Preserve Them, O Lord: A Guide for Orthodox Couples in Developing Marital Unity [Paperback]

Father John Mack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1997

A guide for Orthodox couples in developing marital unity: • premarital counseling for engaged couples; • marriage enrichment for those who are already married; • the development of an Orthodox understanding of marriage for those new to the Orthodox Faith. Preserve Them, O Lord is the resource you need. It gives you insightful guidance from an experienced pastoral counselor, supplemented by: • workbook exercises that help you understand yourself and your partner; • over 70 pages of supplemental readings on topics both spiritual and practical; • quotes from Scripture, the Fathers, and the wedding liturgy illuminating the patristic view of love, sex, and marriage. A practical guide for Orthodox marriages. Excellent for pre-marital counseling.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fr. John has served as a marriage/family and personal counselor, is married and has four children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Conciliar Press; 2nd edition (June 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888212012
• ISBN-13: 978-1888212013
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding marriage preparation for any Christian couple!, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Preserve Them, O Lord: A Guide for Orthodox Couples in Developing Marital Unity (Paperback)

This book is written with reference to the Orthodox wedding service, but is a wonderful resource for anybody in or preparing for a Christian marriage. In addition to very interesting and helpful discussions about the meaning of Christian marriage, money management, and other issues, the book contains questionnaires for the partners to answer, to get them to think about and discuss how they feel about a variety of issues, from raising children and birth control, to spending habits, to expectations of what married life should be like. My husband and I used this book together when we were engaged- it really showed us several areas we had not really thought about (that have since become important in our marriage), and also made us happy to see how well we agreed on so many issues. A wonderful resource for marriage!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Workbook, July 11, 2005

By 

JustinK (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Preserve Them, O Lord: A Guide for Orthodox Couples in Developing Marital Unity (Paperback)

I used this book a few years ago when I was attending classes before getting married. This book (and the video series associated with it) is very good, and I would recommend it to just about anyone, whether you are married, thinking about marriage, or thinking about not marrying. It's main strength is that it focuses on making marriage realistic. Yes, there are sections that talk about all the lofty virtues and whatnot there are associated with marriage. And that is important. But it also lets you know how difficult it can be--that it is in it's own way a cross to carry. It is also full of practical tips, funny anecdotes, and all the other stuff that makes a good book about this type of subject into a great one.

I have only two criticisms (and they are minor ones!). First, it would have been nice had sex not been covered in such a small degree. I guess this was done so as to allow each person's pastor freedom to discuss (or not discuss) the issue as the couple wanted. Still, a section or two about general views from an Orthodox perspective would have been nice. And second, I would very respectfully disagree with Fr. John Mack's statement that divorce was "almost unknown among traditionally Orthodox people ... because of the unique Orthodox view of marriage". I think it is demonstrable that the reason divorce was almost unknown in Orthodox cultures was for the same reasons that it was almost unknown in Catholic and Protestant cultures in the Old World: for cultural and familial reasons mostly having to do with stigmas and negative financial considerations.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent preparation manual for Orthodox couples, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Preserve Them, O Lord: A Guide for Orthodox Couples in Developing Marital Unity (Paperback)

I am currently using this workbook with my beau of three years. We are going to be bethroed in May and married in September. It is inspiring and gives us hope in this Post-Christian age. I highly recommend for young Orthodox people who are preparing for marriage.