Ayers, David J., <br/><br/>
Christian marraige:  A comprehensive introduction / 
David J. Ayers. 
 - 1 online resource (447 p.) 
<br/><br/> Socioeconomic Status: Education, Class, and Wealth 
<br/><br/>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 
<br/><br/><label>ISBN: </label>1683592557 9781683592556 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>Marriage--Religious aspects--Christianity.<br/>RELIGION / Christian Life / General.
<br/><br/><label>Index Terms--Genre/Form: </label><br/>Electronic books.
<br/><br/><label>LC Class. No.: </label>BV835  / .A94 2018 
<br/><br/><label>Dewey Class. No.: </label>248.844