In Shameless, unconventional Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber seeks to shine a light on the toxic messages that the church has conveyed. Through stories from her own life and those of her parishioners, she demonstrates the harm that such messages have caused and proposes a new way forward. Along the way, she also offers healing for those who’ve been confused, angered, or wounded by the church’s teachings. In her new book, Rev. Bolz-Weber argues that we need to have more open conversations about sexuality and a sexual reformation of sorts within the church. While she does feel that the church’s teachings on sexuality need to be revamped, she does express that not all sex is necessarily good for us.
When we are with a sexual partner we should show care, concern, and respect and not just see them as a body to be used for our pleasure (aka holiness). Rev. Laura Bolz-Weber’s book is about helping those harmed by church teachings on sexuality to find healing. She shows the myriad ways in which people have been damaged by these teachings when they didn’t fit the perfect mold. For some, it’s having sex outside of marriage and feeling like they’ve failed and are used goods. For others, it may be that they’re LGBTQ+.
For still others, they may have waited for marriage only to find that what they were taught about amazing sex life after is nothing but a myth. Shameless by Nadia Bolz-Weber is a book about overcoming the shame that the church has associated with sexuality and helping those who’ve been harmed to find peace. There is so much empathy and compassion within the pages of Shameless that I actually got teary-eyed a couple of times, which I didn’t expect. This was a great book that I would highly recommend for anyone who’s struggling with their own sexuality in regards to church teachings or anyone looking for a new way to look at sexuality through the lens of faith.
Random Citizen 