God. Love. Marriage. Sex. And the Never-Ending Story of Male and Female.

I have only read like 1/6 of the book and I think it's great!! It explains the marriage and relation between a man and a woman in such a good and easy way. It is based on the more important book - the Bible, and does not try to hide anything by explaining the Bible in English but explains the important words in the original language - Hebrew. I have always wondered about translations, and when I read my Bible (in Swedish) I wonder what God actually said and what the original language says.

You can not say otherwise. Love is important in life. John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

I am skeptical of anything bordering on prescriptive when it comes to love and marriage, but the author does a great job of calling out the church and society in some of their dysfunctional beliefs. A solid read for any myth busters out there!

I gave it two stars because I like almost everything he says, but I couldn't even finish it because of the printing choices. Huge text, wasted pages at the beginning and end of each paragraph. It should have a page count half the number it is.

This book was mostly , "Meh" I rarely dislike a book, and didn't hate it but, it didn't seem very cohesive until maybe the last chapter in itself ... I kept waiting for it to come together and it really didn't. I felt like he was just talking all over the place and apologizing too much. I also felt like it was written by a woman instead of a man, in that it seemed like he was telling women some of the stuff they wanna hear but is kind of bs, the bs we get fed in churches sometimes that keeps men from even coming and then your church winds up being 90% women smh...and I am a woman. I didn't think I'd write a review like this at the end of this book because it's a Christian book and I'm a Christian . I did get a couple nuggets here and there and some things to think about, but overall, " Meh" like I said before. I would not reccommend this book to anyone.

When I was in college I started going to this church service for young adults on Friday nights called “The Way.” This service was located in an old warehouse-turned-church called called Solid Rock just outside of Portland. Each Friday night a group of us from my school would carpool to The Way, sip the complimentary coffee (a necessity for churches in Portland,) and spend an hour and a half in fellowship.

Initially I was drawn to the music at The Way… it was seriously good. Some weeks the band Above the Golden State played, and occasionally Phil Wickham would show up and do an acoustic concert. But then as the pastor, John Mark Comer started speaking, I was moved each week by the message given.

It was here, at The Way, I was shaped as a young adult. Each week I took detailed notes and struggled through what it meant to be a Jesus follower. John Mark’s messages always had a way of speaking straight to my heart… it was like God was giving him the message just for me. I looked forward to Friday nights each week and was deeply impacted by the time I spent there.

That being said, I was so excited to read John Mark Comer’s new book, Loveology.

“In the beginning, God created Adam. Then he made Eve. And we’ve been picking up the pieces ever since. Loveology is just that—a theology of love.”

I ended up reading the book out loud to Zack in the car, each trip we took I would read a section… and overall, we both really enjoyed the book and learned a lot from it. I think it was a good book to read as a couple and discuss, which makes sense seeing as the subject matter is of love and relationships. :)

The first half of the book was really captivating and I found myself marking numerous pages with things I wanted to write down and remember.

Basically, the idea of Loveology is that marriage is a gift from God…it’s in our nature, but it has been so skewed and distorted by society over the years, we have lost sense of what it was created to be. We really enjoyed that John Mark went back to the roots of marriage and just wrote about what the Bible says, disarming the myths and legends that marriage has accumulated over the years through various sources.

I think one part of marriage that is often neglected is the fact that it is the union of two imperfect people—which makes it difficult sometimes. We get those “what if” feelings and can start longing for something more to fulfill us… but John Mark makes a valid point,

“Nothing in this world can fill the gaping void left in our heart by our departure from Eden. Not the best marriage, the best sex, the best romance—nothing. All that stuff is incredible, but it’s not God.” (pg. 241).

Nothing can fulfill us completely like Jesus…and I think in society today people put that pressure on their spouse to “complete them.” But that just sets yourself up for failure.

“If you put your faith in your spouse to make you happy, it’s only a matter of time until they let you down. Our whole mind-set on happiness is deeply flawed. ‘I deserve to be happy.’ Really? I’m not sure that’s right. All of life is a gift from the Creator God… But contrary to what the American propaganda machine says, happiness is not a right. It’s a gift. God doesn’t owe you anything. And neither does your spouse. It’s all a gift.” (pg. 76).

John Mark’s book reads just like his sermons, filled with personal anecdotes and stories from his life… but at the same time packed with thorough research and Biblical history. Naturally, both Zack and I enjoyed his writing style, just like we do with his church messages…very personal and easy to connect with.

And although I just wrote about most of the first half of the book and marriage—I would almost recommend this book more to the single folks out there. There is a lot of the book dedicated to being content in singleness, dating, and finding a spouse that I think would have really helped me out while I was in that stage of life.

*In a nutshell* In case you skipped through this whole post, here’s the just of it… Overall, I loved the book as an individual, and we both liked the book as a couple. So just go read it, ok? :)

Having just finished this book last night, I'm honestly trying to figure out how I feel about it...

