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God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation |  | Author: Andreas Kostenberger
Creator: David W. Jones
Publisher: Crossway Books
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
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Seller: sbd-
Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 13743
Media: Paperback
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.3
ISBN: 1581345801
Dewey Decimal Number: 261.8358
EAN: 9781581345803
ASIN: 1581345801
Publication Date: November 11, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
We live in a time of crisis regarding marriage and the family, and only by a return to the biblical foundation can these institutions be rebuilt. To provide an integrated, biblical treatment of the full range of marriage and family issues, the authors of God, Marriage, and Family examine what Scripture says about God's purposes for humans in their marriage and family interactions. Their examination covers the special issues stemming from marriage, childrearing, singleness, homosexuality, and divorce and remarriage. With study questions and points for further discussion, this book is a comprehensive yet concise resource for anyone seeking a Scriptural response to our culture's complex challenges to God's intentions for marriage and family.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 14
Excellent, Thorough Resource February 18, 2010
Joel Conrad (Kansas City, MO)
I know without a doubt that I'll be referring back to God, Marriage and Family by Andreas J. Köstenberger for the next 40-plus years I expect to be alive, granted that I don't die or Jesus returns. In this book Köstenberger gives a thorough analysis of what the Bible teaches on the institutions of Marriage and Family. Here's a key statement from the book:
"Both the Old and the New Testament present a coherent body of teachings pertaining to marriage and the family. From the Garden of Eden, to Israel, to Jesus, to the early church, to Paul, all uphold a very high standard in this crucial area of life. While countless times individuals fell and will fall short of God's ideal, Scripture makes clear that the Creator's standard for marriage and family remains intact--it was instituted at Creation, and is expected of humankind today. In this as well as in other areas, in the first century as today, Christianity towers above pagan cultures and displays the character of a holy God in the lives and relationships of his people." (275)
This book was honestly a challenge for me mentally, as the book was written at more of a pastor/scholar level. Also, I found that some of the topics were more interesting to me than others, requiring a bit of discipline, but that is my weakness and not the book's. Overall it was well worth working through this book to not only deepen my understanding of what the Bible teaches, but to also familiarize myself with it, knowing I'll be returning to it again and again as a helpful resource. Not only does Köstenberger spend a great deal of the book attempting to address everything the Bible says about marriage and family (Old Testament and New Testament), but he also thoroughly addresses many moral issues associated with family: divorce, abortion, birth-control methods, homosexuality, singleness, etc.
One thing that struck me as I read this book was the impact ignorance can play these areas of life. For instance, early in our marriage, when Kerry and I were trying to decide which "family-planning" method to use, we did not only lack in our understanding of how these methods actually worked, but we also lacked a biblical understanding of the sanctity of life and when life actually begins (inside or outside the womb). We thank God that our understanding deepened before we were married, and were thus able to avoid methods that were "abortive" in nature, but had we not sought out biblical wisdom and discernment in these issues and instead gone with our "natural" inclinations, we would have likely made a deeply regrettable decision. Köstenberger wrestles with issues like these in-depth and gives some helpful and practical guidelines for discernment.
The resources toward the end of the book are outstanding (171 of the book's 448 pages are resources for further study!), and the overall format is easy to use as a reference. Not only do I plan to turn to this book much in the future, but I would highly recommend this book to anyone, especially elders, parents, or students of the Bible.
A Must Read for Every Pastor or Christian Counselor February 11, 2010
David A. Hartman
Let me just say from the start of this review that this book comes highly recommended. It is praised by men such as J.I. Packer, Kent Hughes, John Piper, Mark Dever and Russell D. Moore. That alone should tell you it is worth the price and has some valuable content.
The current cultural view on marriage and the family is less than Biblical at best, and completely devoid of God and His truth at worst. Our churches have lost their understanding of the Bible's teaching on marriage and the family and have no clue how or why they should defend it. They have become weak advocates and poor examples of the love relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church. Mr. Kostenberger attempts to deal with this in a way that few, if any, have dealt with it in the past or at least for quite some time.
He starts with a Biblical/Historical look at marriage and builds from there. He deals with children, extended family, singleness, homosexuality, divorce and several other topics that are relevant to any Christian seeking a more thorough understanding. Because of this lack of understanding of a Biblical view he writes:
"For this reason there remains a need for a volume that does not treat issues related to marriage and the family in isolation from one another but shows how human fulfillment in these relationships is rooted in the divine revelation found exclusively and sufficiently in Scripture."
[...].
the best book available on marriage and family January 30, 2010
Vaidas Krasauskas (Lithuania, EU)
The book is written by two conservative evangelical scholars A. Kostenberger and D. Jones. The book touches all biblical passages which relates with marriage and family issues. The purpose of this book is to rebuild the biblical foundation in marriage and family. The book touches the themes of homosexuality, divorce, sterility, birt-control, etc. The books is very clear and easy to understand. It is the best book available on the subjects of marriage and family from the biblical perspective. If you are married or thinking about marriage buy this book and build your marriage and family on biblical foundation.
Excellent Read September 15, 2009
Bryce David Mitchell (Georgia)
The author expounds the Scripture and cuts through the culture's confusion presenting Biblical facts so the Christian and the Church can know the truth. Great read and thorough presentation of all related subjects.
 Most thorough book on the subject ou there August 26, 2009
Joshua Reich
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
We just finished our summer small group semester (go here to read about how we do small groups at Revolution: [...]) and it was a great discussion.
Our group read through the book God, Marriage and Family by Andreas Kostenberger.
The book covers a wide range of topics: the role of husbands and wives, where our culture is when it comes to marriage and relationships, divorce, parenting, being single, homosexuality, birth control, abortion and church leadership.
It is by far the most thorough book I've come across in terms of what the Bible has to say about marriage and the family.
The basis of the book starts with this: "Once God is removed as the initiator of the institution of marriage and the family, the door is opened to a plethora of human understandings of these terms and concepts, and, in the spirit of the postmodernism, no one definition has the right to claim greater legitimacy than any others."
What stuck out to me was a fresh reminder of my role as a husband ([...]
I think one of the main reasons couples tend to be unhappy, unfulfilled and marriages end is because no one knows what a husband/man is or what a wife/woman is. The Bible is very clear on these roles and yet, the church seems to stay quiet on this front because of fear of offending someone. When presented clearly and actually applied the way God laid them out, it is actually a beautiful thing.
This fall at Revolution we will be diving head first into this topic in our series [...].
I would say that Kostenberger's book is worth reading, it is thick, but definitely worth checking out. A shorter, easier to read version was just released by John Piper called This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 14
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