Marriage Is for Keeps: Foundations for Christian Marriage

by John F. Kippley

Every engaged couple can benefit by reading this book. In fact it would make excellent reading for seminary or college classes on marriage and family life. Give this book to the engaged couples in your parish and talk to them about what it says.

Genres: Catholic

161 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

About the author

John F. Kippley has been active in the family planning movement since 1968 and co-authored The Art of Natural Family Planning with his wife, Sheila. Recently they wrote an on-line manual—Natural Family Planning, launched a website (www.NFPandmore.org), and founded NFP International. Mr. Kippley has also written Marriage Is For Keeps and many articles, some of which are available at their website.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

A presentation of the Catholic view of marriage. I wasn't crazy about the way it was presented. I would have preferred just the facts, not so much commentary. And I think this book needs to be updated for the times. I'm not talking about changing any doctrine, or misrepresenting the Catholic faith in any way, just updating the way it's presented. For example, the book states that "... generally the wife will be doing the meal preparation". The section on birth control... I don't get it. The WHY part is not clear to me, other than because the Church says so (and yes, I understand the Catholic teaching of the authority of the Church, and that's a good enough reason, but I sure would like to understand WHY). I have yet to find a book that explains why in a way that doesn't sound like propaganda. I think the book misrepresents the success rate of NFP - I DO NOT buy that it is 99% effective!!

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some catechism here and there but mainly anecdotal.

[Christiana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I'm just Catholic enough that I knew more than the average Catholic, but I found this book outdated, over simplistic, and not nearly as user friendly as it imagines itself to be. This book says it fashions itself after FAQ pages, but I've read many FAQ pages that were more fun, more approachable, and to be honest, more helpful.

Particularly painful chapters: headship within marriage and starting a family.

When I evaluate my pre-cana experience with my priest, I plan to suggest a more updated book. It has to be out there. And this one kind of hurt me how bad it was.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is adequate for what it was. However, there are a number of assertions that are not related to Church teaching, particularly about stay at home mothers and breastfeeding. Neither one of these is required. He asserts, without criticism, that most men are focused on their careers, and presents as a reason for marital fidelity the fact that he would find it reassuring that his wife will always be faithful to him even when his job status is uncertain. This assertion isn't entirely false; however, marital fidelity is posited as helpful for a man's confidence in his career, which is backwards. Arguing for fidelity this way will not stand up.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough book that prepared and continues to prepare my heart well for marriage. I was looking for an exhaustive preparatory book, and I had to look no further than the main book provided by my parish's Pre-Cana program. While some information in the book seems overly simplistic, I found most of the content to be very helpful and exactly what I was looking for. Also, the more simplistic sections provide the reader with a basic understanding that can be expanded upon by further investigation in other resources. Highly recommend to all engaged couples looking to better understand and prepare for the Christian and Holy Sacrament of Matrimony.