Its by no means the worst book on dating out there (see Joshua Harris), but its also not the best I've ever read (see Gary Thomas).
Instead, it falls somewhere in the middle. Its exceedingly practical, which I like, but it also tended to feel very sermon-y, with sometimes few application points.

Also, I kind of felt like this book was written for the author's pastoral audience instead of the masses. Being from the world of Hispter-dom (Portland), John Mark writes in a very "twitter" like style. Pages aren't filled with big chunks of deep paragraphs and are instead broken up (almost annoyingly) into "tweet able" sound bites. If that writing style suits you, then jump right in. But it got annoying for me, and made me realize that the book was WAY longer in appearance than it actually was in content.

Overall though, I would say I'm glad I read this one, but it doesn't feel like one I will run back out and get again. As I said earlier, it was highly sermonized and less advice-driven. The one thing that WAS helpful though was the honest Q and A section at the end. It not only gave perspective from the author, but also his wife and Dr. Gerry Breshears. That part alone might be worth checking this book out.

A new book written by Pastor John Mark Comer of Solid Rock Church in Portland, Oregon tells the Biblical truth of what God intends for men and women in relationships, marriage and sex. He explains many of the cultural myths regarding dating, marriage and sex, and the reasons God created marriage and sex, and how it is designed to enhance life. The book seems to be written for the single twenty-something’s, but the book can help the older divorced person to find contentment in being single again, or even married people who seek a stronger marriage. The book is full of practical advice and wisdom to help find the right partner, and shows through the author’s own marriage what to expect after the honeymoon ends.

The part most beneficial to me was to know after the many mistakes made in my past relationships, by not following God’s plan for sex and marriage, through Jesus there is healing, hope, and restoration. The question and answers at the end of the book were also very helpful. The section on same sex attraction and the issue with same sex marriage was most enlightening, and provided a different perspective to this topic that one seldom hears from the pulpit in most churches today.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Okay, I’ll admit it. There are enough books out there about God, Love, Marriage, and Sex. And I’m not here to convince you that this book tops them all. I haven’t read them all, so I honestly can not tell you whether it does or not. What I can tell you is what this book is and why you should be at the very least interested in it. Here I go:
Loveology is a cool book. I first saw it and thought it was super girly and pink, which it is pink, but not really girly. The coolness is throughout. The pages are engaging and not intimidating.

He, John Mark Comer,

gives

a lot

of white spaces in his text. This makes it look like a Rob Bell book, minus the poor theology. He additionally teaches and shares in this book. He allows you to learn from his experiences and from the original language. He explains and shows you a lot of GREEK and HEBREW in this book. If that is your thing then this book is for you. I love the way he writes and think that this would be a great book if you haven’t read anything about God, Love, Marriage, and Sex yet. But if you have I do believe it adds more to the mix than other do. It is in a big category with a lot of similar books, but this book stands apart by being written for a young audience.

Give it a try! Watch some of John Mark Comer’s videos to see what he is like too!

I have been married for 5 years now, and when I read this book by John Mark Comer I regretted having missed so much that could have been for half a decade.
To know that marriage is not the point of marriage, to know that happiness is not the reason for choosing a spouse.
Now I know that my wonderful wife and I are in fact on a journey together to create shalom, to work together to make the world around us more like the kingdom of God. I have often wondered why aspects of life have seemed so flat and unfulfilled and now, thanks to Comer's excellent theology and gracious words, I have answers.
I am excited to see my friends, both single and married, read the intelligent, heart felt truths in this book and to find freedom and life in each and every one of them.
Could not recommend this book any higher!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think that this book is a great resource for people wanting to better their relationships. I think relationships in America are rapidly falling apart and a book like this is a great start to fixing this major problem.

I loved the writing style of this book and i love the way that the words are spaced in this book. It makes it easy to follow and also makes it easy to pick up, read a couple sentences, and put the book back down for later when you're pressed for time.

I have been in church for over 20 years, so some of the points the author makes are a little "simple" for my knowledge, but i do think it makes an especially great gift book for new christians. It was still an enjoyable read and i did learn a lot of new things though. I also understand that we're all on different levels, so there's always going to be some things that seem redundant to some people but is new information to others.

I do love a lot of points made in this book. This book is very sturdy and made well. I personally love the modern, simple book cover. It's refreshing, to the point, and stands out on the bookshelf.

Disclaimer: i received a complementary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I am in no way obligated to write a favorable review. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

God. Love. Marriage. Sex.

For most of us growing up in the church these four words were seldom spoken in the same context with the honesty that they required. In Loveology, John Mark Comer approaches these topics and so much more with a true and biblical perspective that I personally wish I had been able to read years ago. From talking about the true purpose of marriage, the biblical intention of sex and a how to identify love versus lust; Comer recovers the discussion on these so called taboo topics and puts them back in the hands of the God that created it all.

