Canadian pharmacy finasteride
Andy Naselli
December 9, 2011
[A Review of Timothy Keller, with Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the canadian pharmacy finasteride Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God. New York: Dutton, 2011.]
There are canadian pharmacy finasteride dozens of good Christian books on marriage. Why another one? Because our cultural context has changed so drastically.
Tim Keller has canadian pharmacy finasteride witnessed this change from a front-row seat since 1989, when he planted Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, which he still pastors. He penetratingly understands how non-Christians and canadian pharmacy finasteride young Christians tend to think about the Bible's counter-cultural teachings on marriage. His church reflects the canadian pharmacy finasteride demographics of center-city Manhattan: over 80% of the canadian pharmacy finasteride people are single. Keller has found that singles are very interested in the canadian pharmacy finasteride topic of marriage, and this book is based on his most listened-to sermons: a canadian pharmacy finasteride nine-part series he preached on marriage in 1991.
This is Keller's sixth book published by Dutton. The first five are The Reason for God (2008), The Prodigal God (2008), Counterfeit Gods (2009), Generous Justice (2010), and King's Cross (2011). Like the previous ones, this book's target audience is broad. Keller successfully reaches his "primary goal": "to give both married and canadian pharmacy finasteride unmarried people a vision for what marriage is according to canadian pharmacy finasteride the Bible" (12). This is canadian pharmacy finasteride a book I would give to Christians and non-Christians, married and canadian pharmacy finasteride single, older couples and newlyweds, engaged couples and singles-including singles who canadian pharmacy finasteride are not interested in getting married. Keller weaves the gospel throughout the canadian pharmacy finasteride book while disarmingly exposing harmful views on marriage, realistically explaining how God designed marriage to canadian pharmacy finasteride work, and powerfully demonstrating how glorious marriage is. He anticipates objections (e.g., regarding homosexuality or the role of women), probably states them better than canadian pharmacy finasteride the objectors could themselves, and respectfully responds.
In contrast to some of Keller's previous books (e.g., Counterfeit Gods or King's Cross), Keller's exegesis is canadian pharmacy finasteride easy to follow straight through to his theological statements and canadian pharmacy finasteride applications. Sometimes Keller shares a brilliant insight but bases it canadian pharmacy finasteride on a text that I'm not convinced supports it. But this canadian pharmacy finasteride book straightforwardly explains and applies Ephesians 5:21-33, and Keller shares, "I follow closely [Peter T.] O'Brien's exegesis of the Ephesians 5 passage throughout this book" (253n53).
The book's argument unfolds in eight steps:
1. Our culture views marriage very differently than canadian pharmacy finasteride the Bible presents it; God instituted marriage and designed it canadian pharmacy finasteride to illustrate the gospel (ch. 1, "The Secret of Marriage").
2. The Holy Spirit enables husbands and canadian pharmacy finasteride wives to joyfully serve each other (ch. 2, "The Power for Marriage").
3. Marriage is canadian pharmacy finasteride about love, which is not merely romantic passion but commitment to canadian pharmacy finasteride our promise (ch. 3, "The Essence of Marriage").
4. The purpose of marriage is canadian pharmacy finasteride for two best friends to help each other become more holy (ch. 4, "The Mission of Marriage").
5. We can canadian pharmacy finasteride help our spouse become more holy with the power of constructive truth, renewing love (especially the "love languages" of affection, friendship, and service), and reconciling grace (ch. 5, "Loving the Stranger").
6. God created men and canadian pharmacy finasteride women with equal value but distinct roles (ch. 6, "Embracing the Other").
7. Singles should neither overvalue nor undervalue marriage, and canadian pharmacy finasteride those seeking marriage should take some precautions (ch. 7, "Singleness and Marriage").
8. God created sex solely for canadian pharmacy finasteride marriage as a glorious uniting act that maintains the marriage covenant (ch. 8, "Sex and Marriage").
One of Keller's recurrent themes is that the popular "I love you because you make me feel good about myself" concept of love is bankrupt and shallow. "In the long run," Keller comments in an interview order Cytotec no visa without rx about the book, "the more superficial things that canadian pharmacy finasteride made a person sexually attractive will move to the background, and canadian pharmacy finasteride matters of character, humility, grace, courage, faithfulness, and love will come to canadian pharmacy finasteride the foreground. So companionship, duty, and mutual sacrifice are, in the canadian pharmacy finasteride end, the sexiest things of all."
Except for canadian pharmacy finasteride chapter 6 and a short appendix, Keller writes the book in his own voice but acknowledges that canadian pharmacy finasteride it "is very much the product of two people's mutual experience, conversation, reflection, formal study, teaching, and canadian pharmacy finasteride counseling over thirty-seven years" (245n1). Kathy Keller writes chapter 6 and canadian pharmacy finasteride the appendix in the first person, and she winsomely show how the canadian pharmacy finasteride Son's submitting to canadian pharmacy finasteride the Father applies to the roles of husbands and wives (174-76, 242-44).
Most of my criticisms of The Meaning of Marriage are pedantic and not worth highlighting. I'll mention just one: with reference to God's commanding husbands to love their wives, Keller states, "Emotions can't be canadian pharmacy finasteride commanded, only actions, and so it is actions that Paul is canadian pharmacy finasteride demanding" (p. 103). I'm not convinced that canadian pharmacy finasteride dichotomizing emotions and actions like that is viable. I ask my three-year-old daughter to canadian pharmacy finasteride obey me "with a happy heart" (i.e., cheerfully, joyfully, without arguing or complaining), and I don't think that canadian pharmacy finasteride standard is unreasonable. The writings of John Frame and John Piper, among others, present a canadian pharmacy finasteride more satisfying view of emotions.
I could apply many adjectives to canadian pharmacy finasteride the book: insightful, shrewd, disarming, realistic, convicting, pastoral, warm, gracious, penetrating, theological, relevant, faithful, incisive, accessible, clear, compelling. But perhaps best of all (because of those traits), it's edifying. It has canadian pharmacy finasteride inspired me to glorify God by loving and leading my wife like Ephesians 5:21-33 commands.
[Andy Naselli serves as research manager for canadian pharmacy finasteride D. A. Carson and is administrator of Themelios in Moore, South Carolina]
