What Is Marriage? identifies and defends the reasons for this historic consensus and shows why redefining civil marriage is unnecessary, unreasonable, and contrary to the common good.Originally published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, this book’s core argument quickly became the year’s most widely read essay on the most prominent scholarly network in the social sciences. Since then, it has been cited and debated by scholars and activists throughout the world as the most formidable defense of the tradition ever written. Now revamped, expanded, and vastly improved, What Is Marriage? stands poised to meet its moment as few books of this generation have.Rhodes Scholar Sherif Girgis, Heritage Foundation Fellow Ryan T. Anderson, and Robert P. George offer a devastating critique of the idea that equality requires redefining marriage. They show why both sides must first answer the question of what marriage really is. They defend the principle that marriage, as a comprehensive union of mind and body ordered to family life, unites a man and a woman as husband and wife, and they document the social value of applying this principle in law.Most compellingly, they show that those who embrace same-sex civil marriage leave no firm ground—none—for not recognizing every relationship describable in polite English, including polyamorous sexual unions, and that enshrining their view would further erode the norms of marriage, and hence the common good.Finally, What Is Marriage? decisively answers common objections: that the historic view is rooted in bigotry, like laws forbidding interracial marriage; that it is callous to people’s needs; that it can’t show the harm of recognizing same-sex couplings, or the point of recognizing infertile ones; and that it treats a mere “social construct” as if it were natural, or an unreasoned religious view as if it were rational.If the marriage debate in America is decided soon, it will be with this book’s help or despite its powerful arguments.

    And no one gets it like the Google Generation. God came to earth to invite us, personally, into a relationship. And while Christians at times downplay relationships, the social-media generation is completely sold on the idea. In Viral, Leonard Sweet says Christians need to learn about connecting with others from the experts—those who can’t seem to stop texting, IM-ing, tweeting, and updating their Facebook statuses. What would happen, he asks, if Christians devoted less attention to strategies and statistics and paid more attention to pursuing relationships? The current generation is driven by a God-given desire to know others and to be known by others. Most of them, in seeking to connect in meaningful ways, have found a place of belonging that is outside the organized church. Why not bring the two together? Those who are sold out to relationships can teach Christians how to be better friends to people who need God. At the same time, members of the social-media generation can learn how to follow their desire for belonging, straight into the arms of God. It’s time for relationship to be restored to the heart of the gospel. And when that happens, can revival be far behind? End-of-Chapter Interactives Included

    And when we’re confronted with something that scares us, our brain sees only two options: Attack or Avoid But either way, polarization intensifies. What if you could defy your own instincts and choose a third option—scandalous, disruptive, unthinkable LOVE? Sure, we love people who are like us, who are easy to enjoy. Everyone does. But what about our enemies, the people we consider monsters? Loving them requires exceptional strength—strength only the Holy Spirit can provide.Love over Fear is a compelling guide to conquering fear with love in an age of polarization. Hear stories of those who changed hearts and minds through radical love, learn how to practice disarming compassion, and discover the disruptive power of showing affection to monsters.

    His analysis of the true meaning of human love is life-transforming and practical, shedding light on real issues between men and women.Edward Sri unpacks the contents of this great work, making it accessible to every reader. The author emphasizes the down-to-earth nature of Love and Responsibility, helping readers appropriate practical information on such topics as:● how to determine if a relationship is one of authentic love or is doomed to failure● the problem of pornography● the meaning of friendship● how to achieve greater intimacy in marriage and much moreStudy questions with each chapter make this a valuable resource not only for individual personal reading but also for small group study.

    We enjoy the music we love-listening to it, talking about it, reading about it. But it's just as fun to passionately revel in mocking the music we hate. Fortunately, musicians make this two-lane path very easy to follow. Half the time they're creating timeless works of art that speak to the soul; the other half, they're recording ridiculous concept albums about robots.I Love Rock 'n' Roll (Except When I Hate It) covers both sides: It celebrates the music world's flashes of genius, the creation of masterpieces, and the little-known stories...as well as the entertainingly bad ideas. Armed with a healthy dose of Brian Boone's humorous asides and lively commentary, you'll learn extremely important stuff like:? How bands got their stupid names ? All alternative rock bands directly descend from Pixies ? The most metal facts of metal in the history of metal ? The secret lives of one-hit wonders ? The story behind Layla, and other assorted love songs about George Harrison's wife ? What is quite possibly the worst song in rock historyBoone also reveals terribly useful information like chart trivia, the rules of music, lists, and many more origins, meanings, and stories about everyone's most loved and loathed musicians.

    But the same things that have made it so have also made a good marriage more fulfilling than ever before. In this enlightening and hugely entertaining book, historian and marriage expert Stephanie Coontz takes readers from the marital intrigues of ancient Babylon to the sexual torments of Victorian couples to demonstrate how recent the idea of marrying for love is-and how absurd it would have seemed to most of our ancestors. It was only 200 years ago that marriage began to be about love and emotional commitment, and since then the very things that have strengthened marriage as a personal relationship have steadily weakened it as a social institution. Marriage, A History brings intelligence, wit, and some badly needed perspective to today's marital debates and dilemmas.

