A Celebration of Sex: A Guide to Enjoying God's Gift of Sexual Intimacy [Paperback]

Douglas E. Rosenau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 2002

Dr. Douglas Rosenau is a licensed psychologist, and a Christian sex therapist who has for the past seventeen years used his training in theology and counseling to help Christian couples enrich and reclaim God's wonderful gift of sexuality within marriage.

A Celebration of Sex answers specific, often unasked questions about sexual topics, presents married couples with detailed techniques and behavioral skills for deepening sexual pleasure and intimate companionship, and is an excellent tool for premarital education.

Previous edition: 0785273662

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Rev Upd edition (November 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785264671
• ISBN-13: 978-0785264675
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #89 in Books > Self-Help > Sex

More About the Author

Born to missionary parents in French Equatorial Africa, Doug Rosenau has passionately been a sexual ambassador, therapist, professor, theologian and author in Evangelical Christianity for the past thirty years. His book, A Celebration of Sex, that was published in 1994 was actually shrink-wrapped when it first began being sold in Christian bookstores. Dr. Rosenau is a licensed psychologist, marriage and family therapist, certified sex therapist, and the author of many books and teaching videos on sexuality from a Christian world view.

After graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.), Doug received his doctorate (Ed.D.) from Northern Illinois University and teaches Human Sexuality and Sex Therapy nationally as a popular conference speaker and as a professor at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, Georgia. As co-founder of the Christian organization Sexual Wholeness, he has helped to create the Institute for Sexual Wholeness that trains Christian sex therapists and educators.

Dr. Rosenau and his wife, Catherine, live in Atlanta, Georgia, and have a daughter, Merrill, and granddaughter Caitlyn, who is the apple of his eye. He loves to mentor and help people grow in that important part of life and relationships, their sexuality. He can be reached through: www.sexualwholeness.com or www.psychologytoday.com and look for therapists in Georgia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

238 of 246 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book helped transform my marriage! January 5, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Before I found this wonderful book, I was skeptical that I would ever find a Christian sex book that I would truly appreciate. Let's face it: there are a lot of Christian sex books that put forth unrealistic opinions as biblical fact: masturbation is inherently evil, fantasy of any kind is incapable of being productive, oral sex is unnatural, and that basically any sexual satisfaction outside of intercourse is shameful and wrong.

Dr. Rosenau challenges these stereotypically "Christian" pleasure-phobic attitudes. As he writes, "I am determined that Christians reclaim God's wonderful gift of sexuality." His book is indeed a "celebration of sex." Our sexualities are a gift from God for us to enjoy and celebrate, not to deny and be ashamed of. And as long as we follow God's biblical guidelines for sexual intimacy, our marriages will be tremendously rewarded.

Naturally, the book explains the science of arousal, the menstrual cycle, birth control and so forth. It also goes into detail about enhancing intimacy by breaking down barriers of inhibitions and encourages couples to be playful and to be open to new experiences, and how sexual fantasy about one's spouse can be used to promote intimacy. He even says it is okay to be selfish at times, and how it does not contradict obedience. Entire chapters are devoted each to sexual communication, sensuous massage, mutual pleasuring, and what "making love" means to males and females.

Dr. Rosenau also covers overcoming barriers of sexual hangups. He covers the seldom heard-of topic of vaginismus, for which I am eternally grateful for. My wife and I were both virgins when we were married, and we learned the value of abstinence in a way I would not wish on anyone. Before our wedding, my wife had a rough examination from a gynecologist. She was hurt, and as a result her subconscious associated vaginal penetration with pain. Vaginismus is when psychological stress causes the muscles around the vagina to lock so tightly that it prevents penetration. At first we couldn't understand what was wrong with us, until I did some research on the net and learned that this problem had a name, and that we weren't alone. However, the only book I found on vaginismus on Amazon was out of print and unavailable. I considered her visiting a psychologist, but we just couldn't afford that. And since at the time my wife's English was not as good as it now is, the thought of finding a Christian sex psychologist in her home country was daunting. Thank God I found this book! An entire chapter covers women and painful intercourse, and through our commitment of marriage and plenty of prayer, we were comfortable and patient in overcoming this problem. We followed the steps of desensitizing and overcoming the instinctive reaction of tightening muscles. The only thing I would suggest in addition to his final steps in this is that instead of using the penis, use a cheap "personal massager" available at any Spencer gift shop to reduce stress on both partners.

So in the end, Dr. Rosenau's book was a Godsend to our marriage. Mutual masturbation was our only source of sexual intimacy for most of our first year of marriage. And while other Christian sex authors may frown upon this, Dr. Rosenau even devotes an entire chapter to this. Before our first year anniversary, we were able to experience intercourse normally and our marriage has only gotten better.

There are only a few things I disagreed with this book, such as his suggestion of petroleum jelly as a lubricant, since it is known to cause infections. Also, it is my understanding that no spermicides should ever be recommended for use, since its active ingredient, nonoxynol-9 was introduced in the United States as a floor cleaner! But in all, this book helped transform my marriage tremendously and I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is an excellent read no matter how long you've been married, and especially for those not yet married.

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An overwhelmingly positive view of Christian sexuality. May 28, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book is probably the single best evangelical marriage manual on the market, complete with explicit but tastfully done drawings and unflinching examinations of various sexual issues. The contextualizing of sex into the larger sphere of marital relationships is especially helpful; communications between husband and wife about sex or anything else can be greatly improved if one heed's Rosenau's parameters for communication.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended May 22, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Absolutely the best book I have read on this subject! Couldn't recommend it more! This is my favorite bridal shower gift, as it is a helpful tool for getting started learning about the sexual relationship and is a great resource for years into exploring the gift of sex in marriage. Doesn't hide anything, comes complete with illustrations and celebrates a proper respect for the body and sexual intimacy.