David Clarke (2) (1959–)

The 10 most 'outrageous' couples in the Bible is a great marketing sound byte, obviously selling better than 'dysfunctional and problematic'. Christian pyschologist, counseler and promiscuous David Clarke's latest book The Top 10 Most Outrageous Couples of the Bible is meant as a collection of illustrations to provide Christian teachings on relationship building, unity, dealing with sins hindering a marriage, sexuality in and outside marriage.
While the perfect biblical marriage illustration comes from Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church, that one example isn't used at all. So, expect a lot of mistakes, rudeness, abuse, bullying, etc. from the 10 chosen couples, reaching from Adam & Eve, Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebecca, Jacob & Rachel & Leah up to Joseph & Mariah. Others could have beend included with ease, e.g. Job & his wife, Elkana & Penina & Hannah. Human characters you can relate to and learn from. A great deal is spent on the Song of Songs, in which Clarke assumes King Solomon & his first wife, Shulamite to be the nearly perfect couple, having good conversations, foreplay and intercourses, plus a few misses and distractions as well. The 999 other women in the King's Castle are kept out of this book.
Clarke writes with lots of humor and personal illustrations as well, carefully carving out the real intimate details. He's radical on divorce, sin and forgiveness. Be prepared. If you didn't get any pre-marriage education in your church, this is a great book to dive into. And if you have been married for some time, it's a good set of biblical marriage lessons as well to treasure your threefold convenant.… (meer)

NCLA Review - Dr. David Clarke, a psychologist and marital therapist, offers readers the same marriage recovery plan that he uses with couples in his counseling practice. His method is a 90-day plan that he claims will work "even if only one spouse is committed to change." Clarke's plan can be applied to three types of troubled marriages which he defines as 1) unhappy but willing to work it out, 2) one spouse won't change, or 3) one or both spouses has committed a serious sin. Clarke's advice is standard and sound, although some couples may have trouble with his strong emphasis on the husband being the head of the wife and the importance of the wife submitting to the husband. The 90-day plan is concrete, well laid-out, and easy to understand. This book would be an excellent addition to any library. It could also be used by pastors in their own counseling ministries. Rating: 4 —AMG… (meer)

NCLA Review - It seems like in every marriage, there is a season of lost passion. However, that is not what God intends for marriages. The Bible tells us in The Song of Solomon what His ideal of marriage is. Dr. Clark talks about the different reasons why we lose the passion in marriages and he gives advice how to gain the passion back based on The Song of Solomon. There is a lot of truth to what Dr. Clark writes, however, the down side to his writing is the crudeness in the talk. It may come across being offensive to some people, but the point that he is trying to make is good. Rating: 2 —ARG… (meer)