ST. LOUIS—Living according to a Christian sexual ethic today feels like an uphill battle, but this battle is not new. Many continue to struggle to follow God’s desire for love, marriage, and family. Christians today are in the minority in a world of extramarital sex, exploitation, abortion, frivolous divorce, and other behavior that significantly falls short of God’s glory. In his new book, Love, Marriage, and Family: Learning from the Early Christians, Finnish scholar Erkki Koskenniemi encourages Christians to live uprightly, honoring the wonderful gifts of love, marriage, and family our loving and forgiving Creator has given believers—just as the first Christians sought to do. The book is available to order on the Concordia Publishing House website now.
“Exploring the New Testament gives new perspectives to all Christians who are seeking God’s will in their own life,” Koskenniemi writes. “It might be an exaggeration to say there is nothing new under the sun, but for the most part, our difficulties are not unique to our time. The world was not an easy place for the first Christians to live. What can we learn from the challenges they faced?” (p. 5).
Throughout the book, Koskenniemi posits that traditional Greco-Roman sexual ethics were far from what society considers traditional today—rather, they more closely resemble the worldly and debaucherous behavior seen in modern culture. Specific topics covered in the book include views on children, social customs, homosexuality, remarriage, adultery, singleness, and more. Reflection questions follow each chapter to encourage deeper reflection.
“Erkki Koskenniemi provides us with substantial evidence that the early church, following their Jewish heritage, confronted similar challenges,” says David Shadday, author of Reclaiming the Heart of Marriage. “What they confronted and how they dealt with it, as spelled out in this book, provide much needed help as we stand, and live, in the confession of God’s Word.”
Visit cph.org for more information about the book. Contact the CPH Publicity team to schedule an interview with the author.
Praise for Love, Marriage, and Family
“It is tempting to think that our present struggles on the subjects of sexuality, marriage, children, divorce, and other such related issues are charting new territory for Christians in society. Erkki Koskenniemi provides us with substantial evidence that the early church, following their Jewish heritage, confronted similar challenges. What they confronted and how they dealt with it, as spelled out in this book, provides much needed help as we stand, and live, in the confession of God’s Word.”
Pastor David Shadday, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Indianapolis, Indiana; author of Reclaiming the Heart of Marriage
