Getting Serious About Getting Married

"Singleness is . . . the kind of gift that makes us cringe and smile politely while we desperately search for a gift receipt."

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 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 his people. Digging into the Bible and history, she shows that the modern idea that we should be content, even happy, with singleness is flawed, not normal for mankind, made in the image of God. She shows that this perspective has not been the norm in the past, and traces how that has changed over the last few generations.

The author contends that men should stop acting like children, and again take up the mantle of leadership and responsibility. She argues that the church needs to stop praising the virtues of singleness over marriage and must reemphasize the importance 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.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements
Introduction: Confessions of an almost spinster Part 1: Marriage & Singleness
1. What the Bible Says about Marriage
2. What the Bible Says about Being Single
3. Historical Views on Marriage & Singleness
4. The Lack of Male Leadership: The True Cause of Protracted Singleness
   Part 2: Rethinking the Gift of Singleness
5. What We've Been Taught
6. The "Gift" of Singleness and the Sovereignty of God
7. "Wait on the Lord"
8. "Jesus is All You Need"
9. "Being Single = Knowing and Serving God Better"
10. "Single = Celibate"
11. A Few More "Easy" Answers
    Part 3: Getting Serious About Getting Married
12. Saying No to the Dating Game
13. Enlisting Agency
14. Inspiring Men to Biblical Manhood
    Conclusion: Looking Ahead
    Discussion Guide
    Notes