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

by Branson Parler

Overview

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 ask: 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310124603
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	800 KB

About the Author

Branson Parler (Ph.D., Calvin Theological Seminary) serves as Director of Theological Education and Professor of Theology at The Foundry, a nonprofit ministry focused on partnering with churches to provide accessible biblical and practical training for church leaders at every level. Prior to that role, he was professor of theological studies at Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for thirteen years. He also serves as director of faith formation at Fourth Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. He writes and teaches on a variety of topics related to the Bible, theology, ministry, and engaging culture. He loves spending time with his wife, Sarah, and their six kids.

Table of Contents

Foreword Preston Sprinkle xi

Introduction: What Are Bodies For? xv

Part 1

1 We All Have Stories 3

2 Embodying the Gospel in a Secular Age 16

Part 2

3 The Myth of Individualism 31

"You Do You"

4 The Story of God's Covenant Faithfulness 49

"You Belong to Jesus"

5 The Myth of Legalism 62

"Behave Yourself"

6 The Story of God's Covenant Faithfulness 71

"God Keeps His Promises"

Part 3

7 The Myth of Romance 91

"You Complete Me"

8 The Story of God's Household 106

"We Belong to Each Other"

9 The Myth of Sexual Prosperity 122

"Tour Best Sex Life Now"

10 The Story of God's Household 134

"Jesus Is the Suffering Servant"

Part 4

11 The Myth of Naturalism 151

"Your Body Is Matter in Motion"

12 The Story of God's Mission 165

"Your Body Is God's Home"

13 The Myth of Evil Bodies 181

"You Are Not Your Body"

14 The Story of God's Mission 193

"The Word Became Flesh"

Conclusion 207

Great Lakes Catechism on Marriage and Sexuality 209

Acknowledgments 217

Notes 219

Editorial Reviews

'Every Body's Story is a readable, scholarly engagement of sexual discipleship for our times. Brilliantly deconstructing the sexual mythologies that control our lives, Branson Parler opens the door to the new worlds of covenantal faithfulness with God and his long story of saving the world. It's been a long time since I've been this encouraged after reading a book about sex!'

DAVID FITCH

'The church needs the fresh hope Branson is offering in Every Body's Story. It's biblical, relevant, mind-stretching, Christ-centered. A must-read for our times.'

BOB BOUWER

'Parler is such a careful thinker and has such deep biblical knowledge that even when the reader feels challenged, they will come away from this book with fresh insight; they will think more carefully and, indeed, more broadly on these issues. They will, in fact, find themselves wrestling with new questions, and this might be a significant part of what the church needs to reframe its conversation about human sexuality.'

ANDREW ZWART

'This book is not a shot fired in a culture war, and it's not a set of simplistic rules. Rather, it is a call to faithfully enact a beautiful story with our bodies. As Branson Parler demonstrates, Christians have failed as often as anybody to practice and perform love in the daily work of our lives. But Parler turns to the gospel to find the redemptive script our bodies have been given to follow. In clear and delightful prose, this book offers the good news that our confused culture desperately needs.'

JEFFREY BILBRO

'With in-depth theological and cultural analysis and pastoral sensitivity, Every Body's Story enters the all too often polarized discourse on sexuality, bodies, marriage, and singleness. In it, Parler offers a rousing, timely critique of pervasive stories about our bodies, countering them with a compelling, beautiful corrective. By asking, 'What are our bodies for?' Parler uncovers the way that Christians in the West have, intentionally or unintentionally, twisted the biblical story of bodies, marriage, sex, and singleness. With a keen eye toward not only the problems 'out there' but the unhelpful and harmful teachings within the church, he contrasts the biblical story with both the story of the secular age and the distorted stories Christians have told about sex and bodies. We have failed, and we must do better. Parler offers us a gospel-centered way, inviting us to explore and embody not only God's 'no' to sin but also the wide and beautiful 'yes' to God's good gifts that we find in the story of Jesus. This is a needed book for our day.'

JESSICA JOUSTRA

'In a world that promises false liberty and incites inappropriate anger regarding sexuality and gender, Branson Parler is a winsome, loving voice of truth. With the wisdom of a theologian and the heart of a pastor, father, and friend, Parler expertly guides his readers through sex and gender myths toward a flourishing, embodied life.'

LAURIE KRIEG

'It is hard to imagine a more timely and articulate theology of bodies, sex, and marriage. Branson Parler has masterfully diagnosed what ails both our culture and our churches' sexual thinking and practice. Every Body's Story is biblically adept, historically aware, culturally astute, and philosophically sophisticated. At the same time, it is imminently practical and hauntingly convicting. I truly wish someone would have given me this book decades ago!'

JOHN NUGENT

'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?'

JUSTIN ARIEL BAILEY