A friend of mine is getting married after living with a man for a year. It is a second marriage for both of them. He is not a believer, and her actions speak against being one, too. They have requested any religious gifts be "minimal" at best. I would like to purchase a book on marriage from a Christian perspective because I believe it can be very beneficial in this world, and they will have a resource if they choose to use it. Two questions: Should I buy a book even though they have discouraged it? If yes, does anyone have any recommendations of a book with solid principles? Any insight is welcome!
Wedding Gift
- Thread starter TeachMe
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I wouldn't. I once bought a bible for a female friend (even though she said she didn't want one) and she is angry at me to this day.
Wisdom on Christian Marriage can only be received by Christians. I'm not a fan of most books on marriage but there are some good ones. The good books teach from the perspective of the duty of Christian couples who have transformed hearts and minds. For the unbeliever, simply putting principles into practice is like putting lipstick on a pig. They need the Gospel first.
I would get her a rice cooker.
I would get her a rice cooker.
Timothy William
Puritan Board Junior
When is the wedding? The time for reading a marriage book is before you are married; perhaps, if she is a close enough friend, give her a book now, not as a gift explicitly but as something along the lines of "hey, heard you're engaged, you might find this helpful" and then give a traditional gift at the wedding. Don't expect a book on marriage to convert her though, at best it might improve her marriage a little, and she would think that Christian teaching may be of some benefit; more likely it will only show her her failings.
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