Loveology is a much needed resource in the conversation on love, marriage, sex and also homosexuality. John Mark Comer honestly and openly discusses his views based on scripture to show the reader how God truly created us. I will definitely be relying on this book to have conversations with my youth group as well as my own children when the time is right.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Love, dating, marriage, sex and what it means to be male and female are all topics on the world stage. Our world, even some Christians, are full of confusion and chaos when it comes to love and what it all entails. With that being said along comes a book, Loveology that we all can benefit from. Loveology is a book on the “theology of love.” John Mark Comer writes “God created marriage. This whole thing was his idea. Love, marriage, sexuality, romance- it all began in the mind of God. It was his imagination, his creative genius, that thought it all up.” Comer takes us all the way back to the beginning where love was created and points out that 1) love is beautiful and 2) when Adam and Eve ate the fruit sin entered the world and wreaked havoc and distorted love and all it entails. With this as his foundation, John Mark Comer opens up his Bible to expound on what God says about Lovology and gives us a book that is much needed in our families, churches and world today.

Loveology is divided into five parts, in Part 1 Love, Comer defines love and gives us a vivid picture of what love is and what love does. In Part 2 Marriage, we learn why God created marriage, what is the purpose of marriage and how God can use your marriage. In Part 3 Sex, Comer expounds on God’s declaration of very good when he created Adam and Eve and sex. But also points out that after the fall humanity “turns gifts into gods.” He also challenges the cultures definition of sex and how we (the church) have let the culture define what sex is when the Biblical definition of sex is so much deeper. The bottom line about sex is are you going to trust God and what he says or not? Part 4 Romance, this section gives principles and guidelines to follow when you date/court, whatever other word you want to use. There is also a brief history about dating that was interesting. There is an excellent chapter on what to do while you are waiting to get married. Part 5 Male and Female, superb chapters on embracing the differences in men and women and how marriage is really about Jesus. Outstanding chapters on the gift of singleness and what about being gay. The book closes with a great q and a section.

As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book. Loveology will give a theology of love. I recommend it, especially for parents, someone is going to teach your kids about love, sex, and relationships it might as well be you. This is an invaluable resource for you to have.

Love-ology will prove to be an insightful resource for singles, engaged and married couples. In this book, Comer, (author) sets out to see how simple love really is when seen through the lens of scripture. This doesn’t mean that the act of loving is always simple, but the concept was never intended to be the burden it has sadly become.

Within this book the reader will most likely be encouraged, challenged and perhaps made uncomfortable. There are some specific issues addressed by the author in a rather bold way…and it just depends on how the reader’s perspective as to how they will interpret the issues addressed.

However, traditional (Hallmark/Lifetime) views on love will be greatly shattered as love is not happiness, nor is marriage the end of means.

This book will help readers gain a biblical perspective & a fresh look at love through the scriptures.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Love-ology is written by John Comer. John's aim in this book is to see what the Bible says about "Love." Through the books we see what God says about love, what God says about marriage, and of course--what God says about sex. Through this he addresses the roles of man and woman.

This guy can TEACH! His style of teaching and format reminds of Rob Bell (I do not endorse Rob Bell). John leads us to the Bible with a hip style of writing which will make you smile from time to time without hindering the message of his book.

I really liked his writing style and his ability to engage with young singles and perhaps young married couples (like myself). He has a passion for Jesus, which you will evident on the pages. With that said, people who are not Christians may also enjoy this book which I see as a huge plus for John.

I wish Comer would have explained more in detail why he says Love is joy. My understanding is that they are separate.

On page 56, it seems that he is saying that God is not sufficient for Adam so God made Eve for Adam. That seems to be misleading. The only other thing I will say here is that I wish he would have brought us back to God's glory earlier in the book.

Comer has an excellent section on being single! For those who are struggling being single, his few chapters on being single is excellent.

I appreciate Comer addressing the issue of homosexuality. He addresses it with kindness and love, he even admits that we all need Jesus and that this sin is not the chief sin--AMEN! He address' a few myths about sex, which he did a fabulous job on.

At the end of the book, he does answer some questions about sex and romance, most of them are helpful, however I often found that I had a follow up question asking for clarity.

Overall, good book--I just wish he would point me back to Jesus more. Would I recommend it, yeah, probably, but I would point out a few concerns.

I read this one day in Barnes and Noble. A few pages struck such a chord with me that I'm going to purchase the book. I was expecting deeper stuff but sometimes all we need is a refresher in the basics. This book covers so many topics that it was amazing. The pages that talked about settling really showed me how I was healed of that sin in my life. I read this book as the first book after a 100 day fast from books so it was also pretty significant for me. I had been wanting to read this book for months before I picked it up and I'm glad that I did. I'm pretty picky about whose books I read because not everyone is sound in their understanding of God but not knowing this author before reading it or even now I believe he was pretty on point. Read this regardless of your relationship status!

