Books: Gender, Marriage, Husbands & Wives
/Our church recently spent three weeks walking through foundations of biblical marriage (and other related topics such as gender, headship, submission, etc). For many, it was the first time they've been exposed to biblical teaching on why God created marriage and what it means to be a husband and wife. While there are other resources available, the following is a list of those I have found to be the most helpful and accessible. I commend them to you for personal/group study:
On Marriage
The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God, Tim Keller (This book is probably the most well-rounded and helpful, particularly when dealing with conflicting cultural ideas of marriage. I encourage every single to read this.)
This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence, John Piper (Piper takes a more direct biblical approach to the subject of marriage than Keller and makes issues like headship, submission, masculinity and femininity compelling and, even, desirable.)
Love that Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace, Gary and Betsy Ricucci (This book takes a more practical/pastoral angle and speaks specifically to many
of the every day issues that marriages face. We, as a church, are
currently using this book as a part of our pre-marriage process.)
See also:
When Sinners Say I Do, Dave Harvey
What Did you Expect, Paul Tripp
On Gender
What’s the Difference? Manhood and Womanhood defined according to the Bible, John Piper (You can download this as a FREE pdf here. This is the most basic, helpful, practical piece of writing out there on the the topic of biblical masculinity and femininity.)
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem (You can download this as a FREE pdf here. This work is a collection of essays by various pastors, professors and theologians. The book deals with every section in the Bible that refers to gender and answers frequently asked questions. If you really want to get into the biblical interpretive issues underlying these topics, you’ll want this book.)
On Husbands
Federal Husband, Douglas Wilson
Reforming Marriage, Douglas Wilson
Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God, CJ Mahaney
Fidelity: What it Means to be a One-Woman Man, Douglas Wison
On Wives
Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney
Fruit of Her Hands, Nancy Wilson
Praise Her in the Gates, Nancy Wilson
Creative Counterpart, Linda Dillow
Let Me Be a Woman, Elizabeth Elliot
On Feminism
Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist Word, Carolyn McCulley
Single-Volume Resource
God, Marriage and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation, by Andreas Kostenberger (This book is probably the best single-volume biblical theology on family and marriage. Kostenberger deals with everything from creation to children to contraceptives. We utilize portions of this in our pre-marriage.)