Every Body's Story: 6 Myths About Sex and the Gospel Truth About Marriage and Singleness

by Branson Parler

Every story entails a way of life and how every way of life implies a big story.

In Every Body's Story, Branson Parler focuses on three predominant myths of sexuality in our secular age--individualism, romance, and materialism--and three dominant myths in Christian circles--anti-body theology, legalism, and the sexual prosperity gospel--exploring how those stories shape our practice. Our views of sexuality and our practices around sex are never just about sex. How we use and view our bodies reveals who/what we think God is (or is not) and who we are.

If we truly understand the biblical logic of marriage, sexuality, and singleness--that they are meant to embody the gospel--then we will better understand why this witness is so vital. As God's self-giving faithfulness is put on display by both married and single Christians, those formed by our secular age will have to What if it's true? What if there's more? What if God really does love us that much? Rather than viewing our sexuality as an isolated matter of ethics, we can see how the gospel places our sexuality in the context of God's rescue mission of the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Faith, Theology, Spirituality, Christianity, Sexuality

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 11, 2022

Reviews

[Ben Gresik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book does its best work when it's talking about what's wrong with the way that the church and the "world" (in this case I think meaning the secular western mindset) think about sex. As I read through the arguments against these myths I agreed with a lot of the challenges there.

I have a harder time recommending the positive images or the "gospel truth" chapters. I came away from these with more mixed feelings. The author felt overly confident in the way he felt we should live and some of these truths taken to their conclusion don't quite seem as rigorous as I had hoped.

Ultimately I think this is a helpful book if you're thinking about this topic, especially for a more thoughtful view on sex and on considering different people's experience of it. Just don't expect it to resolve every question or give you an ultimate answer to how God made us and calls us to live in relationship with one another.

[Andrew Mouck · Rating 4 out of 5]

The men in our church studied this book over a number of months, and far be it from a men-only book, this is one that should be read by everyone, especially young Christians who want to think critically about the way we view our bodies, relationships, and the watching world. Every Body’s Story is a gem from Zondervan Academic, and Branson Parler presents a number of thought-provoking arguments regarding sexuality in our modern age.

Although it took a while to grasp the main thrust of the book (presumably because of the way Parler’s arguments flow across chapters), he did a great job explaining the main myths / misconceptions that are prominent in the secular society as well as in the church. In the broader culture, he discussed how individualism, romance, and materialism have significantly influenced the way we think of sexuality. He then outlined how the church can propagate myths as well, which are anti-body theology, legalism, and the sexual prosperity gospel. It was interesting to see how myths within Christian circles are not only as harmful, but oftentimes more dangerous than the myths presented in our culture, since the gospel and the true heart of God are misrepresented.

After each myth, Parler would respond by writing a chapter on what the message of the gospel actually says about the situation. I found this helpful because we not only learn about the danger of each myth, but we also see what the Bible says in response. This book contains much wisdom relating to sex, bodies, marriage, and how the way we live our lives as Christians (and the way we effectively think about and relate to bodies) is extremely important for our witness to others. Although I don’t necessarily agree with everything mentioned in the book, I appreciate how Parler held to orthodox Christian beliefs, and how he pointed to the gospel message of God’s faithful covenant love towards sinners in and through the body of Jesus.

As I mentioned above, I give this book a strong recommendation to Christians of all ages, and think you would benefit greatly by reading and discussing with another brother or sister. There is much to unpack on this topic, but the stakes are high, and the watching world needs a better story than the one they currently know.

[Jon Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated the author's approach. He avoids rehashing the debate around the relevant passages, which there is a time and place for, once the groundwork is laid. He doesn't so much lay the groundwork, at least not the passages' exegetical groundwork, as he does unearth and examine the "underground work". His entire focus is on the underlying philosophies and narratives that over long periods of time, have come to invisibly shape and influence our cultural and individual hearts and worldviews, almost undetectably predetermining where the discussions or debates go before we've even had them and, quite possibly, hindering any progress or developments in those discussions. His thesis or argument is that when weighed against God's Scriptural revelation, these philosophies or narratives influencing us are actually myths. That might sound like a fightin' word in yet another culture war, but by including a series of myths that even Christians have come to utilize in their arsenal through the years, his criticisms balance out fairly well. Structurally, he identifies three myths, then looks at how those myths have been leveraged by the world and the church culture, and then counters each with alternatives stemming from Scripture's story. I think his arguments are precisely crafted; no words are wasted. The material feels introductory in nature, like his main goal is to disentangle the knot of influences that may hinder the conversation. With that "underground work" unearthed and examined, he provides a series of Q&A in the back, meant to generate further follow-up for readers. Overall I deeply appreciated his subterranean renovation. This is definitely a conversation whose foundations are in need of fortification.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very solid, winsome, thoughtful book that approaches the well-worn subjects of sex, ethics and gender from a fresh angle. I really, really appreciated the "zoomed out" approach, and the attempt to excavate deeper cultural issues, or what Charles Taylor would call our "social imaginaries." I think Parler is right-on in his diagnoses of the "myths" we believe. I only wish some of the chapters were longer and developed a bit more, as each "myth" could easily be a book on its own. Parler and Zondervan definitely succeeded at producing an approachable, easy-to-read book that would fit great in a small group study, but that does mean there is some depth missing in a few of the chapters.

That said, an easy recommendation for anyone who is looking for a refreshingly thoughtful take on the whole subject.

[Justin Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My blurb from the back: "In this accessible book, Branson Parler shows that is not enough to object to secular stories about sex; we must inhabit and commend a more capacious one. These are complicated issues, and readers may not agree with all his conclusions. But the underlying vision is both countercultural and compelling, inviting readers to ask: What stories have we unwittingly imbibed? What stories are we embodying? And what could it look like for us to tell the story of God's suffering, faithful love in a ruptured world?'"

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book that examines 6 myths - 3 from secular culture, 3 from church culture - about sex, marriage and singleness. Parler asks and answers the question, “What are bodies for?” There were a couple of points where I felt he generalized too broadly, but overall, an excellent tool for developing a biblical mindset.
As an editor, I was annoyed by the number of times the author used the phrase, “in other words.” Just rephrase your point! I don’t need you to signal every time you do it!! It’s not like you’re changing lanes!

[Mark Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much I appreciated in this book. Parlor does a great job addressing the myths of our culture and how Christ-followers can fall into these same myths or fall off on different myths. We have all been affected by our cultural stories. This helped me to see some areas that I need to bring into better alignment with the gospel.

[Alle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly the first book that went beyond “bible thumping” and pulled in current social norms/trends and even philosophies. Not exactly a wild page turner but this would be great for group discussion. Docked for some of the tone, particularly at the beginning, as it came off a bit judgmental and cold but also for some lack of references.

[Trevor Atwood]

Excellent.

This will be one of a few go to recommends for theological understanding of the body and sex.

Covers a lot of ground in a short book and does so in a relatable and understanding way. Keeps focus on the big theological pictures and does it’s work in the specific from that picture.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great take on things! I really liked (in an inconvenient sort of way) his presentation on natural family planning. Need to have more conversations with my wife on that one. I thought he did a great job on each of the 6 myths.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was, at various points, delightfully surprised by this book’s depth and insightful perception. I usually can fly through a 200 page book, but I had to continuously slow down with this one. I really enjoyed this. Not what the cover indicates at all. Much deeper.

[Ben Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with maturity, sensitivity, and truth. Excellent!

[Brenda Seefeldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great topic, the writing put me to sleep. Maybe blame me on this one.