This is the first of 12 books I’ve challenged myself to read this year.  It happened to be the first because it was the first I could get my hands on.  It’s written by Steve Gallagher who runs Pure Life Ministries in Kentucky.  This is the first and only book I’ve read by Steve and I thought I’d tackle ‘At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry’. My thoughts are as follows:

Authors Approach

I really like the way Steve interweaves portions of his own experiences to give his voice merit and foundation.  Too often people have written self-help books on topics that they themselves have not been through which comes through in their writing.  Steve does a fantastic job of telling you that doing this or that is not enough, that there is no magic bullet to end the problem of Sexual Idolatry in your life.  He also makes it painstakingly clear that there is deliverance and hope and that the “in-between” life won’t work with a Holy God.

Subject Matter

There’s a great job done in explaining the ‘decent’. It starts with one scenario and before you know it you’re selling family heirlooms just to get the cash for your next fix.  To the sexual addict, this may play itself out as staring too long at the swimming pool to stalking and who knows where.  I love the way the book ends. A call to the reality of who we are, God’s immeasurable grace, and how His life-changing mercy.

Results

I don’t know that this book alone will help someone who is dealing with such issues. However, it certainly will help equip someone who’s counseling others OR someone who’s at least recognized they have an issue.  It’s definitely worth picking up though!

Read the book? Tell me what you think in the comment section below. Not read the book? Click the image to pick it up on Amazon