- ISBN13: 9780801035876
- Condition: New
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Product Description
A pastor who is also a politics professor examines current issues pertaining to sexuality and society and asks, What kind of world are we creating? And is it the world we want to live in? With no finger-pointing, and a c… More >>
Sex and the iWorld: Rethinking Relationship beyond an Age of Individualism
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I know the author personally; the heart and voice expressed in this book are genuine. After waiting patiently for its publication, I am very impressed and challenged by his comprehensive analysis and response to the rules of engagement now found in modern culture, known briefly as the “Three Taboos.” A must-read for thoughtful Christians and anyone who watches the approaching horizon.
Rating: 5 / 5
(disclosure: I’m a pastoral intern in an emergent community and this book was a textbook in a seminary class. I have a background in critical theory/philosophy & linguistics).
This is yet another Christian book attempting to manage the postmodern shift. Dale Kuehne takesa unique viewpoint, however: how will this affect sex? His problem, however, is that he is a pastor and a political theorist, not a philospher or epistemologist. He sets up the “tWorld,” the “iWorld,” and the “rWorld,” roughly corresponding to the premodern/modern, postmodern, and his own Christian idea of what the world should be going forward. His problem is that in trying to blame the postmodern world for hyperindividualism, he doesn’t get it right. He still ascribes the “science = truth” epistemology to the iWorld, and he stops at Nietszche philosophically (he also kind of gets Nietszche wrong, not apparently understanding his transvaluation of values and instead latching onto the easier-to-understand “everything is meaningless” nihilism). While he recommends James K. A. Smith’s “What Would Jesus Deconstruct” (which I also recommend) in one of his footnotes early on, he apparently hasn’t read it thoroughly or has misunderstood the linguistic epistemological shift that Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault really push forward.
His rWorld is smack on in its emphasis of relationships. The postmodern world is going to be a much more relational world, and that shift /should/ be driven by the church. However, Kuehne’s Old Testament exegesis is beyond problematic, to the extent that while the 2nd part of his book has a lot of good things to say, they’re overwhelmed by bad theology.
Rating: 3 / 5
This book does expand your paradigms as he address theology, ethics, sex and public policy all in one go. His premise is that our current society is based around individuals wanting to make themselves happy. He proposes a world in which we strive together for healthy relationships.
The only idea with which I disagreed, or at least felt was underdeveloped, was his idea about 3G family. He seems to assume the importance of, not just the family, but the whole extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) as essential for his type of society. This was just a small point but one with which I disagree and felt that he didn’t really establish it in a any way.
That was just a small point though. I did like the fact that he gave practical ways in which we can pursue policy of these ideas to be implemented.
The book is good and can be read by Christians or Infidels alike.
Rating: 4 / 5
The author sets us up for some dramatic changes that need to be made in society. The first two sections are great and very thorough but when he changes to implementing the changes to how we need to change, he falls way short.
Rating: 2 / 5
This book engages its readers by asking them to examine a world which provides them with the tools needed to live a richer, deeper and more fulfilling life. Don’t we all want to improve the quality of life we live? Kuehne teaches us how to forget about selfishness and shows us how we can live and love together in what he refers to as relational living. In order to do this effectively, we need to focus on family, friendship, and intimacy. We also need to take the relationships in our lives seriously and not be afraid to examine the spiritual side of our being. This is a well-written book worth reading and it will force you to think critically about where you fit into society and how you can help make positive changes in the world we live in.
Rating: 5 / 5