Book Review: What God Has to Say about Our Bodies
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Sam Allberry has written a new book: “What God has to say about our bodies”, which looks at the human body through the lens of the gospel. You might well ask why do that, and why do that now?
Well, my son, Finley, got an Action Man the other week; one with a parachute – it is pretty cool to be fair. When it came to bath time Fin wanted to bring it in the bath, so off came the Action Man’s khaki suit to reveal an absolutely ripped bod. “Look at his muscles” was the comment from Fin, followed by the realisation that “Daddy doesn’t look like that!” As ridiculous as this sounds it made me think of how the world has plenty to say about our bodies: what a ‘desirable’ body is, how we should or should not use them, view them, or think about them.
Toys, advertisements, films, Netflix, TV, music, social media, or political slogans - we are confronted everyday with ideas and questions about the human body; how we relate to them, relate to others with them, and what they mean for our identity and happiness. The world has plenty to say to us about our bodies. No doubt there’ll be parts that are good and helpful but, let’s be honest, there is lots that is unhelpful, confusing, and damaging.
Whether we are conscious of this or not, the questions and ideas the world is confronting us with about our bodies are significant and relevant to us all – we all have a body. Which is why it is great news that the Bible has much to say to us about our bodies, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for our bodies. Whether you have thought much about the body through the lens of the gospel or not, Sam Allberry’s book helps us do just that.
In his short and very readable book, Sam Allberry shows us how our bodies aren’t just something there, they are meaningful to God; we have been made by an awesome creator who cares about our bodies and who will redeem them from their brokenness. “God’s eternal plan for us involves our body. We can’t write off our physical life as spiritually irrelevant” – isn’t that just mind-blowing!
What I really appreciated about this book is how it sheds Scripture’s light on much of the current cultural confusion around our bodies, but does it in a way that is gracious, approachable, and loving. Not only has it helped me in my own understanding of the theology of the human body, but I think I feel better equipped to speak to others about it.
Most importantly, although I might not have the body of an Action Man, this is a book that has brought me to praise God even more, “for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139).