Walter Trobisch (1923–1979)

This is one of the best books about Christian marriage that I've ever come across. Rather than being written as a teaching guide or text book, it's a narrative. It describes the author's experiences giving a brief series of lectures about marriage to an audience in an un-named African country.

During just a few days, Walter Trobisch meets someone unsure whether she really loves her fiancé, a girl in an imprisoning relationship, and a young man who would really love to be married but has not yet found the right person. He also meets a pastor who's struggling to balance family life with his ministry... and even has his own marriage crisis when his wife arrives for the last day of his tour.

The teaching he gives to the African congregation is down-to-earth, straightforward, Biblical and wise. It also demonstrates some interesting images which stayed with me long after I first read the book, as a newly-wed. I picked it up again recently, remembering how much I'd enjoyed it nearly thirty years ago, and found myself gripped once more. The theories are not new - I found myself thinking that some of what's said would seem very old-fashioned these days - but the people he met were interesting, their problems relevant and real.

Trobisch comes across as a believable, flawed person who wants to help others and has a genuine gift of counselling.

Very readable; definitely recommended.
… (mehr)