What God Has to Say about Our Bodies: How the Gospel Is Good News for Our Physical Selves
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- Author：Sam Allberry
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Summary
"God's eternal plan for us involves our body。 We can't write off our physical life as spiritually irrelevant。" --Sam Allberry
There's a danger in focusing too much on the body。 There's also a danger in not valuing it enough。 In fact， the Bible has lots to say about the body。 With the coming of Jesus， "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us"--flesh that was pierced and crushed for the sins of the world。
In What God Has to Say about Our Bodies， Sam Allberry explains that all of us are fearfully and wonderfully made， and should regard our physicality as a gift。 He offers biblical guidance for living， including understanding gender， sexuality， and identity; dealing with aging， illness， and death; and considering the physical future hope that we have in Christ。
In this powerfully written book， you'll gain a new understanding for the immeasurable value of our bodies and God's ultimate plan to redeem them。
There's a danger in focusing too much on the body。 There's also a danger in not valuing it enough。 In fact， the Bible has lots to say about the body。 With the coming of Jesus， "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us"--flesh that was pierced and crushed for the sins of the world。
In What God Has to Say about Our Bodies， Sam Allberry explains that all of us are fearfully and wonderfully made， and should regard our physicality as a gift。 He offers biblical guidance for living， including understanding gender， sexuality， and identity; dealing with aging， illness， and death; and considering the physical future hope that we have in Christ。
In this powerfully written book， you'll gain a new understanding for the immeasurable value of our bodies and God's ultimate plan to redeem them。
Reviews
David Steele
，
Anthropology has become a hot topic in recent days。 Nancy Pearcey gifted the church with her book， Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions About Life and Sexuality。 Gregg R。 Allison made a solid contribution with his book， Embodied: Living as Whole People in a Fractured World。 And Owen Strachan presented the most comprehensive treatment in his important book， Reenchanting Humanity: A Theology of Mankind。 Sam Allberry joins the anthropological parade with his work， What God Has to Say about Our B Anthropology has become a hot topic in recent days。 Nancy Pearcey gifted the church with her book， Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions About Life and Sexuality。 Gregg R。 Allison made a solid contribution with his book， Embodied: Living as Whole People in a Fractured World。 And Owen Strachan presented the most comprehensive treatment in his important book， Reenchanting Humanity: A Theology of Mankind。 Sam Allberry joins the anthropological parade with his work， What God Has to Say about Our Bodies。Allberry makes his case in three sections - created bodies， broken bodies， and redeemed bodies。Created BodiesThe author begins by noting that God’s creatures are “fearfully and wonderfully made” （Ps。 139:14）。 Allberry adds， “We could not begin to measure the value of our body， however it looks and however we feel about it。” The stress here is on the inherent dignity and worth of the body。 Surely， this is a much-needed reminder for followers of Christ， especially those who rightly emphasize the depravity of mankind。Allbery reminds readers that God created males and females。 This basic reality is largely forgotten in our culture and is even being recklessly cast aside by progressive thinkers。 Males and females are image-bearers， created with a distinct purpose， namely - to glorify God。Broken BodiesAllbery maintains his allegiance to the authority of Scripture by holding that God’s image-bearers have dignity and worth before God。 Yet， they have been subjected to futility。 Sin has introduced shame and brokenness。 As such， each creature is brought into this world with a posture of defiance before God。 “The greatest evidence of our bodily brokenness，” writes Alberry “is simultaneously ubiquitous and forced out of our minds so that we tend not to notice its significance - our bodies die” （Gen。 2:16-17; Heb。 9:27）。Redeemed BodiesThe author focuses his attention on some of the glorious aspects of the body by reminding readers that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit （1 Cor。 6:19-20）。 The body， therefore， must be presented to God as a living sacrifice （Rom。 12:1-2）。 The themes here are unfortunately neglected by many evangelicals as they downplay the body and refuse to properly nourish it and use it in a way the glorifies the Lord。The book ends on a triumphant note as the author directs the attention of the reader to the promise of a glorified body。 The author notes， “The resurrection of Jesus makes our own resurrection as his people a certainty。” Our future， then， is one that is filled with great hope as we long for the day when we will receive a glorified body。Allberry’s work is greatly needed in our day when secular voices overemphasize the body and when local churches downplay the body。 What God Has to Say About Our Bodies strikes the biblical balance by turning our attention to sacred Scripture。 。。。more
Panda Incognito
，
I have read both theoretical and practical Christian books about the body， but I have never before read a book that combines both focuses so well。 In this book， Sam Allberry presents a theology of the body and explores its implications， explaining why our bodies matter， how different life issues related to the body affect us， and why we should submit our bodies to God， their creator and redeemer。 He builds his perspective from within the framework of the gospel story， addressing our bodies throu I have read both theoretical and practical Christian books about the body， but I have never before read a book that combines both focuses so well。 In this book， Sam Allberry presents a theology of the body and explores its implications， explaining why our bodies matter， how different life issues related to the body affect us， and why we should submit our bodies to God， their creator and redeemer。 He builds his perspective from within the framework of the gospel story， addressing our bodies through the lenses of creation， the fall， and redemption。 Throughout the book， he writes about issues such as gender identity， male and female differentiation， bodily pain and suffering， and the reality of death， and he addresses all of these things with clear arguments and great compassion。