- Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
- Written By Luke Gilkerson
- Categories: Book Reviews, Lust - Fighting the Battle Back to Blog Home
Recommended Reading For Men
Porn Again Christian (free e-book), by Mark Driscoll
Mark Driscoll’s writing style is much like his preaching-blunt, biblical, bold, and balanced. Porn Again is as refreshing as it is hard-hitting. Driscoll’s book is a rudimentary theology of lust which aims at proclaiming the victory available to us in the gospel. Driscoll calls men to “take any sexual sins you may have as seriously as your God does.” He also includes an appendix for military men “and other men who like prostitutes.”
13 Ways to Ruin Your Life (free e-book), by Jarrod Jones.
This cleverly titled book is written for the ordinary man. After a pastor mentored Jarrod Jones through Proverbs 7, he discovered the liberating power of the gospel, freeing him from pornography addiction. Jarrod walks the reader through this chapter of the Bible with clarity and down-to-earth wisdom. This book is truly a glance through Solomon’s window of wisdom, giving us a birds-eye view of the common pitfalls into which men often fall.
At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry, by Steve Gallagher.
Gallagher is the founder of Pure Life Ministries. Years of experience as a sex addict and even more years of experience counseling sex addicts yield incredible wisdom in this very thorough book. Filled to the brim with Scripture, Gallagher beckons us to see lust from God’s perspective. He helps the reader see the root causes and core motivators of sex addiction. He unpacks the predictable patterns of temptation and sin, as well as the path of repentance.
Virtual Integrity, by Daniel J. Lohrmann.
Dan Lohrmann is an internationally recognized Internet and computer security expert, and he was recently named Chief Security Officer of the Year by SC Magazine. He is also a committed Christian, husband, and father. Rather than focusing on well-known identity theft risks, Lohrmann writes about “integrity theft,” wherein our choices in cyberspace betray our real world values. Lohrmann writes about seven habits of online integrity, giving practical and dynamic steps to navigate the brave new Web.
Porn Nation, by Michael Leahy.
Michael Leahy’s story of porn addiction is not necessarily unusual. What’s unusual is the fact that he is talking about it. In Porn Nation, Leahy walks the reader through the depths of his addiction and unfortunate results of it. This book isn’t a practical, how-to-get-free sort of book, but rather a culture alarm. Leahy writes frankly about the problem of over-sexualized media and how it are shaping our sexual expectations.
Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor.
In 2004 John Piper and the ministry of Desiring God invited an impressive line-up of speakers for their National Conference. This book is the written form of their messages. Through powerful, Christ-centered writing, this team of authors covers a wide variety of topics, pointing readers to a rich vision of Christ as the Lord of our sexuality. Special chapters are written for singles, husbands, wives, and the sexually broken.
Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), by Joshua Harris.
In this short, easy-to-read book, Pastor Joshua Harris lays out a clear, biblical definition of lust-inviting his readers to embrace a very positive view of God’s gift of sex, while teaching practical ways to avoid sexual sin. Sex Is Not the Problem lifts up God’s standard of “not even a hint of sexual immorality or impurity” among us (Ephesians 5:3), and shows how such a lifestyle is not only demanded of us, but practically possible.
Strength in Weakness, by Andrew Comiskey.
Andrew Comiskey is the founder of Desert Stream Ministries, a ministry for the sexually broken. Strength in Weakness teaches about the root of sexual sin, as well as the layers of woundedness and sinful choices that lead to habitual and addictive behaviors. Comiskey calls his readers to understand how God rescues us not by taking away our weaknesses, but by enabling us to cry out to Him amidst our weaknesses.










I advise removing “Every Man’s Battle” from the reading list…read a bit more about the author here…
http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=686
Yes, we are all somewhat “Two-faced”. I for sure am. But this is “two-faced-ness” without apology!
Repectfully ask that you would check out the facts before you post something causing people to “doubt” someones credibility. I personally have read many of Fred Stoeker’s books as well as his wife of 27 years. Still married. If his co-authoring with Stephen Arterburn is an issue, I fail to see the connection to being “two-faced”. I have also read Stephen Arterburn’s book and heard interviews sharing his journey. Both of these men are champions of the faith; not because they are perfect but because they have been “redeemed through THE PERFECT ONE”—JESUS! These men are champions because they have openly shared their failures and allowed their “weakness” to show forth the strength and sufficiency of Christ Our Lord. These men lose no credibility because of their “sin” but rather gain “Christ” for those who are willing to join them and humble themselves before a Holy God and lose their “fear of man” being willing to be made a “fool” for the sake of Christ. I highly recommend these men to those seeking healing as I have because they live out Galatians 6:1-5.
Theo,
Thanks for your comment. The Mohler article was very interesting to read, to say the least. I certainly wouldn’t discount Arterburn’s books because he got a divorce. Still, I see you point. His book, Every Man’s Marriage, came out just a year before his divorce in 2002. Can we really trust the marriage advice of someone who couldn’t manage his own house? Just how has this situation been handled in his ministry? These are questions I ask approaching this subject.
I’m going to suspend any opinion about Arterburn as a teacher and writer until I have more information about it all. For me the crucial question is what process of church discipline and recovery Arterburn has gone through since his divorce. His book, Healing is a Choice, came out three years after his divorce, and I do wonder just what that process of “healing” looked like for him and just how sound his advice is.
I do believe that leaders can and should be “wounded healers” (to borrow the phrase of Henri Nouwen), being open and transparent about their failures and sins. I’ve always admired Arterburn as someone who speaks with that kind of transparency. Still, I would certainly advise anyone to read his books with discernment (as I would for anyone’s books, but especially in light of this situation).
If you have any more information about this please let me know. I want to make sure we pass along the best Christian literature to our readers. I’ve taken Every Man’s Battle off the list until further notice.
Thanks again, Theo!
Have you gotten a chance to review the book
“Dangerous Men”?
http://www.lustfreeliving.org/
I have enjoyed and grown immensely through the simplicity of this material, and how it drives us to the core of this issue, not the behavior.
Some “edgy” concepts in here too…
…there is a women’s version as well.
Let me know what you think.
Theo
Gary Chapman just did a podcast on Sexual Addiction and recommends 2 books:
1) Porn Nation by Michael Leahy
2) How to Hit a Curve Ball, Grill the Perfect Steak and Become a Real Man by Steven James
He had both authors on this episode and they were fantastic.
I haven’t read either of them yet, but have the utmost respect for Dr. Chapman and after listening to these men on the podcast believe that their books are worth reading.