Defeat Lust & Pornography
Defeat Lust & Pornography 4 minute read

Book Review – The Purity Principle

Last Updated: April 13, 2015

(The following post is from a friend and avid reader who wishes to remain anonymous. We asked him to write up some book reviews for our blog. This is his first installment.)

The Purity Principle is a concise 100 page book that contains Randy Alcorn’s impassioned plea for readers to live a life of sexual purity. Unlike some books on sexuality, Randy Alcorn writes for a broad audience and avoids vividly describing sexual impurity. The fundamental premise that underlies the book’s message is what Alcorn describes as “The Purity Principle: purity is always smart; impurity is always stupid” (16). Whenever we choose sin, we suffer. “A holy God made the universe in such a way that actions true to His character, and the laws derived from his character, are always rewarded. Actions that violate His character, however, are always punished” (16, emphasis original). Alcorn continues, “it’s okay to be out there ‘for yourself’ on this issue” (22). The rest of Alcorn’s book is the explication of this principle with practical steps for guarding sexual purity.

A Thoroughly Practical Book

One of the strongest facets of The Purity Principle is its exigent call to action and its thorough practicality. To be sure, the book’s practicality does not lie in the ease of carrying out Alcorn’s vision of a sexually pure life. Instead, the practicality of Alcorn’s words lies in Alcorn’s ability to provide tangible and embodied examples of what the pure life may well require. For example, Alcorn devotes an entire chapter to Getting Radical (chapter 7). Alcorn tells the story of a man who struggled with watching salacious television programs until he began telling the hotel attendants to remove the television from his room upon check-in (55).

Similarly, Alcorn tells us to confront our own excuses about falling into sexual sin by rhetorically asking, “If someone put a gun to your head and said he would pull the trigger if you looked at pornography, would you do it?” (59). Later, Alcorn excoriates those who complain about making sacrifices in the battle for sexual purity by saying, “Followers of Jesus have endured torture and given their lives in obedience to him. And we’re whining about giving up cable . . . Purity only comes to those who truly want it” (68-69).

Some will undoubtedly consider Alcorn’s advice legalism and separationalism. For example, Alcorn writes, “if you can’t be around women wearing swimsuits without looking and lusting, then don’t go on vacation where women wear swimsuits . . . If it means being unable to go on a church-sponsored retreat, don’t go” (66). Alcorn seems to adopt the attitude, albeit implicitly, that changing behavior is the crucial issue. Although he states that thoughts must change, little time is devoted to how the heart changes—except a comparison to expunging arsenic that is intended to urge individuals to avoid viewing pornography in order to purify their heart. How does this mesh with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15:19 that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander”? Still, for all its focus on externals, we must respect Alcorn’s ardor and realize that sexual sin not something to play with.

An Appeal to Self-Interest

A second strength of The Purity Principle is its appeal to self-interest. As Christians from Augustine to Edwards and Lewis to Piper have written, humans want to be happy. It is unalterably imprinted within our nature to seek happiness. The question is not whether we will seek happiness but where we will seek it. It is with this mindset that Alcorn quotes from John Piper’s book Future Grace to lay forth the positive implication of this theological truth: “We must fight [lust] with a massive promise of superior happiness. We must swallow up the little flicker of lust’s pleasure in the conflagration of holy satisfaction” (39).

An implication of this teaching (developing a mindset to resist temptation) is laid out early by Alcorn: “Satan’s greatest victories and our biggest defeats come when he gets us to ask, ‘Should I choose what God commands’ . . . ‘or should I do what’s best for me.’ The very framing of the question shows how deceived we are?” (18). Alcorn also makes a negative application of his belief about self-interest in pleading with readers to pursue sexual purity. This time, Alcorn implores the members of his to avoid sin because it’s not in their interest: “Those who’ve succumbed to sexual temptation did not do so in their self-interest” (23). The power of Alcorn’s words to tie the battle for sexual purity in with humanity’s unalterable desire to be happy—a desire that is intended to lead to God, but often leads to sin as it did in Eden—is a formidable strength. Many books on purity ring empty and fall short because they subtly and insidiously require a pernicious asceticism that sabotages the very thing it seeks to strengthen.

A potential weakness of this approach is that some might derive a simplistic conception of sin as always being punished and good as always being rewarded. While the Bible teaches that this is true from an eternal perspective, this belief does not seem to match up with the yearnings of the brokenhearted Psalmist or the experiences of the proud sinner. How does one reconcile Alcorn’s message with David’s lament that those who did evil seemed to succeed. Similarly, how does one make sense of the ecstatic students describing wild parties overflowing with pursuits of sexual sin? What about rational and respectable adults who avidly contend that their live-in relationship promotes stability, love, and happiness? To be sure, Alcorn would respond that those who sin do so because “they pursued what they imagined was their self-interest” (23). To some, Alcorn’s words may ring shallow and simplistic on this point—even if his point is true in the final analysis.

Shortcomings

For all its strengths, The Purity Principle contains some shortcomings. First, this book is not for those recently crushed by grievous sexual impurity. This is not the book to hand to the pastor who just confessed an extramarital affair to his church two days after a congregant discovered the adultery. The potential for this book to engender despair and foster hopelessness is real.

