Grace Marriage founders Brad and Marilyn Rhoads, alongside the organization’s director of content Brittany Cragg, recently received an award for their book titled, “The Grace Marriage: How the Gospel and Intentionality Transform Your Relationship.”
Evangelical Christian media magazine Christianity Today (CT) extended the 2024 Book of the Year Award to the trio. Billy Graham founded the magazine in 1956, and it’s considered a flagship magazine by many in the industry.
“Many people get married, but then they’re disappointed in marriage, and we attribute that to them not having the tools they need. That was the inspiration for the book,” Brad Rhoads said. “This award is a real honor. Christianity Today is a well-respected organization, and several books were honored.”
Rhoads said their ultimate goal is to teach couples how to thrive in marriage and for it to be a source of joy rather than disappointment. He said a successful marriage takes strategy, but if left on autopilot, it can drift, often resulting in casualty.
“We want to exalt the name of Jesus and help people do marriage better,” he said. “This book has helped us reach more people, hopefully catapulting them into an intentional way of marriage. Rarely will simply reading a book transform your life. Our goal is for this book to transform how you live your life, so over time, it’s transformative.”
The Rhoadses formed Grace Marriage in 2012 to equip churches with an ongoing strategy for marriage ministry and to help couples build marriages that showcase the grace of God. Rhoads said adding Cragg to the team has helped them expand their mission.
“It was a real joy to collaborate with Brittany on this book,” he said. “Her combination of theologically sound brilliance and writing skills are amazing. We’re thankful the Lord put us together on this project.”
Cragg said she’s always respected CT for how it remains a faithful and thoughtful Christian voice, engaging culture with wisdom and winsomeness in an age of radical politics and knee-jerk outrage.
“Winning this award is very meaningful to me. It’s a high compliment from an excellent organization,” Cragg said. “I’m truly humbled by the book’s winning this award and very thankful for Brad, Marilyn, and the rest of the Grace Marriage team who helped make this book happen.”
The award comes full circle for Cragg, whose first job out of college was as an editor at CT’s preaching resources department nearly 2 decades ago.
Grace Marriage advocates grace as they to a marriage growing in connection, intimacy, and fun.
“When a couple understands and receives God’s grace toward them and then extends that grace to each other, that’s when they are freed to enjoy and be enjoyed,” Cragg said. “My prayer is that this book helps couples do just that in every area of their relationship.”
Beyond all of that, Cragg said her favorite thing about the book is its practicality.
“I think readers will be encouraged to love their spouse in a way that pleases God, but this is so much more than a theoretical or theological exploration of how grace might impact a marriage,” she said. “Each chapter provides several ideas for how applying grace might actually play out in the real world—whether that’s in times of crisis, in conflict, in the area of finances, or any of the other given topics. I really love how the tenor of the whole book is encouraging and helpful.”
To order the book or to learn more about Grace Marriage, click here.
