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William B. May
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Getting the Marriage Conversation Right: A Guide for Effective Dialogue Kindle Edition

by William May (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 66 ratings
Getting the Marriage Conversation Right: A Guide for Effective Dialogue teaches you how to promote and defend traditional marriage in non-religious terms. It’s a great “how to” guide to answer those tough questions you’ve struggled with. Author William B. May shows you how to navigate the pitfalls and avoid making this a gay vs. Christian issue. May brings into the legal definition of marriage the rights of children, and provides sensible guidelines on how to avoid common traps that hinder communications for advocating public policy about marriage. Getting the Marriage Conversation Right includes a substantial section of FAQs at the heart of the conflict. Marriage is the only institution that unites kids with their moms and dads, and that has been recognized by every culture, society, and religion, each according to their own competencies. Getting the Marriage Conversation Right shows how to get that interest recognized in laws, societal institutions, and individuals, and begin to rebuild a marriage culture.
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  1. Print length
    75 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    October 1, 2012
  4. File size
    1.4 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

There is a lot of food for thought packed into this little booklet, which intended to be a practical guide to help the laity navigate the confusion about marriage in conversations with their family and friends. I believe you will find it to be a very valuable resource. —Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone Archbishop of San Francisco Chairman, USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage


This communication guide is an invaluable resource for answering questions and explaining what is at stake for the future of marriage and the rights of children if marriage is redefined. Every family should have one. —Raymond L. Flynn, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican and Mayor of Boston


The break–down of the family through artificial contraception and divorce/remarriage has been a social fact of life for decades now. Unfortunately, that situation has not been helped by ecclesiastical silence on the issues, in all too many cases. The current drive to re–define marriage itself is a logical conclusion to this confusion but also gives people of faith and those simply of intelligence and good will a golden opportunity to re-visit all of the aspects of what constitutes a true marriage, benefitting children and society–at–large. William May has provided a wonderful guide for discussing marriage in the public forum, without having recourse to biblical or other theological points of reference. For that reason alone, it is a most valuable contribution to a conversation which is not going away any time soon. —Rev. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D. Editor, The Catholic Response


This 70-page book is a quick read, but it packs a powerful message. —Stuart Dunn Catholic book review blog


If you are looking for an easy reference book on defending marriage, this book really is worth having and reading. —Cheryl Dickow Bezalel Books


This discussion is important, and we owe it to our children, and theirs, to keep having this discussion, and being as thoughtful about it as we can. —Roxane B. Salonen Editor, New Earth

About the Author

William B. May is founder, president, and CEO of Catholics for the Common Good, a lay apostolate for the evangelization of culture. He is a sought after speaker on marriage, family, culture, and the imperative of regaining the offense to promote the centrality and integrity of marriage for children and society. In 2008, May and Catholics for the Common Good were asked by the California Catholic Conference to lead Catholics for Protect Marriage, the lay Catholic response to the Proposition 8 effort that successfully restored the definition of marriage between a man and a woman in California. In his role as president and CEO, he has appeared on Good Morning America, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, BBC, Fox News Channel, CNN, EWTN Radio, Immaculate Heart Radio, the Catholic Channel, and many other programs. He and his wife Nancy have three children.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009R4RR88
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Emmaus Road Publishing (October 1, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 75 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 66 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
66 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's argumentative content engaging, with one review noting it's chock full of information explaining secular perspectives. They appreciate its readability, describing it as a quick read.

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24 customers mention "Argumentative content"24 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's argumentative content, finding it concise and helpful for discussion, with one customer describing it as a must-read for both sides of the debate.

"...He establishes a clear definition for marriage, which reflects the reality of marriage as it has been experienced, by all cultures, over..." Read more

"In his book, Getting the Marriage Conversation Right: A Guide for Effective Dialogue, William B. May addresses the question of the redefinition of..." Read more

"...This short work is a valuable introduction to the current marriage debate and how to defend traditional marriage but, for those who want or need to..." Read more

"An interesting read, which stimulated quite a lot of conversation in my Adult Ed class at my parish -- which is what I wanted --- to open up dialogue." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read.

