Book Review

​

Wonderfully Made: a Protestant Theology of the Body by John Kleinig    

2021 Lexham Press

John Kleinig is a pastor in the Lutheran Church of Australia and has also written Grace Upon Grace which is in our church library.  His habit of writing is one which uses the scriptures continuously so as you read his works you will find references to Bible verses which only help to enrich your learning.  Through scripture, Kleinig addresses the confusion we have today over our bodies and our sexuality.  He discusses marriage as the image of Christ and the church, and he extols the single life as one in which people can offer Christ’s love in friendship to others.  Kleinig explains to us why bodies matter; they are created in God’s image to be perfect works of art in eternity.  As we begin to see what God intends for us, to be with Him in eternity, we can see our bodies for what they are - temples of His Holy Spirit, created for good works in Him.  “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Yet, sadly, our bodies are misused and Kleinig does an excellent job of guiding us through that fact, naming our many sins, and also declaring the forgiveness of God.  When, by God’s grace, we realize that our selves - body, mind, soul and spirit - are wonderFULLY made, we can live in that grace every day, in every way, knowing that God created, preserves and redeems us.     - a library patron