When you think about marriage in our culture today it doesn’t take long to realize that for the most part, it has been twisted and perverted into something that is anything but Biblical. There are a lot of factors that paint this picture. Today nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, dating is approached primarily as a recreational activity instead of the means by which to pursue marriage, increased cultural emphasis on career and self is resulting in people delaying marriage until their late twenties or beyond, co-habitation of couples before marriage is almost the norm, and marriage is mostly seen as merely a means for emotional fufillment. In the midst of this crisis, we need books like With One Voice by Alex Chediak. The subtitle says it all: Singleness Dating & Marriage To The Glory of God
In his book, Chediak first examines the issues surrounding the cultural shift in attitudes and approaches towards marriage from previous generations to what we have today. He does so in a manner that is well researched and insightful enough to help the reader understand how and why these shifts have taken place and what we can do to be sure that we don’t stumble into the same pitfalls.
He goes on to challenge single readers to examine themselves and their attitude and approach towards their own singleness. Are you approaching your singleness to individualistically? Are you passive in your pursuit of a marriage partner? Are you afraid to lose the security of your singleness? Are you gifted with celibacy? These are some of the questions that Chediak asks of his readers who are single. In doing so, he points out right and wrong approaches towards singleness.
Also, for a select few who think they may actually have the gift of singleness, he shows indicators that can help confirm or deny whether or not they do indeed have this gift, and stresses its importance, which is using it for the Glory of God in service or in ministry. I would have liked to have seen more in the book about that particular subject, as it is one that I am quite interested in and believe that it applies to me. Still, though the subject matter on the gift of singleness/celibacy in the book may be brief, Chediak skillfully address the issue by using the example of the apostle Paul and even examines what our Lord Jesus has to say about it.
The next few chapters Chediak uses to define Biblical masculinity and femininity and the practical application of these qualities in the roles that men and women are called in scripture to assume. This is definitely a dose of much needed clarity in a culture that seeks to pervert these qualities and roles and labels any challenge of this perversion as “sexist” or “bigotry”. The author shows how these qualities and roles are crucial to a successful, God centered marriage. He also uses the principal of biblical masculinity and femininity to create a theme throughout the book in the form of a challenge to the reader: In your own pursuit of marriage are you looking for “the perfect spouse” or are you instead focusing your efforts in becoming an excellent spouse, the type of spouse that God wants you to be?
The rest of the book is devoted to carefully examining potential spouses and what traits to look for in a Godly husband or wife. Attention is also given to courtship, orderly and proper progression of the relationship, modesty, and the importance of maintaining sexual purity.
In conclusion, With One Voice is a well researched, well thought, Biblically solid book that serves as a sound and true standard for singleness, dating, and marriage. This book is a much needed work in a society that has turned the institute of marriage upside-down and inside-out. The author should be commended for shining the light of truth from The Word of God. So Alex, (can I call you Alex?) if you are reading this Sir, thank you for the labor I am sure you endured to write this book and for the excellence in manner of which it was written. May God bless you for it and may many hearts be changed because of it. And lastly, thank you for challenging me to examine myself, my singleness, and what I am doing with it, for if I am not using it for the Glory of God, it is all together a shameful waste.
Soli Deo Gloria!
