Customer Reviews

Every Young Man's Battle: Strategies for Victory in the Real World of Sexual Temptation (The Every Man Series)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

While containing helpful strategies and ideas, unfortunately the writers drag your mind through the gutter as they graphically discuss accounts of sexual discovery. One teenager I disciple recently told me this book actually caused him to stumble more, since it put new ideas in his mind! Parents and youth leaders should carefully screen this book because it can do more do more harm than good for certain teens.

A healthy alternative that contains an even stronger biblical basis, that avoids the graphic descriptions, and that is much shorter (making it much more likely for teens to read it) is Joshua Harris' "Not Even A Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust." This book is based on the truth of Ephesians 5:3. It has also been re-released as "Sex is Not the Problem, Lust Is." I have led several teenage guys in studies of it and all have found it very beneficial in honoring the Lord in the area of their sexuality.

Arterburn & Stoeker do an excellent job of talking straight to the single male. Though the book is entitled Every Young Man's Battle this book deals with the very real sexual struggles of every man that is single. I would highly recommend this book to all men ages, High School on up.

The book finally gives straight talk on the issues of masturbation, soft porn, the wandering eyes, and the issues of lust in our culture. In a world where sexual images and humor crowd our airwaves from radio to television this is a needed tool to stay the battle.

This is not just a book on staying pure, but one that gives real resons for trying to do so. Testimonies of men who have struggled, fallen, and then regained their purity are given throughout this book.

I would encourage every man to read this book, and encourage you to buy extras to share with others who may also be struggling to remain pure.

This book is the authors' extensive revision of their earlier work "Every Man's Battle." The initial book was not very helpful or accurate for older, married men. This book however, is right on target for the needs and situation of young, single men in today's sexually-charged society.

The theme of this work is obviously maintaining sexual purity. The authors define authentic manhood from a biblical perspective, and then offer strategies for young men to achieve it. Substantial attention is given to the practice of self-satisfaction and sexual release, with a commendable mixture of promoting absolute abstinence while at the same time offering empathetic encouragement.

The authors then present several techniques to channel visual activity and mental thought processes in a godly direction. Perhaps the best parts of this book, unique to this version, are the two final sections. The first section addresses sexual honor, giving a young man the perspective of a young woman's father. It also provides insight as to what young Christian women really seek in a man, which is far different than what most young Christian men would think. It then closes with a challenge to live a life that is sexually pure. The second section briefly addresses young men struggling with homosexual desires, encouraging them to use the same principles to achieve biblical, heterosexual purity.

I recommend this book highly to Christian fathers with teenage sons, youth pastors, and young single men. If you or a young man close to you is struggling, then this volume will undoubtedly be a great help. This small investment is sure to yield huge dividends!

I admire Steve and Fred's honesty, and I rejoice in their own success in battling sexual sin, but there method of approaching this subject I believe wasn't helpful at all.

They got quite crude at times in language, and even sensuous in their discussion of their past sins, and ultimately I had to put the book away because it was just too graphic. I was extremely disappointed to have to do so, because this is a subject that must be dealt with, and truly is a struggle for teenagers and I know this personally.

There were times when the book took on almost a confessional aspect to it, as though fred and Steve were confessing their past sexual sins to us the reader just so we would know them. It was nice that they saw it to be so important to let the reader know that where he or even she struggles is where they themselves have been before, but the detail was too much.

There are stories of one night stands in which the author states that he slipped out of his clothes and into bed with some girl, and blatant description of certain women that he has lusted over and what the particular image was that caused him to lust.

This book became a topic of prayer for me that I would read it and not begin to lust after the images they painted in my head while reading, and finally I put it away because I couldn't.

Never fear though Joshua Harris has just released a book called Not Even a Hint or something like that that deals with this same subject in a "PG-rated" way. I have ordered myself a copy and expect it to be quite good as his other books have been.

I bought this book for my 15 yr old son. I wanted a book that would help prepare him to avoid the traps of pornography and sexual promiscuity that are rampant in our culture.