I know this book is more so directed at those who are not yet married (or newly married) but I must say, as a woman who has been married for almost 4 years, this book is perfect. So many of the essentials about who God is and what He desires for those who love him are found in relationships (either in marriage, with friends, coworkers) and it is always a good time to gain more wisdom on that.

None of the ways to love another well come from desiring that you are number one in your life. And this is insanely true in marriage. John Mark does an excellent job of eloquently (and in fun ways as well) stating that we are made to be more like Jesus and then, through that desire, we can love others better. And he also points out that nowhere is this truer, or harder, than in marriage. Which to me means that this book is SO RELEVANT for couples who have been married for 2 months to 50 years. It is never a bad time to hear that "happiness is the byproduct of marriage, not the reason for it."

Another one of my favorite quotes is "When you strip love down to its essence-its core-it's self-giving. Yes, it's romantic feelings, but we have to understand that it's so much more." His chapters on the different types of love, the "waiting" period , what sex is really for, and the amazing and super honest Q&A are so life giving because 1) they are truth filled with tons of grace and 2) you can truly feel what God's heart is for marriage and what love is really meant to be composed of and for.

Please, please, please read this book no matter your "stage" in life. This life is short and it is ESSENTIAL that we learn now, not tomorrow, how to love others well and selflessly like I know our Creator so desires.

I also must add-this book is excellent for those who are not so-called versed in the BIble. It really does a great job of giving a Biblical perspective without being "religious." It's amazing to see all of the beautiful things that the Bible has to say about life and love and John Mark does an excellent job of making that wisdom available to those who haven't read the BIble cover to cover.

And our daughter, who is 2, loves the pink :) Naturally.

Just in time for Valentine's Day another book about love: Loveology: God. Love. Marriage. Sex. And the never-ending story of male and female by Portland (Oregon) pastor John Mark Comer. It's a theology of love that addresses the gamut. It begins with the creation of the first couple. It talks about four purposes of marriage. It explains why sex is tov (good) at least if it follows the Song of Solomon pattern. It explores romance, the obstacle course of dating, the differences between male and female, how to enjoy the state of singleness, and the biblical attitude toward homosexuality. The book ends with a hefty Q&A section of real-life questions encountered when the author presented the book's content as an event.

Comer's writing style is savvy and casual with enough vernacular to give the sense that he knows the demographic he's addressing. As a work of theology it's easy to read. Comer has the instincts of a good teacher and presents his ideas logically and in an order that makes sense. His use of Hebrew and Greek word studies along with illustrations from the lives of Bible characters helps him get to the nub of what the Bible teaches

I like the way he examines 21st century ideas and assumptions about love, courtship and marriage, contrasting how the culture of Bible times differed from ours. He goes into the history of some of our customs showing how practices like dating and choosing one's own marriage partner are recent and relatively unproven (not that he's advocating arranged marriages). Though he does trip all over himself trying not to give offense on socially tricky topics like men taking the leadership role in marriage and a Christian stance toward homosexuality, he does end up sticking with the orthodox biblical position (despite its current unpopularity amongst the general population).

My one objection to the book is its physical design (I read the hardcover edition). The beginning page of each section is hot pink with white print. Talk about hard to read in any but bright daylight. I found myself dreading another pink page. Also, long quotes from the Bible (Genesis 2:15-25 and Proverbs 8) serve as front and back bookends for the body of the book. These are in huge font (pink on white) with no spacing for verses or paragraphs. My eyes say NO!

Other than those design quibbles Loveology is an excellent book for anyone who wants to understand what the Bible teaches about love, marriage, courtship, sex, and singleness. For a generation of Christian youth bombarded by messages and images saturated with sex, it's a timely and needed book. It would make a great study for youth groups and an appropriate addition to the reading list of premarital counselors and counselees.

I received Loveology as a gift from the publisher (Zondervan) for the purpose of writing a review.

Everyone knows everything there is to know about love, so they think. In his book Loveology, John Mark Comer paints an amazing and honest look at what love really is. With all the voices out there in our culture screaming about different ideologies, this book is one worth listening to. John Mark Comer is an amazing teacher, and his breakdown on true love is easy to read, challenging, and eye opening.

This book covers all the gooey topics that anyone would want to know about when it comes to love. Love, marriage, sex, romance, and how men and women each interact with love are all covered. Breaking down the bible, and what real love is, this book will challenge your conventional thoughts about love. It takes the reader on a journey from selfish love through genuine love that can only come from God. The book doesn’t use the typical christian cliches; there’s no attack on conventional dating, and it doesn’t soapbox itself against homosexuality. It simply lays out the plan God gave for love.

