By Nigel D. Pollock IVP. 175pages. £4.99
'This book' says the preface, 'has grown out of the Relationships Revolution project- an ongoing initiative . . . to provide positive biblical teaching and realistic, practical help in the area of sexuality and relationships.' And from my own observations as a University Chaplain, such teaching is certainly necessary. Although, as Pollock admits, we are inclined to exclaim, 'not another book on relationships!' young Christians today are probably worse equipped in this area than ever before.
Having said that, I'm not sure that this book is going to produce the revolution hoped for. It is attractively presented, in a stylish and slightly racy cover. But the material took a long time to get to the point where it might connect with young people's feelings. The opening chapters, for example, seemed too negative. Dwelling on the 'Myths about sex' or the illusions of romance, is likely to leave the sexually-charged and lovelorn adolescent wondering who is on the wrong planet - themselves or the book!
In was also disappointed that the book did not take a biblically-deductive approach in exploring human sexuality and offering guidance. It contains a large number of testimonies, which make interesting reading, but the biblical material was scattered and mostly unremarkable. I remember at a time of great personal struggle over relationships, receiving a lot of similar good advice from friends, and reading a lot of Christina books. Yet I was still left asking 'What does God want me to do?' We can only answer this confidently when we know exactly what Scripture says.