One chapter also includes a section on body shame， and I found that tremendously helpful and encouraging， since he writes about this for everyone instead of treating it as primarily a women's issue。 Regarding current beauty ideals， he says， "Today we all collude in upholding an expectation of beauty that is virtually fantastical。 No wonder we view our bodies as increasingly flawed。 We're not comparing them to the best of our species but to the best of our species' imagination。" After this introduction， he shares a raw， personal story from a male friend of his， and he also shares some general examples from other men。 This section is brief but has a big impact， and I'm grateful for Allberry's choice to address this from a male perspective， which is so rare。What God Has to Say about Our Bodies is amazingly deep and comprehensive， as Allberry covers a variety of issues in a fairly brief book。 He writes with compassion， grace， and insight throughout， and regardless whether or not someone agrees with all of his conclusions about sensitive social issues， he expresses his convictions with clarity， love， and a high view of the dignity of the body。 I greatly appreciate his loving apologetic for a biblical view of the body， and his attention to practical issues， personal struggles， and the ways that we can experience God's presence in our bodies as we look forward to their eventual resurrection in a new， redeemed earth。I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mary
，
This is the first book I have read by Sam Allberry， but I have been encouraged by many of his articles and other resources over the years。 In this book， Allberry takes his readers on a journey to develop a healthy view of our bodies based on what God says about our physical selves in the Bible。 It is a nuanced discussion that acknowledges that everyone lives with a body that has failed them or will fail them in some way while also talking about the goodness of God's design and the hope we have f This is the first book I have read by Sam Allberry， but I have been encouraged by many of his articles and other resources over the years。 In this book， Allberry takes his readers on a journey to develop a healthy view of our bodies based on what God says about our physical selves in the Bible。 It is a nuanced discussion that acknowledges that everyone lives with a body that has failed them or will fail them in some way while also talking about the goodness of God's design and the hope we have for new bodies in the future。 Allberry tackles a number of topics that pertain to our bodies。 Some of the big ones he addresses are sexuality， gender， and body image， to name just a few。 Because of the wide variety of topics， anyone who has a body could probably relate to at least some portion of the book。 The thing I appreciated most was that Allberry tackles these difficult topics with sensitivity and grace。 There is no judgement， but rather a reminder of the hope that we have through Jesus。 It would be hard to write a book about any of these issues， so I appreciate that this book covers a wide range of topics and provides so many profound insights into big questions that I have wrestled with myself。 I've already made plans to revisit this book in the future！A big thank you to Sam Allberry， Crossway， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book。 。。。more
Tom Marshall
，
Opinions regarding our bodies， gender， and sexuality dominate our headlines today。 We’re told to love our bodies， but in the same breathe we’re told we should change them if we want。 We should have a healthy body image， but the media tells us that there’s an epidemic of obesity。 The confusion goes on and one。 Thankfully， Sam Allberry gives us biblical clarity and points us to the gospel in *What God Has to Say About Our Bodies。* Allberry structures *What God Has To Say About Our Bodies* in three Opinions regarding our bodies， gender， and sexuality dominate our headlines today。 We’re told to love our bodies， but in the same breathe we’re told we should change them if we want。 We should have a healthy body image， but the media tells us that there’s an epidemic of obesity。 The confusion goes on and one。 Thankfully， Sam Allberry gives us biblical clarity and points us to the gospel in *What God Has to Say About Our Bodies。* Allberry structures *What God Has To Say About Our Bodies* in three parts: created bodies， broken bodies， and redeemed bodies。 In the introduction， he points out a really interesting truth。 We tend to want to separate the physical from the spiritual。 When we think of our physical bodies， we often detach them from our spiritual selves， and vice versa。 When we think of our spiritual lives， we often ignore our physical bodies or worse， we think we need to punish our physical bodies in order to be spiritual。 That thought seems to weave throughout the book， at least it did in my mind as I was reading。 Allberry does a fantastic job connecting our physical bodies with our spiritual selves throughout， but especially in part one。 Our bodies have always been an intentional part of God’s plan。 Christianity is one of the few， if not the only， religion that views the body this way。 Jesus Christ became flesh。 He suffered and died in the flesh。 He was physically resurrected and appeared to many in the flesh。Allberry writes， “Jesus’s incarnation is the highest compliment the human body has ever been paid。 God not only thought our bodies up and enjoyed putting several billion of them together; he made one for himself。” That’s an amazing thought。 Jesus now sits at the right hand of God in that human body。 Allberry quotes C。S。 Lewis to summarize:> Christianity is almost the only one of the great religions which thoroughly approves of the body––which believes that matter is good， that God Himself once took on a human body， that some kind of body is going to be given to us even in Heaven and is going to be an essential part of our happiness， our beauty and our energy。 *What God Has To Say About Our Bodies* goes on to address some of the most pressing questions today in regards to our bodies biblically and with the grace of the gospel。 For example， identity is currently a hot button issue。 Honestly， identity has always been an issue。 It’s one of the core questions of human existence。 Who am I and what am I supposed to do？Allberry writes:> The Bible gives us unique insight。 To those who tend to see themselves—the “real me”—as the person they feel or believe themselves to be deep down inside， the Bible shows that their body is not incidental to who they are。 And to those who have a ton of their identity invested in their body， the Bible shows that there is more to them than how they physically appear to others。 