It is an amazing read, I strongly recommend it.

received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

This book was written mostly for young singles and I think it was a wonderful read! John Mark Comer makes so many good points and wades his way through some important truths and even taboo subjects. Even though I am married, I found some of the topics to be very important in marriage as well. The topics addressed are not normally talked about at church, but the author addresses them and backs them up with biblical and historical references.

My only critique would be to give more grace and persuade singles that have participated in premarital sin, to repent. I wish there was a whole chapter giving young people that have messed up some GRACE!

However, I wanted to stand up and cheer when I read the chapter about gay sexuality. There was so much great truth and myth busting in that chapter. I loved how the author presented the topic and how he poured grace on a subject that has been widely abused by Christians.

Great book! I kept wishing that I had read this book 15 years ago before I got married. I would recommend this to all of my single young friends that have questions about dating, marriage, sex, and love. It is also well worth reading for some of us that are married and do not understand what the singles in our lives are going through.

{I was sent this book by Booklook Bloggers for review. The book was free but my review and opinions are my own. The review is also posted on my blog at [...]}

Love. "Maybe you're not finding it because you're not defining it right."

It is safe to say that today's culture is struggling with what love really is and what that means practically for us. Today, love is a junk-drawer term that is overused -- there are no less that 28 entries in dictionary dot-com to define love.

In order to find something you're looking for, a good definition of that you are seeking is a good place to start. This is what John Mark Comer has set out to do in his book Loveology. Using a play on words, Comer creates this loveology term to establish the premise of the book -- a theology on love. Not shying away from difficult topics such as marriage, sex, romance, gender roles, and homosexuality, Comer uses the original language of the Bible to yield a definition of love from the Creator of all things, including love itself. In short, Comer's definition of love from the Scriptures is "Love = Jesus on the cross."

From a mid-twenties, never married, single dude, there are a lot of aspects I appreciate about this book. He spends the majority of the book around the concept of marriage. I gained a lot of perspective and understanding of what I ought to expect in marriage, how I should practically view marriage and insights for my pursuit of a spouse. Comer writes in a way that is casual and easy to read as he builds on each chapter to target his desired audience of young singles. Comer stumbles through many tough issues (e.g. men's role in leading in marriage) in attempt to not offend anyone, but does do his best to stick to an orthodox Christian position. The books credibility was elevated when I discovered that he attends Western Seminary and Gerry Breshears was included in the Q&A section at the end of the book. The books credibility is diminished by some of the following qualities I feel would make this book a "must read" if present...

A lack of an invitation to the Gospel: Many times throughout this book I was reading and thought, "Here it comes, he's going to present the gospel here," and it just never came. As I said earlier, he sticks to an orthodox position and does talk about Jesus, but he fails to invite the reader to turn from their sin and trust in Jesus, in clarity as Scripture teaches. This can lend to many readers turning a gospel sanctification moment into self-help inspiration and gives off the persona of an "everybody wins" and goes to heaven belief, which is outside of Christian doctrine.

The physical design: I appreciate that it's hardcover without a jacket, however, the pink and white pages and pink poke-a-dot pages and pink lettering on the cover make the design poorly done. Why would this matter? It changes the demographic of those who pick a copy of this book up. Personally, I didn't read this book in public, intentionally. And while this is probably more on the publisher (Zondervan) than on Comer, it limits the audience to primarily young, single girls. While this audience needs this teaching, so does the young single guy who has a terrible theology on love and marriage and is enforcing this understanding in his pursuit of relationships and marriage. It may seem silly, but I think this is an important aspect -- who you want reading your book.

A note about the chapter on homosexuality: Read this chapter with a grain of salt. Yes, he says some very helpful and crucial things regarding homosexuality. I applaud him for being so bold to do so. However, he said some things that simply made me cringe (which tie into what I mentioned above). There are defiantly some sentences and paragraphs that could be edited out of this chapter and make it a stronger read. Don't let this keep you from reading the book though, this is only one chapter and there are a lot of good things said in it, but read carefully.

Overall, there is enough 5-star material in this book that overshadows its weaknesses and makes it still worth recommending. Any Christian who is in the season preparing for marriage would benefit from its content and should consider adding this book to their pre-marital reading.

Comer does an excellent job digging through scripture to bring the truth on this very important subject. Throughout the whole book he always brings it back to the garden, where the first marriage happened; Adam & Eve. But he doesn’t stop there he weaves in and out of the New & Old Testament. His writing style is crisp, quick witted and fun and throughout the whole book you are learning new things or getting a new revelation. For me personally the two parts that really impacted me was “What is marriage for??”. He brings to light from the Word why and it’s not because we fell in love with someone.

If you would like to read my full review please go here: [...]

