Neaira lived in ancient Athens, about three hundred years before the birth of Christ. She was purchased as a child to be raised a hetaira, or high-class prostitute. For a while, Neaira “served” two unmarried men until it was time for them to settle down. Eventually, she bought her freedom and even married. However, she …
Marriage and Women in the Pagan World of Bible Times Read More »
A group of homosexual activists recently published what they called the “Queen James Bible”—an edition of Scripture with eight verses edited in order to prevent “homophobic interpretations.” The implication is that if these eight verses are tweaked, the Bible doesn’t have anything to say condemning homosexuality or limiting marriage to the covenant union of one …
In the middle of ongoing cultural convulsions over the definition of marriage, I have found one question increasingly on the minds of many people: “Didn’t God in the Old Testament allow for polygamy? If that is true, then how can you say that marriage is defined as being only between one man and one woman?” …
How Should We Respond to Old Testament Polygamy? Read More »
For many Christians, the effort to love the way the Bible commands is tiresome—like driving a car with square wheels. How do we keep from holding grudges? How do we love our enemy? How do we rejoice when our co-worker gets the promotion we deserve? I don’t think we’ll know how to really love until …
Eighty-four percent of unmarried Americans between the ages of 18 and 23 have already had sex according to a newly released, massive study, Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate, and Think About Marriage (Oxford, 2011) by Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker. Regnerus is a sociology professor at the University of Texas at …
Meeting, Mating, and (Maybe) Marrying in America Read More »
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, wrote extensively on marriage and his thoughts have had a considerable influence on Christian reflection on human love. In this extract from Marriage and Virginity: The Excellence of Marriage, Augustine underlines the importance of marriage as a creation ordinance that is intended to hold society together and stabilize future generations. Every …
Augustine on Marriage: The First Bond of Society Read More »