I Believe In The Family

I Believe In The Family
By Gary Collins
Hodder & Stoughton. 351 pages. £9.99
ISBN 0 340 665149

This is the second in a new I believe series, which aims to stimulate thinking on current issues and to encourage Christian living. It is written in an informal, personal style with many examples from family counselling and the author's own life. This makes for a lively and at times moving read.
Collins deals with family and marriage in a fast-changing world, and against the background of consumerism and lifestyle choice which is sometimes called post-modern. However, the emphasis throughout is on the family rather than the social background. He asks how Christians, and particularly the local church, should respond to families in pain, and rejects retreat into a nostalgic fantasy of a Golden Age when family life was trouble-free. Rather, he advocates practical action based on understanding change in the world around us, and calls on the church to give 'direction, healing, hope and security'. There are sections looking at specific topics such as divorce, single parents, abuse, homosexuality and abortion. The book is addressed principally to parents; there is little for children or young adults.
The author is a North American counsellor who is familiar with recent research on the family. The book has a number of strengths:

* His approach is through examples from his clinical practice, combined with a discussion of research which is helpfully summarised in boxes throughout the text. Example and analysis usually run in parallel, each clarifying the other.

* The research findings are simplified in readily digestible bites and are clearly applied to specific family settings.

* There is a constant emphasis upon the local church in assisting families. He rejects the isolated, privatised family, which is not a biblical pattern.

* Biblical teaching on the family is treated seriously, although a conservative Christian framework is assumed rather than developed. I would have liked more explicit links between the Bible and the family.

* He depicts a whole range of family situations, including some discussion of the effects of poverty on family life.

* He is not pessimistic about the future and concludes with practical suggestions for the Christian family in a local church.

The book's weaknesses for the UK market arise mainly from its transatlantic origin. Many of the families discussed have a strong North American flavour, as do the examples and background settings. His point usually survives but you will find references to Murphy Brown rather than to Grant Mitchell of Eastenders. More seriously, the majority of the research is North American and, while this has many parallels with the UK, it does limit its value, especially when he discusses social trends.
While the effects of poverty and social stress are recognised, the same cannot be said for either ethnicity or gender. There is a generally inadequate awareness of the effect racism has on black families, or of the circumstances of families living in the inner city. Although he points out that we will not find any examples of 'the traditional family' in the Bible, there is a tendency throughout the book to stereotype what we mean by family. This is reinforced by the picture of the smiling family on the front cover, which portrays a white, affluent couple with two children -you guessed: a boy and a girl - with the boy perched adventurously on a wall and the girl cuddling demurely up to dad. Although there is a chapter discussing gender roles, feminism is generally treated more as a problem rather than a solution. Unlike the recognition of poverty throughout the book, there is little acknowledgement of the injustices faced by women which feminists have brought to light.
The strengths of this book clearly outweigh its weaknesses. I would recommend it to all parents who will find insights for themselves and their families. It will be especially helpful to Christians who, formally or informally, are involved in helping troubled families and who are concerned to work within the local church.

Dr. Philip J. Sampson,
Portsmouth

© Evangelicals Now - March 1997
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• One things leads to another
  Discussion concerning doctrine and fellowship (Acts 2.42)
• Inerrancy - the larger discussion (Bulldog for March)
  Observations concerning the knowledge of God (as revealed in his Word) and the current humanistic scene
• Europe - God's experiment?
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• Waiting without knowing
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• A Rocha
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• Definitely maybe - can our future be in Europe?
  Tongue-in-cheek comments on Acts 16 with reference to the current debate on Europe
• Weighing up Polkinghorne
  Discussion of Dr Polkinghorne's writings on the relationship between science and Christian theology

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• Evita - The story of Maria Eva Peron
• When a Church Becomes a Cult - The Marks of a New Religious Movement
• Alive in the Spirit - The gifts of the Spirit in the lives of believers
• I Believe In The Family - Family and marriage in a fast-changing world from a Christian standpoint
• Sermons on Romans 8.1-4 - Sermons of the Puritan preacher Thomas Jacomb
• To Preach or Not To Preach - The Church's Urgent Question
• Children in Renewal - The involvement of children in the use of the gifts of the Spirit