With an “autobiographical thread”, John Mark Comer shares about the ins and outs of male/female relationships in marriage and in life. Comer does a really cool job of starting with marriage as the framework and then disassembling the union to see what the foundation should look like to be successful and healthy. When I first started reading this book, it made me reminisce to watching Rob Bell’s Nooma video, “Flame”.

Describing the 3 kinds of love and their intended purposes were good refreshers. This book would be great for dating and newly married couples. I could see this being a basic book for reading together as a couple with a spouse or significant outher. Comer doesn’t let what the glamorous world has defined as love and marriage stop him from showing what God has to say and demonstrate about true relational love.

I really think this book is solid. I recommend you picking up a copy and seeing a little more about what it was and what it is. And the IT is love.

I give this book a 4.5 starts out of 5

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Loveology - God. Love. Marriage. Sex. And the Never-Ending Story of Male and Female By John Mark Comer

Let me start off by saying, any book that has a grey cover with bright pink writing, and the words, love, sex, marriage, and God, is going to catch my attention. Not to mention pink font inside, bright pink bubbles and just an all around really girly pretty book. The cover alone makes me want to 'swoon' a bit it's so nice.

Loveology is the theology of love by the pastor of Portland's A Jesus Church -Bridgetown. It's relatively basic biblical theology on the relationships we have with our partner/lover/spouse written in a very comfortable easy, and almost watered down manner. With background on the original Greek translations, in John Mark Comer's style (if you ever listen to any of his sermons, you will understand what I mean). Five chapters on Love, Marriage, Sex, Romance, and Male and Female, including a Q and A section, the book is a fast read geared towards young marrieds, singles and dating couples.

Okay, now the gushing will ensue. I LOVED/LOVE this book. When I got it after waiting almost three weeks, I just could not put it down because it was so pretty. I mean, this guy, really knew how to appeal to women. This book is just marvelous to hold and run your hand over. It is a really nice size to slip in a bag and you just want to keep reading it. John Mark Comer is brilliant in getting a more conservative Christian theology across. Without sounding preachy, he really gets you laughing at some of the funnier aspects of love. That being said, you are a Christian and you don't already know this, then this book won't help. It's a fun thing to read if you already know the theology, but you should already know it if you are reading this. But that's my own take.

I enjoyed the book immensely, but that being said, I don't always agree with the 'watered-down' take on the bible. I find John Mark Comer has a great sense of humor and makes you want to read more, but it's almost incredibly basic. Maybe it's because I was raised in a Conservative Baptist church, but this is much more moderate in style. But on a scale of one to five, I'd give this a five star rating.

This book was provided to me through Harper Collins for my honest review.

There is no "kissing dating goodbye" or "side-hugging courting hello" in this book. It won't make you more attractive to the opposite sex, fix your spouses problems or help you lose that last 5 pounds. There is no relationship advise or tips to make your marriage more exciting. It will look very nice on your bookshelf or coffee table, but that's not really the point...

This is a theology* book. Before you decide that you don't need to have a theology book about marriage ask yourself, "what is marriage for?" If you have ever considered marriage (or are married), the answer to this question will undoubtedly shape the future for at least two people, and potentially generations beyond you. In the pates of Loveology, John Mark describes God's purpose and plan for marriage with great insight, personal experience and biblical and historical context. I promise you that you will have a greater appreciation and understanding of this great mystery known as marriage after reading this.

*One final note - if the word "theology" causes your hands to go numb, become slack-jawed and/or to stare off into the middle distance, please give this book a chance. While this book is the theology of marriage you won't find a lot of academic wording, crazy foot-noting or references that you won't understand without a masters in divinity. John Mark writes in a very conversational style and communicates deep truth in simple language.

John Mark gets to the real heart of the issues & purposes of love in his book loveology. I heard his teachings on this subject while being a newlywed & now reading it a few years down the road it is still making an impact on my views of marriage. I've been bored & sick of hearing marriage being defined over & over & over....can we move on? John Mark does in this book. He moves on behind the definition of marriage to WHY marriage even exist. It helps me realize why marriage is good; why it's important. He helps us see the perfect love of Jesus & how that radically influences our personal identity & the aftermath affect it has on our relationships from dating, to engagement, singleness, identity & marriage. Every single person should read this!! Highly recommend it - for a culture struggling for hope.

I'm only about a third of the way through, but I've gotten SO many answers and so much knowledge so far. I'm 22, been a Christian for awhile and have never read a book about God's intention for love. I like the way it reads...not your traditional book, but it's thorough when it needs to be and to the point when words needn't be wasted. Transforming my view on marriage, love and sex!

Counter to what American culture believes about the evolution of relationships, in a society that puts emphasis on the idea that we are made to have as many sexual partners as we can and that this alones defines your skills as a relational creature.
The author offers a great commonsense response to why people in culture should wait to remain intiment until the relationship matures into something more.
It gives direction to a generation of young people stuck in the middle of a sex obessed culture; and answer's the GREATEST QUESTION, in a practical down to earth aproach, WHY SHOULD I WAIT?
Also available on audio book through the Audible app.

