Undressed: the Naked Truth About Love, Sex, and Dating

I'm so NOT into relationship books.  I read a few in high school, but they seemed to all say the same, especially the Christian books.  You shouldn't "date," you should "court."  You shouldn't hold hands, hug, let alone kiss.  Always stay in groups.  Never be alone together.  I understand the purpose behind those things, but those are so many rules that we Christians put on ourselves that I haven't seen in Scripture!  And let's be honest: dating is different now than it was in the days of the Bible!  Does that mean we should go around sleeping with whomever we want?  No way!  Scripture IS clear about one thing in relationships: PURITY.  But God doesn't say how far is "too far" except that intercourse should happen only within the context of marriage.  But what is too far before that?

Don't get me wrong.  I don't have a problem with the boundaries you've set for yourself.  You know what you need.  It's when you are imposing your convictions or preferences on others when it's not something God has laid out.

When my brother-in-law gave me this book to read, I was hesitant.  My thought was "Oh great, another married Christian man telling me to 'Kiss Dating Goodbye.'"  How wrong I was!  Jason Illian is a fantastically refreshing writer.  He's funny and creative and best of all honest and liberating!  He speaks truth and he really made me realize how much freedom we as Christians really do have in our relationships.

I have decided to blog about each chapter in his book and there will be a lot of quotes from them as well.  I'd love for you to read this book and leave your comments as I post the blogs!

"Love is about people who at one and the same time can be both cruel and compassionate, barbaric and beautiful, sinners and saints, full of hope and full of despair.  In other words, it is about us."  -Jason Illian