Authentic Human Sexuality: An Integrated Christian Approach [Paperback]

Judith K. Balswick (Author), Jack O. Balswick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2008

Sex pervades our culture, going far beyond the confines of the bedroom into the workplace, the church and the media. Yet despite all the attention and even obsession devoted to sex, human sexuality remains confusing and even foreboding. What, after all, is authentic human sexuality? That is the question Judith and Jack Balswick set out to answer in this wide-ranging and probing book. Informed by sociology, psychology and theology, the Balswicks investigate how human sexuality originates both biologically and socially, lay groundwork for a normative Christian interpretation of sexuality, show how authentic sexuality is necessarily grounded in relationships, and explore such forms of "inauthentic sexuality" as sexual harassment, pornography and rape. Since its first publication in 1999, Authentic Human Sexuality has established itself as a standard text at numerous colleges and seminaries. While maintaining the book's overall structure, this new paper edition offers updated discussions and bibliographies throughout, including a completely new chapter on sexual development throughout the human lifespan and a substantially revised chapter on sexual beings in relationship that incorporates a trinitarian theological perspective. A new generation of students, pastors, psychologists and sociologists engaged in counseling will be indebted to the Balswicks for this updated study of this endlessly fascinating and perplexing facet of human identity.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Judith K. Balswick (Ed.D., University of Georgia) is a licensed and practicing marriage and family therapist who has been in practice for over thirty years and has taught for over twenty years in the marriage and family therapy program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. She has served on the editorial board of Marriage and Family: A Christian Journal and has contributed articles to that journal and to several others, including Family Ministry Journal, American Journal of Pastoral Counseling, Journal of Psychology and Christianity and Marriage Partnership. She is author or coauthor of The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home, The Gift of Gender, Mothers and Daughters Making Peace, Raging Hormones, Life Ties, Then They Leave Home, Family Pain, Relationship-Empowerment Parenting, The Two-Paycheck Marriage and A Model for Marriage: Covenant, Grace, Empowerment and Intimacy.

Jack O. Balswick (Ph.D., University of Iowa) is senior professor of sociology and family development at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He has twice received an American Senior Fulbright Scholar Fellowship. He has been associate editor of the Journal of Marriage and Family, Family Relations, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion and Review of Religious Research. He has authored or coauthored articles in over seventy professional publications and has presented papers at conferences around the world. He is author or coauthor of seventeen books, including Men at the Crossroads, The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home, The Gift of Gender, Social Problems: A Christian Understanding and Response, Relationship-Empowerment Parenting, Authentic Human Sexuality, The Reciprocating Self: Human Development in Theological Perspective and A Model for Marriage: Covenant, Grace, Empowerment and Intimacy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic; 02 edition (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830828834
• ISBN-13: 978-0830828838
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Gender & Sexuality

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a Good Book, April 18, 2007

By 

Jason R. Skalicky - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Authentic Human Sexuality: An Integrated Christian Approach (Hardcover)

This book is built on research, so Christian or not you will learn and understand the developing sexuality in today's society! This books takes on topics anywhere from Homosexuality to Sexual Abuse and Marital Sexuality. If you are looking for a book just to understand a little more or for a good research book, this is the one!! This is a good book for parents up to psychologists. A MUST READ!!!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Adequate, but not Outstanding, July 24, 2008

By 

Will Jerom (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Authentic Human Sexuality: An Integrated Christian Approach (Paperback)

Three and a half stars. This is a good, but not outstanding book on Christian approaches to sexual ethics. It is not heavily dogmatic, and actually reads much more like sociology than theology in most places. It integrates sociological, and psychological findings with their Biblical analysis, which seem fairly mainstream. They try to represent a diversity of opinions, and succeed modestly well enough, I should say. For those in need of a text that seems fairly middle-of-the-road and addressed the issue of Christian responses to the complex topic of human sexuality, this book should serve that purpose well. At some places they hold back too much on their own conclusions, and could have offered more. Students should find it a fair and comprehensive read, however.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Reading for Christians, September 21, 2007

By 

June Lawrence - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Authentic Human Sexuality: An Integrated Christian Approach (Hardcover)

The physical quality of the book was very good. I got value for my money in every way. I would recommend this to anyone who has a need to understand human sexuality in general and specifically from a Christian perspective.

June L.