Marriage: Sex in the Service of God by Christopher Ash
Christopher Ash presents a comprehensive biblical examination of marriage that challenges contemporary assumptions about sexual relationships and their purpose. This scholarly work addresses the crisis in modern marriage, where four out of ten marriages end in divorce and cohabitation rates continue to rise while commitment levels decline.
Biblical Foundation for Marriage
Ash argues that Western society's idolization of sexual intimacy contains the seeds of its own destruction. Through rigorous biblical scholarship, he demonstrates that the primary blessing and purpose of marriage is not sexual intimacy itself, but rather serving God in partnership. This foundational understanding leads to the secondary blessings of love, friendship, children, and societal order.
Addressing Modern Marriage Crisis
The book confronts difficult questions facing contemporary society: If faithfulness is no longer valued, why marry at all? What did God intend when he instituted marriage? Ash provides answers rooted in Scripture, offering pastors, counselors, and married couples practical wisdom for rebuilding biblical confidence in marriage. The work acknowledges the depth of pain behind divorce statistics while pointing toward restoration through proper understanding of God's design.
Scholarly Yet Accessible
David Field describes this as "one of those precious rarities - a major piece of biblical scholarship which addresses an issue in today's headlines directly and warmly." David Wright praises it as "deeply scholarly, extraordinarily thorough and biblically faithful, as well as courageously fresh in rethinking the role of marriage in God's intention for human life."
