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Desire and Deceit: The Real Cost of the New Sexual Tolerance

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Even before I bought this book, I didn't expect it to be a fun book to read. The topic is one that deals with the proliferation of evil in our world. There is almost no way to do anything except feel hopeless when we look at how people have been able to take sinful activity and make it look good and wholesome, but Mohler covers the subject truthfully and with a gentle spirit. This book is not enjoyable, but it is an important book for everyone to read because it shows the problems that accepting sex, in all of its forms, as the saving grace of our society is causing.

Anyone with a heart has to be disturbed by the state of marriage in our country. Illegitimacy is closing in on 40% of all births, living together is standard, and marriages tend to last as long as the expiration dates on milk cartons.

This is a great tragedy for our nation, and for the 50% of all children in our country who will expereience living with only a single parent. These children are at hugely higher risk for abuse, neglect, emotional problems, drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuity, and, at hugely higher risk later on of criminal behavior. (For statistics, please read "The Abolition of Marriage".)

In fact, our culture has become toxic to children.

Mohler's small, thoughtful book tackles the problem from the perspective of a Christian pastor. He states sadly that "All manners of faith and morality are now considered by a majority of Americans to be issues of mere private preference" (p47). The bitter fact is that "the left wing of the Enlightenment has finally won the day...a majority of Americans now reject the very notion of absolute truth" (p 47).

He discusses pornography and the effects of Kinsey, and the shattering of the once strong Christian ethics in our nation.

A disturbing but necessary book.

Christians everywhere are surrounded by an ever increasing level of sexual permissiveness in our post-modern society. With pluralism, moral relativism, and subjective truth as the philosophical crown jewels in the modern Western worldview, even mainstream churches are being swept away by the floods of sexual tolerance. With homosexual pastors preaching from the pulpit, same-sex marriages gaining ground, and pornography running rife throughout the church, R. Albert Mohler Jr. takes a solid stand on the word of God as the standard for all relationships and behaviour.

Presenting an overview of the infiltration of sexual tolerance throughout society, Mohler is a trustworthy guide through the treacherous landscape of false doctrine, cultural implications, effects on manhood and the family, etc. in Desire and Deceit. Mohler fills the pages of this brief, yet vitally relevant volume with lucid, thought-provoking prose that pulls no punches. In a world filled with compromise, Mohler is anything but, clinging to God's word as the only standard for human sexuality

Mohler contrasts the modern, secular viewpoints of lust and homosexuality with the orthodox Christian response to ungodly arguments. As a fairly new believer I was always confused by the growing acceptance of homosexuality within the church when the Bible seems so clear on the topic. Mohler's examination of the growth of the modern homosexual movement, and the flawed theology this movement is based upon are laid out in order that Christians may be equipped to deal with these questions as they walk in the world daily.

Though Mohler cuts to the chase and isn't afraid to step on toes, these rebuttals of today's free-for-all stance on sexuality are far from being condemning. He continually points readers towards Christ, and makes clear the fact that we are all of us sinners -- the sins of the heart no less damning than those of the loins. With this clearly in mind, it becomes clear that Mohler's perspective is balanced, free from legalistic overtones, and filled with grace. He seeks not to vilify those leading sexual lifestyles in contrast to God's design, but rather to inform Christians of the dangers, and cultural ramifications inherent in accepting the all too common moral stance, "Do whatever you like, as long as no one gets hurt." All of us are desperately in need of Jesus; one sin isn't more hell-worthy than another; and, with this in mind, Mohler's readers are lead into a compassionate desire to pray for those suffering in bondage.

Statements such as the following reveal Mohler's balanced and theologically accurate view on the subject of homosexuality (to which he devotes much of his treatise.)

"Salvation and repentance must be preached to homosexuals -- and to heterosexuals as well. East of Eden, not one of us has come before God as sexually pure and whole, even if we have never committed an illicit sexual act. Our ministry to homosexuals is not as the sinless ministering to sinners, but as fellow sinners who bear testimony to the reality of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ."

Presented as a compact hardcover, I read through Desire and Deceit rapidly. It provides a concise exploration of modern sexual mores and their Christian rebuttal while remaining charmingly readable. Mohler has been accused of writing in a scholarly voice, but I found his thoughtful reasoning charming. I won't be adding `polymorphous perversity' to my daily vocabulary anytime soon, but I found his work forthright and delightful to read.

As for the review of R. Albert Mohler, Jr.'s "Desire and Deceit," this book is loaded with timely warnings and cites good sources of material. I would have liked to see more scripture references. Overall, I feel this may be a valuable read to help keep us from repeating history. But, the book seems to accentuate the negative. Maybe if we taught ourselves and our children the proper way to behave and policed what we expose ourselves to (like movies and TV shows that glorify improper relationships), we would have a better chance of defeating this temptation in our lives.

Dr. Mohler is right on the issue of sexual tolerance. What a powerful book. He tackles the issues facing our world and does so in a biblically fashion. He not only uses the Bible, but uses other sources to support his point. Dr. Mohler is more than capable to deal with the current issues facing our society.

