Is It a Sin to Read Erotica

Two years agone I discussed on Instagram how Christian romance, but specifically the popular book Redeeming Dear, take acted equally a "gateway drug" to pornography and erotica in the lives of many young women. Testimonies flooded in from women who were recommend this book past older mentors, aunts, friends, and pastor'southward wives. Now that the movie is coming out January 21st, I have moved the content of that Instagram talk to a podcast episode and web log post.

I practise not like to "pick on" specific materials or act equally if I savor pointing out flaws with well-intentioned work. But I feel a responsibility to share the theological, spiritual, and sexual implications RL has had on many young women'southward lives, since information technology appears most people are non aware of information technology. Please, please, read or listen with an open up centre and mind. This is not almost your personal enjoyment of the volume or your freedom to watch it. It's about your sister, and walking with her in a way that honors who God made her to be.

Heed Now

Transcription

Well, howdy friends, and welcome back to Verity podcast or maybe yous are welcoming me back because we are returning from a break after completing the Honest Spousal relationship series on this podcast. And we are now starting our next serial or restarting a series of Ask Anything Theology. I'm so excited to be back in the throes of theology with all of you, and that is the theme for 2022. Nosotros're going to stick with our Inquire Anything Theology series, with short breaks every quarter. And we're starting this series with a theological analysis of Redeeming Dear .

This movie is actually coming out January 21st. Commonly, I would really leave a specific episode like this for afterward in the series, but because the pic is coming out, I wanted to put this episode out sooner rather than later, so that people tin can listen to it before the motion picture is bachelor to watch.

You probably know that the picture is based on the famous book , Redeeming Love, written by Francine Rivers. It's actually an older book, information technology's been around for almost 20 years or maybe more than twenty years. We're going to talk well-nigh a lot of the themes in that volume and how they play out in the movie, and the theological analysis I want to share with you about this. But earlier we get into that, I want to give you a trivial groundwork considering I know not everyone who's listening to this episode has listened through the sixty plus episodes of Verity and so far and maybe doesn't even know who I am or what I practice. I want to give you lot a little flake of background on who I am and why I am especially qualified to speak to this issue and some of the warnings and cautions that I would give you, regarding both, Redeeming Dearest , the movie and Redeeming Love , the book.

First of all, I grew up in a wonderful Christian home. I had keen parents who intentionally discipled me and this was really before the net was in everybody'due south phones. I grew upwardly before we had the net on a prison cell phone, if yous can imagine a day when that was the example. Equally a child, I was exposed very early on on, around 12 years old, to erotic novels. These are like Harlequin romance novels. These are books that basically have a pretty loose plotline and throughout the novel, there are sexual scenes written into the content. They're basically pornography, but marketed to women. They're non so much visual as they are story driven, which allows a woman to become captivated into the story but so utilize these erotic scenes for fantasizing. In my case and in the example of many women, it leads to addiction. It's frequently accompanied with other sexual addictions like masturbation. It was a problem for me into my early 20s when I finally establish freedom from that addiction and from that sin.

When I share this part of my story, I besides have to share the aspect that because of my experience with erotica and my experience struggling with erotica in purity culture, I was very passionate virtually freeing people to detect God'due south pattern for sexuality. When I started my blog, I actually mostly wrote virtually God's freeing blueprint for sexuality and shed a light on the fact that women struggle with pornography and sexual habit. I wanted to show the way God had showed me to be free from that shame. I share this because when y'all're talking about something every bit popular as Redeeming Love , and when you lot're bringing up issues that you want people to consider, I recall information technology can be really easy – if y'all loved the book, or you're actually looking forward to loving the motion picture, or even if someone you trusted recommended these things – information technology can be easy to get defensive against the person who'southward bringing up those problems. I'm sharing my personal groundwork and my passion for healthy, vibrant, confident female sexuality, because I am not a prude. [chuckles] I've been writing nigh this for years and I'm very open online of both well-nigh my story and most positive female person confidence and sexuality and I believe that that's God's center, and He's a healing God and a redeeming God and His love is a Redeeming Love , but I exercise have some very significant concerns with Redeeming Love the book and the movie.

I've shared my concerns about the volume online before. They are on a highlight on my Instagram. I decided to exercise this podcast episode about it to move the content from the Instagram highlight to this episode due to popular request. When I initially talked about this on my Instagram, I received so many responses from immature women who had similar experiences to me with erotica and one of the gateway drugs to erotica for them was Redeeming Love . My concerns that I'm going to be sharing with you, is not meant to make you defensive, merely I think it will bring some sensation to some of the issues that are involved in both Redeeming Dear the book, and now in the screen version, which is rated PG-xiii for sexual content and nudity. A lot of Christians either don't recognize that or see the trouble with that, or are painting over that considering they believe the story justifies the content that is going to be portrayed on the screen.