Fortunately, I scanned the book before I gave it to him and found it to be full of graphic and titillating descriptions that are pretty blunt for a kid who is not sexually involved. My husband and I mutually decided this was not the book for us. I am not a prude- we talk very openly with our kids about sex and have for some time, but this book puts useless graphic images into a kids head. Don't we get enough of that at every turn?

I highly recommend "How to Ruin Your Life by 40", by Steve Farrar. Awesome book for teens! This author also wrote "Point Man".

If you are a youth minister than this is a good book for relating with the struggles that your teenagers are going through. Now, if you are looking for a book to give to your youth, you may want to check out "Not even a hint" from Joshua Harris. That book isn't as graphic and I don't think that you will be in danger of being pulled aside by someone's parent for giving their teenager a book on sexual temptation. Both books deal with the Godly way to address the situation but EYMB tends to send your thoughts through the gutter.

This book and it's pair (Every man's battle) are both great blessings. The offer a solution for sins that seemed hopeless. Ever felt like you've fallen into sin too terrible to speak of? This is the book to help with that. However, this book is really for those who have already fallen, already lost their sexual innocence. If you havn't yet (& God bless you) this isn't the book for you. Stick to the more traditional literature, since this goes into strong graphic testimonials and such and could do more harm than good.

I highly recommend this book if your young and struggling. I'm a 24 year old male training to be a youth pastor, and struggling with lust is very fraustrating to me. I've tried many times to clean it up on my own...but to no avail.
Reading "Every Young Man's Battle" was very helpful in helping me understand my struggles, and gave practical specific steps on how to guard against temptation and lust. The book was CLEARLY written by someone who's "been there" before us. It's straight-shooting, blunt, and real. And when your dealing with something as spiritually disabling as lust - you want advice that's gonna get results fast. God has done a great thing through these authors - I highly recommend this book!

After the Bible, this book is the best thing that a young man can and should read. I am 16 years old, and this book gave me powerful ammunition against the temptations of living in an "anything goes" sexually saturated culture. I beg you, do not be swayed by those who claim that this book is "way off" or poorly written. Sadly, many Christian leaders and advisors have begun to lower their standards of sexual purity. The Bible is very clear, no hint of sexual immorality may be present. This sounds like a tall order, but believe me you will be surprised at what a few simple steps will accomplish. As for the claims that the authors don't understand the biblical meaning of sexual immorality, they are rubbish. It is sad that people would attempt to discount the book's meaning by saying that Paul's difinition of immorality included many arcane Jewish practices that have no relevance today. It was Paul himself that wrote in his many epistles about the importance of realizing the freedom from the ancient customs of the Jewish law that we now posess in Jesus Christ. Basic Bible study will yield that knowledge. Also, the claims that the authors are in fact tempting readers by recounting their past experiences are equally invalid. Whoever makes that statement must not understand the relief that goes along with knowing that you are not alone, nor are you demon posessed for having the desires that you do. Teens and ministers alike, read this book. You owe it to yourself and your relationship with Jesus Christ. God bless you in your future walk with Christ.

I just want to say to those out there considering this book, please do not purchase, suggest, or read this book. I have two main reasons, the second being the most important.

1. This book is very poorly thought through. Although the author is sincere in their efforts they did not take the time to honestly examine the book and ask can this book be a stumbling block for those who are fighting the battle against lust. Their illustrations are just a step to graphic for someone who already is tip toeing the line of temptation.

2. Second this book does a poor job of really bringing our battle of lust to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their are more worried about strategies than about how Christ' redemptive work on the cross for our sins is what will lead us to triumph over sexual sin.

Please, if you are a young man who loves Jesus and really wants to defeat your addiction to pornography or your desire for pre marital sex avoid this book. I would very highly reccomend the books "Porn Again Christian" by Mark Driscoll and "Sex isn't the problem, lust is." by Joshua Harris.