Your body is not nothing。 Nor is it everything。 Is your body you？ Yes。 It is intrinsic to who you are。 But it is also not the totality of who you are。 Allberry goes on to address sin and our bodies， including sexual sin， which the Bible describes as unique because it unites the body to someone else。 He discusses the brokenness and death of the body。 Then he tells us the good news—the gospel of Jesus Christ。 He explains the implications of Christ taking our brokenness， shame， and suffering onto Himself in His physical body。 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us， so that in him we might become the righteousness of God。 （2 Corinthians 5:21）*What God Has To Say About Our Bodies* concludes with how we should live in light of that good news。 Our bodies are called a temple and a living sacrifice。 Ultimately， through Christ we have the promise of new bodies like His glorious body。 Allberry’s writing is witty and conversational。 Though some of these topics are controversial and difficult， he handles them with a tremendous amount of grace。 He includes several personal examples of people he has counseled， pastored， and befriended through the years who struggled with some of the most difficult of these situations。 This is a timely book dealing with important issues at the heart of our culture today， and Allberry points us to the gospel for answers。 。。。more
Will Standridge
，
Sam Allberry has written a fantastic theological treatise on why our bodies are not evil， a thing to escape， or hopelessly broken in What God Has to Say About Our Bodies。 Instead they are a precious， redeemable， and essential part of God’s plan for us。 We live our everyday lives like the physical matters， but neglect the most important physical gift God has given us—our bodies。 For example， today I sat down to write with two things: a perfectly brewed cup of coffee and my MacBook Pro。 I smell th Sam Allberry has written a fantastic theological treatise on why our bodies are not evil， a thing to escape， or hopelessly broken in What God Has to Say About Our Bodies。 Instead they are a precious， redeemable， and essential part of God’s plan for us。 We live our everyday lives like the physical matters， but neglect the most important physical gift God has given us—our bodies。 For example， today I sat down to write with two things: a perfectly brewed cup of coffee and my MacBook Pro。 I smell the coffee and detect fruity notes in the steam。 I open up my MacBook and my fingers touch the leather of the case。 It was probably too expensive， but I love the way it feels and smells。 We see， touch， and feel the beauty of the physical world in everything we do， so why do we so often neglect the greatest physical gift we have—our bodies？Allberry gives us ten chapters， broken into three large sections discussing a theology of our body’s created nature， our body’s brokenness， and the redemption our bodies will receive。 In the first section， he argues， “Human beings are not the product of a factory or the process of copy-and-paste。 Our distinctive physical individuality is intended。 We have been made by the ultimate artisan” （25）。 Allberry walks through how we are fearfully made， individually tailored， and given a purpose in such a way we should be grateful for the good gift God has given us in our bodies。This is followed by a helpful discussion of our body’s brokenness。 Sin has marred the good gift God has given in our bodies， and Allberry does not shy away from this fact。 He contends， “Our broken glory is reflected in nature’s broken glory” （98）。 He also acknowledges sickness and infirmity is not the only issue our physical self can encounter。 We also suffer from shame， which is found in the Garden of Eden side by side with physical pain。Even though we do suffer from brokenness， sickness， and shame brought about by sin， the last section helpfully ties everything together by exploring the biblical data and hope related to the redemption of our bodies。 Our bodies are an integral part of our discipleship。 Allberry rightfully determines we are not just spirits trying to escape our cage of flesh， but embodied souls， being conformed in our whole selves towards Christ Jesus。 Finally， he grounds all of this in the resurrection of the body of Jesus。 The resurrection of his body is what gives hope to our ailing bodies now。Why this is Important for Youth WorkersWhile this book is a great book for Christians everywhere， there are several ways it is particularly relevant for student pastors today。 Our students are physically confused people living in a physically confused world。 Many of the problems and questions our students struggle with revolve around embodiment。 Gender Dysphoria， sexuality， body positivity （and body shaming）， self-harm， and even loneliness are all issue at the forefront of Generation Z’s psyche。 Unfortunately， in a day and age where theological anthropology and a deep understanding of human embodiment are needed—many youth workers remain unprepared to discuss these issues faithfully。 And when the issues are discussed， they are often handled with ham-fisted cliches， a lack of empathy， or profound naiveté and misunderstanding。 When these issues are mishandled， it can cause trauma， pain， and confusion in our students。Allberry helps the youth worker get beyond these cliches and moves you deeper into the biblical data to help assess the root of physical issues。 In his helpful section on self-harm he says， “We need to understand the rationality behind self-harm （as best as we can）， precisely so we can engage with it and seek to change it” （155）。 Simply repeating “stop it， this is bad” has never and will never help our students。 But if we can correctly identify where the body is broken and show how Christ can redeem that part of us—we will be able to cause real and lasting change。Alongside helping the student minister get to the root of the issues， the chapter on “The Body and Discipleship” provides several ideas that easily translate to student ministry。 In this chapter， Allberry helpfully covers issues like sleep from a practical and biblical perspective。 This chapter had me asking， “When is the last time I used something as simple as sleep during the sermon application （besides maybe at camp， but that might have been more for my holiness than the students’）？” Maybe one reason students have a difficult time dealing with and understanding their bodies is because we do not and have not applied texts that speak to embodied people to anything other than their spiritual self。 