Psychology is about the science of mental behaviour. Theology is the study of God. What about "Loveology?" For John Mark Comer, pastor of teaching and vision at Bridgetown: A Jesus Church, loveology is a theology of love. With sensitivity to the different emotions and relationships, Comer mines the depth of Scripture to flesh out insights about all things love and relationships. Two truths are emphasized here. First, love is beautiful. Second, something has gone wrong. Teaching pastor Comer strings together the major faces of love in modern society and puts them under the scrutiny of these two basic truths.

Comer then applies these truths to five areas of love and relationships. He begins with God and the purpose of the Garden of Eden. Love is about washing one another's feet, a service emphasis. In the Hebrew word, ahava, we learn of a relationship beyond mere affections but friendship. This is powerfully demonstrated in the second area: Marriage. We read of how God has intended for beauty to flourish and the perfection of love in marriage between two persons. No one marries in the hope of breaking up later. "Marriage is humbling," so says Comer. It is not the elimination of problems and challenges in marriage. It is learning to live humbly in spite of each other's flaws. Just like the original love and marriage, sex too has its fair share of beauty and the lack of it. Letting Scripture guides once again, Comer resets our understanding of sex by saying God did not begin with "Don't" but "Be fruitful and increase in number." It is a liberating statement that we are created to be sexual creatures, and sex is not evil. Sex is beautiful and good. One way to celebrate this goodness is the literal reading of the Song of Solomon. The problem comes when sex becomes treated like a kind of god, which then leads to a host of other problems. Problems like pornography, sexual immorality, and promiscuity. When sex becomes a god, adultery becomes more accepted. The fourth area that Comer touches on is romance. Looking at the Song of Solomon, one draws themes of invitation, waiting, dancing, wooing, and playing. Comer addresses the modern concept of dating and says that the Bible has said nothing about dating. It does has something to say about guidance in love. Like the love stories of Moses and Zipporah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, and others. It is because marriage is so important, Comer decides to weigh in heavily in this phase, saying that "the right spouse is worth the wait." The Scriptures are full of instructions about waiting. If we have learned to wait for God, everything else is possible. The fifth part is about sexuality, gender, and sexual orientations. This is probably the most challenging of them all. Comer asserts that we are all created either male or female; equal but unique. We need to remember that gender roles have not been tarnished by the fall. The danger of believing that roles are tarnished is the ease in which husbands and wives blame the Fall for things that they are responsible for. He carefully touches on the gift of singleness.

Having made a case for biblical sexuality, Comer then works on the controversial topic of homosexuality. If there is any one part of the book that will divide readers, it will be this. He recalls a friend of his being forced to choose "between Jesus and his sexuality" in which his friend eventually chose the latter. Comer comes alongside offering an apology to the gay community for the way that they have been treated. He even points out six myths:

1) Gay sex is the worst sins ever;
2) I'm straight and you're gay;
3) The church isn't a safe place;
4)Repressing your sexual desire is oppressive
5) The Bible doesn't really teach that gay sex is a sin
6) Come to Jesus and he'll make you straight.

Jesus is the embodiment of love. For all the talk about sex, marriage, singleness, romance, sexual orientation, and so on, we need to remember not to turn any one of them into an idol or a kind of god. For when we do so, we risk putting obedience to God secondary and our sexual desires primary. For readers wanting to get a quick answer about love, they will not find it in this book. For this book is not about quick fixes on the love life. It is about holding together the beauty of God's creation and purposes with the awareness that we are not what we originally are. Most importantly, we need to let Christ nail both the beauty and the flaws at the cross of grace, so that our understanding be grounded in God's Word and sensitized to what is happening around us. The way to read the book is to see it like a dance. Some steps are easy while others are difficult. There is the need to let biblical truths guide our movements and to be aware of our partners, our friends, believers, and people we care about to dance with us. It may need guidance and initiative from the one who is ready. Most importantly, in dancing, there is no need to be paranoid about winning or losing. For life is about living, not trophies or accolades.

Personally, I find the use of pink a little too distracting and feminine. Perhaps, using an additional colour or two can bring about greater balance in this very thoughtful and already well-balanced book.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade
This book is provided to me courtesy of Zondervan Publishers and Larry Loss Communications in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

I have been in the church John Mark leads for about 7 years now, and I don't think there is any other specific teaching series, or book that has so influenced the way I look at loving the opposite gender. The first time I heard the series turned book was back in 2008. Hoping for a date, and longing to be married at some point in my life, I was shocked that the Bible had so much to say about how to do a relationship well. The words of this book have shaped how I approach dating, and marriage, and I hope will help me navigate through my future marriage with my fiancé. This book reflects many years of not only theological research, but practical work in marriage, and I am thankful that my generation has a book like this.

