The Power of Passion : Applying the Love of Christ to Dating Relationships

Rating:
Summary: Power of Passion Rocks!
Review: I definitely recommend this book to singles, whether in a committed dating relationship, engaged, pre-engaged, dating different people, or not dating at the time. It has something to offer. This is a quick and easy read that really encouraged me and offered some rock solid advice. This would be especially uplifting for someone who has suffered through a break-up recently too. I enjoyed reading it this past week!

Rating:
Summary: Just Excellent
Review: Power of Passion is a refreshing book on Christ-centered dating. While other books on this topic either reject dating altogether or grudgingly accept it as a necessary evil, Eager presents romantic relationships as something to be unashamed of and embraced by spiritual people. Starting from Christ's own passionate love for us, he shows how we have the awesome opportunity to reflect that love towards others, especially in dating and marriage. Furthermore, he has incredible practical advice that any single has to consider in the dating process.

Rating:
Summary: A different approach to dating
Review: This book offers a different approach to dating than other dating books written by Christian authors. The author's heart-felt concern for singles wrapped up in the "all I need to be complete/happy/fulfilled (you chose) is a mate" belief has lead him to write a book about his own experience. The book offers sound advice, sometimes backed up with references and quotes from experts in the field of human relationships. However, the book is written mostly from the author's personal viewpoint.

I had issues with some of the author's opinions. I found that there were places in the book where the author appeared to be grasping for examples to support his ideas. One that I found particularly bothersome was his opinion that women's romance novels where equivalent to pornography. I found that to be a bit more than a stretch. While some of these novels can get pretty steamy, I don't think they are on a par with pornography which in and of itself exploits women. He is correct that romance novels can create unreal ideas about romance and male-female relationships, but pornography is a whole different issue.

Another aspect of the book that I found troubling was the author's approach to assessing a potential mates character. He spends most of the book warning the reader about the other person. To me, this approach reinforces one problem that many singles have when it comes to relationships. Many singles who long to be married but haven't found a mate, are not single because of lack of opportunity, but because no one is good enough for them. This book misses that point and, in my opinion, can serve to reinforce it. No one is perfect and people need to accept that they have faults just like everyone else.

As I said in the beginning, the book was written from the heart and for that I have given it three stars. The author is sincere and this shows through in the book.