Book Review: Pure Pleasure by Gary Thomas
Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad about Feeling Good? by Gary L. Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Pure Pleasure by Gary Thomas
I’ve known that Gary Thomas was out there writing books, but this is the first book of his that I have read. That being said, I enjoyed Pure Pleasure.
Thomas has a way of writing that is easy on the reader. His writing is simple and down-to-earth. I like that. He is also a transparent writer. We are not left wondering what he thinks, nor whether he struggles as we do: he speaks openly and honestly on these subjects.
Thomas deals with the question that has plagued many Christians for centuries- the issue of pleasure. Many have declared pleasure to be sinful. Others have become antinomians and declared that nothing is off limits. Thomas declares both ideas to be wrong and unbiblical. In fact, in the same vein of thought as Desiring God, Thomas declares pleasure to be good, and to be our duty.
We do NOT have to feel guilty because we enjoy something. Why, then, do many Christians feel bad when they feel good? Simply because we have misunderstood our Bibles and what they say about pleasure.
Not only does Thomas show us that things we naturally enjoy (sex, food, family,etc) can be enjoyed in a way that pleases God, he also shows us how that misplaced pleasure is dangerous. What is just as necessary to us is his chapter on finding pleasure even when things are difficult.
All in all, Pure Pleasure is a message that we need to hear today.