I have been married for 20 years and I wish I would have read this book 20 years ago. Comer write his book to the single, married, lonely, loved, hurt, and hopeful. He uses scripture to guide one through the book and speaks on how marriage is a gift. Marriage is not going to be easy because we are a work in progress and together as a couple will push and pull each other towards the goals God has planned for us. This is a book I will have my three children read as they enter adulthood and questioning God, love, marriage, and sex.

As an almost married man this book is so insightful, encouraging and exciting! John Mark does such a good job at addressing the touchy topics of our day with grace and truth and in a way that's so easy to digest. So much Jesus in this book. Read it before falling asleep, in the car whilst driving, at work, on the toilet, while operating heavy machinery, while eating, in the shower... You can read this book anywhere! It's so easy to carry around!!

Sadly, the church has a lot to offer in the way of written works on "youth group" dating tips, the paranoia over "lost" masculinity and/or femininity, what one guy's idea of "real" marriage looks like, and so on. When it comes to an investigation into what the Bible has to say about romance, dating, marriage, sexuality and the like, there are lapses in the discussion.

Loveology fills the void with an intelligent, gracious, and altogether readable approach. John Mark's writing is educated yet colloquial, and caters to the professor and the layman with his trademark down-to-earth writing voice. Legitimate questions our culture is asking about dating, marriage, sexuality, and gender are addressed with an air humility and tact almost entirely missing from the conversation as it currently stands.

Single? This is your book. Engaged? Read this. Newlyweds? Loveology.

I saw John Mark preach last night about his new book Loveology.

This book will clearly show you what the Bible has to say about Love. I think this book is a must have in a culture where love is skewed to being defined as whatever makes you feel good about yourself. John Mark makes it clear that God's plan for love is so much greater than we can ever even imagine. I respect this man for writing about a subject that gets grossly, glossed over in church. I'm glad that some truth and light are shown on a topic that needs Christ at the center.

Omg ! This book its like amaizing. It's one of those books that you cant stop reading once you start too hard to not reed it in one day . Truly recomrecommend it . God has bless me, hope it blesses you too .

I needed this book to remind me that there are some amazing reasons to hold out for great instead of good (or just now). To use my singleness as a tool for the Kingdom rather than allowing a wayward lifestyle to become a noose around my neck. This book will help a lot of single people shift their way of thinking about singleness from a paradigm of "I need to get out of this season" to "I need to take advantage of this season". Single or not, I'm going to do my best to make everyday count for Him and try to have as much fun as possible in the process!

My favorite quote from the book is "It's better to be single and miserable than married and miserable". AMEN! lol

Believer or not. This book will rock your world on the reason for marriage and the purpose for sex! (Things I wasn't taught as a child but wish I was!) Not only does this book help better ground my views of my own marriage and sex, it is going to be a tool I can reference when talking to my own daughters regarding Gods purpose and design. Love the book layout too: Easy and clear read!

This book is a MUST read for the young adult generation! For the youth in general...really, any age group can learn from this book! It is one of the best books I have ever read on Love, Sex, and Marriage and was very eye opening. John Comer breaks these topics down in a way that is very encouraging and thought-provoking at the same time. I LOVE this book! Outstanding :)

John Mark Comer exercises his gift as a teacher. He does a good job of pushing against the flow of cultural whimsy and directs the reader back to God’s original intentions for love, sex, dating and marriage as it is expressed in the scriptures. Full of grace and insight.

My thoughts- As I was reading this book I found it a sweet way to write an autobiography. It has a nice mix of information about this John Comer Pastor, and excerpts from the bible. As he shared the best ways to go about things, he shared them in a way that he spoke form the heart since he was talking about his own experiences and life. Most of the relationship books just talk about how to do things and that's it. Some might have a bible verse or two if they are based on the bible. But none really share how they made it work in the authors own life. I think this Pastor is on the right track on how to share the best ways to live your life, and have a better relationship. Disclosures was given a copy of this book for free all opinions are my own [...]

This is the first book that my wife and I have taken the time to read together. The wisdom shared by John Mark is real and practical. I am so inspired to put into practice the lessons and theology of love into our marriage and life.

As someone who's been with my spouse for ten years and married for five, I really think John Mark Comer has some great insights for young people. He paints a truly realistic picture of what healthy marriage looks like and how it functions. And he does a really good job at exploring how marriage fits with our human hard-wiring - a God-honoring way to live into His creative intention.

Unfortunately, Pastor Comer then goes on to say that none of this is intended for people who are gay. While he admits that we are all relational creations wired for emotional and physical intimacy, he claims gay people are not morally permitted to live a fully human life. My husband and I profoundly disagree.

It's a shame that Mr Comer dehumanizes gay people this way. Frankly, this last section wasn't necessary to an otherwise edifying book.