Love and Respect is a simple book based on a simple truth from Ephesians 5:33.  Written by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, the book is aimed at helping couples apply the principles of unconditional love and unconditional respect within their marriage.



I was able to read the book in about 4-5 hours, and found it to be helpful, if not somewhat redundant.  The basic premise of the book is that the greatest need of wives is to be loved unconditionally by their husbands, and that the greatest need of husbands is to receive unconditional respect from their wives.  I would wholeheartedly say that this has been true in my own marriage.  I found many of the stories and illustrations to be relevant, if not a little too close to home at times.  I believe that any couple, especially Christian couples, would benefit from reading through this book together.

While I found the book helpful, I would suggest that it was somewhat redundant on the husband's need for respect, and a little light on the wife's need for love.  I believe this is due to the breadth of writing on love, but the very limited writing about the husband's need for respect.  I'd just advise you, don't get bogged down in chapters 4-7...keep pressing on to the application chapters.  There you'll find some helpful tools on how to love your spouse, and on how to show them unconditional respect.  I only wish there were slightly more examples of how to show respect...after all...the author did make quite a big deal out of the need for respect in the first part of the book.

All that being said, I'd highly recommend this book to any couple looking to improve their marriage relationship...and if you attend BridgeWay...I'd expect to see a LifeGroup using this curriculum in the next year sometime.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”