Today I'm adding God, marriage and family by Andreas J Kostenberger and David W Jones to the Master Reading List under the category of Marriage (Available from Amazon).
There are many helpful books on marriage available and God, marriage and family covers most of the ground covered by others. There are chapters on marriage, families, children, singleness, homosexuality, divorce, remarriage and the church. But I do think Kostenberger and Jones' attempt stands out from the pack.
What sets it apart? Firstly, it is so Biblically grounded. The Old and New Testaments are carefully picked over for any data they provide on each individual subject. This data is then systematically and clearly presented.
Secondly, it deals well with controversial issues. Where there is room for disagreement among evangelicals, the authors are careful to not be dogmatic, e.g. divorce and remarriage. But where the Bible is clear and there is no room for disagreement, they are dogmatic, e.g. homosexuality is sin.
Thirdly, it speaks about subjects that many marriage books ignore, e.g. many Christians use the pill as a contraceptive without considering that it may have an abortive effect.
The only possible problem with the book is that it is long and, possibly, over the heads of some readers. Thus, it may have too much of a textbook feel (although relegating the copious footnotes into endnotes may reduce this sense somewhat).
But if you're willing to dig your teeth into understanding what the Bible says about marriage, you will certainly find food for thought (and practice!) in this work.
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