About the Book
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Weird
When it comes to relationships between men and women, we have more questions than answers:
- How do we keep relationships with the opposite sex healthy—and still hug each other after small group?
- Is it possible for married men and women to be friends with people of the opposite sex?
- What does it mean to be a woman if you’re not a wife, or a man if you’re not a husband?
Jesus’ pattern for church living was one of family—of brothers and sisters living in intimate, life-giving community with each other. With story, sensitivity, and hope, Beyond Awkward Side Hugs invites us to leave behind eroticized, fear-based patterns and move toward gendered, generous relationships between men and women of character as we love one another as Jesus did.
“Beyond Awkward Side Hugs is a deep well of biblical wisdom, and Lea has written with nuance and clarity, humor and grace.”
—Jen Pollock Michel, author of Surprised by Paradox and Keeping Place
“The church desperately needs a bigger vision for how men and women can flourish together in ministry and friendship, and Bronwyn Lea paints a vivid picture for how we’ll get there.”
—Steve Wiens, author of Shining Like the Sun, Beginnings, and Whole
Review
If you think this book isn’t for you, think again. Whether you’re married or single, whether you’re just entering those awkward dating years or they’re a distant speck in your rear-view mirror or you’re somewhere in between, I guarantee you’ll be challenged to think about how you relate to your brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly those of the opposite sex. And it all begins by recognising that, in our hypersexualised culture, “our default setting is to hear the language of love, desire, and intimacy as sexual.”
In contrast to the world’s sexually-charged relationship paradigm, the Bible’s language when it speaks about fellow-believers is familial, and not in a metaphoric sense. We are literal, if not biological, brothers and sisters, and this should be our paradigm for relationships among believers. Lea’s argument unfolds logically, thoughtfully, and with a sound application of Scripture, and her manner is engaging and honest, frequently drawing on anecdotes and cultural references to illustrate her points.
Lea doesn’t dismiss the potential for chastely-intended friendships to go astray, but she makes a strong case for not starting the conversation with worst-case scenarios in mind. Rather than asking “How can we avoid sexual sin?” she argues we should begin by asking “How can men and women live in relationship as God intended?” Accordingly, this little gem is both a how-to and a why-to, and I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
About the Author
Bronwyn Lea is a writer, bible teacher, lawyer and ice-cream addict with twenty years of pastoral ministry experience. She heads up Propel Sophia, the Christian living wisdom resource for Propel Women, and is on the pastoral staff of her local church. Bronwyn is mom to three school-aged kids, who keep her somewhere between hilarious laughter and desperate prayer on any given day. She and her fellow South African husband live in Northern California, where they count the men and women in their church as not just friends, but family.
Connect with Bronwyn: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Giveaway
The publisher is giving away one paperback copy of Beyond Awkward Side Hugs to a reader who comments below.
Giveaway will end at 11:59pm on 4 May 2020 and is open to US residents only. To enter, comment on this post and let me know what about this book grabs your interest, or just say hi. Then enter via the Rafflecopter form below. For full terms and conditions, see Disclaimers & Privacy Policy.
I grew up with pretty strict expectations of what male/female friendships looked like, even though that wasn’t what was modeled by the adults in my life. I always knew there was more than the rigidness that was supposed to be “best.” As an unmarried woman I’m thankful to have a lot of good guy friends in my life — where true friendship and support rule the day. Topics like this are fascinating to me. Thanks for the chance to win!
I’ve been reading more Christian nonfiction books this year and relationship ones are always interesting to me. I have read husband and wife books as well as sister books, but never opposite sex friendship books, so this is going to be excellent for me.
It’s an interesting topic in all aspects of daily life, definitely one worth exploring. Thanks.
Sounds like a very relevant topic.
This sounds like a very interesting book that so many could use. I know I have a friend who asks/wonders about these things a lot, I’ll have to steer her to this one. Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours