The Storm-Tossed Family

September 10, 2018
Moore (Onward), president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, offers guidance on family life from a conservative, evangelical Protestant perspective in this useful but narrowly focused book. Acknowledging that families can be “the source of life-giving blessing but also of excruciating terror, often all at the same time,” Moore argues that families living by certain Christian principles are most likely to thrive. Though more expansive definitions of family are mooted—particularly the church as family—the work assumes the ideal family to be organized around a married heterosexual Christian couple. Such couples, according to Moore, should be monogamous, enjoy sexual intimacy, and not attempt to prevent pregnancy; he strongly discourages divorce, feels that sexually explicit materials are sinful, and sees the notion of gender complementarity—the idea that women and men are equal but suited for unique roles in the family and society—as foundational to his work. Lightly drawing on texts beyond the Bible, Moore writes in a conversational style, illustrating points with stories from his own family life as well as the lives of those he has encountered in his work. Christian readers already committed to the specific type of Christian life Moore promotes are most likely to find the text of personal use.