Some experts estimate that in Western nations as much as 50 percent of the adult population is now single. That is a statistic with tremendous significance for our nations, culture and churches. It is surely a statistic that is without historical precedent. Of course the decline of marriage coincides with increased sexual activity, showing that people like to enjoy many of the benefits and securities of marriage, but without the commitment. The Christian response to this new cultural landscape will prove interesting and will tell us much about the church’s commitment to hard truths.
Alex Chediak, currently apprenticing at The Bethlehem Institute in Minneapolis under the direction of John Piper and Tom Steller, addresses the particular challenges of singleness, marriage and dating in his new book With One Voice: Singleness, Dating and Marriage to the Glory of God. Alex previously edited 5 Paths to the Love of Your Life, an excellent book which I have previously reviewed Alex’s website.
Comments (4) »
1. joythruchrist
May 30, 2006
3:48 PM
Seems like a biblically sound and useful book. I wish there were books like this around when I was young(er)!
2. Alex Chediak
June 1, 2006
8:06 AM
I did wonder if the book covered too many topics….for example, the publisher requested the FAQ. Part of this is that their audience (includes the UK and Australia) is more secularized than America (Canada is too….saw your blurb on polygamy). There is not as much of a Christian sub-culture, which includes (arguably) an assumed body of knowledge.
BTW, I think Canada is to the left of America on same sex marriages, and other matters pertaining to sexual mores as well. (Don’t worry, we’re catching up….arrrg (:-
Anyway, thanks for the review.
3. gortexgrrl
June 5, 2006
8:44 PM
Speaking of John Piper, God bless him in his fight against cancer, but I do hope that he’s on board with this year’s whole “rethinking the gift of singleness” thing. I mean, he was one of the most outspoken propagators of the term “the gift of singleness” as you can see from his stance in Recovering Biblical Manhood…Womanhood.
Alex, if you’re apprenticing under his direction, do you know if his position has changed on that? Is he aware of the confusion created by several decades of widespread teachings of this kind, such as Christian singles agonizing over whether or not God has called them to singleness especially if they haven’t had much success at finding a partner? Ellen Varughese’s 1991 book The Freedom to Marry looks closely at this dynamic, and its most serious consequence of making people doubt if God wants them to pursue marriage!
I do hope so, because in order to change things, it’s probably going to take some retraction on the part of the leaders who have championed those ideas in the first place. Singles have often been told to repent if they were anything less than content with their singleness, so some of these leaders should set an example of repentance and admit that some of these teachings have been harmful.
4. Alex Chediak
June 9, 2006
1:57 PM
Sorry, gortexgrrl, I didn’t see your question until now.
To be honest, I’m not sure exactly where John is on that topic. I see your point about the 1991 volume Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. However, I thought on the second night of the Sex and Supremacy of Christ conference (Fall 2004) he spoke positively about Al Mohler’s “crusade,” which he seemed to have critiqued in the first night’s Q&A. From the dialogue, as I recall, he seemed to have understood it more the second night, as Dr. Mohler had a chance to explain his position more. The Conference book, later put out by Crossway, communicated on this matter well, I believe. In particular, the chapters by Mohler, Dever (and his associates), and Justin Taylor.
I’ve never talked to John about this. My perception is that his writing and theological juices are simply flowing in the streams of other topics these days.
You seem to have read a lot on this topic, gortexgrrl. I cannot find your blog, so I’d be grateful if you’d consider posting (or e-mailing me) a summary of your research on this.
Blessings,
Alex