    She operates from the assumption that most couples who are curious about or engaged in open marriages are in fact more like hernormal people who question whether monogamy is right for them; good people who love their spouses but want variation; capable parents who are not deviant just because they choose to be honest about their desires. In Open, Block paints a down to earth picture of how an open marriage can work, and specifically why it works for her and her husband. In dissecting other people s strong reactions to her choice, she explores the question of why cheating is more socially acceptable than open marriage. In part, she concludes, the lack of models for successful functional open marriages is such that the general public is not yet equipped to handle treating it as anything other than abnormal. Open challenges our notions of what traditional marriage looks like, and presents one woman s journey down an uncertain path that ultimately proves that open marriage is a viable option, and one that s in fact better for some couples than conventional marriage."

    What's more, men were made for times like these. And the men of the past--the good ones, anyway--have left us a plan to follow. They built houses to last--houses that could weather a storm. This book contains their plan. ""With wit and flair and a manly willingness to face the facts of life, Wiley shows us how to have a real household ​rather than a chilly wayside inn, and how to help build again the real local communities that require such households for their existence. Without a recovery of manhood, it is not going to happen. Pastors, this book is for you, too."" --Anthony Esolen, Providence College; author of Out of the Ashes: Reclaiming American Culture, and Real Music: The Timeless Hymns of the Church C. R. Wiley is the Senior Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Manchester in Manchester, Connecticut. He has written for Touchstone Magazine, Modern Reformation, Sacred Architecture, The Imaginative Conservative, and Front Porch Republic. He blogs for Patheos on the Evangelical Channel. His short fiction has appeared in The Mythic Circle (published by the Mythopoeic Society) and he has published young adult fiction. He has been a commercial real estate investor and a building contractor. And he has even taught philosophy to undergraduates.

    Best-selling author Shannon Ethridge theorizes, “Fantasies are simply the brain’s way of trying to heal itself from unresolved tragedies and traumas. We mentally compartmentalize our pain to make room for pleasure.”Fantasies have deep psychological roots, and if acted on many of them can do deep psychological damage. Rather than let fantasies rule us, let’s take out the sting and bring them under God’s rule, allowing the Lord to heal us from the brokenness and insecurities that cause inappropriate fantasies to haunt us.Without being judgmental or condemning, Shannon helps us dissect several common and often-disturbing topics, such as:• a distorted fascination with pornography• the mental pursuit of multiple partners• the lure of gay and lesbian desires• bondage, domination, and sadomasochism (BDSM)With tips for controlling unwanted fantasies and resources for providing a safe haven for recovery, The Fantasy Fallacy helps us recognize and heal our emotional pain and equips us to help others do the same.

    Discover:Why men fall in love -- and how to make him fall  in love all over again...with you.Fifty-one foolproof ways to keep his fire lit.How to make your man a sex object -- he'll love  it!How to put fun, growth, thrills, and  communication into your relationship.How  to make him feel so special you'll always be the  one-and-only woman in his life.Join the  thousands who have learned the secret of keeping  passion alive and the joy of love that lasts a  lifetime.

    Here, word for word is that amazing speech to inspire you to find what it is that you "Love".

    God radically changes people, and he offers us the opportunity--and the ability, by his power--to be involved in that change. We can live not just as grateful objects of his love but as effective instruments of his love in the lives of the people around us. Have you been satisfied by too little? Content with small changes in your life and the lives of others? Unsure of how to help others and uncomfortable when you encounter their needs? You don't need to start with a strategy or technique, Tripp argues--you need a renewed imagination! Only then can you grasp what is real but unseen and live accordingly. The kingdom of God is near, and it takes us far beyond our personal situations and relationships, making ordinary people a part of God's extraordinary plan for the world. This guidebook shows us how.

    But in the modern world, the breast is changing. Breasts are getting bigger, arriving earlier, and attracting newfangled chemicals. Increasingly, the odds are stacked against us in the struggle with breast cancer, even among men. What makes breasts so mercurial—and so vulnerable?In this informative and highly entertaining account, intrepid science reporter Florence Williams sets out to uncover the latest scientific findings from the fields of anthropology, biology, and medicine. Her investigation follows the life cycle of the breast from puberty to pregnancy to menopause, taking her from a plastic surgeon’s office where she learns about the importance of cup size in Texas to the laboratory where she discovers the presence of environmental toxins in her own breast milk. The result is a fascinating exploration of where breasts came from, where they have ended up, and what we can do to save them.

    Through probing discussion questions, this guide helps you work through anger, jealousy, pride, and more while looking to God for His grace and forgiveness.• 8 lessons

    With warmth and candor, Bruce Feiler recounts the year he spent as a teacher in a small rural town. Beginning with a ritual outdoor bath and culminating in an all-night trek to the top of Mt. Fuji, Feiler teaches his students about American culture, while they teach him everything from how to properly address an envelope to how to date a Japanese girl.