When we preach we must be conscious that we are preaching to embodied students with embodied needs and the Bible is a book that speaks directly to their bodies。The Gospel is only good news if it is physical。 The resurrection of Christ is only good news if it is physical。 This book gives us insight into one of our great hopes—a real， embodied resurrection for ourselves。 Students need not see their bodies as “marks of shame” If their bodies will be an integral part of their eternal life。 Alongside helping students to see their bodies （and its problems） in a helpful light now， this book will help youth leaders point students towards a more full picture of our resurrection hope。 We can give students everywhere great hope with how Allberry ends his book—"I don’t need to worry about squeezing every last drop of pleasure out of this physical life when I can look forward to an eternity of enjoying the new creation in a resurrected body” （183-184）。 We can offer our bodies as living sacrifices because one day that which is sacrificed will be glorified。Every student pastor should pick up a copy of What God Has to Say About Our Bodies。 It is a crucial book that lays the foundation for a theology of the body， which our students desperately need。 It is accessible， thorough， and centered on the person and work of Jesus—which just happens to be good news for our bodies。Note: Crossway has provided a complimentary copy of this book to Youth Pastor Theologian through the Blog Review Program。 。。。more
Matt
，
My endorsement:“Evangelicals have excelled at many things; theological reflection on the body isn’t one of them。 If you’re thinking， ‘I’ve seen many books on the church！’ then your assumption proves my point。 Far more attention has been devoted to Christ’s spiritual body than to our physical selves。 But we desperately need guidance here， for we inhabit a confused age that waffles back and forth between body obsession （my body is the most important thing about me） and body denial （my body is irre My endorsement:“Evangelicals have excelled at many things; theological reflection on the body isn’t one of them。 If you’re thinking， ‘I’ve seen many books on the church！’ then your assumption proves my point。 Far more attention has been devoted to Christ’s spiritual body than to our physical selves。 But we desperately need guidance here， for we inhabit a confused age that waffles back and forth between body obsession （my body is the most important thing about me） and body denial （my body is irrelevant to who I really am）。 Feel the whiplash？ This book is medicine for the moment。 I’m thrilled it now exists。” 。。。more
Don Doebler
，
From its fearful and wonderful creation to its redemption， Sam Allberry has written a great resource on the importance of the physical body to our faith。 We are created in the image of God， and God chose to manifest Himself on earth through the incarnation with a physical body。 Of course all of the things that sin has allowed to come into the world have also impacted the body， affliction， shame， brokenness and death。 Even Jesus in His body had to endure brokenness and death。 Yet， God allows us i From its fearful and wonderful creation to its redemption， Sam Allberry has written a great resource on the importance of the physical body to our faith。 We are created in the image of God， and God chose to manifest Himself on earth through the incarnation with a physical body。 Of course all of the things that sin has allowed to come into the world have also impacted the body， affliction， shame， brokenness and death。 Even Jesus in His body had to endure brokenness and death。 Yet， God allows us in our body to become a temple for His Spirit。 Allberry writes "deth is the most potent reminder that our bodies are broken。 Even as we live， even if we are in relatively good health， the specter of deth in our own body is unavoidable。 Not only is the aging process itself a testimony to the decline our body will inevitably face， but our very skin cells are conitnuelly turning to dust all around us。" Yet， as Christians there is great hope。 "I don't need to worry about squeezing every last drop of pleasure out of this physical life when I can look forward to an eternity of enjoying the new creation in a resurrected body。" But， you see - there is still a body， though thankfully new and glorified。 So， this is a great resource to read about the body and why it is important as Christians。 An advance copy of the content of this book was made available through NetGalley in exchange for this objective feedback。 。。。more
Sigourney
，
In my bathroom， I studied my mom-of-two body in the mirror。 I loathed the stretch marks that I acquired after each pregnancy。 I traced the C-section scar on my lower belly。 We， as a culture， either obsess over or demean our bodies。 If you log in to any social media platform or scroll the news media headlines—you will see a constant discussion about the human body especially in regards to transgenderism。 Therefore， What God Has To Say About Our Bodies by Sam Allberry approaches a sensitive and re In my bathroom， I studied my mom-of-two body in the mirror。 I loathed the stretch marks that I acquired after each pregnancy。 I traced the C-section scar on my lower belly。 We， as a culture， either obsess over or demean our bodies。 If you log in to any social media platform or scroll the news media headlines—you will see a constant discussion about the human body especially in regards to transgenderism。 Therefore， What God Has To Say About Our Bodies by Sam Allberry approaches a sensitive and relevant topic of our day – our physical bodies。Allberry points out that God created our bodies。 On the sixth day of creation， He created Adam’s physical body out of the dust of the ground。 And， He declared it good！ In other religions or worldviews， such as Gnosticism， they view the body as evil or unimportant。 Not so with Christianity。 Jesus dwelt among us in a physical body， the Word made flesh。I wanted to love What God Has To Say About Our Bodies， but it missed the mark on a major account。 Allberry states that God created men and women equally in the image of God but with different gender roles。 He fails， though， to adequately define Biblical manhood and womanhood。 He argues that the body’s a gift; that it’s a blessing despite the Fall of mankind。 But， when you get to Chapter 4 on “God Formed the Man” he refuses to define our God-ordained roles as men and women。 He defines manhood and womanhood “simply what naturally emerges when men and women grow in Christ。” I don’t disagree with this definition in theory， but he doesn’t mention Genesis 2， 1 Timothy 2:11-15， 1 Peter 3:1-6， and Ephesians 5:22-33， and Colossians 3: 18-19 （Just to name a few！）