Boekbekendstelling
The Battle for the Biblical Family
(professor in Biblical Counseling, RPTS)
Die skrywer in sy voorwoord:
“To think biblically about the family, we must realize two things: first, the gospel of Jesus Christ, found in the Bible, is not shameful; it is the power of God unto salvation. We are not to be ashamed of it intellectually. The biblical world-and-life view is not only cogent and complete, it is the only true view. The Apostle Paul compellingly proves that men have rejected God’s truth.
To the extent that man rejects the Bible, his thinking—whether informal, formal, or scientific—will be distorted and false. Such distortion occurs overtly in non-Christian religions. It comes out more subtly in academic and scientific endeavors. The field of psychology, especially counseling psychology, provides one of the clearest examples of intellectual apostasy.
Now that Marriage, Family, and Child Therapy is a separate field of study and the Family Systems approach to therapy is well established as a way of looking at families, we can expect more and more deviations from a biblical view of the family. False views become popular because the biblical view of the family has been abandoned. If your presuppositions about God, the world, yourself, sin, and redemption are not biblical, then your view of the family will be false.
Second, although the Bible does not tell us everything about the family, we must mine its depths before we can make observations or build theories. Thus, the method I used to develop this book took the following steps:
Step One: I read the Bible through, listing all passages dealing with the family—directly or indirectly. The list, found in Appendix 1, is extensive, if not exhaustive.
Step Two: I exegeted the passages.
Step Three: I categorized the texts.
Step Four: I looked at popular Christian books and studied theological works on the family. (See Sections 1 and 2.)
Step Five: I researched academic work on the history of the family in Western civilizations since biblical times. (See Section 3.)
Finally, I tried to develop biblical solutions based upon my knowledge of the Word and my pastoral experience. (See Sections 4, 5, and 6.) …
Time has passed since this work was first written. While some of the academic and cultural references are dated, the need for the truth of Scripture and for a Third Great Awakening has only increased. Confusion about our identity as individuals and about the definition and purpose of family is at an all-time high. Now more than ever, we need to study God’s plan for this critical building block of society that is a key to solving its deep problems. May God enable you to win the Battle for the Biblical Family.”
Dr. Jay Adams skryf as volg oor hierdie boek, in die voorwoord:
“George Scipione (“Skip” to those who know him) has produced a book that is as close to a theology of marriage as one could desire. Yet, at the same time, it is far more than that. It is a sympathetic approach to just about every aspect of marriage. Instead of setting forth a flat, academic exposition of facts to defend and propagate the Christian view of marriage, you may find that it is a book that you will turn to again and again for help in pursuing your own marriage.
By no means, however, is this a coffee-table volume! In teaching, preaching, and counseling it will prove itself indispensable. In addition to extensive biblical exposition (which at all points is central to what he writes), George fills his book with suggestions and helps that flow from practical exposition of his own insightful exegesis. These he has gleaned from many years of counseling persons with marital difficulties. You will find, however, that, while offering such practical help, he never makes assertions without backing them with biblical truth.
If you want to say anything about the volume, you must say that it is “thoroughly biblical.” It is important to observe, however, that the warmth of loving Christian concern for people facing marital difficulties that Skip exhibits is never sacrificed for biblical purity or tactical measures in fighting the “battle” mentioned in the somewhat misleading title. Rather, it is wedded to his writing as firmly as the marriages he seeks to establish through the application of biblical content. Whatever your reason for reading this introduction may be, I assure you that you will find the volume more than its title advertises. For all of the reasons listed above, I do not think you will regret purchasing it. Indeed, I predict that it is likely to become one of the most thoroughly thumbed-through books in your library.”
Inhoudsopgawe:
SECTION 1
THE FAMILY: WHY BOTHER?
1. God’s Basic Building Block
2. God’s Reflection
3. God’s Servant
4. God’s Model
SECTION 2
THE FAMILY: DOES GOD CARE?
5. God’s Overview
6. God Looks at Marriage
7. God Looks at Children
8. God Looks at Parents
SECTION 3: IS THE WEST BEST?
9. The Family in Western Culture
10. The Family in Non-Western Culture
SECTION 4: WHERE’S THE BATTLE?
11. The Family’s Internal Battle
12. The Family’s External Battle
SECTION 5: WHAT’S THE STRATEGY?
13. A Battle Plan
14. Reinforcements
CONCLUSION
CAN MY FAMILY HELP?
15. Your Family and God’s Covenant
APPENDIXES
1. Biblical Texts that Deal with the Family
2. The Family and Theology
3. The Family and Biblical History
4. The Family and Gender Roles
5. The Family and the Local Church
6. The Family and Social Science
7. The Family and Counseling
8. The Family and the Civil Magistrate
9. The Family: An Annotated Bibliography
NOTES
Onderhoud met die skrywer
“Dr. Scipione identifies the cultural trends that have led to the demise of the family today, from the Sexual Revolution of the 60’s to the Kinsey Institute to the latest gender issues. From there he explains how a proper applied theology of the family is essential to the church and society. Then he reveals some of the strategy of the battle plan for the restoration of the family.”
Hier kan die onderhoud en bespreking van die boek, saam met die skrywer, geluister word:
3GT Episode: The Battle for the Biblical Family
Die boek kan hier bestel word: Crown and Covenant, en is ook as e-boek beskikbaar op Kindle (Amazon).
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