LOVE & WAR
Finding the marriage you’ve dreamed of
By John & Stasi Eldredge. Hodder & Stoughton. 212 pages. £11.99
ISBN 978-0-340-99550-1
The authors say that all storytelling down the ages — myth, saga, fairy tales, films, etc. — are trying to tell us the ‘very thing the Bible tries to tell us. Conflict in marriage is ultimately part of the larger spiritual battle between good and evil, ‘love and war’. This is the book’s frame of reference and comes from their shared mission to teach ‘the centrality of [man’s] heart to the gospel’ and to bring it ‘in a fresh way’.
There is much to commend in this book and a wealth of good advice from their counselling experience. I welcomed their stress on the cosmic aspect of marriage, particularly in the area of conflict — your enemy is not your spouse! We need to be told that our mission is ultimately Genesis 1.28, a shared adventure. Particularly helpful is the chapter on ‘the greatest gift you can give’ your spouse — a real relationship with Jesus Christ — and that only he can meet our deepest needs.
