As Unto the Lord

The Fifth Commandment—to honor father and mother—isn't often used to exhort wives to be submissive and faithful helpers to their husbands. Using questions 123-128 of the Westminster Larger Catechism as a model, As Unto the Lord does just that, leading wives (and prospective wives) through a series of self-reflections aimed at encouragement and guidance.

Pam Forster focuses on the concept of authority inherent in the Fifth Commandment, as well as husband and wife hierarchy, presenting a number of statements concerning the extent to which a wife is to honor her husband followed by probing questions requiring women to scrutinize their own behavior and attitudes. The introductory statements (following the pattern "The honor which I owe to my husband is:....") are always thoroughly explained and defined at the outset. After each question are a number of relevant verses to aid self-examination.

This is a particularly versatile book, adaptable for person use, as the central element in a ladies' Bible study, or as an instructional tool for mothers and daughters. While there are a few projects for wives to complete included in the back (mostly Bible studies), this is primarily aimed at inducing practical reflection that leads to greater imitation of Christ.

No wife is a perfect wife—including the author of As Unto the Lord. She is the first to admit this, and describes her motivation for writing this book as stemming from a desire to better understand and fulfill her role as wife to her husband. Forster also acknowledges the influence and example of a number of women in her church congregation, and the importance of every wife having similar mentors in her life. While it's not a substitute for real relationships, As Unto the Lord can also act in that capacity.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.