Marriage is sacred and a brilliant part of God's plan, but not all marriages are healthy and happy. Let this book restore the heart and soul of your marriage. Christian marriage is meant to reflect the beauty, power, and love of God, shining through two people, who radiate respect and honor for each other's unique abilities and personality. When the image of God is seen in a sacred relationship, the world stands in awe. What happens, though, when one partner is overly dominant, making all the decisions, imposing their will and personal image on the marriage, muting or drowning out the other partner? The answer is - stagnation, disappointment, sadness, alienation, depression. Eventually, the over-dominated partner's spirit is wounded and the will to give up sets in. Unfortunately, marriage based on a hierarchy is often taught by Christians as the pinnacle of God's plan for marriage, with the husband given "headship" over his wife and children. Mutuality is and equality is as the enemy of Christian marriage. But do we really understand important words like "headship" and "helpmeet"? Or have generations of misunderstanding clouded our thinking? Distortions in our thinking lead to well-intended but unhealthy structures in too many Christian marriages, leaving wives feeling disregarded or crushed under the rule of over dominant men. Even worse, the over-dominant man is often supported by his pastor, told that this is his "God-given role" and his wife must learn to "submit" without question. In this book, you will be challenged to re-arrange your thinking on this vastly important question: What makes a truly Christian marriage? And if you need to make shifts in yours, it will help to show you the way forward.
About the Author: DeAnne first understood how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ when she lived in upstate New York and became involved in Youth For Christ. She met and married her husband in a Conservative Baptist Church, and the two of them studied at North Park University in Chicago. DeAnne graduated from Iowa State University in Ames Iowa, and received her graduate degree at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. As a young mother she developed a passion to protect our Judeo/Christian values, and became the Prayer Chapter Coordinator and later the State Director for Iowa's chapter of Concerned Women for America. She won awards for Best Special Project, Most Prayer Chapters, and even the coveted State Director of the Year award. She started homeschooling her three children in 1990, and gradually the pull towards homeschooling led her back into teaching and she served as a Home School Supervising Teacher for 19 years. During the years she served in these two arenas, she met and befriended many women who lived in abusive marriages inside of the Evangelical and Fundamentalist churches they attended. As the Patriarchy Movement became more main stream in the homeschool world, she witnessed the heartbreaking scenarios she writes about in this book. With a heart to reform and renew Christian marriage, it is her desire to bring hope and healing to women - and men - who are victims of this mindset.