Embodied: Living as Whole People in a Fractured World

Embodied: Living as Whole People in a Fractured World by Gregg R. Allison addresses a crucial matter that impacts every person. While every systematic theology addresses the issue of embodiment, few tackle this subject with the skill and precision that Dr. Allison does here.

Allison shows at the outset that a theology of embodiment is critical since it crosses several other important Christian doctrines including creation, anthropology, Christology, and eschatology.

More specifically, “a theology of embodiment addresses numerous contemporary moral and social issues: human personhood, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, heterosexuality and homosexuality, dehumanization and objectification, body image, the obesity epidemic, anorexia and bulimia, compulsive exercise, orthorexia, body modification, selfie dystrophia, and more.”

Additionally, a theology of embodiment directly challenges the Gnostic heresy that was so prominent in early church history and continues to plague the worldviews of contemporary Christians. In the end, as Allison writes, “a theology of embodiment will help us live as whole people in a fractured world.”

Each of the topics above are explored and exposited in the framework of a biblical worldview. The author clearly explains each subject, shows how it emerges in Scripture, and how it conflicts with worldly ideology.

Finally, readers are challenged at the close of each chapter with thought-provoking questions that enable them to apply the lessons.

Embodied: Living as Whole People in a Fractured World is a book that may not have received much attention in previous generations. But given the radical paradigm shift in the culture and contemporary church, this book will is a welcome guest in a culture that is coming apart at the seams. It challenges theological and philosophical error with graciousness and humility and helps equip the next generation of Christ-followers.