WARNING: Disturbing and explicit content follows (that is not headline hype)

So…I started reading Dan Allender’s book, Healing the Wounded Heart last night. The subtitle is “The Heartache of Sexual Abuse and the Hope of Transformation.” I made it through the Introduction and Chapter 1 before my body and eyes gave out (sleep-induced). I find the situation this book is written about an all too-familiar scenario these days. Scary. I read a lot of “heavy” stuff-disturbing stuff-in that first chapter. Here is the first:

The period in which we now live may well go down in history as the Erotic Age. Sexual love has been elevated into a cult. Eros has more worshipers among the civilized men today than any other god. For millions the erotic has completely displaced the spiritual. (see below for author and year)

But this one disturbed me even more:

There is an emerging cultural trend where many young woman learn to trade sex and its allures-sexual favors and/or sexy dressing-for popularity, long before they step onto a college campus. Young girls and women as early as middle school and certainly by high school barter their sexed-up bodies for status.  (Donna Freitas-2008)

I’m not naive. I know there are multiple factors which play into the current “sexual craze” we are experiencing. Certainly pornography has played a part. Certainly media access (internet) has played a part. Alcohol plays a part in many cases. So it can’t be all thrust on the female gender. I highly doubt anyone would argue when I say we live in a “hook-up sex” culture.

But I do like the direction this book will be taking. There is healing and transformation available. It will take time and lots of tears, pain and agony but the end result is a healed person-male and female. I know this is not my typical post. It can even be seen as a downer. Please don’t see it that way. See it as positive encouragement toward healing and transformation. After all…that is God’s desire.

First quote by A.W.Tozer in 1959 (And we say some old guys aren’t relevant?)