。Sanctification involves obeying Christ （and His inspired Word through the prophets and apostles）， especially in our calling as men and women。 You can’t manifest the fruits of the Spirit in the abstract， but through obeying God’s design for men and women。 Men lead， protect， and provide （Genesis 2; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 1 Peter 3:1-6; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3: 18-19）。 Women submit to their husbands， and to love their husbands and children， “to be self-controlled， pure， working at home， kind， and submissive to their own husbands， that the word of God may not be reviled” （Titus 2:4-5）。 Both parents raise their children to know and honor God （Malachi 2:12-16）。 Through obeying the gender roles assigned to us by God， we become more like Christ。 He writes that different fruits of the Spirit will manifest based on the cultural context， and gender roles， from what I can gather， are difficult to pin down but we will “often recognize real masculinity and femininity when we see it” （Allberry， Chapter 4）。 For that reason， Allberry fails to apply the theoretical to the practical aspects of our embodiment as men and women。That being said， I would tell someone if they wanted to read a book about the physical body to pick it up， because this is such a needed book。 We live in a culture that has gender dysphoria， anorexia， bulimia， and shame/guilt associated with the body。 But， I think because he did not define gender roles well， you need to filter his book through the Word of God。 If you struggle with gender dysphoria， I do not recommend this book for you， but if you have a strong Scriptural foundation， you can benefit from what the book has to say about the body。 I found the rest of the book engaging and helpful on how to love the body given to me by God。 。。。more
Brittany
，
“Because we live in a created world， our bodies are a gift。 But because we live in a fallen world， they might not be the gift we would have wanted。”Are you thankful for your body？Maybe our knee-jerk reaction is yes， but it’s a tricky question when we’re really honest with ourselves。We all have parts of our bodies that we wish looked or functioned a little differently。 Our bodies can cause us a lot of pain— physically or emotionally。 They can be the source of shame or ongoing struggle。 Our bodies “Because we live in a created world， our bodies are a gift。 But because we live in a fallen world， they might not be the gift we would have wanted。”Are you thankful for your body？Maybe our knee-jerk reaction is yes， but it’s a tricky question when we’re really honest with ourselves。We all have parts of our bodies that we wish looked or functioned a little differently。 Our bodies can cause us a lot of pain— physically or emotionally。 They can be the source of shame or ongoing struggle。 Our bodies have certain limitations， some more than others。 I think we can all agree that our bodies are not perfect in every way。 So， how then， should we view the body？Something to be escaped？ Something to be perfected？ Something to be ignored？Worthless？ Pointless？ A hindrance？ A trophy？Sam Allberry has written this fantastic book sharing with us what God says about our bodies， helping us understand this necessary but at times uncomfortable thing。 It is thoughtful， gospel-oriented and very pertinent to today。 To start- our bodies are not inconsequential。 Our bodies matter and what we do with our bodies matters。 Paul Tripp sums up the book pretty well in his foreword to this book:“Your body––my body––is not just there， happening to exist。 It means something to God。 He knows it。 He made it。 He cares about it。 And all that Christ has done in his death and resurrection is not in order for us one day to escape our body， but for him one day to redeem it。”Allberry has appropriately split his book into three parts: - Created Bodies （why our bodies are good）- Broken Bodies （how our bodies feel bad）- Redeemed Bodies （when/how our bodies will be perfected）He broaches many topics in discussing our bodies including gender， identity， sex， self-harm， illness， aging， death， disability， dysphoria， and empathy。 And he does it all gently， with both compassion and conviction。 I believe his primary goal in this book is to lay out how important and purposeful our bodies are， how they can be used to glorify God， and how we have hope that all things will be made right。 We can think too little of our bodies， believing we can do whatever we want with them because it doesn’t matter。 Or we can think too much of them， believing our worth and identity is wrapped up in our bodies’ appearances and capabilities。 But to think biblically about our bodies we must recognize that what God has created is good and so our bodies matter。 Further， our bodies are broken and we need redemption。 And so we live in this tension between two gardens— Eden before sin corrupted bringing pain and brokenness and Eden restored where we will finally walk unblemished with our Lord。 We yearn for rightness but we must wrestle with wrongness until we are redeemed。One of the more controversial claims of this book （though rooted in Scripture） is how gender and identity is shaped by our bodies， especially in terms of gender identity， sexual orientation， and gender roles。 I venture to guess that his discussion of this might be a driving factor in your opinion of this book。 It is not the primary focus of the book in message or in page real estate but let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the room。 Increasingly， our culture is separating our identity from our bodies。 A body is merely the transportation or casing for our ‘selves’ or ‘spirit’ or ‘soul’ or what have you。 It cannot tell us anything about who we are and is a blank canvas on which we paint the version of ourselves that we feel is best。 But is this thinking right？“Theologian Tom Wright puts it this way: ‘The great controlling myth of our time has been the belief that within each one of us there is a real， inner， private “self，” long buried beneath layers of socialization and attempted cultural and religious control， and needing to be rediscovered if we are to live authentic lives。’”Carl Trueman explores this in-depth in his must-read book， The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self， which tracks the historical influences that have led to the shift in how we view the self and how that change interacts with our culture。 He says， “Satisfaction and meaning—authenticity—are now found by an inward turn， and the culture is reconfigured to this end。 