Intro; Title Page; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction: A Priceless Jewel in a Plain Brown Wrapper; Part 1: God's Boundaries and Purposes for Marriage; Introduction to Part 1; Chapter 1: What Is "Marriage"?; God's Definition of Marriage: Foundations; One-Flesh Passages; Book of Common Prayer; Westminster Confession of Faith; Applying and Understanding God's Definition of Marriage; Ordained and Ordered by God; Marriage Is a Contract and a Covenant; Marriage Is Both Religious and Civil; Marriage Is Both Private and Public; Marriage Requires Mutual Consent

Marriage Is for All Types of PeopleMarriage Is Heterosexual and Monogamous; Marriage Cannot Be between Close Family Relations; Marriage Is for Life; Marriage Is a Sexual Union; Is Marriage a "Sacrament" for Believers?; Marriage: A Concise Christian Definition; Chapter 2: Mutual Help; Mutual Society, Help, and Comfort in the Scriptures; Old Testament; New Testament; Marriage and Friendship; Additional Thoughts on Mutual Help; Measurable Benefits of Marital Mutual Support; What about Cohabitation?; What about Same-Sex Marriage?; No Hope for the Unmarried?; Chapter 3: Sexual Fulfillment

The Sinfulness of Sex outside of MarriageWhat the Scriptures Teach; What Professing Christians Believe; What Professing Christians Practice; Sex within Marriage: Lovely, Healthy, and Morally Pure; What the Scriptures Teach; Protestant Reclamation of Balanced Biblical Teaching on Marital Sex; Marriage and Sex Enrich Each Other; Constructive and Balanced Approaches for the Church; Chapter 4: Procreation of Children; Procreation and Children in the Scriptures; Connecting Childbearing and Marriage; Intrinsic Value of Children; Children and the Puritan, Reformation Heritage

Modern Practices and Beliefs on Procreation and ChildrenReality of Bearing and Rearing Children apart from Marriage; Bearing Children; Valuing Children; Do Children Need Married Mothers and Fathers?; The Single-Parenting Disadvantage and Its Effects on Children; Cohabitation and Children; What about Same-Sex Parents?; Dealing with Infertility; Part 2: Before Marriage-Mate Selection and Preparation for Matrimony; Introduction to Part 2; Chapter 5: Choosing a Partner in the Lord; Suitable Spouses for God-Oriented Marriages

Choosing a Marriage Partner in Light of What Marriage Truly "Is" and Is Truly "For"Scriptural Character Traits for Prospective Marriage Partners; Caveats and Qualifications; Qualities for Prospective Husbands and Wives; Do Not Be Unequally Yoked; Biblical Teaching and Christian Doctrine on Marrying "Only in the Lord"; What the Biblical Prohibition Means and Does Not Mean; Chapter 6: Practical Wisdom in Choosing a Marriage Partner; Practical Wisdom from the Puritans; Character Estimates; Equality of Life Circumstances; Age Differences; Intellectual Ability

Socioeconomic Status: Education, Class, and Wealth

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on May 03, 2019).

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