Marriage

How should we respond as marriage becomes deinstitutionalized in our culture? Our contributors articulate a Christian view of marriage and divorce. They also challenge us to live in faithful congregations, where we may be properly formed as husbands and wives in our commitments to each other and God.

David Gushee describes how a marriage needs a covenant that "takes faithless people and coerces them to keep faith." In public debates about marriage, Don Browning urges us to use a "twofold language" -- a philosophical language enriched with scriptural narratives and metaphors. Margaret Kim Peterson explains how this most intimate of human relationships is shaped by the cross.

When marriages become hurtful and dysfunctional, Bo Prosser reminds us "inclusion into the family of God brings freedom, healing, and redemption." David Instone-Brewer explains Jesus' and Paul's teachings on divorce and remarriage.

The study guides and lesson plans integrate Bible study, prayer, and worship to help us articulate and live into a Christian view of marriage. The guides can be used in a series or individually. You may download and reproduce them for personal or group use.

Download the entire Marriage issue and the set of six Study Guides. Or, download individual pieces by clicking the titles below.

Articles

• "Who Needs a Covenant?" by David P. Gushee
• "Christian Marriage and Public Policy," by Don Browning
• "For Better or For Worse," by Margaret Kim Peterson
• "Marriage in the Fellowship of the Faithful," by John Thompson
• "What God Has Joined Together," by David Instone-Brewer

Art

• "A Wedding Story," by Heidi J. Hornik, on Perugino's Marriage of the Virgin
• "The Promise of Marriage," by Heidi J. Hornik, on Jan van Eyck's The Arnolfini Wedding
• "Water into Wine," on Michele Tosini's Marriage at Cana

Hymns and Worship Service

• "Two are Called to Live as One," by Terry W. York and C. David Bolin
• Worship Service, by Sharon Kirkpatrick Felton

Inspirational Pieces

• "The Changing Shape of Family," by Bo Prosser
• "I Know Who She Is," by Ginny Bridges Ireland
• Other Voices, Quotations on Marriage

Book Reviews

• "Equality in Christian Marriage," by Lydia Huffman Hoyle
  • Robert W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, eds., Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy
  • David Blankenhorn, Don Browning, and Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, eds., Does Christianity Teach Male Headship? The Equal-Regard Marriage and Its Critics
• "Where Do We Go From Here?" by Cameron Lee
  • Don Browning, Marriage and Modernization
  • John Whitte, Jr., From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition
  • David P. Gushee, Getting Marriage Right: Realistic Counsel for Saving and Strengthening Relationships

Study Guides and Lesson Plans (Download the set of six Study Guides)

• "Who Needs a Covenant?"
• "For Better or For Worse"
• "Marriage in the Fellowship of the Faithful"
• "Christian Marriage and Public Policy"
• "The Changing Shape of Family"
• "What God Has Joined Together"