Marriage and the Reformed tradition

1. Marriage and the Reformed tradition A Conversation with Participants at a Marriage Workshop St. Andrews Presbyterian Church July 12, 2014

2. Some Presbyterian History • 1976: Our nation’s 200th anniversary – the Presbyterian denomination is dealing with theological issues. • The GA responded by creating a Task Force to Study Homosexuality.

3. Presbyterian History Continued • 1978: What captured the attention of the Assembly: A subsection, “How to Read the Bible? Problems and Models of Biblical Authority and Interpretation.” • Four alternative approaches to biblical interpretation.

4. Four Alternatives to Biblical Interpretation • Model A: The ordination of people who are homosexual isforbidden on the grounds of the law of God.

5. Model B • Model B: This model came to the same conclusion as Model A but attributed the grounds to the Spirit of Christ.

6. Model C • Model C: Model C argued that ordination of people who are homosexual should be permitted on the basis of justice.

7. Model D • Model D: Model D supported the view of Model C and added love as a further reason for ordination.

8. Reunion in1983 • 1) Recognize that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the center of Scripture. • 2) Let the focus be on the plain text of Scripture and to the grammatical and historical context. • 3) Depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting and applying God’ message.

9. Guidelines on Biblical Authority and Interpretation • 4) Be guided by the doctrinal consensus of the church, which is the rule of faith • 5) Let all interpretations be in accord with the rule of love=love God & love neighbor.

10. Guidelines on Biblical Authority and Interpretation • 6) Remember that interpretation of the Bible requires earnest study. • 7) Seek to interpret a particular passage of the Bible in light of all the Bible.

11. What Do Presbyterians Say About Marriage • Primary source for understanding is Scripture. • The creation story implies one purpose of marriage: companionship. “It is good that the man should not be alone...” (Gen. 2:18)

12. What Do Presbyterians Say About Marriage • The purpose is connected, though not synonymous, with the earlier injunction for humanity to be fruitful and multiply. • Subsequent forms of marriage recorded in the Old Testament are wide.

13. The New Testament blesses singleness and marriage. • Jesus’ own singleness does not come at the expense of binding personal relationships. (I Cor 7:38) • Jesus’ sayings about divorce are stronger than anything found in the Old Testament. (Mark 10:11-12)

14. Yet Jesus also says that the demands of the gospel may pit family members against one another. (Mt 10:35-37) • The covenant between God and humanity initiated in Jesus Christ is primary. • The promises of marriage are always provisional in comparison to the promise of God’s reign.

15. Confessional and Theological Heritage • An overarching theology of Christian marriage does not exist in our tradition. • Calvin and the Reformers rejected the notion of a sacrament of marriage.

16. They preferred to call marriage an ordinance instituted by God (Second Helvetic, 5.171). • Both a sign of grace and a response to grace already given. • John Calvin devotes few words to marriage in his Institutes. (Institutes 2.8.41)

17. The Westminster Confession of Faith = public good. (Westminster Confession 6.131) • Notably absent are injunctions of procreation. • Sexual union and children are the fruits of the wider good rather than their source.

18. Contemporary Reformed theology = the healing of brokenness, heralding the relationship that God establishes with creation. • Shirley Guthrie: Marriage is “a partnership that reflects the covenant relationship between God and the people of God.” • A Christian marriage is an anticipatory event.

19. A Prayer from the Book of Common Worship “Make their life together a sign of Christ’s love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair.”

20. Interpreting Our Heritage Today • The question of same-sex marriage does not enter the interpretive world of biblical authors. • In Dr. David Jensen’s opinion, we are warranted in asking whether or not the distinctive strands of our tradition would allow for or prohibit same-sex unions or marriages.

21. The Burden for Either Side • Dr. Jensen: The burden lies in whether proposals for same-sex unions meet the theological criteria for marriages outlined in our tradition. • May such unions, as Westminster stresses, serve the common good? • Are they dim reflections of God’s covenant with humanity, as the Old Testament suggests?

22. The Burden or Either Side • Do they direct human persons to one another and to the ultimacy of God’s Reign? • Do they, as Calvin urged, model restraint from sin and joy in companionship? • Do they, however, imperfectly, anticipate God’s communion with all creation in Christ?

23. Marriage in the Reformed Tradition Stesses • Covenant • God’s desire for communion with all persons • Mutual restraint and joy • The response of God’s people • The public good

24. Sources • David Jensen: “What Do Presbyterian Say About Marriage” from the book, Frequently Asked Questions About Sexuality, The Bible and The Church: Plain Talk About Tough Issues. • Jack Rogers: Jesus, theBible, andHomosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church; Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.