Great! A brief, solid overview of Song of Solomon pointing out how to practically love your spouse. Also good advice on how to wisely pursue a future spouse if you're single. ( )

"The Mingling of Souls" perhaps, but also, most assuredly, "The Mangling of the Song of Solomon."

Using his own experiences and a highly disputable arrangement and exegesis of the Song of Solomon the author seeks to advise Christians through the whole path of a marriage relationship, from attraction to dating to courting to engagement to marriage issues.

The author's experience is valuable. Much of what he has to say, in terms of marriage and relationships, is completely solid.

But his treatment of the Song of Solomon turns Solomon and the Shunammite into the nice middle class American family who sits next to you at church. It is simply not possible to make sense of the author's take on the Song in its original 10th century BCE context, under a different covenant, written as erotic poetry by a guy with hundreds of wives and concubines. I grant the author that his creative interpretation may seem somewhat credible on the surface, but one must truly wonder whether our goal in understanding Scripture is to thus domesticate it for our purposes or be willing to accept it for what it is.

If you can get past the exegesis of the Song, there's some good stuff here. It's hard to recommend it, however, in light of the brusque treatment of the Song. ( )

No rating, as I quit reading this one. The over interpretation of Song of Solomon was one reason; the second reason was that I read an article concerning Chandler that didn't sit well with me.