Gladys Hunt is associate director of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship Training Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and she and her husband, Keith, have focused much of their ministry on family relationships. LEADERSHIP asked Gladys to identify the books she would recommend for those ministering to families.
Involvement: Social and Sexual Relationships in the Modem World by John Stott (Revell).
In this second volume of a two-volume set, Stott deals with sexual issues, taking us into the center of family ministry. With his careful use of language and his typically lucid handling of difficult subjects, Stott gives fresh thinking on a variety of topics: Women, Men, God; Marriage and Divorce; The Abortion Dilemma; and Homosexuality.
The chapters are packed with good ideas. He speaks of “marriage as an adventure in reciprocal self-giving through which parents and children grow into maturity.” Whether or not you agree with his conclusions, Stott sharpens our study of Scripture and stimulates our Christian perspectives.
Traits of a Healthy Family by Dolores Curran (Winston).
Curran writes some of the finest, most down-to-earth wisdom about family life I have read. Her approach is positive and practical. Someone called this book “an unhackneyed mix of old-style values and current insights.” It was written while she was developing a program for enriching family life in her church.
She isolates fifteen traits of a healthy family, developing each of them in detail-not for fantasy families, but for real people.
People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil by M. Scott Peck (Touchstone).
This may seem a strange choice, but we’ve been psychologized out of recognizing raw evil when we see it. Peck speaks forcibly to this failure. His observations about encountering evil in everyday life will likely point out parallels in your own ministry.
Yet he is cautious, and we must be, too. Evil is not as transparently obvious or as illusive as some may believe. Nevertheless, the evil existing in some family structures needs to be exposed. This stimulating, highly readable book begins the process.
Single Parenting: A Wilderness Journey by Robert G. Barnes (Tyndale).
The increasing number of single parents in the church calls for great sensitivity by the pastor, whose language cannot reveal his equating “family” with two parents. Beyond sensitizing pastors, this book also gives a handle on the practical problems of single parenting.
The author divides the book into two sections: “Finding Yourself” and “Leading Your Children.” The final chapter, “No Longer a Crisis Parent,” shows the book’s progression of thought.
Pastoral Care with Children in Crisis by Andrew D. Lester (Westminster).
Children are parishioners, too, urges Lester, who points out ways pastors may neglect these little people. He discusses the needs of children in crisis and provides principles for their pastoral care. The book also suggests methods, such as the use of play to promote conversation, or story-telling. This small book provides awareness and help in an area not frequently talked about.
Parents in Pain by John White (Inter Varsity).
I am a fan of White’s writing; it has a godly practicality. And since White has been a parent in pain, he knows what he is talking about. This book belongs in your library-to read and to share with others. This book will transform family life if we follow his principle: “As God has been to me, so I must be to others.”
Not Alone: The Necessity of Relationships by Keith and Gladys Hunt (Zondervan).
My husband and I (I blush modestly) take on a theology of relationships. Our thesis: We were made to relate to God and to each other, and this is often the thing we do least well. The book investigates why, along with such questions as “How does our sexuality affect our relating?” and “What makes personal intimacy so difficult?”
We cover a variety of relationships-friendship, marriage, the family, the church as the family of God-as well as the pain of broken relationships.
Although I have a personal investment in hoping you find the last one helpful, you will benefit from each of the above books. We need every available tool to build our own family life and to shore up sagging family relationships through our ministries.
WINTER 86 QUARTER 31
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