Indeed， it must now serve the purpose of meeting my psychological needs; I must not tailor my psychological needs to the nature of society， for that would create anxiety and make me inauthentic… The era of psychological man therefore requires changes in the culture and its institutions， practices， and beliefs that affect everyone。 They all need to adapt to reflect a therapeutic mentality that focuses on the psychological well-being of the individual。”‘Authenticity’ is the mark of fulfillment。 If our bodies don’t ‘match’ our authentic selves in appearance or practice， we must do what it takes to be in harmony with our ‘true self’ and that is deemed celebratory。 Allberry points out the shift in cultural and moral values that tags along with this concept:“In our culture， the hero today is not the person who risks his body for the sake of others， but the person who lays aside anything and anyone for the sake of being authentic。 We most esteem not self-sacrifice， but self-expression。”Self-expression elevated over self-sacrifice and at the expense of our given biological bodies is a rejection of God’s design and his example in Jesus Christ。 We are taking what the Creator made and deemed “very good” in Genesis and are telling Him， ‘No， you didn’t do this right。 I know better than you。’ “…[but] if we have been created， then our body is not some arbitrary lump of matter。 It means something。 It is not peripheral to our understanding of who we are。 For all the difficulties you may have with it， it is the body God wanted you to have。This can be a hard thing to bear。 We’ve already established that our bodies can cause us physical and emotional pain。 But we can be comforted that the bodies we were given are not worthless， pointless， or wrong。 They are loved， purposed， and good。 “We’re not just the outcome of God’s activity; we are the product of God’s intention。”And yet， we do experience brokenness。 When sin entered the world， it affected our bodies。 We get sick， we get hurt， we get old， we die。 Our bodies don’t look or feel the way we want them to。 Further， our bodies also experience pain that is caused by the sins of other bodies。 This speaks to our inability to separate our bodies from our 'selves。’“However much we might privilege the mind or soul over the body as the “real” us， we know deep down that the body is an essential part of who we truly are。 When people hurt your body， you know that they have not just damaged some of your property; they have violated you。 What you do to someone’s body， you do to a person。”We cannot deny our God-given biological gender as it pertains to who we are and who God designed us to be。 To the question of gender roles， Allberry critiques the church for adding to Scripture by trying to define exactly what it means to be masculine or feminine too specifically。 This is a long excerpt， but essential:“We each have our own deep sense of what constitutes true masculinity and femininity， and we can all too easily assume that sense has come from the Bible， especially if we’re holding it in contrast to what a wider， secular culture around us might be saying。 But what seems obvious and instinctive to us about the nature of men and women might reflect our own cultural prejudices more than what the Bible actually says… …we must be careful about saying that all men or all women should be this way or that way， or that men should be interested in these things and women in those things。 More often than not， we will not find these views in the Bible… …And while we mustn’t overdefine what these differences are， neither must we deny they exist at all。 This is especially important given that it is increasingly common to think that being equal must mean being the same in every respect––that equality cannot properly exist where there is any kind of difference。”There is more to be said on this， and I would suggest Men and Women in the Church as a good starting place or a（typical） Woman if you’re a woman。 （I’ll be reading more on this topic so check back regularly on my blog for more content）。 But the main point on gender roles/differences is that， as Allberry says， men and women aren’t meant to be interchangeable。 For example， there are differences in appearance and demeanor between men and women。 God has designed us to be equal yet different in function。 There are some traits or tendencies that more typify men than women and vice versa。 He gives the example of men being quarrelsome （1 Tim。 2:8） and emphasizes that it doesn’t mean we view this statement: “universally （all men， without exception）， absolutely （all men to the same extent， with no variation）， or exclusively （only men， as if women couldn’t be quarrelsome）， but generally， typically。”He reminds us that as men and women， we exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in “differing proportions between the sexes and within them。” We are not assigned 4 or 5 because we are women and the other ones get to be for the men。 Men and women both pursue godliness， and we must use wisdom when we teach how this is exhibited differently— as to not add nor take away from what the Bible tells us or prescribe where we merely see patterns。[One thing I’ll add here: I wish Allberry would have addressed in this book the prevalent idea in the Western world that women’s bodies are empowering。 He doesn’t talk at all about modesty， which gets tricky considering cultural differences， but this idea that if women reveal their bodies or use them in certain ways that it is empowering to women baffles me— I believe this idea to be damaging rather than empowering and I think it would have been beneficial to include in this book about our bodies。]To the question of gender dysphoria- it is real。 And I can’t imagine how it feels to feel like you’ve been assigned the wrong biological gender。 It is not something we should sweep under the rug， shame， or gloss over with platitudes。 There are really hard struggles with our bodies， like gender dysphoria， that may or may not get easier。 That is a heavy weight to bear。 We don’t really have the answer to the question ‘why？’ but we are shown time and again in Scripture that Jesus sees you and he desires you to bring your bodily burden to him for rest。 I love the truth that Tim and Kathy Keller share with us about dysphoria: “To have your feelings sharply out of accord with your body is a life-dominating grief。 As Christians， we of all people should be able to show understanding and compassion， knowing how the fall has twisted what God pronounced “good” when he made humanity into a binary-gendered reflection of his nature。” When Jesus took on flesh “it was the ultimate experience of being in the wrong flesh。 There was no greater dysphoria ever experienced。 