A misplaced understanding of love

The movie version of Redeeming Love, a popular novel by Christian fiction author Francine Rivers, hit theaters in January. The movie’s release has sparked an important debate about the wisdom of consuming emotionally provocative and sexually suggestive books and movies, especially those marketed to Christians.

Rivers’ novel is loosely based on the book of Hosea, in which God uses Hosea’s tumultuous marriage to Gomer as an allegory for His relationship with Israel. As Gomer betrays her husband by becoming a prostitute, so adulterous Israel rejects the Lord by seeking after other gods.

In Redeeming Love, Michael Hosea receives a divine calling to marry a prostitute named Angel, a young woman who had been sold into sex slavery as a child. Their marriage is marked by Angel’s continuous betrayal and abandonment of Michael until, at the end of the book, she repents of her sin and returns to her husband once and for all. The novel seems to depict the Lord’s relentless love for us, even in our brokenness and rebellion.

I enjoyed reading Redeeming Love several times as a teenager, and it’s not difficult to understand why: Passion, love, suspense, and the picture of what seems like a perfect husband are all woven together to tell a gut-wrenching story about the steadfastness of true love. Since becoming an adult, wife, and mom, I’ve gained a new, less positive perspective about the book overall and, consequently, about its cinematic adaptation. There are at least three reasons for this.

First, the novel is sensual. While most sexual scenes in the book are implicit, naturally, the mind fills in the blanks, causing the reader to imagine scenarios that may provoke a longing that cannot be satisfied in reality—in other words, to lust. According to a review by Plugged In, the movie is even more explicit and includes lengthy sex scenes and repeated instances of partial nudity.

A single, Christian woman who reads or watches Redeeming Love will be tempted to disobey the Biblical admonition to “not stir up or awaken love until it pleases,” which means she will be hindered, not helped, in her pursuit of sexual purity (Song of Solomon 2:7).

Second, most romance novels—even Christian ones—set unrealistic expectations that create discontentment.

I remember how I and many of my friends felt as teenagers reading the book—emotionally exhausted, wanting to be loved, and longing for the day we’d get married. While the stated intention of Redeeming Love is to demonstrate Christ’s love for us, the emphasis of the storyline is on earthly relationships, not the gospel, which means many women are left with a stronger desire for a Michael Hosea–like husband than for a deeper relationship with Jesus.

A book that provokes that type of longing will only result in disappointment, both for single and married women. A married woman who compares her husband and marriage to the book’s fictional representations will find herself discouraged when her reality does not meet her newfound standards.

Contrasting real-life relationships and circumstances to fiction steals the peace and gratitude to which Christians are called by setting unfeasible expectations and distracting us from the blessings in our present moment. In this way, Redeeming Love can inhibit the Christian’s pursuit of holiness and joy.

Third, the book misses the true and better point of the book of Hosea. The story of the prophet Hosea is not to make us long for a husband, but for Christ. Hosea is not a romantic book, nor is it a book for the faint of heart. Gomer is described as a “whore,” and her “whoredom” is representative of Israel’s betrayal of God (Hosea 1–2). And yet, despite Israel’s constant idolatry, God proves Himself powerfully loving and faithful to His promises, even as He refuses to tolerate the Israelites’ unrighteousness. He does not simply promise to show kindness to His chosen people; He promises to rid them of their iniquity, so that He may “betroth” them to Him “in righteousness” (Hosea 2:19).

God’s demand for righteousness matched with His undying love for His people is the combination that brings us Jesus, whose name, like Hosea’s, means “salvation.” Hosea is a foreshadowing of Christ. Hosea called Israel to repentance and preached the salvation of the Lord. Jesus did the same, except, unlike Hosea, He offered Himself as the means of that salvation (John 14:6).

The purpose of the story of Hosea, like all of the Bible, is not to point us to ourselves, our sexual fantasies, or even future husbands. The purpose is to point us toward Christ and His gospel. Sadly, Redeeming Love puts Christ in the periphery and allows lesser loves (and lust) to take center stage. If the goal of the Christian life is to better know and love Jesus, neither this book nor the movie helps us get there.