Second, Alcorn’s book is not theologically rich. While the reader will learn a plethora of helpful tips and be admonished by a litany of warnings, there is virtually nothing distinctively Christian about the book. With a quotation from a different series of Holy Books, The Purity Principle could just as easily be a call to sexual integrity from a Jewish or Islamic scholar. Some would argue that this is permissible: it’s the behavior modification, not the cause of that modification, which matters. Perhaps this has merit. Nonetheless, as one theologian said, the test to evaluate whether a book or sermon is truly Christian is not whether it quotes Scripture, but whether Jesus had to die in order for the message to be true.

A Book of Wise Strategies

Alcorn’s work is concise, applicable, and accessible, making The Purity Principle appealing to readers of all stripes. Alcorn avoids complicated theology or diction and instead focuses on tips to walking in sexual integrity amidst a society in love with impurity. In addition to a chapter entitled “Wise Strategies,” Alcorn discusses setting boundaries, acquiring Internet filters, avoiding lust triggers, entering accountability, and much more. Although these topics are hardly unique to Alcorn’s work, a concise accessibility accents Alcorn’s words.

  1. Connor

    “Similarly, Alcorn tells us to confront our own excuses about falling into sexual sin by rhetorically asking, “If someone put a gun to your head and said he would pull the trigger if you looked at pornography, would you do it?” ‘

    This is a way I guess, developing the fear of God is probably better though. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding. Study the 10 commandments, ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your conscience and set His law in your heart.

    “For example, Alcorn writes, “if you can’t be around women wearing swimsuits without looking and lusting, then don’t go on vacation where women wear swimsuits . . . If it means being unable to go on a church-sponsored retreat, don’t go”

    I don’t see why you would make provision for the flesh, if you struggle with lust, pornography or if you’re a red blooded guy like me, going to a beach where a bunch of women in bikinis are isn’t wise, it’s foolish.

    Look, I’m 21, I’m not married, I’ve never looked at pornography,(glory to GOD) never had sex, (Glory to God) don’t have a girlfriend, never have (saved a lot of pain, thanks be to God) and I don’t plan to have one for a while, however purity is not only important, but it is a necessary trait in holiness, don’t go to beaches if you struggle, I purposely avoid beaches because I know that there are “Sun worshippers” who dress in the most seductive ways and that I’d be tempted to lust after them and even do evil acts.

    The Holy Spirit restrained me from ever looking at pornography even before I was saved, thanks again to God.

    Guys be smart, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, get someone to help you, you can’t fight a war by yourself.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related in Defeat Lust & Pornography

Editor's Picks

A teenage girl standing apart from a group of friends.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

I Was a 12-Year-Old Girl Addicted To Porn

All the assumptions that pornography was a boy’s struggle completely dismissed me,…

2 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

Woman habitually looking at her phone.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Porn Habit vs. Porn Addiction: Is There a Difference?

What’s the difference between being addicted to porn and merely having a…

6 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

A teenage girl using a computer.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Is Something Wrong With Me?: A Woman’s Struggle With Porn

Sin has taken the form of nude images, explicit magazines, TV shows,…

4 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

Woman reading the Bible with her cup of coffee.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

How to Overcome Porn Addiction According to the Bible

The Bible clearly tells us what we should and shouldn’t do. It…

5 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

A young woman singing with a microphone in church.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

I Was the “Perfect” Christian Girl and Addicted to Porn

I was introduced to pornography toward the end of elementary school. As…

3 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

A teenage girl alone at night with her phone.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

I Thought I Was the Only Girl to Ever Struggle With This

The struggles I have had with pornography have been long and hard.…

3 minute read

Read Post

Related in Defeat Lust & Pornography

A teenage girl standing apart from a group of friends.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

I Was a 12-Year-Old Girl Addicted To Porn

All the assumptions that pornography was a boy’s struggle completely dismissed me,…

All the assumptions that pornography was a boy’s struggle completely dismissed me, a twelve-year-old girl addicted to porn. I was part of a large percentage of teens using pornography, and while so many of us…

2 minute read

0 comments

Woman habitually looking at her phone.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Porn Habit vs. Porn Addiction: Is There a Difference?

What’s the difference between being addicted to porn and merely having a…

What’s the difference between being addicted to porn and merely having a porn habit? Habits are behaviors that have become automatic over time. Addiction involves a deeper change in your neurochemistry. Habits might be changed…

6 minute read

0 comments

A teenage girl using a computer.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Is Something Wrong With Me?: A Woman’s Struggle With Porn

Sin has taken the form of nude images, explicit magazines, TV shows,…

Sin has taken the form of nude images, explicit magazines, TV shows, R-rated movies, sexual assault, and little minds being exposed to perversion at a young age. Whether the calendar reads 1932 or 2024, both…

4 minute read

0 comments

Woman reading the Bible with her cup of coffee.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

How to Overcome Porn Addiction According to the Bible

The Bible clearly tells us what we should and shouldn’t do. It…

The Bible clearly tells us what we should and shouldn’t do. It tells us that watching pornography is a sin and something Christians should strive to avoid.  But what if you are addicted to pornography? Suppose…

5 minute read

0 comments

A young woman singing with a microphone in church.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

I Was the “Perfect” Christian Girl and Addicted to Porn

I was introduced to pornography toward the end of elementary school. As…

I was introduced to pornography toward the end of elementary school. As a young Christian girl who had never imagined, seen or heard about such things, this exposure planted a seed in my mind that…

3 minute read

0 comments

A teenage girl alone at night with her phone.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

I Thought I Was the Only Girl to Ever Struggle With This

The struggles I have had with pornography have been long and hard.…

The struggles I have had with pornography have been long and hard. It is a road that I have traveled since I was a young girl and something that has filled my life with so…

3 minute read

0 comments