CS Lewis had some interesting ideas concerning marriage:
“…I should like to distinguish two things which are very often confused. The Christian concept of marriage is one: the other is quite a different question—how far Christians, if they are voters or [politicians], ought to try to force their views of marriage on the rest of the community by embodying them in divorce laws. A great many people seem to think that if you are a Christian yourself you should try to make divorce difficult for everyone. I do not think that. At least I know I should be very angry if the [Muslims] tried to prevent the rest of us from drinking wine. My own view is that the Churches should frankly recognize that the majority of the [people] are not Christians and, therefore, cannot be expected to live Christian lives. There ought to be two distinct kinds of marriage: one governed by the State with rules forced on all citizens, the other governed by the Church with rules enforced by her and her own members. The distinction ought to be quite sharp, so that a man knows which couples are married in a Christian sense and which are not,” (Mere Christianity).
Lewis’s point is fairly straight-forward and simple: the church should not concern itself too much with the standards the world sets for itself. The church should have its own standards and we should understand that those who are not disciples are under no obligation to live according to our rules.
This is an interesting assertion in light of the gay marriage debate that continues to rock America’s political system. If the American church were to adopt Lewis’s way of thinking we would stop launching anti-gay-marriage campaigns and we would happily let the majority of voters decide for themselves (apart from an over-bearing push from the so-called “religious right”) the official, legislative stance on gay marriage. If it’s voted for, fine. If not, fine.
The church, if we were to follow Lewis’s directives, would concern itself instead with the sacrament of marriage, redeeming the idea of Christian marriage and drawing a distinction between the kind of devotion that disciples subscribe to and the fickle devotion the rest of society settles for. Of course, first we would have to actually have Christian marriages that are different from non-Christian marriages, but you get the idea.
So, what do you think? Should we pay any attention to Lewis’s opinion?
I couldn’t agree more. Marla and I celebrated our sixth anniversary last night with a simple night out and a babysitter. We talked last night over dinner about how thankful we are for the ways in which God is shaping us through our relationship. We’re in the process of reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. I wonder what would happen to divorce rates among Christians if we truly began to think of marriage as a sacrament, a holy opportunity through which God can sanctify us and make us more like him.
We need to worry more about God’s work on us, and less about what a pagan culture thinks is good for marriage.
left by Trey on 11.19.2006 at 8:04 am