I'm just going to walk this through biblically. I'm going to share some of the things that I shared in the highlight on Instagram. And then I'thousand going to share the messages I received from my community online regarding their experiences with this book, and I hope that y'all will prayerfully listen and consider and understand that I'm coming to this with as much grace and truth equally possible. Even if you were really blest past this volume, that maybe it will open up your eyes to the fact that there are and so many other young women out there who have really faced an uphill battle considering of the content in this volume, and potentially in this movie. I hope information technology will only give you some more than grace and thoughtfulness for that portion of the church and that portion of female audiences and aid you to perhaps walk alongside them and help them heal in ways that perchance they haven't been able to heal before. Without further ado, let's get started.

I want to begin with a theme verse for united states of america. The verse I desire to read is 2 Corinthians 7:1, which says, "Therefore, since nosotros have the promises of God, love friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates torso and spirit, perfecting holiness, out of reverence for God."

What Paul is writing here to the Corinthian Christians who live in a very sexualized culture, is a truth that we desperately demand today. We desperately demand to consider how we can purify ourselves from the things that contaminate either our bodies, or our spirits and cull to perfect holiness out of reverence for God. Sometimes the things that we believe are reverent of God or Christian freedom, actually aren't leading us towards purity, or aren't leading united states towards holiness. They're really leading us the opposite direction, even though possibly they accept some good things in them or some truths in them, they're actually opening a door that isn't a healthy door for us mentally or spiritually or relationally. We have to be discerning enough to recognize that.

As we are talking through this, I want to go along this poesy in heed that information technology is a reverence for God and it is love for God, which is a response to his deep Redeeming Honey towards us, that causes u.s. to pursue holiness and to pursue purity. We ofttimes think of purity, it'southward so overused now, we recall of it well-nigh as this prudish give-and-take, but what it means is holiness. Information technology means the absenteeism of darkness or sin, and that's what nosotros're after, when we are walking with Jesus, is we're supposed to become more similar Him. That'southward our goal and that's the focus I want to keep here.

Permit'due south stop with that verse, and now allow'southward focus on what Redeeming Love is, because if possibly you just heard about this movie, and everybody's talking almost it, and yous have never read the book, I mentioned it at the beginning of the episode, but this is a book that is written by Francine Rivers who used to be an erotic novel writer earlier she was a Christian, according to my research. So after becoming a believer, she began writing books that reflected her faith. This book was a massive hit. It's a bestseller. It has been a bestseller I think, gosh, for all the years that it'southward been around, the 20 years it's been effectually and it's often recommended to young women in particular. By older women in the church, it'due south recommended frequently in Facebook groups that I see, it's been recommended to me in many of the churches I was in growing upwards.

What the volume is about is – it's supposed to be basically an analogy, or as the book said, information technology'due south based on the Volume of Hosea in Scripture. In the Book of Hosea, the prophet Hosea marries a adult female named Gomer, who becomes a prostitute and cheats on him as a reflection or an analogy of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. Hosea's human relationship with Gomer is a parallel to God's human relationship to Israel, and how God would redeem and restore Israel, the manner Hosea was doing for Gomer. Francine Rivers used this book of the Bible as her inspiration, and created a fictional plotline to repeat that story.

At present, patently, when you accept the Volume of Hosea, and you set it in 1850 in the Gold Rush in the Usa, y'all're losing a lot of the context, similar all of the context actually. At that place are significant changes to the story and additions to make it a novel for obvious reasons. Yous're making a biblical story into a novel, there's a lot that's going to be lost in that procedure. Then, Redeeming Love is loosely, loosely, loosely based on Hosea. It doesn't really follow the bodily story of Hosea at all, only it will typically be advertised as "based on Hosea". The main characters are Affections, who would be Gomer, the prostitute, and Michael Hosea, who represents Hosea, the prophet. The book follows Affections'southward story and how Michael Hosea basically loves her to restoration by marrying her even though she was a prostitute.

I'm not going to get into any more than of the actual plotline. It's a long book. I did non read it during the height of my struggle with erotica, because I knew that it would not exist healthy. There were years where I went without reading fiction at all, or fifty-fifty going to the movie theatre because I could not handle being in front of that kind of sexual content or being surprised by sexual content. I was that sensitive to it. At that place were years that I went without consuming that kind of content. Merely then about two or three years agone, I recognized that I was mature plenty and discerning enough to read through Redeeming Honey . I did read through it. I was sadly very alarmed that older Christian women were recommending the volume to young Christian women with no caveats and that'southward important, okay, it'south important to this conversation, because I really believe that at that place are some people who've been genuinely touched and healed in some ways past this volume. I don't doubt at all that that has happened and that's why I want to be gentle and careful in how I talk nearly this.

