Losing the Bond with God

Book excerpt: Empirical research provides the basis for a comprehensive depiction of evangelical Christian men who self-identify as sexual addicts. Losing the Bond with God: Sexual Addiction and Evangelical Men offers a humane and constructive understanding of this issue, treating it from an objective perspective rather than the Christian perspective that is common to writings on the subject. Based on her own qualitative study of self-identified evangelical sex addicts, the author shows how these men must overcome the compartmentalization of their lives and improve the integration of religion, marriage, and sexuality if they are to break their destructive patterns. The book addresses many of the most dominant issues specific to sexuality within the evangelical movement, such as sexual purity, gender roles, attitudes regarding homosexuality, and marriage. It begins with a framework for understanding the evangelical movement and its stance on sexual issues. and ends with a cumulative summary about evangelical men who self-identify as sexual addicts. Direct quotes and personal experiences from interviews are woven throughout the study, and appendices provide a detailed description of the author's research.