New From Crossway: What He Must Be …If He Wants To Marry My Daughter

Find a Husband, Build a Husband?
Texas Pastor Advances Controversial Role for Dad in the Dating Process
Wheaton, IL—“I am convinced, says pastor and teacher Voddie Baucham, “that one of the most crucial questions I face is, ‘Whom should my daughter marry’”?

Baucham is not your typical father or your typical pastor. At 6 feet 3 inches tall and 300 pounds, he looks more like a linebacker than a Bible teacher. But Baucham has been recognized as an expert on the subject of family life and gender roles by sources as diverse as state homeschool conferences and CNN.

Advice could hardly come at a better time. The latest Census data show that “married with children” is no longer the norm in America. At last report[1], there were more adult men and women living alone than in a traditional family. Add 12 million single parent homes to the mix, and it becomes clear that Americans are not doing marriage well when they do it at all. Is there anything that the church—or the family—can do to mentor a generation of Americans largely ill-equipped to select a mate or sustain a marriage?

In his February 2009 release from Crossway Books, provocatively titled What He Must Be: If He Wants to Marry My Daughter, Baucham contends that this search for a husband must begin with dad. His premise, which requires the father’s conscientious involvement in the search for and even the training of a future husband, is undoubtedly countercultural.

Baucham notes: “We cannot expect young men in our culture to turn up as ready-made husbands. Our culture is broken. As a result, young men are broken. They do not have the tools they need. This is not always due to a lack of spiritual commitment. It is usually a result of a lack of teaching and discipleship. They just don’t know what they don’t know. As a result, fathers have to consider the possibility that they may, in a very real way, have to build their own son-in-law.”

The success of Baucham’s previous book, Family Driven Faith, and the demand for his lectures—which took him to Zambia, Germany, and Northern Ireland in 2008, as well as to scores of pastors conferences and churches across the United States—suggests that his message is taking root.

Crossway’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Geoff Dennis, recently discussed the success of Baucham’s message with Christian Retailing magazine: “In person and on the printed page, Voddie Baucham’s message is compelling and relevant. He speaks with passion and authority about something that matters to all of us—the family,” explained Dennis.

Baucham’s book hits store shelves on February 28, 2009. Crossway will be sponsoring the “Find One, Build One” blog tour during the first two weeks of March. Contact Michele Bennett (michele.lee.bennett@gmail.com) to participate. Contact Angie Cheatham (acheatham@crossway.org) to schedule an interview with Baucham or for more information.

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[1] Fields, Jason and Lynne M. Casper. 2001. America’s Families and Living Arrangements: March 2000. Current Population Reports, P20-537. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC.