitudes and beliefs toward love and sex. “Scripture clearly makes a connection between married love and sex—a very necessary connection to make if we are going to reclaim the meaning and purpose of our sexuality,” she writes. Houston creates two fictional story lines (based on real people) of one married and one single adult who recognize their sexual angst and relationship frustrations and decide to seek help through counseling. She begins by exploring biblical stories of grace and redemption that depict healthy marital relationships (particularly Jesus’s advice to husbands and wives in Ephesians 5) before delving into how these lessons can help people who are facing challenges that stem from childhood trauma, sexual abuse, obsession with pornography, “sexual confusion,” and infidelity. Through the proxy characters, Houston shows how to integrate spirituality with sexuality. Though the stories are often bland, Houston’s advice is reasonable: “Put ourselves in loving, compassionate, kind, and trusting environments. Tell your story over and over until your history begins to make sense to you. Attune, tune in, be present.” Houston’s instructive text offer sound advice to Christian readers struggling with intimacy who want to move toward understanding themselves as sexual beings. (Feb.)