The Relationships Revolution

The Relationships Revolution
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.
Pollock refers at one stage to 'God's blueprint as revealed in the Bible' (p.63). But it was ultimately unclear to me whether this was more than 'Sex is for marriage.' Our difficulty is that most young Christians already know that - as a proposition. But this knowledge neither holds the power to control their behaviour nor offers the content to guide their choices. If we are to produce a 'relationships revolution' we need a more revolutionary way of challenging our young people from the Word of God.

John Richardson
Chaplain, University of East London

© Evangelicals Now - December 1998
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Main Articles

• Black life
  A review of white Christian attitudes towards black and other ethnic minorities with the UK with diverse culture and modes of worship
• Open to what?
  The meaning of the term 'evangelical' and the emergence of a new group calling themselves 'open evangelicals'
• Evangelistic worship
  The problems of praise and worship and making it relevant to all - and a review of the SFC (Seeker Friendly Church) Movement
• Who needs it?
  Edited from a lecture on why religion matters and the moral crisis today in a society which rejects the Judaeo-Christian faith
• Has your church got a child protection policy?
  Reprinted guidelines from a child protection statement from Park Evangelical Church at Stoke-on-Trent
• Every Christian a witness? (Bulldog for December)
  A study of witness and the duties of the ordinary believer
• The approach of God
  Vernon Higham tells of his early life and path to faith

Other articles

• What Every Christian Needs To Know
• Online Bible Deluxe CD v. 7.06 - CD-ROM review
• You want to pierce what? Getting a grip on today's family
• Christianity in a Consumer Culture - 177 shades of lipstick - an edited extract from the book Christianity in a Consumer Culture on the effects of consumerism on Christians
• Christmas Sermons - an Exposition of the Magnificat - Bringing down the mighty - an extract from the book Christmas Sermons - an Exposition of the Magnificat
• The Truman Show
• Canterbury Letters to the Future - Ten letters to the archbishop's grandchildren covering the major Christian doctrines
• Bloodline of the Holy Grail - The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed
• Knowing Where We Stand - The Message of John's Epistles
• Elizabeth
• The Hymns of Vernon Higham - A collection of 162 hymns
• Shadows of Scotland - The Story of the Covenanters
• Charles H Spurgeon - The Prince of Preachers
• Get Up and Give - 101 little ways to make a big difference
• Calvin and the Calvinists
• The Relationships Revolution
• Four Men and a Church - The Story of Worthing Tabernacle
• Spirit-Empowered Preaching
• Blame it on the Brain - Distinguishing Chemical Imbalances, Brain Disorders and Disobedience