By Bronwyn Lea
Foreward by Christine Caine
Living as Christian Brothers
and Sisters in a Sex-Crazed World
The Church finds itself in an awkward position - how do Christians share the love that we are instructed to share with one another? The Church has slipped into the cultural norm of seeing as the world does. We jump to the same conclusions that all shows of affection must have a sexual root. Familia love has no place when we observe others interacting with one another.
Sigmund Freud's legacy of psychoanalysis is alive and well. It has saturated all aspects of the Western World - we see it everywhere and suspect innuendo and undertones in everything. It has taken up permanent residence in our books, movies, and music. But Freud's legacy is starving us - love has no meaning, no attachments and purely focused on the pleasures of the moment.
The Church needs to get back to the Bible when it comes to love between believing brothers and sisters. We need to stop allowing the dominant cultural influences to dictate how we interact with one another. There are four loves but we have all but forgotten the three that should be foremost in our lives. There is storge which is the strong binding love one has for one's family. This is also the brotherly (or sisterly) love we are to share with fellow believers. Then we have phileo which is the love of companions, friends, those with whom we share interests. This love is the warmth of friendship we feel to those who are, like us, people of God. Agape love is the love that God has offered to us not because it is our right but because it is a choice. This is the same love that a parent of a wayward child offers - it is an undeserved love freely given by the giver for no reason. This is the mark that Christians are to be distinguished by. All too often these loves get lost in the physical draw of eros.
We are to care for our family. To avoid this according to Paul is to be worse than an unbeliever. But we must ask ourselves who is my family? If we answer truthfully all believers are our family - they are our brothers and sisters. If we can keep this in mind we can love them as such and with time not be left feeling awkward when we express love for our family.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion ~ all thoughts expressed are my own.
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Weird
When it comes to relationships between men and women, we have more questions than answers:
- How do we keep relationships with the opposite sex healthy—and still hug each other after small group?
- Is it possible for married men and women to be friends with people of the opposite sex?
- What does it mean to be a woman if you’re not a wife, or a man if you’re not a husband?
Jesus’ pattern for church living was one of family—of brothers and sisters living in intimate, life-giving community with each other. With story, sensitivity, and hope, Beyond Awkward Side Hugs invites us to leave behind eroticized, fear-based patterns and move toward gendered, generous relationships between men and women of character as we love one another as Jesus did.
“Beyond Awkward Side Hugs is a deep well of biblical wisdom, and Lea has written with nuance and clarity, humor and grace.” –Jen Pollock Michel, author of Surprised by Paradox and Keeping Place
“The church desperately needs a bigger vision for how men and women can flourish together in ministry and friendship, and Bronwyn Lea paints a vivid picture for how we’ll get there.” –Steve Wiens, author of Shining Like the Sun, Beginnings, and Whole
Purchase Links
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Taking care of your family is so important and top priority here too. I am a hugging person and I struggle now with not being able to have any physical contact with my friends. My front doormat even says, "You are about to be hugged."
ReplyDeleteThank you for being on this tour and giving a thoughtful review. Sara @ TLC Book Tours
ReplyDeleteFinding true friends is harder the older you get.
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