Pornography, sexual fantasy, lust, erotica…all male struggles, right? Wrong. Okay, there can only be a tiny number of Christian women who wrestle with such sins? Wrong again. According to Helen Thornes book, Purity is Possible, all of the above are very much issues for the Christian women. She quotes a 2006 survey by ChristaNet that found that around 20% of Christian women view porn regularly. Apparently 1 in 3 visitors to porn sites are female and even more women are reading erotic literature such as Fifty Shades of Grey. For other women, mental sexual fantasy has become a way of life. I think Helen rightly points out that these hidden battles with lust women face are little acknowledged in our churches. Many of us have believed that lie that lust is a male issue. The consequence? Women who are addicted and enslaved to sexual sin feel deeply isolated and often choose to stay silent resulting in their lifestyle continuing and becoming all the more destructive. The answer? Helen offers her readers a wholly scriptural and gospel centered approach to not only fighting sexual sin through fleeing from it, but waging war against lust through being transformed by Christ.

I believe Helen’s book is an important book for Christian women to read if they battle with lust or not. If they do, Purity is Possible, offers real hope of freedom and a transformed life. If they don’t, Helen’s book will help Christian women better understand and empathize with women who do as well as giving them the tools to help council and support such women.

Helen’s style is engaging, vulnerable, sensitive and intelligent. She is open and honest about her own struggles which makes what she shares all the more relatable and applicable. If I had a friend who opened up with me about their issue of lust, this would be the first book I would recommend. I thank God that a book has been written to challenge unhelpful Christian female stereotypes and offer hope to all the women fighting sexual sin in lonely silence. I pray this book will get into many women’s hands, challenge our churches in how they speak about lust and help set many women free. [Rowina Seidler]