 John Calvin (1509-1564) |
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Greetings!
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Saturday, June 30, through Saturday, July 7, 2012, is scheduled to consider, among other things, redefining marriage.
Surely people are studying the Bible, The Book of Confessions, and the Book of Order in preparation for this decision. It has occurred to me that we might also usefully consult what some of the historic theologians of the Reformed tradition have said about marriage.
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Calvin on Marriage
"What is marriage except the joining of a husband and a woman, and why was it instituted except to produce children and to be a remedy for sexual incontinence?"
John Calvin, Calvin's Ecclesiastical Advice, translated by Mary Beaty and Benjamin W. Farley, foreword by John H. Leith (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox, 1991), p. 122, emphasis added..
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It is striking that while Calvin wrote a fair amount about marriage, this appears to be one of the few places that he defines it. And yet, it seems that the reason for this is that such a definition was everywhere assumed and seldom needed to be spelled out.
Certain questions arise: Do the voices urging the church today to change the definition of marriage come from theologians who are smarter, brighter, better, and more faithful theologians than John Calvin? Do they provide us with good, sufficient, and compelling reasons to abandon this part of our theological heritage?
 Grace and Peace, |
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