Sweet Surrender: How Cultural Mandates Shape Christian Marriage

Every culture has a way of perceiving and practicing marriage. Many contemporary Western Christians mistake what their culture prescribes regarding marriage with what the Bible portrays and thereby take as biblical what is merely cultural. Uncritical conformity to cultural imperatives of marriage then becomes a Christian virtue and a sweet surrender. Few recognize much less question this confusion even when its consequences are unhealthy. In Sweet Surrender Dennis Hiebert challenges Christians to comprehend what is cultural in their view of marriage hold as optional what is not explicitly required by the Bible and live out their marriages within the transcendent grace of God. Gaining greater awareness can free marriages from the control of culture for something more simply but deeply Christian. Marriages benefit when they are released from cultural directives that are not biblical callings even if they choose to retain them as cultural practices. This book is for Christians who are ready to rethink their assumptions about marriage. Contemplating marriage is itself an act of courageous and intelligent cultural engagement and Dennis Hiebert serves as an expert guide. Sweet Surrender will help readers think anew about what marriage intimacy sex and love mean in various cultural contexts. --Jenell Paris Professor of Anthropology Messiah College In this biblically informed book Hiebert utilizes the concept of sweet surrender to describe the less than healthy way in which biblical ideals for marriage are surrendered to contemporary socio-cultural norms. This insightful book is timely for both [married] individuals and those attempting to understand the complexity of marriage in a postmodern society with competing systems of moral structure. . . . I strongly recommend this book for Christian leaders teachers or anyone else who wants [to] understand how the biblical essence of marriage can be recaptured in contemporary society. --Jack Balswick Senior Professor of Sociology and Family Development Fuller Theological Seminary Dennis Hiebert offers a provoking challenge to contemporary ideas (Christian and secular) about marriage. From mate selection to intimacy Dennis suggests mandates we hold about marriage are less biblical than cultural more influenced by Western individualism than Christian truth. Rather than offering another inspiring read of what marriage can be Sweet Surrender provides a corrective to unrealistic expectations couples hold for this ever-changing institution. --Lisa Graham McMinn Writer in Residence George Fox University Dennis Hiebert PhD is Professor of Sociology at Providence University College in Canada where he has taught courses in Marriage and Family for over twenty years. A former president of the Association of Christians Teaching Sociology he has authored numerous academic articles on the intersection of Christianity and sociology. Dennis and his wife live in southern Manitoba and have two adult sons.