Withal, when nosotros recommend cloth like this with no caveat or context, we are potentially setting an enormous stumbling block in front end of immature women who are struggling with pornography, which is what erotica is. In Redeeming Love , at that place is soft pornographic content. Soft pornography is basically only when we draw the curtain at a point that would be considered hard pornography, that would exist much more than graphic similar you might see in a Harlequin novel. While at that place's a lot less in Redeeming Love than then you would see in a Harlequin novel, there's nonetheless enough content to be concerned and in the moving picture which is rated PG-13 for this verbal kind of content, we have to be cautious and discerning. We accept to consider what Scripture says nigh this kind of sexual content and whether information technology justifies the story that's existence consumed. I accept a couple of passages hither. The commencement is 1 Corinthians 6:18. Again, a letter from Paul to the Corinthian church, he was living in an extremely sexualized civilisation where sexualization was normal and fifty-fifty a office of worship.

The Biblical Call to Sexual Holiness

He says to them, "Flee from sexual immorality." Flee from observing it, flee from beingness a part of it, flee from using your trunk to participate in it. Often Christians today will say, of class, I should non be using my body in that way. I should not exist having sex with my boyfriend or I should non be cheating on my husband. We know that's wrong. But we sit and picket it on Telly, and we sit and read information technology in our books, and nosotros say I'chiliad potent enough to handle information technology. It's totally fine. I'thou non going to fantasize. Only then we recommend those books and movies to other people without knowing where they are at in their walk. We're going to talk about the connection between this kind of recommendation and these boundaries. The connectedness between sexuality and alcohol in a moment.

1 Thessalonians iv:iii says, "For this as a will of God, your sanctification, that you lot abstain from sexual immorality." Here, we see a connexion between your sanctification, your becoming in the image of Christ, and your sexuality. Your sexuality, we see this in marriage books on sex, secular and Christian. Your sexuality really begins in your mind, what you lot're thinking about, what yous're consuming, what you are dwelling on shapes, how y'all view yourself in your own body and sexuality, and besides how you view your partners if you're married. And if you lot're single, how you're viewing other people, potential partners and their sexuality. We have to be very careful to remember God's will is our sanctification. Am I operating in a way where that'due south beingness made possible? Or am I resisting God'south sanctification?

Hebrews 13:4 says, "Let wedlock be held in honour amid all." We oftentimes say, "Okay, well, this ways don't cheat on your spouse. Permit the marriage bed exist undefiled because God will guess the sexually immoral and the cheating." That's the full verse. Merely let's start with this first phrase, are we belongings union in honor when we consume sexual content, online and in books, and on Goggle box? Are we honoring marriage that manner?

Psalm 119:37 says, "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things and requite me life in your ways." Worthless things are things that don't honor God, that don't requite life in God's ways. Lastly, Matthew 5:28, this is Jesus talking. He says, "I say to y'all that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." For women who are struggling with lust and pornography, whether it's in a written erotica novel form, or whether it's on TV, or in a movie, the animalism procedure, the process of visual adultery if you volition, is different. It'southward not exactly the same every bit how it works for men. Where men possibly come across an image and they're aroused by the image itself. A lot of women tend to put themselves into the story. They put themselves into the character of the women and desire to exist desired the manner she is desired.

She is the image, but they're not really lusting later her body per se. They're lusting afterward the desirability of that adult female and that's why I believe erotic novels are such a draw. In fact, in the research for my last book on marriage, The Amour Experiment , I discovered that over twoscore% of all romance novel readers are in a relationship. I believe information technology's forty% to lx%, are in a relationship, romantic human relationship already and nevertheless they consume these novels at an extremely high rate. Sometimes every bit many as ane a week or more. It makes you ask, "Why are these women who are in a relationship drawn to these stories?" I think oftentimes it's considering we put ourselves into that grapheme's shoes, and we desire to exist desired the style she is desired, nosotros desire to be desirable like her. It makes me think of the Garden of Eden and Eve – how, when she saw the fruit, she saw that information technology was desirable to make her wise. It was beautiful to the eyes. I call up, wow, that'south so interesting, she wanted what was beautiful, and she wanted to be wise and it'southward that concept of the desirability condign an idol and that's what happens a lot of times with women.

