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Living Together and Christian Ethics is the first positive, in-depth study of cohabitation outside marriage from a mainstream Christian theological perspective. The book retrieves the traditions of betrothal from the Bible and church history, and shows how these can transform Christian attitudes to living together before marriage. A crucial distinction is made between prenuptial cohabitation where marriage is intended, and nonnuptial cohabitation where it is avoided. Since betrothal was widely understood as a real beginning of marriage, the book argues for a complete pastoral, theological and liturgical renewal that reclaims the riches of forgotten Christian marital traditions and redeploys them in conveying the good news of the faith to women and men who are not yet married. The book takes issue with theologians who marginalize marriage, and suggests that the recognition of marital values can act as a helpful bridge between Christian teaching and people who are not formally married.
Sommario
Part I. Living Together as a Theological Problem: 1. A guide to living together; 2. Living together: a preliminary theological analysis; 3. Testing the betrothal solution; Part II. An Exercise in Retrieval - Bringing Back Betrothal: 4. The bible and betrothal; 5. Evidence from liturgy and law; 6. Whatever happened to betrothal?; Part III. Extending the Marital Norm: 7. Betrothal, consent and consummation; 8. The sacramental beginning of marriage; 9. Extending the marital norm; Appendix. A rite of betrothal before marriage.
Info autore
Adrian Thatcher is Honorary Professor in the Department of Religion and Theology, University of Exeter, U.K. Author of 16 books and editor or co-editor of another five, he is managing editor of Modern Believing, a Trustee of Modern Church, and an Anglican.
Riassunto
Living Together and Christian Ethics is the first positive, in-depth study of cohabitation outside marriage from a mainstream Christian theological perspective. The book retrieves the traditions of betrothal from the Bible and church history, and shows how these can transform Christian attitudes to living together before marriage.
