Customer Reviews

The Erotic Word: Sexuality, Spirituality, and the Bible

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This book is an invitation to live life to its fullest, full of love toward Gods' creation! This book is a an exploration of love without dogma, of love full of eros thought. This book invites you to appreciate God's creation in you and humanity. Come and enjoy it!

While showing an impressive array of scholarly materials, I have received Carr's book with mixed feelings.

Carr takes on the important but difficult task of bringing spirituality and sexuality together, but, his attempt does not seem to me to be entirely successful or convincing.

On the one hand, although Carr constantly reminds us that eros is more than mere sexuality, he continuously focuses on eros through the lenses of carnal desires. On the other hand, while Carr seeks to make important claims about spirituality, he undermines his endeavor in two ways: first, by never making clear the distinction and inter-relation between eros and agape and passing over in silence the transition from erotic longing to mystical marriage; and on the other hand, by treating the Bible as a narrative and as a document, but not as the Word of God. Consequently, he does not earnestly put into question the extent to which he eroticizes God, the self, and the community of faith: by speaking of God as an erotic lover, have we not ended up making God in our image and likeness?

Ostensibly Carr sidelines large sections of the Bible and of the Christian tradition that make difficult demands on erotic love because they run contrary to his own open agenda, namely, to justify progressive sexual mores (from homosexuality to extra-marital and non-reproductive sexuality) on the basis of the Bible. It is not surprising, then, that his reading of well-know texts like Genesis 2 or Isaiah 5 strike one as rather contrived.

Where the book succeeds, however, is in the chapters devoted to the Song of Songs (i.e., Part III of the book), where the author brings a number of archeological findings in support of a reading that is rather well-balanced and transparent. One has the impression than in this part, the "Song" speaks rather than its author, or, that whereas for the bulk of "The Erotic Word" Carr wants to "make a point," in Part III he actually only cares about the Songs as such -- and that's actually refreshing.

I am very pleased that I purchased and read this book. I am in agreement with Dr Carr that Biblical interpretations have tended to split body and spirit and therefore also sexuality and spirituality. His view on gender equality as opposed to a patriarchal male dominated system also sits well with me.

There are two points of view expressed in the book that trouble me. The first is that erotic love is presented as the only expression of biblical love. Eros that is not tempered by phileo and agapè love will lead to rampant sexual expression.

My second problem with the book is a more serious one. I am surprised by the mental gymnastics and twisting of scripture that he embarks on to justify same-sex erotic behavior. I am very aware of the fact that the church has historically not dealt with this sensitive topic very wisely and much can and should be said about it. To me the low point in the book is where he reads Jesus' sanction of it into His discussion with the Pharisees in Mark 10. Great pity and maybe even great shame!

"The Erotic Word" by David Carr is an insightful and scholarly book which every student of the Bible should have in his library. It is so well written that even I, a layman, found it captivating and an easy read. Don't miss it!

Ellie Emrich
San Diego