Three Cautions in Redeeming Dear

I want to talk about three primary cautions or theological problems with Redeeming Honey . The outset is spiritualizing soft pornography. There's no question that the sexual content in the novel qualifies as soft pornography. If it were put on screen, which it now has been put on screen, it would still authorize as soft pornography. As a woman, whether or not you lot personally struggle with erotica or with the scenes, it still matters objectively, if as a Christian, yous should be watching those. Something I often encourage women when I talk to them about this, something to think about, is if this scene were filmed, and information technology were taken out of the context of the story, and you establish it on your husband's laptop or your boyfriend's laptop, how would you feel? Would y'all still justify it? Would it be okay? These are questions that nosotros have to ask. One of my cautions with Redeeming Love and books like it, because there are quite a few books in that kind of genre is the spiritualization of soft pornography. Nosotros've already talked about the verses of why this is a big deal. And then, I'm not going to revisit that, merely information technology's something that nosotros need to exist enlightened of, and need to exist conscious of when consuming this material.

The second circumspection or trouble that I see with this volume and others like it, is the romanticizing trauma. In the book, there's an element introduced that's not in the Volume of Hosea. It'due south the fact that, Angel, the main graphic symbol was abused sexually as a child. This is a major trigger alarm equally well. I would add this modest caveat too. When older Christian women or spiritually older Christian women are recommending this book to younger Christian women, information technology's really important to be aware of their abuse history before you do, because this book tin be extremely triggering to victims of kid sexual abuse. And that's something that you're going to hear when I read the submissions regarding the book at the finish of this episode.

In a world, that'south driven by aesthetics, and it's ridden with anxiety and depression caused by childhood neglect and abuse, there'due south a new tendency that has emerged, typically on TikTok, it's called Traumacore. Now, Redeeming Love predates this by nigh two decades, but the launch of the picture is actually very well timed or worse timed depending on how yous view it, with the launch or the advent of Traumacore. Traumacore is an artistic course of processing for victims of childhood trauma, just information technology'southward followed by many people who take not experienced all-encompassing trauma for the aesthetic or the relatability of information technology. It's very dark, I don't recommend looking information technology up. But in that location are some objective articles out there, you lot can read that I will include one in the evidence notes that I thought was a trivial bit safer to read, that kind of show what Traumacore is.

Well, Redeeming Love would non allocate every bit true Traumacore, and I'm not proverb that it is. For people exposed to Traumacore, or who are operating in that mental infinite, Redeeming Love' south narrative fits very well, because Affections experiences childhood rape and and so is turned into a prostitute and struggles with hopelessness. There's this chemical element of that darkness that is besides present and very prevalent in Traumacore, which is followed by many, many people, peculiarly in Gen Z.

Angel then meets this man, Michael Hosea, who thinks she'due south cute just the way she is. And there's a heavy emphasis in the book and in the movie on Angel's dazzler, concrete dazzler, this is too going to be a player, and some other thing we have to talk about a little further on. While the illustration is supposed to exist reflective of God, many people really volition struggle to create this connection without additional impairment to their understanding of trauma, sexuality, sin, redemption, and theology. In fact, some women have come abroad from the book with the super idealistic thought of a concrete homo who volition rescue and dearest them the way Michael Hosea does. Instead of translating the thought just to God, it'due south instead translated to a human human and hoping for a human to rescue them from their trauma history. When that does non happen, there is a lot of thwarting and hurt compounded by consuming this material.

Romanticizing trauma or using trauma to further a fictional plotline, this is common in all books today, I would say, a lot of pop fiction books today. But in a Christian book that's maxim this is based on Scripture, this is reflecting a true view of God, that's a really dangerous game to play.

The tertiary problem and caution I have is that books like Redeeming Love tin cause us to avoid truthful biblical literacy. We would rather form our idea of God from a fictional plotline than from the actual book of Hosea. My encouragement would be if you've read the book and have not read the Volume of Hosea, to take the time, accept a month to really report the Book of Hosea itself. Exercise not get your idea of God from a fictional volume. You have to bank check that book against Scripture.

Remember, even though Ms. Rivers intention was undoubtedly good, the volume itself is many degrees removed from Scripture. It'south not Scripture. It's one person's interpretation and thought of how Scripture might have looked in another context. In the motion-picture show is at present three degrees removed from that, created by a secular studio and a secular director and writer with Ms. Rivers. Just still, we're now three and four and five degrees removed away from the original truth. Don't let a skillful movie or a proficient volume cause y'all to avoid true biblical literacy. Form your idea of God from Scripture and then employ that as the plumb line to measure the things you're consuming.