"...of having a significant amount of information in a short and quick read that can be studied and referred to again and again or passed along is..." Read more

"This book is a quick read, but at the same time it is chock full of information clearly explaining secular & natural law-based arguments against..." Read more

"...There is a nice Q&A section in the second half that is a quick read and not bad...." Read more

"...This takes 2-3 hours to read and filled with excellent, subsative material. Great Buy!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Terry Harding
    5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping the main thing the MAIN thing.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    William B. May challenges readers to focus on the main issue concerning the global movement to redefine marriage. He establishes a clear definition for marriage, which reflects the reality of marriage as it has been experienced, by all cultures, over millennia.

    May argues that efforts to redefine marriage to merely the relationship between two adults, focuses on the private interests of two adults and contributes little to the public interest. Such redefinition also ignores the fundamental right of children to be with, and cared for, by their biological mother and father. The child's right to be with and cared for, by his/her natural parents, carries a massive public interest, which is well documented by much sociological, pedagogical and psychological research around the world. It is clear that children who are with and are cared for by their biological mother and father do much better in life, statistically, than those who do not have that experience.

    May posits that to argue about the value of homosexual relationships, or the parental competencies of homosexual couples as against heterosexual couples distracts the debate from the real issue, which is that marriage is the only institution, which binds a man and a woman to each other and to the children which may be born of their union.

    This book presents a very sound position, from which to discuss the debate on redefining marriage.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Dominic Cerrato
    5.0 out of 5 stars A concise and easy-to-read book that gets to the core of the issue
    Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    In his book, Getting the Marriage Conversation Right: A Guide for Effective Dialogue, William B. May addresses the question of the redefinition of marriage along with the civil and social implications. Cutting through much of the clutter accompanying this issue, he centers his consideration on two competing definitions of marriage. There, using natural law reasoning (what May calls, “reality-based thinking”), he argues why it is essential for the good of society to describe marriage as the union of a man and a woman who are irreplaceable to one another. This mutual irreplaceability provides the only stable basis for children who themselves are irreplaceable. The consequence of accommodating the definition of marriage to same sex couples is the removal of the only civil institution that unites a man and woman and any children that come from that union. This, in turn, denies children the fundamental right to know and, as far as possible, be cared for by their own parents. May’s work is a short, concise and easy-to-read book that gets to the core of the issue. If this is what the reader is looking for, he/she will be delighted.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Richard J. Grebenc
    4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable introduction to the current marriage debate and how to defend traditional marriage
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This booklet (68 small pages of text) is helpful in the discussion of what marriage really is. The entire work is based on pitting the fact of marriage as "unit[ing] a man and a woman with each other and any children born from that union" against those who wish to redefine marriage as "the public recognition of a committed relationship between a man and a woman (or two adults) for their fulfillment." This is the thread that runs through this six part booklet. The use of secular arguments for traditional marriage (the book also provides Catholic support for these arguments) is meant to allow the defender of marriage to engage the conversation without explicitly relying on religious belief. The underpinnings of author William B. May's position are laid out in part four, "common traps" to avoid when arguing for traditional marriage compose part five, but maybe the most valuable section is the last part in which May gives short but solid answers to many questions proponents of same-sex "marriage" ask of those who oppose such a concept. The repeating of key points (e.g., "Marriage is not about who can parent best.") really helps in driving important tenets home and makes them memorable. Not all answers are as complete or as extensive as I'd like to see them but, for purposes of what he is trying to accomplish, they provide a firm foundation and jumping off point for further discussion or debate.

    I'm not sure anything provided here cannot be found elsewhere on internet sites promoting and defending traditional marriage, but the convenience of having a significant amount of information in a short and quick read that can be studied and referred to again and again or passed along is valuable. Volume discounts make this useful for mass distribution (e.g., parishes) or group study.

    This short work is a valuable introduction to the current marriage debate and how to defend traditional marriage but, for those who want or need to go deeper, other resources (like "What is Marriage" by Girgis, Anderson, and George) will be required.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Doug O'Driscoll
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on August 15, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    arrived as described I will shop here again.
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  • Héctor Guillermo Muñoz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Finalmente un tratamiento serio del tema
    Reviewed in Mexico on March 10, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Como Católico muchas veces me encuentro en la necesidad de hablar de estos temas, pero muchas veces los recursos para prepararse son muy vagos o no están bien sustentados. Me dio mucho gusto encontrar una manera sería para hablar del tema de una manera que de verdad tenga el potencial para convencer. Bien por los autores.
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