A Comprehensive Introduction
DAVID J. AYERS
Christian Marriage: A Comprehensive Introduction
Copyright 2018 David J. Ayers
Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225
All rights reserved. You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Lexham Editorial Team: Jim Weaver, Elliot Ritzema, Jennifer Edwards, Sarah Awa
Cover Design: Whantai Park
ISBN: 978-1-941337-92-9
EPUB: 978-1-941337-93-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
I dedicate this book to my wife of more than thirty-five years and best friend for longer than that, Kathleen Burd Ayers.
She was that cute, interesting, popular Hermitage House social-work intern who took a chance on this eccentric, uncool, ex-hippy born-again who was not quite out of the woods. Through adventures and trials across six states, we have built a family and a legacy together under the care and lordship of Jesus Christ. Kathy has had to encourage me far more often than should have been necessary, but she never gave up doing so. She always points me back to God as my anchor, confidence, and hope in good times and bad. Kathy is my steady source of words “fitly spoken” that are like “apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Prov 25:11). This book would not have been finished but for her.
Introduction: A Priceless Jewel in a Plain Brown Wrapper
PART 1: GOD’S BOUNDARIES AND PURPOSES FOR MARRIAGE
Chapter 4: Procreation of Children
PART 2: BEFORE MARRIAGE: MATE SELECTION AND PREPARATION FOR MATRIMONY
Choosing a Partner in the Lord
Chapter 6: Practical Wisdom in Choosing a Marriage Partner
Chapter 7: A Call to Premarital Sexual Integrity
Chapter 8: Confronting the Dating Culture
Chapter 9: Doing Premarital Preparation the Right Way
PART 3: DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
Chapter 10: The Bible and Christian Doctrine on Divorce and Remarriage
Chapter 11: The Modern Divorce Plague
Chapter 12: Ruin and Wreckage: The Effects of Divorce
PART 4: MARITAL HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS
Chapter 13: The Beautiful Order of Christian Marriage
Chapter 14: Marital Satisfaction and Happiness
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About Christian Marriage: A Comprehensive IntroductionWhy should we care about marriage? There is a lot of confusion about the purpose of marriage today—outside the church as well as within it. Written by a distinguished Christian sociologist, Christian Marriage is a theologically rich, biblically robust, and sociologically informed treatise on the nature and value of marriage. Drawing on recent social science research, empirical data, and social history, David J. Ayers paints a picture of marriage as an institution meant for human flourishing. Along the way, Ayers addresses such topics as • Dating and selection of a spouse • The importance of premarital counseling • Sex and procreation • Mentoring and supporting unmarried believers • Divorce and remarriage • And current controversies surrounding premarital sex and same-sex marriage. Though the book is academically and theologically informed, it is written with a pastoral heart. It seeks to provide a rich resource for pastors and counselors on a topic of supreme importance to a vibrant church and society. |
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