Buy new:
$24.67
FREE delivery: May 4 - 6 on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
List Price: $26.95 Details

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Save: $2.28 (8%)
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery May 4 - 6 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery April 30 - May 2
Usually ships within 3 to 5 days
$$24.67 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$24.67
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$3.99 delivery Thursday, May 2. Details
Or fastest delivery April 25 - 29. Details
Used: Good | Details
Sold by books_from_california
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: Over 1 MIllion Amazon Orders Shipped - Buy with Confidence - Satisfaction Guaranteed! We Ship Daily! Excellent Customer Service & Return Policy. Ships from USA.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Christopher Ash
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Marriage: Sex in the Service of God Paperback – January 1, 2005

by Christopher Ash (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 20
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$24.67","priceAmount":24.67,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"24","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"67","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"n73ZCJ6fWjwp%2FwxxISJNZjxOFds1tLePyRwCiVlX4rO67ptevbgIt2g3ZjHnpZqlXk6wxXEU%2F186eIZCsTjrT8s4iBMT0xC1%2FcT2cqrFxT8mq1ABuMldlUAZ%2FRDDoCiAyDEhwa2Ffq8%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.53","priceAmount":6.53,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"53","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"n73ZCJ6fWjwp%2FwxxISJNZjxOFds1tLePjjBNtQ%2BJQvSNWthRs4x8vPQ%2FbLxwacuEOxngiu3oHEdIdMcQvUdP%2Bd032iyTTD7vpm%2BnK2Lqpvw3D%2F96Hg1CHGekCWm1nS39Etx2z4vAyOv56hvXpnYlwxD1bE%2Bed4ovicTXOiVGA8hgdYoSJpAxlg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The ´way of a man with a maiden´ was too wonderful for the writer of Proverbs to understand. Preoccupying so many thoughts and dreams, the subject of countless songs, films and fairy tales, the love between a man and a woman has always been a profound and perplexing mystery. And yet we do not live happily ever after. Four out of ten marriages will end in divorce. Couples now choose to live together rather than marry, and those relationships are even less likely to last. People are having fewer children, later, and with a succession of partners. Ironically, just when so much is expected of love, Western societies are witnessing lower levels of public commitment in sexual relationships than ever before. The scale of this change amounts to a revolution, a major historical paradigm shift. The statistics mask a depth of pain that every pastor and counsellor knows only too well. We must face the inevitable questions: if faithfulness is no longer esteemed, why get married at all? What is marriage? What did God intend when he gave us marriage? Christopher Ash argues that our modern idolization of the sexual relationship contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction. To begin to rebuild a biblical confidence in marriage, we need to understand that the primary blessing and purpose of marriage is not sexual intimacy, but rather serving God in partnership. This in turn leads to the blessings of love, friendship, children, and order in society, and will help us to rediscover that faithfulness which is the heart of marriage. ´One of those precious rarities - a major piece of biblical scholarship which addresses an issue in today´s headlines directly and warmly. One to own, not to borrow.´ -- David Field ´Deeply scholarly, extraordinarily thorough and biblically faithful, as well as courageously fresh in rethinking the role of marriage in God´s intention for human life.´ -- David Wright Christopher Ash studied at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and then joined the staff at St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge. From there he headed to a church plant and is now Rector of All Saints, Little Shelford. He is married to Carolyn and they have four children.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    396 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Regent College Publishing
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2005
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.88 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1573833398
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1573833394
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Frequently bought together

Marriage: Sex in the Service of God
$24.67
Usually ships within 3 to 5 days
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be
$11.79
Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
One of these items ships sooner than the other.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"One of those precious rarities—a major piece of biblical scholarship which addresses an issue in today’s headlines directly and warmly. One to own, not to borrow." — David Field

"Deeply scholarly, extraordinarily thorough and biblically faithful, as well as courageously fresh in rethinking the role of marriage in God’s intention for human life." — David Wright

About the Author

Christopher Ash studied at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and then joined the staff at St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge. From there he headed to a church plant and is now Rector of All Saints, Little Shelford. He is married to Carolyn and they have four children.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Regent College Publishing (January 1, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 396 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1573833398
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1573833394
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.28 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.88 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 20

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Christopher Ash

Christopher Ash

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Christopher Ash is Writer-in-Residence at Tyndale House in Cambridge. He is a full-time preacher, pastor, teacher, and writer. After working in the telecommunications industry and as a teacher of maths, Christopher studied theology at Oxford, where he was awarded the Denyer and Johnson prize. He was ordained and served as an Assistant Minister in St.Andrew the Great in Cambridge, before leading a church plant to All Saints, Little Shelford, in 1997. In 2004 he and Carolyn moved to London where Christopher served as Director of the Proclamation Trust’s Cornhill Training Course until July 2015.

Christopher’s wife Carolyn served on the Board of London City Mission for sixteen years and previously led the teams that ran three annual Proclamation Trust conferences for wives of pastors. She and Christopher have been entrusted with three sons and a daughter (all now grown up) and ten grandchildren.

Christopher’s major writing project is a four-volume commentary on reading, preaching, and praying the Psalms in Christ, to be published by Crossway in July 2024 ("The Psalms: a Christ-centered Commentary").

