Jana Marguerite Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195315431
- eISBN:
- 9780199872022
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315431.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter examines prevalent contemporary theologies of marriage, including “the domestic church,” nuptial theology, and the Religion, Culture, and Family Project at the University of Chicago. ...
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This chapter examines prevalent contemporary theologies of marriage, including “the domestic church,” nuptial theology, and the Religion, Culture, and Family Project at the University of Chicago. These theologies (among others) present problems for considering both marriage and singleness theologically. These include three difficult dichotomies: male/female gender roles that continue to be central to feminist discussions about families; an idolization of marriage to the detriment of single people; and a public/private distinction that sees religion and households as related to more “public” activities of politics and economic trade, but secondary. The argument of this book is not to suggest that these dichotomies can necessarily be overcome, or easily shrugged away, but rather to claim that a more fruitful path for theologians is to consider households more broadly. The idea of marriage and singleness together, in relation to the Household of God, comes forward as a possible alternative.Less
This chapter examines prevalent contemporary theologies of marriage, including “the domestic church,” nuptial theology, and the Religion, Culture, and Family Project at the University of Chicago. These theologies (among others) present problems for considering both marriage and singleness theologically. These include three difficult dichotomies: male/female gender roles that continue to be central to feminist discussions about families; an idolization of marriage to the detriment of single people; and a public/private distinction that sees religion and households as related to more “public” activities of politics and economic trade, but secondary. The argument of this book is not to suggest that these dichotomies can necessarily be overcome, or easily shrugged away, but rather to claim that a more fruitful path for theologians is to consider households more broadly. The idea of marriage and singleness together, in relation to the Household of God, comes forward as a possible alternative.