Theological Problems with Redeeming Beloved

I'm going to shift to the second part of this podcast. The tertiary role volition exist some of the questions I want you to inquire before watching the movie, and and so nosotros'll read some of the testimonials from the women who wrote to me. This 2nd part is almost the theological analysis of the God who is presented and represented in Redeeming Love . The beginning theological concept that I desire to introduce may be a little bit of a shocker for many of you. But many scholars believe that Hosea was actually married to the wife of his youth. So, he met Gomer, married her, not every bit a prostitute, but simply as a sweet young woman that he loved and she became a prostitute after they were married.

This matches the narrative of Israel'southward covenant on faithfulness to God, which is the parallel being fatigued, but information technology negates the premise of Redeeming Beloved . If you await at the Book of Hosea, you'll come across in Chapter 1, where it says that the Lord told Hosea to marry a adult female of promiscuity. What scholars believe is that that department actually was in Chapter two and was moved to Chapter 1. Call back, the Bible wasn't in chapters, and it isn't in capacity, really, today in Judaism, the Old Attestation. It wasn't in chapters at the fourth dimension that it was written, it was simply written as a full book and and so we divided information technology upwardly afterwards. And and then that particular section has moved to Hosea one, so we assume that he went out and found a prostitute and married her. Just many scholars actually believe that he married a woman, and she became a prostitute later marriage, like she was adulterous on him with other men, and left the abode and became a prostitute, and he went and redeemed her. Obviously, this creates a trouble with the story of Redeeming Love considering that'due south the entire premise that Michael Hosea goes and marries a prostitute. But over again, many people believe that Hosea did simply ally a prostitute. So, it's a little bit of a nuanced result there.

The 2nd theological problem with how God is represented here, is that Michael is drawn to Angel because of our physical dazzler. This is mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. But this creates this idea that God loved Israel or loved us because of how we appear or considering of how cute we are. In that location's this tension in the book of Michael Hosea beingness really frustrated past Angel's continual return to her erstwhile life, but he's also but in awe of how gorgeous she is and how beautiful she is and how attracted he is to her. This is a actually strong theme. Yous'll see it recurring if you've e'er read the book. This was problematic for me when I was reading information technology because information technology creates the strange understanding of God and a hard separation of the human, Michael Hosea from your concept of God. Is God just caput over heels enamored with my physical attributes or with me as a person?

The reality is that God does not demand humans. He's not looking at us and going, "Oh, my gosh, I'm so just fallen in love with you lot," the way we apply those terms in romance novels. Instead, God is saying, "I created you lot. I love you lot, because I made y'all for relationship with me." He's non using language of, "I fell in dearest," or "I'm in love," "I'g bound up in your beauty." That's non the linguistic communication that Scripture presents. Scripture presents a choosing love. A dearest in spite of what we've done, which is a theme in Redeeming Love . Simply it's so jump upward in the physical dazzler of Angel that it introduces some difficulties theologically and it also introduces some difficulties for women who read it and who struggle with body prototype and body shame.

The 3rd theological result and I mentioned this piddling earlier is that because Michael is an allegory of an allegory, the parallels that are being attributed to God out of Redeeming Dearest are increasingly blurred, while likewise being romanticized in means the Bible does not state. This tin actually create unhealthy views of God that aren't consistent with Scripture. If yous're giving this volume to someone who doesn't know the Bible at all, or isn't involved in church isn't being discipled. It can be perhaps a gateway to that but there are much ameliorate gateways than introducing a book with this kind of sexual content and this kind of a confusing theological presentation. There are other ways to introduce someone to the truths of Scripture without introducing such potential confusion and blurring of lines theologically.

The fourth point I want to bespeak out is that all erotica across the lath presents nuanced prosperity gospel letters. There's a very strange tension here. In some of them, if you lot become discontent or desperate or depressed plenty, then a man will come and save you. In others, if yous pray enough or clean yourself up or are sexy and confident enough, then the man will come and save you lot. That'south a big part of this narrative. In Christian romance novels, in item, this gets even more confusing and unspoken.

We meet this message in purity culture as a whole. I have to tell y'all it is so intriguing to me that the rise of Christian romance novels and soft pornographic content in such novels was coinciding with the reign of purity culture, in which nosotros didn't talk about sexual practice and nosotros didn't accept a healthy view of sex, and we didn't even have a healthy view of our bodies for the virtually part. Notwithstanding these 2 things coincided. And I think that is not a coincidence at all. I call back that the fact that we were not addressing real sexual desires and identity and body epitome and prosperity gospel in the purity motion, we were assuasive it to these unhealthy, undealt with issues to sneak in underground through romantic fiction.