And he went through all of that for us… Only through being in Christ’s body—through the change in identity that comes from being a child in his family—does anyone find ultimate relief from their sense of dislocation in the world。” There are burdens God has asked us to carry— physically and emotionally— with our broken bodies。 But he has not asked us to do it alone。 He beckons us to come to him and trust him with these burdens。 We can trust him with our bodies—after all， he made them！Katherine Elizabeth Clark， who experienced her own story of a broken body， says this in her book， Where I End， as she challenges us to stop asking ‘why？’ and instead ask ‘to what end？’:“The question ‘To what end？’ however， turns our hearts back to our kindhearted Father who bids us come， to trust in Him， to rest in His promise that though sadness and grief， pain and hardship are ever with us now， He sees and is all the time working powerfully toward ends that are good， ends that are more beautiful and impossible than we could ever imagine… Rather than take the position of accuser， which leads us to discouragement and despair， we must set our eyes on Jesus and the ends for which He calls us。”Again， I’ve focused on gender identity in my review of this book， but Allberry covers so much more。 I wanted to also share what Allberry talks about in terms of how we， then， use our body to worship the Lord。 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says—"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you， whom you have from God？ You are not your own， for you were bought with a price。 So glorify God in your body。"The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is a place of pilgrimage for Jews to go and mourn the loss of their temple， God’s dwelling place。 But the Bible tells us our bodies are now temples because God has chosen to give us His Spirit to dwell within us。 That is significant！ We did nothing to earn this， but it is a gift。 One that came at great cost。 We don’t like the idea of ‘being bought’ but in this context it means freedom， dignity， and worth。 Jesus died for us and to belong to him is a blessing。 So when Paul says in Romans 6:12-13…“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body， to make you obey its passions。 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness， but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life， and your members to God as instruments for righteousness。”…we understand that to glorify God with our bodies means we turn away from sin。 We don’t use our bodies （meaning all of ourselves） to sin。 And we willingly do this out of love and gratitude for the unmerited grace and gift of life he has given us。 Not to earn his love but because he loved us first。Allberry goes through three ways shown in the New Testament of how we can honor God with our bodies: stewarding， consecrating， and disciplining them。 This includes mention of the expected sins that we need to avoid， but he also talks about food， sleep， self-harm， our words， and our posture in prayer。 I think we often reduce our bodies’ sinfulness to sexual sin because it gets the most publicity but there are many other ways that we use or treat our bodies against God’s design。“…we do have bodily wants and desires that need to be constantly resisted if we are to move forward with Christ。 If we go with our physical instincts， without questioning and resisting them， we will drift away from the prize。 Paul’s final words here are a sober warning: ‘I discipline my body and keep it under control， lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified。’ （1 Cor。 9:27）”And of course， I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up hope！God is in the business of redemption。 We endure the bodily burdens we have。 We push through the pain of our broken， disappointing， and hurting bodies。 And we rejoice because God has promised to make all things right。 If we are in Christ， we will be given new， glorified bodies。 “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead， the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep。” （1 Corinthians 15:20）Jesus was resurrected in bodily form and so will we。 Just like a seed buried in dark soil dies in order to grow new life， we too will die an earthly death， be buried， and will rise to new life。 "…growth can only happen because the plant first dies。 Leaving the seed in its packaging leads to nothing。 It has to die first。" “Death used to be an executioner， but the Gospel makes him just a gardener。”— poet George HerbertSo yes， we can and should be thankful for our bodies， created with love and purposed for godly worship。 Our life on earth is not our best life; the best is yet to come。 But that doesn’t render our life or body useless。 We wait patiently and confidently knowing our bodily struggles will not be in vain。 God will redeem our hearts， minds， souls， and bodies。 And this is， indeed， good news！Some other quotes:“Ultimately the pains and struggles we experience in our bodies are not a sign that our bodies have no value but that God hasn’t finished with them yet。” “Color-blindness is not uncommon—you may in fact experience it… But just because some struggle to distinguish red from green doesn’t mean that the colors red and green do not actually exist。 They clearly do。 They are objective realities。 [like binary genders] That some confuse one for the other does not change that。 In fact， when we drive， our lives depend on the fact these two colors really do exist and are not subjectively determined。” “We are not meant to be interchangeable， so that all one can do， the other must also do in exactly the same way。 It is not always helpful to compare one with another， as though we are pitted against each other in a zero sum competition。 G。 K。 Chesterton hits the nail on the head in this short poem: ‘If I set the sun beside the moon， And if I set the land beside the sea， And if I set the town beside the country， And if I set the man beside the woman， I suppose some fool would talk about one being better。’” “Today we all collude in upholding an expectation of beauty that is virtually fantastical。 No wonder we view our bodies as increasingly flawed。 We’re not comparing them to the best of our species but to the best of our species’ imagination。” “When we disparage people because of the way they are physically， we are not just disparaging them; we are disparaging the God in whose image they have been carefully made。” “Sin is not just wrong in some abstract sense。 It is wrong in that it contradicts how God has meant us to live。 Not every sin is directly and immediately harmful in a way that is obvious to all。 Many sins are more subtle。 But they can set us on a course that we might never have intended to go， and now we’re doing things we never imagined doing and find ourselves feeling powerless to stop doing。” “[Jesus] knows what it is to be thirsty， hungry， despised， rejected， scorned， shamed， embarrassed， abandoned， misunderstood， falsely accused， suffocated， tortured， and killed。 He knows what it is to be lonely。”— Dane Ortlund**Received an ARC via NetGalley**Book Review Blog: www。shelfreflection。comPinterest: @shelfreflectionblog 。。。more
