Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood (Foundations for the Family Series)

Working as a board certified Licensed Professional Counselor, I am required to use written treatment plans with my patients. That raises the question of which orientation to use. I chose to break with the current ones taught in graduate schools and use one that has a known history of success. Having observed a trend in our culture to blur the distinction between manhood and womanhood, to the demise of many couples, I chose to use the biblical orientation. That immediately raised the issue of finding a reputable source upon which I could formulate my treatment plans. Enter Wayne Gruden and his book. I was drawn to his book by yet another book "What's The Difference" by John Piper. His writings led me to more serious in depth works on the subject during which I came across the name Gruden. It seems that Piper's book is the light weight of three publications, and Gruden's is right in the middle. After reading Gruden's work, I think I will pass on the heaviest weighted volume for now. I found Gruden's work to be just about right, not too light, and not too heavy. It is, nevertheless, a rather thorough work. In it he not only lays out the created gender role differences, he also addresses the more prominent arguments raised against the biblical stance. I found that to be very helpful in providing me with some peace of mind while writing my treatment plans - a sort of apologetic primer on the subject. The book had enough surprises in it (things I did not know) to easily hold my interest to the very end, and thorough enough to require that I frequently laid it down, pondered what was written, checked out his citations, and re-read some passages. That puts it in the category, in my experience, of a text book, or reference volume, which is exactly how I have treated it.

For years a debate has raged over how to define true masculinity and true femininity. While there is agreement that men and women share equally in the privilege of being made in God's image, some views of manhood and womanhood blur God-given gender distinctions.

Wayne Grudem assembled a team of distinguished writers to show how egalitarian views destroy God's ideal for your relationships, marriage, and life purposes. The contributors to this book include:

• John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Bruce A. Ware, Senior Associate Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Richard W. Hove, Director of Campus Crusade for Christ at Duke University
• Daniel Doriani, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary
• Daniel R. Heimbach, Professor of Christian Ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Peter Jones, Professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in California

These writers explore key issues, including the interchangeability of male-female roles, the meaning of submission, and the historical novelty of egalitarian interpretations of Scripture. This book will demonstrate how some views of manhood and womanhood tamper with our understanding of God's character and why the extremes of male domination and feminism destroy the beauty of our sexual differences-differences that celebrate the excellence of men and women as God created us.

For years a debate has raged over how to define true masculinity and true femininity. While there is agreement that men and women share equally in the privilege of being made in God's image, some views of manhood and womanhood blur God-given gender distinctions. Wayne Grudem assembled a team of distinguished writers to show how egalitarian views destroy God's ideal for your relationships, marriage, and life purposes. These writers explore key issues, including the interchangeability of male-female roles, the meaning of submission, and the historical novelty of egalitarian interpretations of scripture. This book will demonstrate how some views of manhood and womanhood tamper with our understanding of God's character and why the extremes of male domination and feminism destroy the beauty of our sexual differences -- differences that celebrate the excellence of men and women as God created us. - Back cover