Then Comes Marriage?: A Cultural History of the American Family

Author Rebecca Price Janney examines how people in other eras throughout American history conducted their relationships. How did they fall short of God's ideal as presented in the Scriptures? How did they get it right? What has led us to becoming a culture of "anything goes" morality? And, conversely, have there been any surprising improvements in recent years?  This book is not a culture-war screed, but rather a historical look at the American family, showing that the pattern is more complicated than a downward spiral of morality from our country's founding to the present. In addition, one of the intriguing features of the book is the author's close look at marriage and relationships within subcultures that are not often considered, including those of Native Americans, Conquistadors, and slaves.  In order to better understand the state of marriage and relationships in the U.S. today, Christians need to better understand not just Scripture but our nation's history -- and Then Comes Marriage? gives readers an accessible, broad, and thought-provoking introduction to both.