The prosperity gospel message in these romantic novels is, if I practise this work, if I am pretty enough, or in desperate need enough, if I'k discontent enough, if I'm content enough, if I'thou busy enough, and then God will bless me. In Job 4:nine, we see the reality of this lie that while we certainly experience blessings past post-obit God, and God does bless obedience, and he gives consequences for disobedience. We aren't guaranteed an easy life or an ideal timeline by following Christ.

On the flipside, erotica tin also present a bulletin of hedonism, I can practice whatsoever I want, and God will nonetheless anoint me because he loves me. This rejects the telephone call to holiness that we see in 2 Corinthians 7. Neither message is biblical, but both can be unconsciously picked upward and taken abroad from Christian romantic fiction.

The fifth thing I want to betoken out is that by connecting Affections'south victimization shame from her childhood, with her prostitution shame. Some readers may fail to discern between the two kinds of shame, considering there are two kinds of shame in Scripture. One shame comes from the outside and is non the victim'due south responsibleness. This is victimization. The other form is shame from personal sin, which is our responsibility when nosotros choose sexual fornication, pornography. When nosotros choose these things, nosotros are choosing sin and we have to apologize and shame really drives united states to repentance, where we tin be restored and have our shame removed. But the book can tend to actually combine and weave together these two kinds of shame to where victims of corruption may exist confused over what is their responsibility and what is non. We have to be very sensitive to this.

Scripture makes a distinction between these kinds of shame, only the lines are blurred in the volume, and information technology tin pb to not just fetishizing Angel's trauma, but making her abuse a sin result, instead of just willful sin, the issue. Over again, none of that is included in the Hosea narrative considering we don't have a narrative nigh babyhood sexual abuse for Gomer.

Here's my biggest point on this section. Books and movies like this, when they are endorsed and recommended with no caveat, nuance or discipleship can exist a major stumbling block for Christians of all maturity levels. I'one thousand going to read you lot Romans 14:one-23.

"Except the ane whose religion is weak without quarreling over disputable matters. One person's organized religion allows them to consume anything, but another whose faith is weak, eats but vegetables. The one who eats everything must not care for with antipathy, the ane who does non. And the one who does not eat everything, allow's not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to guess someone else's servant to the your own master, servant, stand or fall, and they volition stand for the Lord is able to make them stand. One person considers one 24-hour interval more than sacred than another, another considers every day akin. Each of them, to be fully convinced in their own listen. Whoever regards one twenty-four hour period is special, does then to the Lord. Whoever eats meat, does then to the Lord, for they give thanks to God, and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord. And if nosotros die, we dice for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason Christ died and returned to life, then that He might be the Lord of both the dead and living. You so, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why exercise you treat them with contempt? For nosotros will all stand before God's judgment seat. Information technology is written every bit surely equally I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me every time we'll acknowledge God. So then, each of us will give an business relationship of ourselves to God. Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstruction in the fashion of a brother or sister."

"I am convinced being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that zippo is unclean in itself. But if anyone regard something as unclean, and then for that person it is unclean. If your blood brother or sister is distressed considering of what you eat, you lot are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not permit what you know is good exist spoken of every bit evil. For the kingdom of God is not a affair of eating and drinking, just of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, considering anyone who serves Christ in this mode, is pleasing to God, and receives human being approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and common edification. Practise not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is incorrect for a person to consume anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or beverage wine or to exercise anything else that volition crusade your brother or sister to fall. So, any you lot believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blest is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat considering they're eating is not from organized religion. Everything that does not come from faith is sin."

This is the entire affiliate of Romans xiv. I don't want to get into a total exegesis of this passage, but at that place are a couple of import verses here. What Paul is discussing here is Christian liberty and conviction and how people who are new in the faith or who are growing in their religion, or as he says, those whose faith is weak may still exist at a stage where they aren't as free to participate in sure things because it'due south against their conviction. For some, they may become to a betoken where they feel more free to in this situation as he's describing, eat meat instead of exist vegetarian. Whereas others may continue with that confidence for the rest of their life. He uses the example here of food and alcohol, actually vino and also sure days of the week. Celebrating the Sabbath on a Saturday versus maybe a showtime day of the week gathering on Sunday.

The point of this passage is to say, you are free to participate in many things. You're free to read fiction books, you're fifty-fifty complimentary to read romantic fiction books. They aren't necessarily sinful in and of themselves, but can they contain content that leads to sin? Yes. And if that's the example, it is the responsibleness of a Christian person to consider the weakness of their brothers and sisters before recommending or encouraging that kind of content for them.

