To often in our Christian culture we hear the word ‘sex’ and close our ears. For many, there is an unspoken doctrine: sex=sin. Yes, there will be the occasional, “God created sex” point made in a sermon, but the general attitude towards sex is one of evasion. I’ve heard stories of newly wed couples being uncomfortable because they felt like they were doing something wrong when they consummated their marriage. There’s even a news report of a German couple who wanted to have kids but couldn’t figure out how because they were so sheltered.

This cultural backdrop is one reason for the need of this book, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ. God did create sex, but more than that, His intentions for it were good. John Piper reminds us of this in the first two chapters. Piper’s main points are that “sexuality is designed by God as a way to know God in Christ more fully,” and that “knowing God in Christ more full is designed as a way of guarding and guiding our sexuality.” (26)

Ben Patterson finishes Part One of the book laying the theological foundations of the Christian worldview concerning sexuality. Following Part One are two chapters on sex and sin. The first deals with issues pertaining to those who have sinned sexually or have been sinned against. The next chapter, by Al Mohler, explains the problems with homosexuality and how we should respond to it in our culture. Part Three contains a chapter for single men and a chapter for married men, and likewise Part Four contains a chapter for single women and a chapter for married women. Finally there are two chapters in Part Five that look at the doctrines of sex and marriage in historical perspective. The first is about Martin Luther and his relationship with Katherine von Bora, and the second details the Puritan’s understanding of sex and marriage.

By far the chapter I had the most fun reading was the one on Martin and Katherine. Justin Taylor does a great job of telling their fascinating story with humor and substance. That said, it’s hard for me to say there were only a couple of chapters I really liked. The truth is, the entire book was a great read. David Powlison’s chapter on sexual sin is the only I could say anything negative about. He offered some great points but he repeated himself numerous times and the chapter seemed to drag on (it could have easily been edited shorter)

Being that I’m single, I was a bit hesitant about reading this book at first. Is this topic really one a single male should study? Yes! I’m exceedingly grateful I took the time to read this book and would recommend it to everyone, regardless of where they are in life; be it single, married, divorced, 83, or whatever. This book takes some great steps forward towards curing the Evangelical evasion of sex and recognizing the role of sexuality in the life of the Christian and specifically in our relationship with Christ. Undoubtedly this will be one of the best books of the year.