And They Were Not Ashamed
And They Were Not Ashamed
Strengthening Marriage through Sexual Fulfillment By Laura M. Brotherson, Inspire Book, October 2004, 373 Pages
Reviewed by Nancy Russell, Better Marriages Office Manager
At IMEC Laura Brotherson and her husband, Kevin, held a master workshop: Sexy is a State of Mind – Cultivating Sexual Desire for Your Spouse. Afterward many people came to the ACME booth to purchase her book. When I’m reading a book of this sort (non-fiction) I tend to skip around. I read the back cover, perhaps the foreword, open it to the middle, flip back and forth for items of interest — it is seldom that I begin at the beginning. The back cover says: “As three books in one, this marriage book, sex book and parenting book: Shines light and truth on the intimate marital relationship, restoring sex to its proper position as ordained of God; Effective- ly addresses, with self-help solutions, the emotional, spiritual and physical intimacy issues that plague so many marriages; Provides principles and practices to help parents teach and better prepare their children for intimacy and lasting fulfillment in marriage.” Even so, I was unprepared for the heavy spiritual content. But I pressed on, curious to see how the author would tie sex and God together. And she said: “One of the primary reasons we come to earth is to gain a body. God expects us to learn about this great fit, and to discover how to experience the incredible pleasure and joy afforded husband and wife.”
Now I understood where the author was coming from and began to look at what she was saying. This book is written “primarily for women but it is also for men who want to better understand their wives and learn how they can work together to create sexual fulfillment.” Lots of stories are shared; many studies and quotes by other well-known authorities are included (Hendrix, Chapman, Penner, Weiner-Davis among others). Everything is discussed and crudeness is never the tone. You get a sense of gentleness and encouragement and find yourself drawn to read more. The sixteen chapters cover a lot of ground. From the “Good Girl Syndrome” to the female sexual response, from becoming one emotionally, spiritually and physically to preparing future generations to sexual fulfillment in marriage, Brotherson com- bines boldness with respect and reverence. She includes “home” work and encourages discussions between husband and wives.
She also includes an extensive appendix of resources for strengthening marriages. I will probably continue to skip around from chapter to chapter, put it down and pick it back up again, but I’ll keep it. So far, it’s a good read and would be a good resource for couples (especially wives) who wish to deal with sexuality from a religious perspective.