It also points out in poesy 10, that you are not to gauge your blood brother or sister or consider them prudish or immature because they have a high standard for the kind of content that they swallow. We have to be willing to sacrifice our own freedom for the sake of our brothers and sisters. He says hither in poesy xv, if your brother or sister is distressed by what you eat, in this case, what you read or watch or have recommended to them, you lot are no longer acting in dearest. I recollect there are a lot of Christian women who accept recommended Redeeming Love thinking it was a loving thing to do and going to bless people. And instead, it placed a major stumbling block in the path of these young women, because those who are recommending information technology did not recognize the weight of the sexual content that they had overlooked. It's a very serious affair. And it's why in the rest of the verse, poesy 15, he says, "Practice not by your eating, destroy someone for whom Christ died. Practise not atomic number 82 them downward a path of sin. Exercise non lead them against their conviction." He too goes on to say, "To make every effort to exercise what leads to peace and mutual betterment."

In today's culture, we're ofttimes more than interested in our own betterment. We take it very personally if something we love isn't celebrated or well liked. The reality is that with something like this, we have to be willing to choose what leads to peace and the betterment of others, and not just what we similar and what we recall is okay. This applies to all media it doesn't just use to Redeeming Dear or Christian fiction. It applies to all media. Nosotros are at a point now, where sexual content is everywhere. Soft pornography is literally woven into family unit TV shows or family movies. And we have to be discerning and aware of what is happening. I call up verse 22 is a great bulletin as we move into the next section here.

It says, "Blessed is the one who does not condemn herself by what she approves." We have to ask ourselves, "Am I condemning myself by what I approve? Or am I walking in sanctification and holiness?" In the third section of this episode, I want to give yous some questions to ask before yous watch this movie, recommend information technology, or the book.

Questions to Inquire Before Watching or Recommending Redeeming Love

Number one, am I or the person I'm recommending this to strong believers in Christ with a consequent stable walk with Jesus? Two, exercise I or the person I'g recommending this to understand the Volume of Hosea and its truthful meaning? Number three, practise I or the person I'm recommending this to struggle with porn, fantasy, erotica, or relational discontentment? Number four, have I acknowledged that recommending this fabric could create a stumbling block in the life of my sister in Christ? Number v, "Do I recognize that consuming this textile and books like it can modify how women view their marriages, singleness, contentment, spiritual walk, and even God Himself? Number six, would I be okay with my husband or swain watching the sexual scenes in this book or picture show privately apart from the story? Number seven, does this produce common upbuilding for my sister or brother or whoever I'm recommending it to?

At this fourth dimension, I'chiliad going to movement to our next department, equally nosotros proceed to wrap up this episode to read some of the testimonies from young women who messaged me most Redeeming Love when I talked about it on Instagram, and share some of their testimonies of what the book did and how it impacted them. Again, this is not to shame anyone who has enjoyed the book. It's just to evidence y'all that I'm non alone voice who's speaking about this, or about how this book and others like it have opened a door and a stumbling block to young women in the church building.

"Thank you for talking nearly Redeeming Love . I read it when I was in higher during the season where I was struggling with loneliness. And that book came at a fourth dimension where I was tempted to give into erotica, something I had never struggled with before. Thankfully, by God's grace and God'due south grace alone, when I finished that book, He convicted me to read Hosea again and opened my eyes to how wrong the parallel was. He too convicted me to be faithful in my sexual life and I was able to walk abroad from the temptation, all His grace. Simply I found out later that many of my friends who suggested the book to me actually seriously struggled with erotica and felt so much shame and guilt. So many Christian girls remember that romance novels are fine if they're Christian, merely it's a dangerous path to walk down."

And this one:

"Thank yous and then much for talking nearly Redeeming Honey . The book was recommended to me by very strong Christian women who I look upward to, when my husband and I were in a very depression and desperate betoken in our marriage. Equally I was reading it, I was very unsettled with the way things are being portrayed and was very confused why these women thought it was appropriate for our situation. For one, I had been deeply studying Hosea at the fourth dimension and plant Redeeming Love to portray it pretty inaccurately. Likewise, I was very disturbed at the romanticism involved seemed to undo all the piece of work I was putting in to empathize and work through my own sexual sin. I ended up non finishing the book considering it was certainly more disruptive than encouraging. I can easily see how many women can go trapped into assertive it's a good volume. And if I hadn't been actively working on that specific sin in my life, I would have fallen caput over heels for the message portrayed in it."

This one:

" Redeeming Love brought up my struggle with masturbation after a long period of freedom. And the fact that others didn't seem to take a problem with information technology was just that much more isolating. Even now, I've mentioned that it's non my favorite considering of the sexual content. And I get very defensive, not understanding responses from godly people who love the volume. Thank you for saying something, it should not be recommended to young women."

