Author: Adams, Jay E
Genre: Christian Living, Theology - Ecclesiology
Tags: Christian Living / Cross / Discipleship, Parenting / Family
Series:
Rick Shrader‘s Review:
Jay Adams wrote this book in 1980. At the time he was professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. For those of us who have read Adams most of our lives, we remember books such as Competent to Counsel, and The Christian Counselor’s Manual, and a host of other books. Adams is a Reformed writer so the reader always has to take that into account. This book on marriage and divorce borrows a lot from John Murray, also an older Westminster professor (writing in 1953 & 1961). Adams takes the historical evangelical view which goes back to the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) i.e., the “Innocent Party” view which allows for divroce in that cases of fornication and dissertion, and remarriage for the innocent party. In 1980 this was a game changing exposition. A generation later however, many other evangelical writers take this view including John MacArthur, Wayne Grudem, Jim Newheiser, John and Paul Feinberg, and Andreas Köstenberger. In fact, MacArthur sounds a lot like Adams from whom I think he borrows a lot. Adams does a good job of handling the Scriptures as well as the historical material. He adds a lot of counseling advice (being his background) which the reader can take or leave.