Breaking the Marriage Idol

June 15, 2018

Callaway (theology and culture, Fuller Theological Seminary) discusses the marriage paradigm; specifically that marriage has become not only socially but religiously normative, where deviation from that bonded heterosexual union in the church has taken on dogmatic overtones that render marriage as the primary--if not only--recognized path toward full humanity. For the author, this insidious cultural norm is neither scriptural (compared to some contentious Old Testament marriages) nor Christian. In fact, the ancient church fathers viewed marriage as a model for self-surrender rather than self-fulfillment. Today, single church members are marginalized, viewed to some extent as "deficient and pitiable." Choosing singleness, even if one is rendered single by divorce or widowhood or celibacy carries a capacity for, according to theologian Henri Nouwen, "a holy vacancy, a space that is for the first Love, God alone," and, as such, needs to find meaningful membership in Christian circles not as favored guests but as full members. VERDICT Not nearly as revolutionary as James Martin's Building a Bridge but equally sincere in its effort to make the church more inclusive.--Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

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