Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot

A Book Review by Naomi Downing

Back cover: Very few books on dating have stood the test of time like Passion and Purity. Its much-needed message remains strong and hopeful in an age when doing whatever “feels right” is common practice. Using her own life as an example, Elisabeth Elliot guides singles of both genders and of any age on how to put their love lives under the authority of Jesus Christ. Passion and Purity covers dating issues such as: •how to know which person is the right one to marry •loving passionately while remaining sexually pure •the man’s and woman’s role in relationships •putting God’s desires ahead of personal desires •how far is too far, physically. This best-selling book now has a new cover, an updated interior design, and a foreword from popular author Joshua Harris. Quest for Love will be redesigned in a similar manner to help readers identify the books as a pair. While Passion and Purity shares the love story of Elisabeth and Jim, Quest for Love is Elisabeth’s compilation of stories on how other men and women discovered love through God’s direction. Together, these two remarkable books accentuate our need to commit daily to Christ all matters of the heart and to wait on his timing.

My review: To be perfectly honest, the only reason I got this book from the library was because I was running out of nonfiction books to read. I decided to look Elisabeth Elliot’s name up at the library to see if they had anything that I might be interested in reading. I’m so glad I tried that!

At first glance I thought this was going to be pretty much a ‘do’s and don’ts’ list on dating, but it really goes so much deeper than that. Mrs. Elliot told the story of how she met her first husband, Jim. They fell in love but waited, and waited, and waited for years for God to show them the path they were each supposed to take. For a long time, their paths were supposed to be taken separately—and at first they didn’t even know if it would ever include them together.

She used Bible verses, pieces of other books, and examples to tell a wonderful story.

I’d recommend this book, not just to people who are dating, but anyone who wants to learn about having a God centered relationship, or even to be God centered in your singleness.

And if I may keep your attention for just a moment more, let me share with you: she died this year, June 15, 2015.

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Downing is a homeschooled high school student who live on a small farm in the middle of no where. She enjoys reading, writing, taking pictures and dreaming about her future. She blogs at naomiandbooks.wordpress.com.