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Referring to marriage as the “holy platform,” author Fenelon asserts that the relationship between a man and a woman, lasting a lifetime in faithful commitment, is God’s prototype for establishing all humanity. If all were committed to this institution, the world would be a more orderly, peaceful place. Sex before marriage, unfaithfulness during marriage, and divorce all lead to moral chaos. Interestingly, the author has woven into his narrative the story of a family which is based, he says, in fact and one in which all members over several generations have to make many different sexual choices. Their attitudes and actions illustrate important principles. First, parents must lovingly and strictly discipline their children in the “boot camp” of childhood. Fenelon believes that no child so raised will fall into sexual sin: “sex trafficking, homosexuality, lesbianism, transgender, queer, bisexual.” Further, divorce—generally caused by hard-heartedness and humanistic values—leads to a multitude of problems for ex-spouses and their children. All these problems and our manner of coping with them demonstrate “our heart condition regarding God’s word.”
Fenelon is an ardent student of scripture whose sincerely held thesis aims at guiding readers away from sexual sin and into lives impacted by spiritual, Christian values. He hopes to lead the reader to a higher understanding of the love of God, which never fails. He focuses tightly on the virtues of faithful marriage and dedicated childrearing, presenting lengthy biblical passages regarding severe punishments instituted by the Israelites for those who went against these basic principles, and contrasting those with our current culture that accepts such sins as the norm. Many voices of reason speak out through Fenelon’s lively, credible scenarios, and reason leads, as he deftly depicts it, to the logic of God-centered choices. His book offers much material for serious study among thoughtful Christians.