Christians need to understand the issues of biblical manhood and womanhood as the two issues if well understood will help Christians to co-exist peacefully especially in the context of marriage. The book, Recovering biblical manhood and womanhood, as edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem (Crossway Books, 2006) goes a long way in helping its readers to understand the two issues of manhood and womanhood in a relationship especially in the marriage between a man and a woman from a biblical perspective. The book also addresses the issues of gender and the responsibilities of a man and a woman in and out of marriage. It goes further to address the issue of singleness and that of same-sex marriages. In all these issues, the two writers give their views from a biblical perspective and thus give their explanations as guided by the Bible and the will of God. The book, therefore, becomes a powerful guide to Christians and more so to people aspiring to be in relationships of marriage and also those that want to remain single. It gives guidelines on where to find refuge when the relationships are not working due to quarrels and disagreements. The book also brings out the issue of gender equality among men and women without undermining the authority and responsibility of either the male or the female in the relationship and marriage.
The writer, John Piper, gives an illustration of his own family. He narrates how he learned a lot from his mother. He describes how strong and hardworking his mother was. He describes how his father on the other hand was also strong and masculine working equally as hard as his mother to raise their child. There was an unmistakable difference between the man and the woman of the house when the parents of the writer undertook their household chores. The mother undertook responsibilities that were of equal measure to those of the father. The writer grew up knowing that there was a difference between his father and mother. He says that his parents prayed and loved reading the Bible. The writer says that he could clearly distinguish the different roles that his parents played in their household. His father was the leader of the house and led in decision-making while not overlooking his mothers opinion. His father protected the household and disciplined him whenever he misbehaved or was disrespectful to his mother. His mother too was a leader and so there was no manner of superiority or inferiority in the leadership of that home. It was not about who was stronger or more skillful than the other but rather the leadership in the house was based on the understanding of the purpose of creating both the male and female human beings.