41 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rambling, January 2, 2010
This review is from: Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad about Feeling Good? (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I'm more confused by this book than enlightened. Not that I disagree with the author's thesis; far from it, I think he's probably correct. But instead of making his point in the most concise, convincing manner, he writes like a hyperactive pulpit preacher who can't put the brakes on his tongue.
Gary Thomas believes we are made by God to enjoy the blessings of God's creation. Not that we should wallow in self-indulgence and be slaves to sensuality, but that laughter, good company, good food, marital sex, and other simple joys are God's gift. When well-meaning Christians think dour self-denial makes us holy, Thomas says, we squander the beauty of creation and bring displeasure to God.
My problem is that Thomas makes this point in a brief, persuasive, succinct way... then keeps talking. His argument loops back on itself time and again, long after most audiences already accept the validity of his point. He cites scripture, quotes other authors, regales us with family anecdotes, until I'm ready to shout that I believe him already, and he can get to the next point.
Then as he keeps making already made points, he undercuts himself. When he explains why it is godly to enjoy a cup of coffee or a good book, I'm sold. But then he talks about luxury cars, country clubs, Hawaiian vacations, and flying first class. Hey, I'm an English teacher from the provinces; these "holy pleasures" aren't available to me. Am I less loved by God, then? Oops, did I let class envy into the discussion?
You see my problem?
At other times, he undersells his point. Chapter 13 in particular, about finding holy pleasure in a world where disappointment is the rule rather than the exception, reads like the outline for something not yet completed. After gorging us with details and anecdotes, this part has almost none of the author in it, only quotes, citations, and aphorisms. Just when I need detail, Thomas yanks it away so fast that I get whiplash.
He also promises matter for the future that he could put in right here. A future book, he says, will be about the relationship between physical fitness and spiritual fitness. I'm sure that will be a great book, but since he dedicates pages and pages to his love of marathon running, why couldn't he put that in this volume? I could help him trim the book in front of him to make room for it.
And right at the end, we get a study guide for an accompanying set of online videos for group study. Wait, it says I have to purchase the videos separately. After plunking down fifteen bucks per book for the study, am I unfair to think maybe I should get the videos from YouTube?
I like Thomas' point, and I'm glad somebody has finally said that "I surrender all" doesn't mean we must punish ourselves for loving life. But this rambling book, in need of a judicious edit, is probably not the book to sell this thesis to a mass audience. I wait patiently for the book that will cash the checks Gary Thomas has written.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Christians should delight in the pleasures God offers them...., January 13, 2010
This review is from: Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad about Feeling Good? (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
In our early marriage, my husband was in graduate school and I was soon a stay-at-home mother, and our financial situation required a lot of scrimping to avoid debt and goverment aid and still be able to give to God's work and save something. But, years later, when our financial situation was much different, I realized that I still had a mindset of scrimping and feeling guilty for anything I bought that I didn't absolutely need. And that in essence, I was not appreciating and was even feeling guilty in enjoying the blessings that God had given. Perhaps God would be better pleased if I would occasionally use some of that money to buy something that would bring pleasure to me and my family. That is the point of Gary Thomas' book Pure Pleasure.
While the world in general elevates pleasure above all else, in much of the Christian world, many things that bring pleasure (without some other obvious benefit) are regarded with suspicion. But, God created us to need relaxing and to enjoy pleasure, and He delights in giving good gifts to His children. And the Scriptures make it clear that that even includes "non-spiritual" things. The author provides a whole range of possibilities in which Christians might derive pleasure, and cautions against looking down upon the pleasures of another Christian as wasteful, while accepting our own. He gives the example of the couple that looked down upon him for his daily Starbucks habit while driving a car that easily cost $20,000 more a year than what he drove. Different does not mean wrong.
The author makes his case well, using plenty of Scripture, but he is also very careful to caution his readers not only against "pharisaic prohibitionism" but also "hedonistic license." He does caution against a life focused on one pleasure after another, neglecting responsibilities, etc. But, his ultimate point is that the things that give us pleasure and joy in this life (provided they are not forbidden by the Word of God) should be seen as gifts from God, causing us to have thankful hearts to worship and praise Him. Jesus Christ came to give us life, and life abundant; the life of a Christian should be one of joy. He also makes the point that by denying ourselves pleasure, we set ourselves up to be tempted by things which are sinful but would meet our longings for enjoyment.
The book is very readable. The book is rife with examples, personal and otherwise. The author makes his points very clear and supports them well. He has a way of taking a passage that I've read many times before and bringing out a point that I hadn't previously considered, but he doesn't have the tendency to stretch and read into the Scriptures like some authors I've read. Oh, and there are study questions at the end of each chapter if you like that sort of thing.
Having also read and appreciated the author's book Sacred Marriage, I will likely be checking out other books by this author. I would definitely recommend this book to any Christian, but especially those who struggle with guilt over enjoying themselves. However, due to some brief references to the sexual aspects of marriage, I wouldn't recommend this book for reading aloud in a mixed gender setting.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sheer delight for Pure Pleasure, October 18, 2009
This review is from: Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad about Feeling Good? (Paperback)
I've just spent a most delightful weekend finishing Gary Thomas' Pure Pleasure. This excellent book was not only enriching (convicting!) but I found my enthusiasm for Gary's insights growing page by page. As a therapist I am eager to recommend this well-balanced book to clients who suffer from rigid scrupulosity (guilt and fear for experiencing pleasure) and to those who suffer from the residue of unbridled pleasure. The chapter on family pleasure and "being a servant of other's joy" is worth the price of the book. Anti-pleasure ascetics will have a difficult time answering Gary's relentless, tightly reasoned, and winsome defense of pure pleasure which is anchored in both scripture and classic Christian spiritual writers. Highly recommended!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
