Guest Author - Diana Pederson

This book has sat on my “to be reviewed” book shelf for many months. It was difficult for me to realize that some men are so addicted to sex that they give up a normal relationship with a wife to pursue pornography with its accompanying self-gratification. During this past year I have heard too many stories of Christian men getting totally hooked on pornography, hookers, and other outside of marriage sexual practices to postpone doing this review any longer.

This books documents Genung’s own journey out of sexual addiction by accepting total forgiveness from Christ and relying on Christ to keep him on the straight and narrow path required of anyone wanting to spend eternity in heaven. His introduction is about his childhood and the events that led to his sexual addiction. Then, in Chapter 1, he tells of his difficulty in finding someone to help him with his problems. It’s not so surprising that he needed help; it is surprising to learn of how many other men in the group were Christians too. He states:

When men walk into our support group the first time I often hear them say, “I thought I was the only Christian who had a problem with lust.” Satan’s strategy is to convince the struggler with sexual sin that he must keep it a secret. If I’m “the only one” then I dare not tell others because I don’t want to be at the wrong end of a witch hunt. No one can understand my problem which means there is no hope, so I can never be freed from the shame and sin that so easily take me down. The result is that despair and sexual idolatry reign in my life. Page 9.

The remainder of the book is a careful discussion of sexual addiction and its consequences. It also offers the cleansed life that only Christ can give any sinner. It also serves to remind us that God views all sin equally. Genung not only escaped the bondage of sexual addiction, he now leads an organization that reaches out to other men that need to meet Christ as the answer to any sin.

Recommendation

Some statistics say that 50-65% of Christian men are held in bondage by pornography and all that accompanies it. If this is the case then chances are there are men in your church who need to find freedom from this sin. Therefore, I strongly suggest adding a few copies of this book to your Church library. May I suggest you NOT put any sign out cards in the book? This would allow men to borrow the book without having to reveal their secret sin until they are set free?

Mike Genung. The Road to Grace. Blazing Grace Publishing. 2006.