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dean Chia
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Expect It To Be "Practical." It aims to provide a theological basis from which to apply Scripture practically.
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
For those who want a book that goes back to the theological basis for marriage, this book is it. It does not aim or even hint at or pretend to be a practical manual. Rather, it serves to highlight the theology behind marriage SO THAT one can have a biblical grounding on top of/from which one can begin to consider how to practically apply this to real-life marriage situations. If you dislike it because it is "dense" or too thorough and "not practical enough," (all which may be true), you cannot fault Christopher Ash. He did not intend to write a practical handbook. So as long as you expect from it what the book itself claims to do, you should find this an excellent resource.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Confusedcrib
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
Marriage has something to say to secular co-workers, liberal Christian acquaintances, and even fellow conservative evangelicals
Helpful
 Report
Joshua Greiner
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done and very thorough
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
I would commend this book to anyone who wants to know more about marriage from the perspective of the Bible.
Helpful
 Report
J&B Lea
5.0 out of 5 stars GAME CHANGER: Radically recalibrated the way we relate to each other, and the way we as a couple relate to the world.
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2018
Why did God make us marrying creatures? Why not make us like the snails? Just able to reproduce however and wherever? What is the purpose of marriage in God's economy, anyway; and how should that help us understand our own marriages?

In this THOROUGH theological work (hint: It's LONG. But worth every single page), Ash maps out the current moment culturally with regard to sexuality and relationships, and then traces a biblical theology of marriage throughout the pages of scripture. Ash doesn't ask "how" we should approach marriage without asking WHY God created marriage, first - and understanding his redemptive, creative, community-building purposes - creates the framework for HOW we might go about finding marriage partners and building lives together.

My husband and I both read this book and it was a paradigm shift for us both in how we relate not only to each other, but how we together relate to the world. We are tremendously grateful for Ash's labor of love and have commended the abridged (and less intimidating!) version of this book (entitled "Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be") to dating, engaged, and married couples for more than ten years now.
Helpful
 Report
Phil Postma
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Adds scholarly meat to the shorter and more ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent. Adds scholarly meat to the shorter and more accessible Married For God, by same author. Further sociological research and theological and biblical reflection. Excellent ethics work
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Adam Embry
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Pastors
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2015
I was handed this book by a significant Reformed evangelical pastor who said, "This will be the best book on marriage you read." And this book was exactly that. Reading Ash does require a minimal amount of mental effort, as he's a biblical scholar and theologian, so he's going to push you to think. This isn't an easy read. Your Bible will need to be open sitting next to you as you read. But this read is worth is. Ash covers historical background from the Old & New Testament and equally engages modern culture to critique its distorted views of sex. His views help us understand why God created sex and how it relates to the kingdom of God. It's doubtful many readers have considered this intersection. Ash conveys this insightful and important idea when he writes, "The task of kingdom proclamation is the necessary precursor to creation stewardship. When we say that marriage must serve the creation mandate, this implies that the primary and urgent present task is the proclamation and heralding of the kingdom. The creation mandate must be read in the light of the Great Commission. . . . Marriage is given to enable humankind to exercise responsible dominion over God's world, a dominion only entered into in Christ." These are some deep thoughts that need to be pondered. Besides Ash's clear thinking on marriage and discipleship, he also covers topics such as one man and one woman, the purpose of children, and how God intends for us to be faithful for life. Grab this book! Read it! Then practice its truths in your marriage and proclaims its truths in your ministry.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Suzy Kell
4.0 out of 5 stars Clear, comprehensive and uplifting
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2014
I am getting married soon and I found this book informative, comprehensive and wonderfully uplifting. While the reader does require the basic grasp of some advanced theological ideas and terminology, the points are clear. I feel reassured and much more equipped to enter married life with the truth from the bible and would recommend this book to all of my engaged friends.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Michael Berra
4.0 out of 5 stars Differing views have to wrestle with this work
Reviewed in Germany on October 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Somebody pointed out that this were the best and most comprehensive book on sex/marriage he has read. That is the reason why I read this 400 page work.

Ash‘s basic thesis is that to speak biblically about sex one has to speak about and understand marriage.
This he does in a three part structure, each with a central thesis:

1. THAT marriage is (objective existence)
Thesis: „that marriage exists as an objective entity, instituted by the Creator God as a part of the order he has graciously placed in his world.“

2. WHY marriage is
Thesis: „God has given to human beings the unique dignity that in responsible relationship to him they may exercise stewardship over his world, and he has instituted marriage in the context of that responsible dignity and task.“ That‘s the reason for the book’s title „Marriage: Sex in the Service of God“.

3. WHAT marriage is
Thesis/definition: „Marriage is the voluntary sexual and public social union of one man and one woman from different families. This union is patterned upon the union of God with his people his bride, the Christ with his church. Intrinsic to this union is God’s calling to lifelong exclusive sexual faithfulness.“

I like the central thesis of this book that one has to understand the biblical concept of marriage to then derive a biblical sexual ethics - and not vice-versa. I like his definition of marriage (see Nr3) and believe it is concise but encompassing. I like that his argument is thourough and considers many different approaches, weighing them against each other and then developing his consistent line of thought. This is the main reason why I am giving 4 stars. I also like that in an otherwise quite traditional book/argument (see e.g. long chapter 14 where he argues for a complimentarian view) there are interesting nuggets pointing to fresh perspectives (at least for me).

However, I also see some weaknesses or at least areas where Ash could not convince me and I would disagree.
It starts with thesis Nr.1. I find his argument that marriage is a God created order finally not convincing. The main question would be whether the garden Eden speaks of an actual marriage or that marriage was necessary in broken world (without going into details). Since he grounds almost everything on this premise this would question many of his other strong convictions. Secondly, although I find thesis Nr.2 very good since the whole human existence should be in partnership and service of God, but marriage is only a expression of this larger task/relationship. Yet time and again it seems that Ash almost argues that marriage is the main mode in which this service has to happen. I believe he does not mean to, but this is the impression it left on me.

Nonetheless this book is worthwhile reading since it makes a solid argument and as such is also a valuable discussion partner and resource for differing approaches. The point is: if one does argue for some other view one has to wrestle with his tight trajectory.
Report
Chris Hammersley
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
Not quite read it yet, but loving it so far!
Report