Love & Respect Review

Let me start by saying that the premise is right on and incredibly enriching for all marital relationships. The "concept" is beautiful, quite simple, and yet I would imagine so many folks fight it. I found it a bit surprising that the author treated the "concept" as a hidden gem from Scripture, when I cannot imagine how premarital counseling wouldn't be fully wrapped in it. The premise of the book is found in the book of Ephesians, which is thick with much more content than this author actually lands on, but understandably, it is the simplicity of "husbands love your wives and wives respect your husbands," that really solidifies the "why" of the book. Again, excellent premise and much needed in today's society of just quit if it's not making you happy marriages. The three star rating is due to the blandness of the writing and how it feels forced to drag a large book out of the content provided. I think Rob Bell unpacks the Scripture of Ephesians 5 with more depth and enticement in just one chapter of "Sex God." I've listened to many Andy Stanley messages and read most of his books, which like this book, unpacks one rather simple, yet profound concept. Yet, unlike this book, Andy brilliantly hits the one concept from multiple angles to answer questions you haven't yet asked. Love and Respect says the same thing over and over, but from the same, singular angle, and it left me feeling that the author was telling the same story with different names to fill pages. Because the material was obviously going to be used for couples and marriage groups, I wonder if they couldn't have creatively packaged it in a different format. In the end, it is a great, needed premise, but blandly displayed and goes on far too long. A better, more creative outlet could have captured a larger audience, which is the point, correct?