Contrary to what one might think from reading the cover of the book, it would be wrong to say that R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s book, Desire and Deceit: The Real Cost of the New Sexual Tolerance, is a "right jab" from the evangelical side of the political spectrum. It would also be wrong to categorize Mohler as preaching to the choir, which he actually is but that isn't the whole story either. Albert Mohler's book is much more of an exercise in educating the religious right so that they will have their own ammunition to fight moral sexual degradation. It is an educational lecture and a pep talk, if you will.

The main target of Mohler's lecture is obviously homosexuality. In this case we are not talking about homosexuality itself per se, even though Mohler gives loads of biblical and rational arguments against the homosexual lifestyle. Mohler's attack, if you will, is squarely against the political homosexuality that he believes has changed the landscape of American culture for the worse and almost to the point of non-recognition. Albert Mohler also rails against pornography and sexual promiscuity in virtually every form labeling it as against God's plan for man and woman. In many ways the author believes that political homosexuality has won in their battle but for those who stand with evangelical Christianity this is no reason to give up the fight. The battle for souls must rage on.

Mohler portrays Alfred Kinsey, lauded as many social intellectuals today, as some sort of sicko at best and at worst a de facto "black pope" (my words, not his) who's sexual depravity have lead many of our own brightest minds astray. Albert Mohler states that he believes Kinsey, thought by some as the father of the modern sexual revolution, to have been an intellectual fraud who, originally studier of insects, molded his own sexual desires into a pseudo-science of carnal knowledge, totally discounting any supposed contributions that Alfred Kinsey was purported to have made to our earlier knowledge of sexual behavior.

I don't really think that even the casual reader would find many surprises in what Albert Mohler has written in Desire and Deceit. For one he is the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, hardly a bastion of left-wing thought and liberal demagoguery, and Mohler has been many times in the American press defending evangelical Christian values, raising the flag for the whole world to see. As such, I would be surprised to find anyone who did read the book with an open mind to take umbrage with Mohler's position. It is almost as if the position is stated in the title. Of course if the reader's only intention in reading the book in the first place was to "dig up dirt" to argue against Albert Mohler's stance then they would have lots to work with because he is unequivocal. I do believe though that the book's merits are in whether or not it accomplished what the author intended to do when he wrote it: Shore up the evangelical soldiers for the fight against evil sexual mores as they see them. And in this respect Albert Mohler can claim his desired effect.

This book by Dr. Mohler is a critique of sex outside of marriage, homosexual actions, and generally the way our culture views human sex and sexuality. After the first few chapters, I thought that the book preached a bit too much to the choir in the sense that while I agreed with everything the author was saying, it didn't seem like he was offering any new insights and arguments. In fact, much of what he said seemed to be quite vague and general- simply talking about the "emotional, spiritual, physical, and psychological harm caused by meaningless sex." Again, while I do agree that all of these harms are there and present, I find it difficult to believe that someone reading this who already agrees with Dr. Mohler would have found much new to grasp onto in these first few chapters, and someone who does not agree with Dr. Mohler would not find it convincing because that is typically what they have heard before.

That is my critique of the first few chapters. However, the later chapters, especially on homosexual actions and gender, provided some more thought provoking ideas. For example, Dr. Mohler carefully scrutinizes the modern dogma that gender is a social construct and there is no such thing as gender by reflecting on thoughtful questions such as how does one precisely measure gender? Is it a biological trait? If not, how are we able to measure it aside from the personal whims and desires of the individual? It is clear that the idea that there is no such thing as gender is one of the foundations in the defense of those who support homosexual actions, so a good amount of space is given to look at the question of gender.

Another insight that I found fascinating was Dr. Mohler's summary of Anthony Esolen's article in First Things several years back titled "A Requiem for Friendship." Though this is not a direct argument against homosexual actions which shows that they are intrinsically disordered, it is quite a fascinating observation. Esolen's thesis in this article is that the acceptance of homosexual relationships by modernity has destroyed male friendship. Some examples to motivate this are David and Johnathan from the bible and the relationship between Sam and Frodo from lord of the Rings. We tend to look at these two relationships and conclude that the two pairs of men are gay because of the affection and love they show for one another. Yet, as Esolen points out, their relationship is exactly how two men who are close friends and have filial love for each other should treat each other. In other words, because we have accepted homosexual actions as good, we cannot understand how tow men could hold hands, kiss on the cheek, or even caress one another without "being gay." This insight hit home with me on a personal level because I have always wanted to show more affection to my male friends. I have always felt that we should be more physical and affectionate with each other out of love for one another (without engaging in any sexual actions, of course) but I never realized until I read this why it is so taboo. There are many other great insights in the article (which the book also mentions) that I will not go into.

Thus, while the book started out a bit slow, there as a lot of good material and things to consider in the later chapters that is important for us to understand if we are to engage the culture and challenge a false notion of human sex and sexuality.

This little book is packed with information on the negative effects of sexual tolerance in our age. This serves as a great counterbalance to the one-sided utopianism presented by popular media.