What’s the Point?

This easy read answers 20-somethings’ vital questions about living together before marriage. They’ll find wisdom on a union that’s anything but antiquated.

Marriage doesn’t have to be the death of love.

Maybe you feel marriage funnels you into a traditional norm–one that will suck everything you love right out of an otherwise healthy, happy relationship.
Maybe you enjoy your independence, and you’re convinced you can be 100% serious and committed without an antiquated institution.

Isn’t marriage obsolete anyhow? Isn’t it just an expensive way to set your relationship up to fail?Moving in together is easy. But this book explores the side you might not hear: why marriage might be a good idea after all.

Look deeper–into the statistical, holistic offerings of marriage and how it can infuse your relationship with meaning and value.

Discover the real purpose of marriage and how your life together can thrive using wisdom that’s been around for centuries.

Endorsements:

“This is an excellent book. Shelby’s message is appealing, accurate, and answers a lot of important questions that many who are dating never think to ask!” – Shaunti Feldhahn, social researcher and best-selling author of For Women Only and For Men Only.

“Shelby Abbott’s What’s the Point is a helpful first-step in showing the problematic fruits of cohabitation. As he demonstrates, the data shows that cohabitation is counterintuitive to stronger relationships. Perhaps this is a sign that cohabitation goes against the grain of the universe.” -Andrew T. Walker , Ph.D., Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Choices have consequences. Yet so many couples in our day are choosing to move in together prior to marriage without even pausing to consider how that decision might affect their relationship. I’m grateful for this clear-eyed look at some of the pitfalls of living together before tying the knot.”-Bob Lepine, co-host, FamilyLife Today; author, The Christian Husband and Love Like You Mean It

“One of the things that I love about Shelby’s book is that his motivation for couples to choose sexual purity before marriage is not based on emotions or preconceived notions. It is based on God’s Word and data that backs up the why’s behind God’s prescriptions.”-Dave Wilson, co-host, FamilyLife Today; co-author, Vertical Marriage

“As commitment has fallen on hard times, it’s no surprise that marriage has as well. Moving in with one’s boyfriend or girlfriend prior to–or instead of–getting married used to be culturally taboo. Then it became accepted. Now it is assumed. Only two weirdos would rush into a lifelong arrangement without test-driving it first, right? Wrong. Writing in his characteristic engaging style, my friend Shelby Abbott illumines surprising data that paints a counterintuitive picture: for the best shot at long-term financial stability, sexual satisfaction, and overall relational happiness–not to mention glorifying the God who made you–exchange vows before you share an address.”-Matt Smethurst, managing editor, The Gospel Coalition; author, Before You Open Your Bible: Nine Heart Postures for Approaching God’s Word and Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Church

Shelby Abbott is an author, campus minister, and conference speaker on staff with the ministry of Cru. His passion for university students has led him to speak at college campuses all over the United States and author the books Jacked and I Am a Tool (To Help with Your Dating Life). He and his wife, Rachael, have two daughters and live in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.