" For centuries its critics have argued that the Reformation was all about sex. Beyond the caricature, there is something significant in the observation. The theological revolution which began in Wittenberg and engulfed so much of early modern Europe was not confined to the cloister of the university; it had an immediate and palpable impact on everyday life. Historians such as Steven Ozment have done much to bring this dimension of the Reformation's impact into full view. Michael Parsons' important study, Reformation Marriage, continues this exploration. Aware of appeals made to the teaching of the Reformers by both sides of contemporary debates about gender and relational issues, Dr. Parsons allow us to hear Luther and Calvin for ourselves, locating their comments about family life against the background of medieval teaching on the subject and placing them in the context of each man's wider theological concerns. Here is careful and accessible scholarship that challenges popular misunderstandings about the contribution of the Reformation in this area." --Mark D. Thompson, Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia "In the only book specifically on the subject to date, Michael Parsons investigates the theology of marriage in the writings of Martin Luther and John Calvin, carefully examining a daunting breadth of the Reformers' theological, exegetical, and homiletic works. He concentrates on the role of the wife in the conjugal relationship, but avoids the common polarity between the modern feminist critique of the woman's role in a Christian understanding of marriage and society, and those who simply ignore the gender difference between man and woman. While appreciating the questions raised by the modern liberationist and feminist scholars of the Reformers, Parsons believes they have generally failed to deal with the corpus of the Reformers in a sufficiently nuanced way. On the other hand, unlike some scholars who want to rescue these Reformers from contemporary criticism, Parsons carefully argues from wide primary evidence that neither Luther nor Calvin envisaged modifying the traditional hierarchal structure of marriage or the subordinationist conjugal relationship between man and woman. He refuses to turn the Reformers into pro-twenty-first-century thinkers, much as we might like them to conform more readily to our own contemporary attitudes. His interpretation therefore injects a much-needed dimension of historical realism into the ongoing scholarly debate on the Reformers' social theology." --Rowan Strong, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia

Does your marriage fulfill your dreams? Are you not yet married but eager to wed? Are you afraid to marry because you've seen so few happy marriages? R.C. Sproul offers this practical guide to help married couples -- or those seeking to get married -- develop the skills of marriage. Diligently scriptural, The Intimate Marriage shows how marriage can have an abundance of joy when grounded in the wisdom of God. Sproul walks through some of the toughest things couples struggle with today: communication, sex, roles, divorce, anger, and more. He shares what the Bible says about each, as well as lessons he has learned from his own marriage of forty years. "My hope is that your marriage will be an adventure, exciting and fulfilling." says Sproul. Questions at the end of each chapter will help couples apply these biblical principles to their marriages. Book jacket.

On 13 June 1525, Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun, in a private ceremony officiated by city preacher Johann Bugenhagen. Whilst Luther was not the first former monk or Reformer to marry, his marriage immediately became one of the iconic episodes of the Protestant Reformation. From that point on, the marital status of clergy would be a pivotal dividing line between the Catholic and Protestant churches. Tackling the early stages of this divide, this book provides a fresh assessment of clerical marriage in the first half of the sixteenth century. It investigates the way that clerical marriage was received, and viewed in the dioceses of Mainz and Magdeburg under Archbishop Albrecht von Hohenzollern from 1513 to 1545. By concentrating on a cross-section of rural and urban settings from three key regions within this territory, Saxony, Franconia, and Swabia, the study is able to present a broad comparison of reactions to this contentious issue.

You would not expect this from his dour reputation, but John Calvin transformed the Western understanding of sex, marriage, and family life. In this fascinating, even sensational, volume John Witte and Robert Kingdon treat comprehensively the new theology and law of domestic life that Calvin and his fellow reformers established in sixteenth-century Geneva. Bringing to light and life hundreds of newly discovered cases and theological texts, Witte and Kingdon trace the subtle historical forms and norms of sex, marriage, and family life that still shape us today.

Marriage aims at the glory of God through intimate companionship. God meant husband and wife to walk together, talk together, work together, and sleep together. As the Puritans said, God did not make the woman out of man's head to control him, or out of his feet for him to trample on her, but out of his side to be embraced near to his heart. Here is a book of practical encouragements for two key aspects of marriage: companionship and sex. Dr. Joel Beeke draws upon the wisdom of the Holy Scriptures and over three decades of pastoral ministry to present a dozen practical principles for fanning into flame the fire of love between husband and wife. The Bible has a higher aim than a satisfying marriage, namely, glorying in God forever. Marriage will one day be done, made obsolete by the magnificent relationship between Christ and His people. Even now, marriage is neither the chief purpose nor the highest joy of man. But the Scriptures do call wedded people to glorify God here and now through their marriages. Dr. Beeke's book aims to assist them in this. In Part I ("Friends"), the book explores the meaning, cultivation, and threats to friendship in marriage. Friendship is that personal bond of shared life that brings people together in delightful harmony. It is rooted God's created order of making men and women in His image. We broke this harmonious order when our first parents sinned against God, simultaneously turning against each other. But Christ is the great peacemaker and friendship-restorer. Cultivating friendship with your spouse is hard work, but profoundly rewarding. It revolves around sharing life together. The book gives guidance in how to share yourself with your spouse through the gifts of time, discussing decisions, listening to each other's feelings, talking about how God is at work in your lives, praying together, building trust, laughing together, giving thanks, pleasing your spouse, and finding shared interests. It also walks the reader through the minefields of giving and receiving correction, honoring in-laws, having balanced friendship with others, and supporting on another in crises. Above all, we must remember that our most important friendship is with our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone can walk with us through life, death, and eternity. In Part II ("Lovers"), Dr. Beeke sets forth several ways in which the gospel energizes married Christians to enjoy sex in holy delight. The words "gospel," "sex," and "holy," may not seem to go together. This book shows that in reality sexual love between husband and wife is both a holy duty pleasing to God and blessed privilege empowered by Christ's grace. Rather than splitting our lives into different compartments such as sex and religion, God calls us to respond to Christ's mercies by offering our whole existence to Him as a living sacrifice. The Bible teaches us doctrines like the image of God in man, the creation mandate God laid upon the human race, the moral law for marriage, forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ, sanctification by divine grace, Christ's call to take up our cross, adoption by God, and turning from idols to give thanks to God. All these doctrines have massive implications for our sexual relationship with our spouses. However these doctrines must do more than sit in our minds; they must sink into our hearts. In Reformed, experiential fashion, Dr. Beeke leads the reader to know, believe, feel, and act based upon God's Word applied by God's Spirit.

How would you describe the spiritual aroma of your home? The source of this aroma is the relationship between husband and wife. Many can fake an attempt at keeping God's standards in some external way. What we cannot fake is the resulting, distinctive aroma of pleasure to God. Reforming Marriage does what few books on marriage do today: it provides biblical advice. Douglas Wilson points to the need for obedient hearts on the part of both husbands and wives. Godly marriages proceed from obedient hearts, and the greatest desire of an obedient heart is the glory of God.

This book examines the impact of the Reformation on the ideal and practice of marriage in sixteenth-century Germany.