Ali Chatham
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I was grateful to sit under some of Sam Allberry's initial teaching on this topic at Cru Winter Conference a few years ago。 After hearing him teach about the body there， I knew I wanted to read this book。 I have to say I have not read many of the arguments or ideas presented in this book before， so I fully appreciated the author's willingness to jump in to perhaps a less popular topic。 Because so much of the ideas here are new， or even contrary to culture's ideas about the body， I found myself h I was grateful to sit under some of Sam Allberry's initial teaching on this topic at Cru Winter Conference a few years ago。 After hearing him teach about the body there， I knew I wanted to read this book。 I have to say I have not read many of the arguments or ideas presented in this book before， so I fully appreciated the author's willingness to jump in to perhaps a less popular topic。 Because so much of the ideas here are new， or even contrary to culture's ideas about the body， I found myself highlighting many different sections of the book which I hope to refer back to in the future。 I feel more equipped to have discussion about aging， sexuality， and gender as a result of reading this book。 I also have felt challenged and convicted about how I view my own body！ I would highly recommend this book to all believers！Thank you to Netgalley and Crossway for providing a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kathleen Garber
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I received a copy of the book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review。The title of the book tells us what this book is to be about。 I think the author did a good job of covering everything related to our bodies。The book is in three parts: Created Bodies， Broken Bodies and Redeemed Bodies。 The created Bodies covers creation， our identity， biological sex and gender。Note: This book has a biblical perspective on gender and sexuality and so those who do not have a biblical view of these may ta I received a copy of the book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review。The title of the book tells us what this book is to be about。 I think the author did a good job of covering everything related to our bodies。The book is in three parts: Created Bodies， Broken Bodies and Redeemed Bodies。 The created Bodies covers creation， our identity， biological sex and gender。Note: This book has a biblical perspective on gender and sexuality and so those who do not have a biblical view of these may take issue with these sections。 I read all views and make decisions for myself on what I agree with or follow。 As such， reviewing this book does not mean I necessarily agree one way or the other。Broken Bodies covers affliction， shame and sin。 Redeemed Bodies covers Christ， Discipleship and resurrection。 I liked the resurrection section as what happens to us after we die can be confusing。 I especially appreciated the short mention of self-harming because that topic is usually skipped over because of it’s sensitive nature。If you want to gain a better understanding of why your body matters to God， this is a good book 。。。more
Charles
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This topic is one i have followed for years。 I was not sure what else could be brought to light。 I am very impressed with the insight of Sam Allberry。 He brings some great things to light。 I was hooked when I read the first chapter and his perspective on Creation。 And he was profound with his thoughts of the body and our identity。 I could not believe how timely he was in discussing Male and Female。 He has several chapters that directly deal with sex and gender。 Part 2 on Broken Bodies gave a lot This topic is one i have followed for years。 I was not sure what else could be brought to light。 I am very impressed with the insight of Sam Allberry。 He brings some great things to light。 I was hooked when I read the first chapter and his perspective on Creation。 And he was profound with his thoughts of the body and our identity。 I could not believe how timely he was in discussing Male and Female。 He has several chapters that directly deal with sex and gender。 Part 2 on Broken Bodies gave a lot of fresh insights。 And Part 3 on Redeemed bodies was inspiring。 I like his concluding chapter on the Resurrection。 I would recommend this book to anyone living in a body who wants a better understanding of how to live in this world as a Christian。 I really enjoyed what I learned and the way the material was presented。 I rarely reread books but this is one I will go back over to glean more of all the wisdom shared。 I love it when an author stays faithful to the scripture and brings insights to bear on practical and important culturally relevant subjects。 Paul Tripp calls it essential in his intro and I heartily concur。 It is a must read。 。。。more
Rachel
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Thanks to Netgalley and Crossway for an advanced copy of this book。 Amazing amazing amazing。 So thankful for Sam’s thorough and biblical encouragement on the truth of the meaning and dignity God grants to our physical selves and the implications of that。 You can tell this is a topic that Sam handles with such tender care and that his true desire is to encourage and inspire people to live fully in the freedom that God’s Word brings on this subject。 This book brought me hope for exactly where I am Thanks to Netgalley and Crossway for an advanced copy of this book。 Amazing amazing amazing。 So thankful for Sam’s thorough and biblical encouragement on the truth of the meaning and dignity God grants to our physical selves and the implications of that。 You can tell this is a topic that Sam handles with such tender care and that his true desire is to encourage and inspire people to live fully in the freedom that God’s Word brings on this subject。 This book brought me hope for exactly where I am， but also caused me to long for the day when I am raised again with Christ in the new heavens and new earth。 Thankful for this book 。。。more
Emily
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