Raising Purity

New version of Raising Purity for Single Adults

August 2, 2010 // No Comments »

I’m frequently asked if I have written, or would be willing to write, a single/young adult version of Raising Purity. I’ve always agreed it would be a good idea, but it’s just seemed like I’ve had too many other projects on the burner. But earlier this year I contacted my buddy Jay Thomas–college pastor at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois–and asked him what he thought about partnering with me on the project. Happily he agreed, and even more happily, Crossway Publishers has agreed to publish the book.  The working title at present is Pure Relationships: The Bible’s Perspective on Sex, Dating, and Relationships.  (I’m sure the team at Crossway will come up with a better title.)  The manuscript is due to Crossway November 1, and how long the process takes after that, I don’t know. I’ll update this site with release dates as information becomes available.

Those who can’t wait till next year–or perhaps can’t read (huh?)–can hear our thought on this topic by downloading the audio from a workshop I gave to single adults at my home church, Harvest Bible Chapel.

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Upcoming “Raising Purity” Workshop for Parents

November 5, 2009 // No Comments »

I’ll be conducting a “Raising Purity” workshop for parents in the Chicago land area at the end of this month. The workshop is a three hour distillation of the major themes of my book. If you live in the area, and are interested, below is the relevant information and the blurb from the registration website.

Do they know? Do you? Many young people today are confused about the Bible’s perspective on sex, dating and relationships. Should they give dating a chance or kiss it goodbye? What exactly is sexual purity, and how far is too far, anyway? Perhaps our children don’t know the answers to these questions because we as parents are uncertain ourselves. In this ground-breaking workshop, Gerald Hiestand provides objective, biblical answers to these vital questions, and unfolds a paradigm-shifting view of relationships and purity that challenges the basic assumptions of our Christian sub-culture. Touching on a wide range of subjects, this workshop is sure to help parents and children think clearly, biblically and practically about the God-ordained purpose of human sexuality.

Gerald Hiestand has conducted numerous purity workshops and is the author of Raising Purity: Helping Parents Understand the Bible’s Perspective on Sex, Dating, and Relationships. Gerald is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and serves here at Harvest as an Adult Ministries Pastor; he also oversees Harvest’s Adult Christian Education program.

Date: November 21, 2009
Place: Harvest Bible Chapel, Rolling Meadows, IL
Time: 8:30AM-11:30AM
Cost: $12 per person, $15 per couple (includes a copy of Raising Purity)
Registration: Online at harvestrollingmeadows.org/purity

A recording of the workshop will be posted here for those who can’t make it but are interested. Hope to see you there – bring a friend!.

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Upcoming “Pure Relationships” Workshop for Singles

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For those living in the Chicago land area, I will be conducting a workshop for singles on the topic of purity and relationships.  Here’s the relevant information, and the blurb from the registration website:

In a society that has long ago abandoned any meaningful commitment to chastity and virtue, honoring God with one’s sexuality can be a daunting task. Sadly, for many Christian singles today, absolutes in the realm of sexuality have remained entirely too elusive. What exactly is purity? Can it be defined objectively? How far is too far, anyway? What are we to make of dating–should we kiss it goodbye, embrace it, or find a middle ground? Why did God create human sexuality in the first place? Our failure to find objective, biblical answers to these questions has left the church in a state of moral uncertainty. In this workshop, Pastor Gerald Hiestand offers a biblical theology of human sexuality, and provides an objective definition to the subjective concept of purity. Participants will be challenged to rethink their understanding of human sexuality in light of the image of God.

Gerald Hiestand is the author of Raising Purity: Helping Parent’s Understand the Bible’s Perspective on Sex, Dating, and Relationships, and has conducted numerous purity workshops. Gerald serves here at Harvest as an Adult Ministries Pastor and the Director of Harvest’s Adult Christian Education. He has degrees from Moody Bible Institute and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is the executive director of the Society for the Advancement of Ecclesial Theology.

Date: December 5, 2009
Location: Harvest Bible Chapel, Rolling Meadows, IL
Time: 6PM-9PM
Cost: $12
Registration: harvestrollingmeadows.org/purityworkshop

This will be recorded and uploaded here, for those who are interested but can’t make the workshop.

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Purchasing Raising Purity through Amazon

November 4, 2009 // No Comments »

Raising Purity is available via Amazon, but it’s currently sold out. Amazon purchases books from publishers based upon need, so when a publisher releases a new title through Amazon, Amazon will often only purchase a few copies at the outset (they don’t want to get stuck with a bunch of copies they can’t sell). Once they begin to move a few copies, they start to order from the publisher in higher quantities. So if you’re interested in purchasing through Amazon, just go ahead and order the book and Amazon will send me a purchase order. It might take an extra week for you to get your book,  but you’ll get your copy and it will help encourage Amazon to keep a higher number of copies in stock.

Otherwise, you can also purchase the book through Entrusted Ministries, or pick up a copy at one of the Harvest Bookstore locations. A 40% discount on bulk orders is also available.

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Free Copy of Raising Purity

October 31, 2009 // 8 Comments »

Since I’m self-publishing, I could use a little help with the marketing. So here’s my, “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” proposal: I’ll send a free copy of Raising Purity to the first twenty people who send me an e-mail at ghiestand[at]harvestbiblechapel.org (include your address). But here’s the catch: You have to be a regular blogger (not a blogger whose last post was May 1, 2009), and you have to be willing to write a short review (doesn’t have to be a positive review) by Dec 31, 2009, linking back to raisingpurity.com. First come, first served!

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New Website Launch!

October 6, 2009 // 1 Comment »

Hey everyone, I’m excited to launch this new website in conjunction with the release of a new and revised second edition for Raising Purity (now subtitled: Helping Parents Understand the Bible’s Perspective on Sex, Dating and Relationships). I trust you’ll find the new format informative and easy to use. If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at ghiestand [at]harvestbible.org.

In the future, I’ll be posting excerpts from the book here on the Raising Purity blog, as well as adding additional relevant commentary, and information regarding workshop dates, etc.

Thanks for stopping by – come again soon!

P. S. If you’re looking to hire a web developer, I certainly recommend 343 Design.

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