Marriage is an age-old institution under review. As one comedian once put when asked what she thought of marriage said, “marriage is an institution and who wants to live in an institution?” However, it could be added that many institutions are very good!
Over recent decades our increasing secularism has impacted our view of marriage. Christian influence had shaped a view of marriage that saw its uniqueness grounded in the Genesis 2 creation narrative where God created the first man and first woman, and that they complemented one another in a special and unique way. This saw it as a covenant relationship, which reflected the covenant relationship God has with us through Jesus Christ (Nicky Gumbel explores this well in chapter 3 of his book ‘Searching Issues’).
Such an understanding of our humanity as male and female contributed to a special understanding of sex and marriage. Indeed, the highly personal nature of sexual activity was understood as being appropriate for the commitment of two people expressed in marriage. Chastity beyond this was seen as the standard. If the standard wasn’t kept, then at least you knew you could acknowledge it and repent and have a new start.
If people protest that this is not an easy standard, then we remind ourselves that we follow a Lord who calls us to give His ways the priority. The promise is not to make our lives easy, but to call us in to the most special relationship of all. Indeed, human personality and sexuality point us beyond ourselves to the ultimate union which will be to be fully part of God’s kingdom forever.
These are very foreign concepts in modern Australia where our faith in secularism bears the hallmarks of an unthinking religion. The message of secularism is that we should not deny ourselves anything in the present, but should fulfil every need or desire, sexual or otherwise. Ironically, at a time when marriage itself has been relativised and made an optional add-on to a relationship, we now have strident demands for something called ‘marriage equality’.
Of course, at essence is the issue, ‘what is marriage?’ and ‘who is it for?’ It is broader even than the debate about same gender couples. The norms by which we once answered those questions have broken down, and ultimate authority is now given to personal choice and preference. The logic of secularism is that marriage is whatever you would like it to be! Guidance from Genesis is now a very long way from view. With so much else having changed in our world, it is not surprising that such a review of what marriage means should be forthcoming. It is desirable that the Christian community seek to be a voice in that debate – hopefully in a positive and respectful way.
On Tuesday evening St Luke’s is participating in a national web-cast sponsored by the Australian Christian Lobby. A panel of six people (names and details on our web site) will be streamed live to us (and hundreds of other churches across Australia) to discuss issues related to marriage and the implications of possible changes in the way we understand it. These speakers will be coming from a Christian perspective, and it is an important opportunity for the Christian community to reflect thoughtfully and creatively as well as faithfully to what has been handed down to us. Please come along if you can.