Celebrating Christian Marriage

Adrian Thatcher is Professor of Applied Theology and Director of the Centre for Theology and Philosophy at the College of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth.

Section 1 - Marriage at the start of the new millenium: the world situation of families - marriage reformation as a cultural work, Don Browning; marriage, and the second demographic transition in Europe - a review, Duncan Dormor. Section 2 - Beginning marriage: the case for betrothal, Reg Harcus; living together before marriage - the theological and pastoral opportunities, Adrian Thatcher; a holistic, parish-based marriage-ministry, Philip Newman. Section 3 - Love and marriage: water into wine, and Eros into Agape - marriage in the Orthodox Church, Stavros S. Fotiou; marriage and the Church: theological reflections on an underrated relationship, Thomas Knieps-Port le Roi; sacred love - religion, marriage and l'Amour fou, Philip A. Mellor. Section 4 - The marriage relationship: the marriage education movement - a theological analysis, John Wall; factors which contribute to marital difficulties, Jack Dominion; the so-called male mid-life crisis and marriage, George Lotter; lifetime as a virtue - changes in marriage over time, Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn; marriage - haven or hell? - twin souls and broken bones, Lisa Isherwood. Section 5 - Children and marriage: obligation or option? marriage, voluntary childlessness and the Church, Helen Stanton; welcome the pied piper, Jon Davies. Section 6 - Single-sex marriage: is lesbian or gay marriage an oxymoron? a critical review of the contemporary debate, Elizabeth Stuart; single sex marriage? a rite for blessing friendship in traditional Christianity, Alan Bray. Section 7 - Ending marriage - Roman Catholic perspectives: marriage nullity in the Catholic Church - not every wedding produces a marriage, Paul Robbins; theology and reality - impasse or new horizons?, Cathy Molloy; faithful and free - marriage in the Catholic Church, Timothy J. Buckley; marriage, divorce, and personal commitments, Margaret A. Farley; Section 8 - Ending marriage - Anglican perspectives: marriage, marriage after divorce, and the Church of England - seeking coherent teaching and consistent practice, Michael Scott-Joynt; contract or communion? a dilemma for the Church of England, Timothy J. Woods; the Christian claims of the English law of marriage, C.C.A. Pearce; mystical union - Legal and theological perspectives on marriage, Jacqueline Humphreys and Simon J. Taylor; idolatry and pragmatism: the sanctity of marriage and the Mothers' Union 1876-1976, Cordelia Moyse; why was Jesus a pastor to the divorced? the social background to Mark 10 and Matthew 19, Greg Forster.