“In breadth of coverage, thoroughness of learning, clarity of analysis and argument and, I think, soundness of judgment, this solid, lucid, pastorally angled treatise has no peer. Evangelicals who research, debate, teach, and counsel on gender, sex, marriage, and family will find it an endlessly useful resource. The easy mastery with which the author threads his way through forty years’ special pleadings gives this compendium landmark significance, and I recommend it highly.”
—J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College
"A generation ago the most influential book on marriage for me was God and Marriage by Geoffrey Bromiley. Now I have been married over 35 years and have sons who are near where I was in their marriages. For them—and for a whole generation under assault on the meaning of marriage and family—I am now looking to Andreas Köstenberger’s new and larger God, Marriage, and Family to do for this generation what Bromiley’s book did for mine. Unlike Bromiley’s book, Köstenberger’s book takes on the challenges of the present explicitly. That is more necessary now than it was 25 years ago. The special value of this book lies again in its pervasive exposition of Scripture. We are adrift in a sea of speculation without this. I am thankful for the book. I plan to give it to my grown children.”
—John Piper, Pastor for Preaching, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis
“With current statistics indicating that the foundations of the family have been eroded just as much among Bible-believing Christians as among the general population, and with marriage itself under full-scale cultural assault, one great need is for clear, sound biblical teaching in the churches. But the issues are knotty and the application is not for the faint-hearted. In this challenging context, Andreas Köstenberger has provided us with a superb exposition of God’s Word on these matters. The Christian looking for a brief, understandable, straightforward, intelligent, faithful presentation of what the Bible says about marriage, family, divorce, remarriage, homosexuality, abortion, birth control, infertility, adoption, and singleness need look no further. God, Marriage, and Family: Restoring the Biblical Foundation is timely, well-informed, balanced, and pastorally wise. It will ducate and encourage Christian shepherds, and challenge and aid the flock in these perilous times. One great advantage of this book is the helpful collection of personal and group study aids accompanying each chapter. This makes the book’s solid instruction all the more accessible to teachers, preachers, and congregations, and aids the process of c
ommunication and discipleship.
”
—J. LIGON DUNCAN III Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Moderator, General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America
“This is a superb book—the work of a gifted exegete whose feet are firmly planted in this world. God, Marriage, and Family addresses the daunting issues facing today’s Christians regarding marriage, divorce, remarriage, sexuality, children, contraception, abortion, singleness, sex roles, and leadership with radical biblical fidelity and practicality. If you want the Bible on these questions, this is the book! As a pastor, I am recommending this book to all my church leaders. The charts and discussion questions make it easy to use and ideal for small groups.
What a gift to today’s church!”
—R. KENT HUGHES
Pastor, College Church in Wheaton (Illinois) “Characterized by exemplary exegetical analysis, Köstenberger’s book is a refreshing and welcome addition to the current debate on marriage and the family. This outstanding work will help academicians, pastors, counselors and anyone who genuinely seeks to understand God’s design from a biblical perspective.”
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MARY A. KASSIAN Author, Edmonton, Alberta
“Anything Andreas Köstenberger publishes is worthy of attention. A New Testament professor with interests both systematic and pastoral is as rare a find as a Warfield or Carson. Köstenberger is such a find. His international education and experience, his teaching career, and his Christian character make him an author to be read with both care and anticipation. “Growing out of his own teaching, writing, and living, this book is a great addition to any thoughtful Christian’s library. If you doubt this, just take a couple of minutes right now and read the preface. If you read the preface, you’ll read the book.Christians (and pastors) need to think more carefully—this book helps us. You may not agree with all of his conclusions, but you’ll be better equipped for living and teaching about God, marriage, and the family. Useful for scholars and ministers, the book’s charts and questions make it useful for personal and group studies as well.
“Köstenberger calls his approach ‘integrative’—I call it biblical and practical. Sensible, balanced, and biblical, this is a sound and timely summary of the Bible’s teaching on some of the most basic and yet controversial topics in today’s world. I highly recommend it.”
—MARK DEVER Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
“It is refreshing to find a book on marriage and the family that is (1) practical and understandable, (2) grounded in the teaching of hundreds of texts taken from the whole Bible, and (3) written by a first-rate New Testament scholar with the help of a widely respected ethics professor. The book is wide-ranging and reflects mature judgment in interpreting Scripture and applying it to life. The author does not avoid controversial issues (such as divorce, homosexuality, contraception, infertility, spanking of children, and male headship, to name a few), but in each case he treats the issues fairly with ample explanation of alternative views. This is an excellent book that deserves to be widely used.”
—WAYNE GRUDEM Research Professor of Bible and Theology, Phoenix Seminary, Scottsdale, Arizona
Read the forward and Preface & Chapter 1 to the book (pdf)
