Book Review: Hedges

Divorce. Infidelity. Proliferation of pornography. A sexualized culture that no longer recognizes propriety as something of value. Each one of these forces bombards many a married man tempting him to cast aside his vows in exchange for a fleeting moment of pleasure. How can any man who is seriously committed to protecting their marriage stand up against the seemingly endless barrage of temptations hurled at him?

Thankfully, Jerry Jenkins has updated and republished his classic book Hedges: Loving Your Marriage Enough to Protect It. Specifically geared towards men, this is a very practical book that encourages husbands to take very deliberate steps to protect themselves from sexual temptation.

As Jenkins points out in his introduction, the biblical response to temptation is to flee. With temptation all around us it is easy to think we need to hang in there and fight against it.
But temptations can often be so subtle that they can trip us up before we know it. That's why we need "hedges": groud rules for how we interact with the opposite sex that protect ourselves, our marriages, our employers, and our churches.

This is not a Puritan list of rules to follow. Rather, Jenkins draws on his own life experience as well as the experiences (both positive and negative) of numerous couples he has known and counseled to demonstrate the real dangers that marriages face in light of today's over-sexed culture and practical steps that husbands can take to protect themselves. Although he does not recommend implementing every single one of his own hedges, most readers will find that his hedges are really good hedges to make their own.

This edition of the book includes a bonus DVD featuring a lecture by Jenkins and is a wonderful supplement to the book.

This is a book that every man needs to own and to read over and over again. By applying the simple principles contained in this book you will be going a long way towards protecting your marriage from the temptation of infidelity and sexual sin.

This book was provided to me by Crossway through Mind and Media. No compesation was received for this review apart from the book.