The Christian Lover

Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is chair and professor of church history and biblical spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., where he serves as director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. He is also a fellow of the Royal Historical Society in the United Kingdom. He is author of numerous books, including Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church and The Christian Lover: The Sweetness of Love and Marriage in the Letters of Believers.

“The Christian Lover is both insightful and inspirational. Your heart will be touched as you gain a brief glimpse into the love shared by these heroes of the faith. Be prepared for the unexpected. The passions of these couples will surprise you, but you will not be disappointed.”

“Michael Haykin is to be congratulated for compiling this remarkable collection of beautiful love letters from some of the most significant and faithful Christian leaders in the history of the church. These inspiring letters, along with the informative introductions, will provide great strength and guidance for Christian couples at a time when the institution of marriage is facing challenges from numerous directions. I heartily commend this wonderful volume.”

"The Christian Lover portrays some of our most revered historical personalities as men of deep marital love. Haykin’s work enhances (rather than diminishes) the pictures we have of them as towering scholars, faithful pastors, pioneering missionaries, and bold martyrs. This epistolary anthology of the Puritan and Reformed divines’ marital love may serve as a great buttress to the continued testimony of the goodness of marriage as the Creator’s provision for a companionship of joy in the highest order. May all in the church who read these accounts of love be awakened to the passionate pursuit of the lifelong, unbreakable, satisfying relationship every marriage should be. My heart was stirred more with each letter."

"C. S. Lewis once made the striking statement that "Christianity has glorified marriage than any other religion: and nearly all the greatest love poetry in the world has been produced by Christians." The Christian Lover provides a double lens by which to view the Christian ideal of wedded romantic love. One is the author’s selection of a dozen Christian couples and their life stories. The other is a sampling of letters these men and women wrote, from which we can catch glimpses of what a romantic relationship between husband and wife can be—anytime, anywhere."