Roger E. Olson blogs: “And Now … What Conservative Churches Must Do.”

Churches that believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman now must decide what to do–in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Will they simply go along with the government and recognize legislative and judicial rulings as valid for them or will they resist? And what would it say about them if they simply bow to the high court’s ruling and begin accepting gay unions as legitimate marriages? If not, will they begin to recognize the inconsistency between resisting in this case and bowing to court rulings about dissolution of marriages in the past and present? …

Numerous responses from First Things: “After Obergefell: A First Things Symposium”
What Now? Your Church and Same Sex Marriage (short video) from American Family Studios.

John Piper, “So-Called Same-Sex Marriage: Lamenting the New Calamity.”

Jesus died so that heterosexual and homosexual sinners might be saved. Jesus created sexuality, and has a clear will for how it is to be experienced in holiness and joy.
…
For those who have forsaken God’s path of sexual fulfillment, and walked into homosexual intercourse or heterosexual extramarital fornication or adultery, Jesus offers astonishing mercy. …

Cathy Lynn Grossman, “Clue to gay marriage ruling was threaded in Obamacare opinion” Faith & Reason (Religion News Service).

I highly recommend the broad, deep coverage of this topic from Christianity Today: Same-Sex Marriage.

Same-sex marriage has highlighted high-profile relationships between theology, church, state, and society. In June 2015 the Supreme Court issued its Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which ruled that states must allow same-sex couples to marry. A Pew Forum poll before the decision found that most Americans (57%) thought same-sex marriage should be legal, but less than a third of evangelicals agreed. Many are now asking questions about the difference between civil and religious marriage, the place of religious dissent on same-sex marriage, and pastoral care.

The Supreme Court of the United States in October 2010.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.

Have you read an article that others should read? Please add a comment recommending below.

There is no perfect marriage, we all stumble and face conflict. But how do we deal with a marriage that has become emotionally destructive? In the US today, at least one in four Christian women are in an emotionally destructive marriage. And the church, which should be the place where they find hope and support, is often not a safe place for these women.

I invite everyone, especially church leaders, to watch this important and powerful webinar on the emotionally destructive marriage. Hosted by Tim Jackson, who is himself a licensed Christian Counselor, appearing with featured guests Leslie Vernick and Chris Moles. Make sure to avail yourself of the many other resources offered by RBC Ministries, the publishers of the daily devotional Our Daily Bread, who recorded this conversation.

Two Minute Invitation:

Go to the RBC Ministries page to watch the 1 hour webinar:

William D. & Aida Besancon Spencer and Steven R. & Celestia G. Tracy, Marriage at the Crossroads: Couples in Conversation about Discipleship, Gender Roles, Decision-Making and Intimacy (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009), 232 pages, ISBN 9780830828906.

Marriage at the Crossroads is more like a forum or panel discussion reduced to print. The subtitle characterize the discussion as “conversations” between two couples on what makes an effective Christian “one-flesh marriage.” The couples involved are the authors, William D. and Aida B. Spencer of Gordon-Conwell Theological School and Steve and Celestia Tracy of Phoenix Seminary. The Spencers take an egalitarian position and the Tracys a complementarian viewpoint. “Conversations” is an appropriate description as polarization of viewpoints is entirely absent and dialogue is very much present. Both the Spencers and the Tracys consider mutual submission to Christ and to one another in discipleship as the critical element in marriage. For the Spencers an equality of the partners is assumed, an equality in which the husband and wife are “first in authority” with Christ as “ruler of the household” (p. 102). The partners together seek Christ’s wisdom on any given matter. For the Tracys, the partners complement each other affirming thereby that husband and wife have some gender-differentiated tasks, strengths and abilities, “all of which contribute to the joint marital mission” (p. 124). The husband’s “headship” or “authority” consists of lifting, strengthening, and being in personal intimacy with his spouse.

In many respects the differences between the Spencers and the Tracys appear to be more semantical than actual as there are several shared sentiments. “If we didn’t know better, we would say we had read each others chapters because they have each similar and overlapping content” (p. 182). There are five sections and a conclusion to Marriage at the Crossroads. Each of the first four chapters are further subdivided into three sections. The first chapter dealing with marriage and discipleship first present the viewpoint of the Spencers, then the Tracys’, and lastly, a concluding dialogue between the two as to what was learned from one another. This is repeated in the second chapter on “headship” and submission, but starting with the Tracys’ position and ending with a concluding dialogue. Chapter three dealing with marriage roles and decision making reverses the order of presentations with the Spencers stating their case. The Spencers delineate five aspects in the process of decision making and lay out six criteria for the basis of making decisions. The Tracys start their argument from the basis of innate gender differences and where these intersect with gender roles and how through “designer love,” “designer work,” and “designer parenting” decisions affecting each other and the children are made. The fourth chapter on “Marriage and Intimacy” begin with the Tracys views on developing intimacy and ends with the Spencers’ understanding of intimacy. Like the other three chapters, the fourth ends with a concluding dialogue on similarities, differences, and what was learned.

The fifth chapter was devoted to responses on the part of a North American Hispanic couple, a Second Generation Korean couple, and an African-American couple to the insights of both the Spencers and the Tracys as to how those would work out within their separate ethnic or racial situations given their cultural backgrounds.

The conclusion reached at the end of the book is that marriage has to first be a committed partnership within which personal interests are subsumed under the Lordship of Jesus and his leadership over their lives together. The book offers many valuable ideas and concepts that can be utilized by pastors and counselors who guide couples in life together in discipleship to Jesus.

Reviewed by Woodrow E. Walton

Preview this book online at: www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2890

Michael L. Satlow, Jewish Marriage in Antiquity (Princeton University Press, 2001), 434 pages.

Without question, we can all agree that marriage between man and woman was established and ordained by God very early after the creation account. Throughout the Bible, men take wives, marriages are arranged, and men and women fall in love. But how much do we really understand about how betrothals and marriages were conducted? What were the cultural and historical elements that came into play as the “two became one flesh?” How did a wedding in the time of the Exodus differ from that of the time of the Gospel of Matthew?

Satlow has compiled a comprehensive look at marriage throughout the biblical ages that helps put this noble institution into an overall context and elucidates the biblical text. Using not only the Bible, but also extra biblical books from both the Jewish and Christian camps, he adds understanding which, until now, would have taken years of independent research. The subject index helps locate resource material quickly and easily.

For instance, the imagery of “take a wife,” is quite vivid, literally meaning to capture a woman and carry her away. This does not hold very many modern romantic scenes with it, but then, the period in which the Bible was written was not one of romance. This is only one example of many throughout the book’s pages. This book is an important read for any teacher that desires to better understand biblical marriage and the analogy of marriage between the heavenly Bridegroom and the body of Messiah, His Bride.

Reviewed by Kevin M. Williams