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D & S' complaints are correct - I disagree with their reasons why.

I strongly disagree with the assertion that pastors should not provide marriage counseling, in-depth if needed, imperfect as it may be. Church leaders MUST lead holistically, as Christ demands holistic worship and Christian practice in every aspect of our life. To confine a pastor's role into simply that of Gospel-regurgitator is to effectively - pardon the phrase - neuter the church.

At a time when sex is so regularly sought and so cheaply prized, what could be more important than the church's message that sexual intimacy is but one pole among the many which support the great tent of intimate companionship and love?

Thus, the Driscolls' apparent belief that "intimacy" is rooted in and can be fixed by "correct" "sexual" "practices" (and a VERY narrow interpretation of all of those words) is not only unhelpful, it is downright damaging to this critically important conversation.

For an alternative marriage counseling book by a pastor and spouse, I suggest Tim and Kathy Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage". You may disagree with theology, or focus, or tone here as well. But these pages are saturated with holistic marriage - the deep commitment, difficult truth, and rewarding intimacy that models Christ and the Church. Here is a man whose honest struggle to fuse life experience with deep convictions into intimate, humble marriage provides a compelling road map for married and single people alike. I wish I could say the same for Mark Driscoll.

Thanks, David and Sarah, for a thought-provoking review.