Beyond the Battle: A Man’s Guide to His Identity in Christ in an Oversexualized World

Reviewed by:

G. Connor Salter, Professional Writing alumnus from Taylor University, Upland, IN.

REVIEW INTRODUCTION

Title:

Beyond the Battle: A Man’s Guide to His Identity in Christ in an Oversexualized World

Author:

Noah Filipiak

Publisher:

Zondervan

Publication Date:

July 13, 2021

Format:

Paperback

Length:

272 pages

OVERVIEW

With an ever-increasing number of sexualized images on the Internet, pornography has become a major concern for Christian men. Plenty of books out there offer help, but many assume the solution is just to try harder. Noah Filipiak helps men to see that the true solution is understanding one’s attitudes, correcting bad patterns and finding security in new understandings. Specifically, men need an understanding of women and themselves which recognizes brokenness, and to find ultimate reliance in God rather than virility. Filipiak guides men through the attitudes they need to unravel, showing the path to wholeness and providing important tips on how to get there.

In the first couple of chapters, Filipiak references John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, where Eldredge talks about “the golden-haired woman” and the lure of looking for the ideal woman. Much of the book focuses on helping men understand why this idea attracts them, how to recognize it as fantasy and cultivate a healthier image. Filipiak particularly highlights how many purity culture ideas about dating reinforced this ideal indirectly, setting up the idea that once men get married everything will be great. Given reassessments of purity culture and the fallout over Joshua Harris de-publishing I Kissed Dating Goodbye, this is an especially important critique. Filipiak also does a great job of exploring how to build accountability, why it’s necessary, as well as Christ-centered ways to think about marriage and women.

Filipiak has an only decent writing style, which holds this book back a bit. It’s a common-sense exploration, breaking problems into its basic components and offering practical solutions. Such books are hard to do well, because they say what has always been true. Therefore, it needs either a unique sub-focus or a really good writing style. Filipiak doesn’t have the style, but emphasizing the communal aspect of recovery creates a bit of a unique edge. He doesn’t take it far enough to call it “a common-sense book with a community slant,” but he takes it far enough to make the book better than average.

A sensible look at an important topic, cutting through many misconceptions.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 stars)

3.5 stars

Suggested Audience

Christian men seeking to overcome pornography addition and other sexual issues, while finding Christian community and a lifestyle that honors women.

Christian Impact

Filipiak continually goes back to the Bible, highlighting the dignity which the Bible imparts to women as wonderfully created humans, and encourages men to understand that idea. He also carefully shows that this new attitude is not possible without being renewed in Christ daily and finding a community of Christians who will serve as accountability partners and mentors.