Marriage and Family

2nd edition

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Better to Marry provides straightforward, practical instruction for single and married believers alike, taken directly from the classic Bible passages on sex and marriage. Two appendices treat the remarriage and prohibition of the remarriage of the "innocent party."

David J. Engelsma served as minister to several Protestant Reformed congregations until he was appointed to the Protestant Reformed Seminary in 1988 as professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament studies. He also served as editor of the "Standard Bearer" from 1988-2002. Prof. Engelsma has lectured and preached throughout the British Isles on behalf of the British Reformed Fellowship, which is devoted to the spread and defense of the Reformed faith in the United Kingdom. He lives in Grand Rapids, MI, with his wife and is the father of 9 children. He has authored many RFPA books. 

• 128 pages
• paperback 
• ISBN 978-1-936054-38-1
• Release date: 1993, 2014

eBook version available

 Click for a sample

We’re bombarded with antichristian messages everywhere in life, and from casual hookups to casual sex, our culture’s messages on dating are no different.

But Christians don’t have to follow these norms. The Bible gives us a better way.

It’s a way of chastity and wisdom. A way that understands that marriage—the end goal of dating—is for life. The person you marry will shape who you become spiritually. And that person will also be the father or mother to the children God is pleased to give you some day.

Pastorally and accessibly, Joshua Engelsma answers the practical questions of Reformed, Christian dating based on the truth that we must date differently—with marriage as the goal and scripture as the guide.

Read reviews by Carlos Antonio Gosmo (Sojourners), Kristin Stiles (booksataglance.com), James Admiraal (The Outlook), Gary Eriks (PRCA), Cory Griess (PRCA), Michelle Hofman (Young Calvinists), Jim Regnerus, Charles Terpstra (The Three R's Blog), Jon Van Dyk (Christian Renewal), Mrs. Ricky Pronk (The Messenger), and Sarah Vandergugten (Clarion)!

What others are saying about this book:

"A concise, accessible and biblically trustworthy source on this subject." –@reformedandreading

• "Wonderful! Very thorough and yet short and to the point...so, not intimidating for young people to read! It's a gem...look forward to reading more of [the author's] books in the future." – a reader (parent)
• "We didn't have to remind [our children]...to read it. They wanted to! And finished it in shocking time!  Made for an enjoyable Sunday evening of discussion with our boys. And the questions made for a great starting point with that." – a reader (parent)
• "This is a book full of practical advice on dating.  Especially helpful are the suggestions to pray at the end of dates which would help maintain physical boundaries, and to not over share throughout the day so there is plenty to talk about on dates.  Also the chapter focusing on single life is well written and encouraging."  – a reader (parent)
• "When I first opened the book I was amazed by how easy it was to read while understanding the concepts.  The book also gave thoughtful insight on the topic of dating." – a reader (young person)
• "It was a very well written book and displayed very well the concepts of dating."  – a reader (young person)

Joshua Engelsma is a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches of America. He lives in Doon, Iowa, with his wife, Courtney, and six children. He has served as pastor of Doon Protestant Reformed Church since 2014.

• 160 pages
• ISBN 978-1-944555-60-3
  

paperback version available

audiobook version available

  Click for a sample

We’re bombarded with antichristian messages everywhere in life, and from casual hookups to casual sex, our culture’s messages on dating are no different.

But Christians don’t have to follow these norms. The Bible gives us a better way.

It’s a way of chastity and wisdom. A way that understands that marriage—the end goal of dating—is for life. The person you marry will shape who you become spiritually. And that person will also be the father or mother to the children God is pleased to give you some day.

Pastorally and accessibly, Joshua Engelsma answers the practical questions of Reformed, Christian dating based on the truth that we must date differently—with marriage as the goal and scripture as the guide.

Read reviews by @reformedandreading, Carlos Antonio Gosmo (Sojourners), Kristin Stiles (booksataglance.com), James Admiraal (The Outlook), Gary Eriks (PRCA), Cory Griess (PRCA), Michelle Hofman (Young Calvinists), Jim Regnerus, Charles Terpstra (The Three R's Blog), Jon Van Dyk (Christian Renewal), Mrs. Ricky Pronk (The Messenger), and Sarah Vandergugten (Clarion)!

What others are saying about this book:

"A concise, accessible and biblically trustworthy source on this subject." –@reformedandreading

• "Wonderful! Very thorough and yet short and to the point...so, not intimidating for young people to read! It's a gem...look forward to reading more of [the author's] books in the future." – a reader (parent)
• "We didn't have to remind [our children]...to read it. They wanted to! And finished it in shocking time!  Made for an enjoyable Sunday evening of discussion with our boys. And the questions made for a great starting point with that." – a reader (parent)
• "This is a book full of practical advice on dating.  Especially helpful are the suggestions to pray at the end of dates which would help maintain physical boundaries, and to not over share throughout the day so there is plenty to talk about on dates.  Also the chapter focusing on single life is well written and encouraging."  – a reader (parent)
• "When I first opened the book I was amazed by how easy it was to read while understanding the concepts.  The book also gave thoughtful insight on the topic of dating." – a reader (young person)
• "It was a very well written book and displayed very well the concepts of dating."  – a reader (young person)

Joshua Engelsma is a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches of America. He lives in Doon, Iowa, with his wife, Courtney, and six children. He has served as pastor of Doon Protestant Reformed Church since 2014.

