Think Before You Look: 40 Powerful Reasons to Avoid Pornography

Let's get to the heart of the review first. Buy this book. Even if you aren't a man, you can benefit greatly from this book. While nothing said here is new, it is nicely stated, nicely packaged, and quite readable, which is important for such a heavy subject. The book is worked around the author's list of 40 Powerful Reasons to Avoid Pornography. 30 of which apply to all men, 6 of which are focused on men who are married, and the last 4 which pertain to men with children. Along the way, each one of these areas is explained, and relevant scripture is cited. I think this is critical in forming a rock solid basis from which to make an argument. I'll highlight a few of my favorite of his "reasons" to avoid pornography. #8 I refuse the temptation of idolatry #9 I prove to be a faithful steward of my money #24 I learn the relational skills of authentic intimacy #29 I prevent potential temptations for others in my sphere of influence #31 I avoid adultery in my heart #33 I honor my vow of marital purity and faithfulness #37 I minimize the risk of my children being exposed to pornography #38 I model strong and genuine moral values for my children The book is interspersed with stories of men who have fallen to the temptation of pornography. Research done by my church conference confirms that pastors are not exempt from this temptation either, with a number of pastors who have viewed pornography in the past year at a rate much higher than I would suspect most would guess. This is an enormous problem in our society, and this book hits it head on, and doesn't back down, beginning to end. I have watched first person, a man come from the depths of porn addiction. A man in a small men's groups I was part of had allowed his life to become consumed with porn. He'll readily admit he was addicted. His collection was vast, literally filling a commercial dumpster when he got rid of it all. Thankfully he burned everything in that dumpster, so that it couldn't be found and viewed by anyone else. His story is so great that he even got a page in our denominational magazine a few months ago to tell his story. This book speaks to me, and to every other man with a pulse. The temptation is there, just around the corner or the next web page for most men. God can redeem you if you have fallen prey to this, but most men need something to help them along the way. This book is best suited for those who have not yet fallen to this temptation, or those who have just tested the waters, instead of those whom porn has a deathgrip upon. I have no doubt that any Christian man reading this book who has viewed porn will be heavily convicted. The book concludes with a jewel of 3 pages of 40 practical pointers for avoiding pornography, and those alone are worth the price of the book. So buy this book. Keep copies of it on your pastors desks. Put them in your church library. Put them in the high school library. Give copies to your friends and relatives. Th

Think Before You Look was written by Daniel Henderson as a resource for men. Its premise is to give men forty reasons why they should rise above the temptation of pornography. Those same forty reasons also give men powerful spiritual tools to remain sexually pure and to lead a full Christian life. If you or someone you know needs a wake-up call from pornography, this book is an excellent place to start. The author not only utilizes the Bible to explain to his reader why he should not sully his life with these obscene images, he also explains that pornography is a cultural terrorist that is saturating our country and spreading around the globe. He explains what changes take place once a man becomes addicted and how it can change his relationship with his family and even lead to destruction. He covers the excuses, the justifications men use, and he fights it with truth. He gives the facts on where the addiction to pornography can lead men and how many of those addicts become obsessed with more depraved avenues of release. I don't know if Daniel Henderson realized what a powerful resource he was putting together as he wrote this book, but I can tell you that it is full of biblical pearls of wisdom. Pearls that you should really spend time studying and committing to memory. These pearls will not only help you to rise above the temptation of pornography but can help you in many areas of your life. Your marriage, your relationship with your children, your position as spiritual leader in your family--all these things and more will benefit from the principles in this book.

Dr. Henderson has written an excellent book dealing with a topic that is clearly an issue in our culture and no doubt is impacting the church as well. I greatly appreciated his "positive truth" statements located at the end of each chapter as they effectively communicated the core truth of each of the 40 brief chapters. While there are a number of books challenging Christian men in the area of sexual integrity I appreciate Dr. Henderson's very practical and down-to-earth writing style. He does quote some clinical experts but he doesn't get bogged down in the clinical aspects of sexual addiction. However his references do provide the reader with the assurance that the author has done his homework. The other real strength of this book is his application of scripture in explaining key principles in dealing with this problem. There is no doubt that Dr. Henderson realizes that this is a spiritual problem and must be dealth with on a spiritual level as well as a clinical level. His use of scripture along with relevant, contemporary, illustrations makes this book extremely appealing and a must read for anyone struggling with pornography as well as clergy, laypeople, and youth. I also appreciate the proactive approach of the book. He challenges men to avoid the pitfall of porn altogether rather than going through the pain and shame of sexual addiction. The admonition to "think before you look" is so appropriate and indicates Dr. Henderson's own careful reflection on this topic. This is a smart and compelling book that will help anyone who may find themselves caught up in pornography.