In Religion Publishing, Sex Is Hot

In my work as a scholar, I write about sex and religion all the time—for college students—and pride myself on the ability to engage even the most explicit questions on the subject. When books for this article began arriving in my lobby, without thinking, I ripped open the first package to find it filled with explicit, faith-based sex manuals—which I then quickly carried upstairs and stashed under the couch.

Turns out, I'm more prude than I thought.

Apparently, sex is not only a gift from God, but it's a hot gift—if you work at it—according to Dr. Les Parrott's Crazy Good Sex: Putting to Bed the Myths Men Have About Sex (Zondervan, May).

“Faith perspective books either deal with sex and crisis—topics like porn and adultery—or see sex through a clinical, mechanical lens. Faith-based sexuality is so often portrayed as a burden and not a gift, as something that needs to be fixed or brought before God and disciplined,” says Dudley Delffs, senior v-p and publisher of trade books at Zondervan, about the decision to publish Parrott's newest title. “Parrott offers us something else—he's a tried and true voice, a guy who can write to average men about sex and intimacy. He makes sexuality clean and natural and wholesome, something that God intended for good and constructive purposes.”

And yes, clean, natural and wholesome includes “passion and 'hot monogamy' with your spouse,” Delffs adds.

Dr. Kevin Leman, author of Turn Up the Heat: A Couple's Guide to Sexual Intimacy (Revell, Mar.) is another Christian marriage sexpert. Jennifer Leep, editorial director at Revell, says they're excited to have Leman on their spring list.

“In the past, there's always been a gold standard Christian book or two about sex. For example, Intended for Pleasure (Revell, 1997) by Ed and Gay Wheat has become a perennial title we refresh every five years or so,” Leep says. Leman's Sheet Music (Tyndale, 2003) is another go-to guide for the Christian newly married and a big reason why Revell counts itself lucky to publish his latest. “For a long time the top authors in the CBA—the marriage and Christian living guys—have been pretty stable. Kevin Leman is one of the voices and the biggest players on the subject of marriage, so audiences will trust his take on sex.”

New Generation, New Issues, New Voices

Leep at Revell also had a lot to say about demand for new voices on sex. That's where Kiss Me Like You Mean It: Solomon's Crazy in Love How-To Manual by Dr. David Clarke (Revell, May) becomes important.

“We need to do more than simply update classic titles, because today's generation of Christians demands multiple voices, not just one authority, or one go-to book. This new readership wants a fresh look at healthy sexuality,” Leep explains. “In Kiss Me, David wonders where we got the idea that between two and 10 years after getting married the passion and sizzle goes away. He explains how you can have a passionate marriage your entire life, not just the honeymoon phase, and bases everything on The Song of Songs, which has some pretty steamy stuff.”

As to the target audience for Clarke's “steamy stuff,” Leep imagines Kiss Me will be a popular gift at bridal showers and among couples looking to “kick start” things in the bedroom again.

Kathy Davis, managing editor of book publishing for Focus on the Family Publishing, agrees that new books and new voices on sex are essential for the times we live in, which are very different from, say, even 10 years ago. “The reason we are seeing a trend of new books is that people in their 20s and 30s may not connect with the industry standards that have been out for decades,” Davis says. “We face different issues today and we need authors who can write in a more personal tone for this generation. Besides, younger women feel more comfortable talking about sex,” she adds.

Davis's answer for this newer generation is No More Headaches: Enjoying Sex and Intimacy in Marriage (Focus on the Family/Tyndale, Aug.) by Dr. Julianna Slattery. Slattery is no stranger to Christian self-help, yet this clinical psychologist heads into new territory not only with her subject, but also because among the faith-based Christian releases covered here, she is the only woman author.

“Women want to hear from other women about sex—they generally don't think men understand them,” Davis explains. “Juli is young, friendly, and she has the credentials, too. She's experienced her own hurt and frustrations with sex and is willing to admit it, and Juli is amazing at connecting with women of all ages, too.”

For the More Studious (and Jewish) Among Us

The search for new voices on sex is hardly limited to Christian publishers. Several cutting-edge books this summer and fall are for a Jewish-interest audience. First among them is The Passionate Torah: Sex and Judaism (NYU Press, June), an anthology edited by Danya Ruttenberg, a young woman rabbi who made a splash last year with the release of her memoir, Surprised by God (Beacon, 2008). The second, Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible (NYU Press, Sept.), is also a collection, edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser and David Shneer, and includes commentaries on the weekly Torah portions Jews read in synagogue that seek insights into queer lives.

“Danya's book is not self-help, and neither is Torah Queeries. They are both meant for Jewish readers outside the academy, definitely, but within the academy as well,” said Jennifer Hammer, religion and Jewish studies editor at NYU Press. “We hope they will work their way into courses, but both were explicitly crafted to be accessible, engaging and not stodgy.”

Included in the Ruttenberg anthology are essays on pornography, nonmarital sex and masturbation. “The aim is to move past traditional debates and approach topics with fresh eyes for a modern era,” Hammer adds.

Also releasing for an evangelical Christian student market are two heady books that try to address cutting edge issues with eyes wide open. Dale S. Kuehne's Sex and the iWorld: Rethinking Relationship Beyond an Age of Individualism (Baker Academic, July) and Dennis P. Hollinger's The Meaning of Sex: Christian Ethics and the Moral Life (Baker Academic, June) are both aimed for the classroom. Like NYU's Hammer, James Earnest, Kuehne's editor, was quick to say that Sex and the iWorld is not self-help. Kuehne's project is much grander. “He's creating a new, conceptual vocabulary for the different ways that societies talk about sexuality today,” Earnest explains.

While Earnest is fairly sure that Kuehne's book will succeed beyond the classroom, the hope for Hollinger's is to become the new standard text for courses on Christian sexual ethics. “It bridges the academic audience and thoughtful church readership,” says his editor, Bob Hosack

The Kosher Sutra Is for Everybody

There is one faith-based book that targets anyone and everyone who will listen: The Kosher Sutra by Shmuley Boteach.

“Rabbi Shmuley brings eroticism back and from a very orthodox, Jewish perspective,” says Gideon Weil, executive editor at HarperOne. “Studies show how couples in America just aren't sleeping together. This book is a practical guide and the obvious next step after Kosher Sex [Main Street, 2000].”

Rabbi Shmuley has already appeared on Rachael Ray, The Today Show and Dr. Phil (three times) for this book. “He's struck a nerve and people are responding very positively,” adds Weil, who likens Rabbi Shmuley to Dr. Ruth.

“His audience is mainstream, and it's traditional self-help fare. We never thought of it as a Jewish book or for only a Jewish audience, even though the advice comes out of a Jewish context,” Weil says. “The way he connects Kabbalistic thoughts on passion and desire with the Kama Sutra is unique. That's the spark of the book. The title is a play off of those two worlds meeting.”

Across traditions but within marital bonds (mostly), it looks like there is something (explicit) for every person this season.