Book Review: Pulling Back the Shades

Recently I won the book, Pulling Back the Shades: Erotica, Intimacy, and the Longings of a Woman's Heart, in a giveaway on Faith's blog, "Life of Faith". I was excited to read a book by Dr. Juli Slattery because I had heard her on Focus on the Family though I wasn't sure if the subject matter would be very relate-able for me. After finishing the book, I found that this can speak into the lives of all women, whether you struggle with sexual sin or not.

Pulling Back the Shades opened my eyes to how destructive the Fifty Shades of Grey series is and how vital it is for us to guard our hearts and minds from Satan's deception. It broke my heart when I read the statistic that of all American adults who read the Fifty Shades series, 1 in 5 are Christian women.

This isn't something I can write off because it's not "my battle". Erotica and other immorality are destroying the integrity of God's people, our brothers and sisters, from the inside out.

Isn't it time to step up and do something?

Pulling Back the Shades Review

Dannah Gresch and Dr. Juli Slattery responded to the Lord's prompting by writing Pulling Back the Shades to shine light on erotica, intimacy and the longings of a woman's heart. I love that Gresch and Slattery do not sugar coat the truth throughout this book and they flat-out say reading erotica is sin.

I had heard about the Fifty Shades of Grey series at work a couple years ago and I didn't really think much of it - "It's just a book, how bad can it be?". Thankfully, I never read it, never will, and won't be seeing the movie either. Fifty Shades and other erotica are not just "harmless" books. They corrupt your heart, your mind, your home and your marriage.

In Pulling Back the Shades, Gresch and Slattery address why women read erotica, how successful erotica uses the same recipe to prey on women's longings, and the deception that is found in these books. A young missionary and Christian leader shared the destructive forces of erotica in her life and said "erotica seems harmless because it's just words on a page but it brands your mind, creates false expectations for future relationships. Erotica makes it seem normal for us to be used and abused, but it's not normal."

Dr. Slattery noted: "EL James (author of Fifty Shades of Grey) states that redefining morality was part of her agenda in writing the books. In one interview she said, 'What I wanted to demonstrate is that I do not look at the world in terms of black and white - and I find people who do rather scary. I think it's all shades of grey.' Fantasy becomes very dangerous when an author takes creative license to alter moral and spiritual truth."

Since reading Pulling Back the Shades, I have a new mindset on how dangerous the Fifty Shades series really is and how carefully we need to guard our hearts. There is absolutely nothing "harmless" about this! Dr. Slattery writes "If you really want to know what God says, take His warning seriously. Stop flirting with anything that causes you to think, lust, or fantasize about a man other than your husband."

If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Matthew 5:29-30

If you have read/are reading/plan to read the Fifty Shades series, I challenge you to read Pulling Back the Shades to be fully educated on how erotica will affect your life and your relationships. If you have read erotica in the past, know that God can heal your heart if you seek Him. We always have hope in the Lord and He won't give up on us!

What have you been reading lately?

Check out Dannah Gresch's post "I'm Not Reading Fifty Shades of Grey".

Linking up at Titus 2sdays.