Gerry Root - Naked and Unashamed: A Guide to the Necessary Work of Christian Marriage

PRAISE FOR NAKED AND UNASHAMED

Refreshingly frank and direct in its guidance, Naked and Unashamed sketches out the field of Godly marriage realistically, but also includes the relational fences that safeguard couples. Root, Root, and Rios disenchant us with fairy tales to reenchant us with vulnerability, wonder, sex, communication, and morethings that make marriage and family sustainable. This compelling read will be my book of choice for the next round of pre-marital counseling!

Dru Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor of Biblical &
Theological Studies, The Kings College, New York

This is not just a book for those contemplating marriage, its for all of us, no matter how many years we have been married. I recommend two copies, one for yourself and one for a couple that you know needs this critical Biblical perspective.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus, The Moody Church, Chicago

This book is a treasure trove of insight that comes from many years of learning to love each other and show the mystery of Christ and the church in a marriage. This honest, theologically driven, realistic guide on the way to the altar will go a long way in preparing those wanting to keep their sacred vows and love one another as long as they both shall live.

Erik Thoennes, Chair, Department of Undergraduate Theological
Studies, Talbot School of Theology/Biola University; Pastor,
Grace Evangelical Free Church of La Mirada, CA

I have performed scores of weddings over the years, and my wife and I have done the pre-marital counseling. I wish this insightful book had been available for us.

Lyle W. Dorsett, PhD, Billy Graham Professor of
Evangelism, Beeson Divinity School

Beth and I are just one of hundreds of couples that have been blessed to begin our marriage journey together with Claudia and Jerry Root, and the sweet delight of our nearly thirty years of marriage owes much to that first push in the right direction we received from our time with them. Learning to be truly intimateto dare the hard work of sharing stories, hearts, minds, dreams, aspirations, and, lastly, bodiesis the long road of marriage. This book is a reliable map to that road.

The Very Revd Chip Edgar, Dean and Rector of the Anglican
Cathedral Church of the Apostles in Columbia, SC

My wife and I have spent four decades doing pre-marital and marital counseling. I wish wed had this book when we began. Jerry and Claudia Roots insights come from a lifetime of scholarship, pastoral care coupled with their experiences of living faithfully in the covenant of their own marriage. The insights found in Naked and Unashamed are, in a word, invaluable. We will definitely be using this book in future premarital counseling.

Pastor Reed and Lisa Jolley, Santa Barbara Community Church

I have known Jerry and Claudia Root for many years, and there is no one I would trust more to help couples understand what a strong and healthy and God-honoring marriage requires. I am acutely aware of the need for practical wisdom to help prepare couples for the lifelong journey of marriage, and that is precisely what they have given us. I cant wait to put this book into practice in our church!

Jeff Frazier, Lead Pastor, Chapelstreet Church, Geneva, IL

NAKED and

UNASHAMED

a guide to the necessary work
of Christian marriage

DR. JERRY ROOT
CLAUDIA ROOT & JEREMY RIOS

PARACLETE PRESS

BREWSTER, MASSACHUSETTS

Wed like to dedicate this book to the more than 1500 couples who have been, rather ludicrously, prepared for marriage with this material over the past 30 years.

May the God who allowed His son to take crumbs and satisfy a multitude, take these crumbs and bless multitudes again.

2018 First Printing

Naked and Unashamed: A Guide to the Necessary Work of Christian Marriage

Copyright 2018 by Gerald Richard Root, Claudia Ann Root, and Jeremy Michael Rios

ISBN 978-1-64060-065-2

Unless otherwise marked, Scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

The Paraclete Press name and logo (dove on cross) are trademarks of Paraclete Press, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Root, Jerry, author.

Title: Naked and unashamed : a guide to the necessary work of Christian marriage / Dr. Jerry Root, Claudia Root, and Jeremy Rios.

Description: Brewster, MA : Paraclete Press, Inc., 2018.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018005597 | ISBN 9781640600652 (trade paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Marriage--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Classification: LCC BV835 .R64 2018 | DDC 248.8/44--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018005597

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Paraclete Press

Brewster, Massachusetts

www.paracletepress.com

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

PREFACE

The Purpose of This Book

T his book exists because, despite the abundance of magazines, articles, and self-help volumes available, people continue to struggle with marriage.

On the one hand, the cottage industry of wedding planners, consultants, Pinterest pages, and independent bloggers has shaped young hearts to dream and plan for the biggest day of their lives. The day is everything, and they will plan each element with precision, from flowers to cake decorations to party favors. Acting on this crafted desire, couples will spend an enormous amount of time and money preparing for the wedding. Ironically, they will spend little to no time or money in preparation for their marriage itself. The investment into the perfect day is all out of proportion with the investment into life together after the day. At times it even seems as if people are more interested in getting married than they are in staying married. This book exists to help couples prepare for the rest of their life together.

On the other hand, it seems that too few couples comprehend the degree of work required to make a marriage successful. Divorce rates are clear evidence of this, but so also are the many married people who are in dire need of counseling and care, who persist in loneliness and difficulty, feeling ill-equipped to navigate the unforeseen difficulties of marriage. Many people hope one day to get married; few people seem to know what it really means to be married. The truth of the matter is that happy marriages rarely just happen. In fact, the majority of the time they will require at least as much energy and preparation as is directed toward the grand celebration on the wedding day. This book exists to coach couples through strategies that will assist them to succeed.