This one:

"Thank you for your notes on Redeeming Dear . Ironically, a question of book recommendations came up in my church'due south Facebook group for women'due south ministry. Several women recommended this book and I considered it equally I'm challenging myself to read more. I popped over to your Instagram and you had a story on the book. I've struggled with sexual sin and habit since I was a young teenager and so I run from sexual content like Joseph ran from Potiphar's wife. This would likely be a really dangerous book for me to read and I honestly don't know if I would have the self-control to put information technology down what's coming across those moments in the book and what I would potentially go looking for outside of information technology. If that is at all relevant, you're welcome to share my thoughts."

And this 1:

"I just wanted to say I'thou so thankful for your stories on Redeeming Love . I have struggled with that book and so many other Francine Rivers' books. Information technology was highly recommended to me by and then many Christian friends and when I opened it, I was absolutely shocked. I was not comfy with the content of the book, but I continued to read it because mature Christians had recommended information technology. I rationalized reading it in my heed, I continued to make excuses for things that I shouldn't have. I've often wondered when I see people talk about it, if it's just something wrong with me. I wondered why I could not say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. Merely hearing y'all say these things is so encouraging. Christian fiction is a huge trouble and more women demand to speak up almost these things."

This one:

"Give thanks you for your story on Redeeming Love . I was sexually abused as a child and by the age of 7 was a chronic masturbator. I was given Redeeming Dear at a women's briefing past a mentor when I was 13 and a half. Half of me was irked at the romanticization of trauma equally a sexual abuse survivor and was actually comparison my story to this fictional story that wrapped upward pain and corruption with curvy figures, cleavage I didn't have, and a hot man who would eventually rescue and heal that I didn't have. I really started struggling even more with low from my abuse because I didn't experience sexy plenty on my healing journey, sounds really silly, I know. This book likewise acquired me to sin sexually and struggle with fantasy even more than. Her volume Bridge to Haven is even more triggering to me, both with trauma and chronic fantasy masturbation. I too was addicted to erotica in high school and sadly these two books are erotica, just with a Christian label thrown on.

What was even more confusing to me every bit a team, as my mentor was counseling me through my sexual sin, but then gave me these books thinking information technology would aid me in my healing journey. Information technology has taken me years to heal from that touch. In high school and college, I struggled with reading sexually explicit romance novels. I took a lot of drastic steps to break free. Since then, I've stayed abroad from even Christian romance novels. When I read Redeeming Love a year ago, I was definitely not drawn closer to God. Information technology was like feeding an old desire. Simply in my mind, the seams didn't go far enough, which caused a lot of temptation to seek out my sometime habit. Give thanks God, I didn't, only it was a struggle. Thanks for addressing this issue, as someone who has struggled, this is a much needed discussion."

Information technology'south heavy and hard for me to read those letters to you. There are many more that I have saved in the highlight on my Instagram. I know that if you've loved and enjoyed this book, and you're looking forrard to the picture show, it may exist really shocking and eye opening to hear these messages from real young women. You can come across the screenshots of their messages on my Instagram highlight. So, you know that I'm not simply making these upward. My encouragement to you is, if you lot choose to go see this picture, delight do and then with discernment and wisdom. Delight take the time to read the Book of Hosea and study information technology for yourself. Please consider the young women to whom you are recommending this movie and these books, and books like it. And almost of all, if you struggle with sexual sin and fantasy, I can promise you lot that in that location truly is freedom and there is a fashion out. I am a testimony to God'due south healing journey, His truly Redeeming Beloved , that can take even the darkest and most secret addiction and go far something that allows you to free others and lead them toward his heart.

Welcome to the community!

I hope that you lot see that in doing this episode, I am non trying to bash a volume that many people have enjoyed, but I am trying to shed a calorie-free on how it has opened a door to bondage, and instead of experiencing God'southward "redeeming honey",  many women accept actually been ushered down a road of shame and further addiction. Please consider the questions I've suggested before you encourage seeing the movie or encourage reading this book. I'yard going to pray for those of you lot who are listening and those of you lot who are struggling as nosotros shut.

Father, I thank you so much for all the women who are listening to this episode. I hope that my heart has come through and the burden that I carry for women who struggle with addiction, who struggle with erotica, fantasy and sexual sin, I desperately desire them to experience your liberty. And I know that books like this promise that freedom in some ways, and that some people fifty-fifty feel a glimpse of you lot through them. Merely I just ask that for those who are weak, you lot would protect them, and that those who are strong, would consider those who are struggling and be willing to cede their freedom in order to walk next with them into sanctification. Thank you for loving us and for truly redeeming us. Amen.

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Source: https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/should-christian-women-watch-redeeming-love/

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