• 160 pages
• softcover
• ISBN 978-1-944555-59-7
• Release date: October 15, 2019

eBook version available

audiobook version available

In this book, a reader will find practical instruction on finding a godly marriage partner and maintaining a godly marriage. The author, a pastor for many years, is keenly attuned to the obstacles and problems facing many marriage-seeking Christians today, and he shares spiritual wisdom pertaining to relationships that lead to marriage.

• 62 pages
• paperback
• ISBN 978-0-916206-68-0
• Release date: 2001

Look inside the book

What we are told about the relationship of Christ and his church applies to the calling of every one of us. Do you believe? Are you a child of God? Christ is your husband. According to Romans 7:4, we are married to him. To live in that consciousness is the heart of the Christian life, essential also to living joyfully in marriage.

Every Christian’s relationship to Jesus Christ is pictured in the institution of marriage. Using the biblical principles behind this institution, the author provides sound instruction to each one of us on the relationship we have with Christ, our head, and with other members of Christ’s church, the body. Practical instruction on topics such as right communication within marriage and in the church, the biblical roles of husband and of wife, and the calling to walk in the Spirit, will encourage Christians of every station and calling to live joyfully as members of Christ’s body.

Read a review by Rev. John Marcus (PRCA).

Steven Key has been a minister of the gospel for over thirty-five years. This book is based on a series of sermons which he preached in the Protestant Reformed Church in Loveland, Colorado in 2015. Rev. Key married his wife Nancy in 1976, and they have four married daughters and sixteen grandchildren.

• 240 pages
• Hardcover
• ISBN: 978-1-944555-96-2

Hardcover version available

Look inside the book

What we are told about the relationship of Christ and his church applies to the calling of every one of us. Do you believe? Are you a child of God? Christ is your husband. According to Romans 7:4, we are married to him. To live in that consciousness is the heart of the Christian life, essential also to living joyfully in marriage.

Every Christian’s relationship to Jesus Christ is pictured in the institution of marriage. Using the biblical principles behind this institution, the author provides sound instruction to each one of us on the relationship we have with Christ, our head, and with other members of Christ’s church, the body. Practical instruction on topics such as right communication within marriage and in the church, the biblical roles of husband and of wife, and the calling to walk in the Spirit, will encourage Christians of every station and calling to live joyfully as members of Christ’s body.

Read a review by Rev. John Marcus (PRCA).

Steven Key has been a minister of the gospel for over thirty-five years. This book is based on a series of sermons which he preached in the Protestant Reformed Church in Loveland, Colorado in 2015. Rev. Key married his wife Nancy in 1976, and they have four married daughters and sixteen grandchildren.

• 240 pages
• Hardcover
• ISBN 978-1-944555-95-5
• Release date: 2022

eBook version available

 Click for sample

Convinced that instruction on marriage is for God’s youth early on, Pastor Cory Griess has provided a distinctive devotional aid for family worship. Parents, do not delay! Before our children enter the dating scene, where feelings tend to inhibit clear Christian thought, we must ground them now in scriptural principles. The youth of the church will soon make pivotal decisions in their dating years that will permanently affect their married lives. Here is a biblical, insightful, and practical guide for Christian parents, many of whom have vowed at baptism to train their children in the doctrines of scripture to the utmost of their power. —Pastor Jonathan Mahtani

Read reviews by Joshua Engelsma (author of Dating Differently), Don E. Galardi, Sacha Walicord, and Grant Van Leuven.

Cory Griess is a pastor and seminary professor in the Protestant Reformed Churches of America. He and his wife, Lael, live in Grand Rapids, MI, where he currently serves as Professor of Practical Theology and New Testament Studies at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Lael, have six children, all born in Northwest Iowa where he pastored for nine years before moving to Michigan in 2018.

• 112 pages
• softcover
• ISBN 978-1-944555-71-9
• Release date: August 4, 2020

This book is available in Spanish here via Amazon.com.

eBook version available

Using Scripture as his guide, author Herman Hanko in this book develops the truth of God's covenant as it relates to the baptism of the infants of believers. "We" (the elect people of God) and "our children" are and should be inseparably linked because they both belong to the covenant of grace, though some Christian denominations deny this beautiful truth when they refuse to baptize their children.

What others are saying about this book:

"Excellent." – Douglas Wilson (Goodreads)

"One of the best biblical arguments I've read for the case for covenantal infant baptism." – Chris G. (Goodreads)

Read reviews by Henry Pieter Kik (Westminster Theological Seminary) and Russell J. Dykstra (The Standard Bearer).

Herman Hanko (1930-2024) served as a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches from 1955 to 1965, when he was appointed to serve as professor in the Protestant Reformed Seminary in Grandville, MI. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 2001. Until his passing in April 2024, he continued to lecture widely in the USA, the United Kingdom, and other countries, including Singapore and the Philippines. He is the author of several RFPA books.

• 184 pages
• paperback
• ISBN 978-0-616206-79-6
• Release date: 2004