So long as our idea of surrender is limited to the renouncing of unlawful things, we have never grasped its full meaning. By trying to grab fulfillment everywhere, we find it nowhere.

There is dullness, monotony, sheer boredom in all of life when virginity and purity are no longer protected and prized. I am convinced that the human heart hungers for constancy. The things I liked can best be explored by quoting Elisabeth's own words: So that's a lot of negativity about the book. These elements are just overused to the point of near-tedium. I like many old hymns and enjoy archaic language in poetry, and I understand they were extremely meaningful to her as she worked through these issues. The spiritual principles represented are timeless, but not every hymn or poem is. I think this places a huge limitation on how we can use and recommend this book, especially with teens.Įlisabeth frequently quotes old hymns and poems, and I found this wearing after awhile. Some of it was so explicit as to conjure ideas that I needed to instantly dismiss. not sinful, but not to be placed before the public eye.

I'm not a prude and I think physical desire is a gift of God and absolutely has to be addressed in any book about purity, but the desire expressed in his letters was so intensely private and very suggestive.

Several were extremely open and honest about his sexual desire for her. More structure would have been helpful, too.Īnother thing I found problematic were some of Jim's letters that Elisabeth quotes. I just found myself not quite so interested in the details of her relationships with God and Jim I wanted more focus on Scripture and practical purity. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. But instead it was the other way around - very autobiographical, with the principles of submission and holiness explored more incidentally. I was disappointed somewhat because I thought this book would be primarily about how to move toward purity, with some examples from Elisabeth's life to illustrate her points. It was not an easy road, but through Christ Jim and Elisabeth were able to offer their love to God and accept when His answer was 'not yet.' It's a profound lesson, and all the more when the blessing denied is such a wonderful one. During this period, Elisabeth kept detailed diaries recording her thoughts, prayers, and struggles with submitting to God's will. Show More be single for the missionary work he was undertaking at that time.

Passion and purity by elisabeth elliot