{CLOSED} Young and In Love: Challenging the Unnecessary Delay of Marriage {Book Review & Giveaway}

Did you know that the leading cause of divorce is NOT marriage? It’s not. But I’d be willing to bet that you or someone you know has been told not to get married for non-biblical reasons. You know, things like age, education, career or financial stability.

Ted Cunningham wrote a great book titled Young and in Love: Challenging the Unnecessary Delay of Marriage. I have been married for ten years this November and I wholeheartedly agree with the premise of his book. Ted points out early on that his book is not for people who WISH they were getting married but for those who have found their prospective spouse. I would say that he is only half right. Young and In Love is a wonderful book to get some thoughts about qualities they need in a prospective spouse BEFORE everyone gets overly invested.

Young and In Love covers several different areas. First, he goes over the need to identify foxes–those people who are against your marriage for selfish or misguided reasons. Then he talks about purity–specifically why it’s a bad alternative to young marriages. My favorite chapter is about prolonged adolescence, where he discusses how our culture has moved from: child –> adult to adding intermediate stages of adolescence and delayed adulthood.

Ted discusses consequences of delaying marriage unnecessarily on society and even calls out college pastors for doing so. He doesn’t want people to get married blindly, however, and so he goes into reasons not to rush & good reasons to delay. The last several chapters are about the 4 “C” qualities to help determine if this marriage should go forward–character, chemistry, competency, & calling. And lastly, of course he gives some wise words on what marriage is and how to get through it.

Overall, I loved Young and in Love! The idea that my husband and I, who were 24 & 21, respectively when married would be told not to, seems ludicrous. I would recommend this book to anyone whose children are 16 or older. Not only could it give mom and dad a good point of view to consider, but it’s a great guide for teens old enough to date. When I was a teen, I NEVER dated with the thought of finding a husband– not even when I met him :). I would also recommend this book for couples who may be getting serious about one another just to make sure they are on the same pages. Excellent read!

Win It!

Ted graciously surprised me with an extra copy to give away!

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Contest ends August 20, 2011 at Midnight EST and is open to US & Canadian mailing addresses. Winner will be selected by the plugin “And the Winner Is…” I will email the winner & they will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be picked.

Good luck!

Thanks to B&B Media Group for sending me a copy of this book to review!