Redeeming Singleness [eBook]

How the Storyline of Scripture Affirms the Single Life

Though marriage is highly esteemed throughout Scripture, the Bible also affirms singleness as an important calling for some Christians. Redeeming Singleness expounds a theology of singleness that shows how the blessings of the covenant are now directly mediated to believers through Christ.

Redeeming Singleness offers an in-depth examination of the redemptive history from which biblical singleness emerges. Danylak illustrates the continuity of this affirmation of singleness by showing how the Old Testament creation mandate and the New Testament kingdom mandate must both be understood in light of God’s plan of redemption through spiritual rebirth in Christ.

As the trend toward singleness in the church increases, the need for constructive theological reflection likewise grows. Redeeming Singleness meets this need, providing encouragement to those who are single or ministering to singles and challenging believers from all walks of life to reflect more deeply on the sufficiency of Christ.

BARRY DANYLAK is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge. He holds graduate degrees in mathematics, Christian thought, and biblical exegesis, and is the author of several reviews and articles. He has a passion for ministry to single adults and regularly speaks and teaches on biblical singleness.

“Finally! I’ve been hoping and praying for a book like Redeeming Singleness for years. With insight and clarity, Danylak has presented profound biblical and theological truth that can revolutionize the church’s understanding and affirmation of singleness. This book is a gift to God’s people, and the impact could be nothing less than incredible. Read it and rejoice!”
—Steve Brown, Host, Key Life Radio Program; author, Three Free Sins: God Isn’t Mad At You 

“Immensely helpful! Amidst extremes of celibacy versus marriage in Christian traditions on the one hand and today’s proliferation of sexual noncommitment on the other, Danylak gives us a thorough-going biblical theology of singleness. He unfolds themes of marriage and singleness from both Old Testament and New Testament with essential, delightful applications for all of us.”
—J. Scott Horrell, Professor of Theological Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

“Barry Danylak’s book on singleness is now the most thorough and helpful book on the subject. He treats directly the main difficulty in grasping the new covenant view—the strong Old Testament emphasis on procreation and its importance for establishing and carrying forward the old-covenant people. The change in the nature of the blessing of God for the human race that comes with the new covenant is the key new perspective for understanding Christian singleness, a perspective too often missed in discussions of singleness and voluntary celibacy in the Christian life. Danylak’s careful exegesis sustains his overarching view well.”
—Stephen B. Clark, Director of Research (retired), National Secretariat of the Cursillo Movement; author, Building Christian Communities

“Barry Danylak not only presents a deeply penetrating study of the New Testament teaching on singleness but also shows how this teaching fits the entire storyline of the Bible. Far from being a book just for single people, Redeeming Singleness demonstrates how marriage and the single life give a complementary witness to the gospel in the modern world. This is a hugely important and timely book for all Christians.”
—Daniel Keating, Associate Professor of Theology, Sacred Heart Major Seminary

“Barry Danylak’s work has been a great help to me in understanding the distinctive role of singleness in God’s new-covenant people. His writing provides a clear framework of biblical theology, which I found deeply valuable for drawing together the intuitions I had about the meaning of singleness. There is much that the church as a whole, and not just single people, can learn from this.”
—Lydia Jaeger, Academic Dean, Institut Biblique de Nogent-sur-Marne

“I like the way Danylak methodically and progressively turns over pieces of the biblical jigsaw and assembles them to reveal a thoughtful perspective on marriage and procreation. From the New Testament he firmly grasps the nettle of exegetically difficult passages, and with reference to the cultural influences brings a redemptive perspective to singleness for the contemporary world.”
—John D. Wilson, Missiologist and mentor (Southeast Asia), World Team

“In this long overdue review of the biblical stance on singleness, Danylak looks at the biblical attitudes with great care and manages to affirm both marriage and the gift of singleness. Working through the in-depth analysis will bear much fruit for those looking at this issue on a personal level or seeking to teach or advise on a pastoral level.”
—Jeremy Sewell, Pastor, Slough Baptist Church, Berkshire, UK