TY - BOOK AU - Maken,Debbie TI - Getting serious about getting married: rethinking the gift of singleness SN - 9781581347418 AV - BV835 .M2245 2006 U1 - 248.4 22 PY - 2006/// CY - Wheaton, Ill. PB - Crossway Books KW - Marriage KW - Religious aspects KW - Christianity KW - Biblical teaching KW - fast N1 - Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-207); Introduction : confessions of an "almost" spinster -- Marriage and singleness -- What the Bible says about marraige -- What the Bible says about being single -- Historical views on marriage and singleness -- The lack of male leadership : the true cause of protracted singleness -- Rethinking the gift of singleness -- What we've been taught -- The "gift" of singleness and the sovereignty of God -- "Wait on the Lord" -- "Jesus is all you need" -- "Being single = knowing and serving God better" -- "Single = celibate" -- A few more "easy" answers -- Getting serious about getting married -- Saying no to the dating game -- Enlisting agency -- Inspiring men to Biblical manhood -- Conclusion : looking ahead N2 - Singleness is a "gift;" at least that's what we've been taught. But if singleness is a gift, then why does it make us feel so miserable so often? Does God really want his children to embrace a gift they resent so much? Debbie Maken proposes that marriage is the fundamental design and structure for life that God chose for hisp people. She argues that the church needs to reemphasize the importance of the gift of marriage. This book issues a challenge to churches in their teaching and attitudes toward singleness and to believers in their understanding of God's intentions regarding marriage UR - http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0517/2005022083.html UR - http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0912/2005022083-d.html ER -