Every now and then you find a book on marriage that is different from all the many others that have been published on this subject - and this is one of them. Of course you wouldn't expect anything else from John Piper. This book like all his books comes from the anvil where he has hammered out what the Word of God says. Even when you don't necessarily agree with his conclusions you can't help but honour a man who so honours the word with deep reflective study.
The basic thesis of this book is that marriage has its ultimate point in something much greater, that it is a parable of something of everlasting permanence,i.e. the love of Christ for His people.
The book comprises 15 chapters dealing with all the usual matters concerned with marriage. The chapters always have some practical insights that many readers will not have previously considered.
While I really enjoyed and hopefully benefited from this book there were several areas where I was not in agreement with the author. The author argues for example that there are never any grounds for divorce and that a marriage can end whenever we find that Jesus love for His church has ended. While not agreeing with Mr Piper's conclusion I think that his arguments should help us hate divorce and should stir up couples to do all that is possible to flee from something that God says He hates.
Being a Baptist pastor the writer fails to see the dimension of God's covenant when it comes to the comments concerning raising children. If this matter, which I believe is of vital importance, can be remembered by the reader then there is much that will be of help in this book.
This book definitely goes on my list of books for people taking marriage preparation or marriage recovery classes.
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