“Our sexuality is all of the ways we strive to reconnect with our world, with each other, and with God.�

In Rob Bell’s newest book, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality, we are given a unique view of sexuality as it translates and permeates seemingly every aspect of the Christian life. Sex God, is the second book from Rob Bell, founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI and teacher in the popular “NOOMA� video series. Sex God, follows his first book, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, released by Zondervan in 2005.

Upon thumbing through this book the initial response from most people will likely be, “what the heck is he talking about?� With chapter titles like “God Wears Lipstick,� and “Leather, Whips, and Fruit� it’s obvious that Sex God needs more investigation than just a casual skimming.

After clearly stating that “this� (the physical) “is actually about that� (relationships) in his introduction, Bell easily carries the reader through 201 pages with witty anecdotes and emotional stories from his upbringing and experiences as a pastor.

Within the context of his definition of sexuality (see quotation above, p. 42 of Sex God) Bell is able to touch on a number of topics without straying from his original purpose for the book. Some discussions seem to be more sexual in nature than others (i.e. caring for the earth vs. staying faithful to our spouse) but Bell has written so that the reader can follow his train of thought from one topic to the next.

Chapters six through nine share an excellent message of what Christian marriage should look like and where sex, among other things, fits in. Bell also has a higher view of women than what is typically expressed in our culture, and it makes chapter six to be one of the brightest spots in this book.
This book does not address the topic of Homosexuality. When questioned about same sex marriages in the Saturday, Feb. 10th 2007 edition of the Grand Rapids Press, Bell said: "The church has significant work to do in the area of homosexuality, that's another book for another time. Stay tuned."
Bell seems to raise as many questions as he answers in Sex God (don’t miss the endnotes as you read, see how many questions he asks the reader), and sometimes his definitions of “this� and “that� get muddled along the way as does his usage of the word “sexuality.� Also, based on the number of pop-culture references laced throughout Sex God it may unfortunately seem dated within just a few years.

I would recommend this book if you are interested in reading the latest thoughts of one of today’s popular pastors, (it’s engaging and tactfully entertaining reading) or if you want to research the topic of sexuality and how it pertains to Christian life.

“God has spoken, and the rest is commentary right?�
â€" Rob Bell, (Velvet Elvis back cover)

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