Christian views on marriage: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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1. [[Christian egalitarianism|Christian Egalitarians]] believe in an equal partnership of the wife and husband with no prescribed leader.]] They propose a fully ''equal partnership'' between men and women in both the family and in the church. Its proponents teach "the fundamental biblical principle of the equality of all human beings before God".{{Bibleref2c|Gal.|3:28}} According to this principle, there can be no moral or theological justification for permanently granting or denying status, privilege, or prerogative solely on the basis of a person's race, class, or gender.<ref name=Groothuis>Groothuis, Rebecca M. "Sexuality, Spirituality and Feminist Religion". [http://www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content/sexuality-spirituality-and-feminist-religion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515014220/http://www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content%2Fsexuality-spirituality-and-feminist-religion |date=2013-05-15 }} Accessed 8 Mar 2013</ref>

2. [[Complementarianism| Christian Complementarians]] prescribe husband-headship—a male-led hierarchy. This view's core beliefs call for a husband’s “loving, humble headship" and the wife’s “intelligent, willing submission" to his headship. Without necessarily using the term "obey", they believe women have "different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage....".<ref name=Comp>Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW). Core Beliefs. {{cite web |url=https://www.cbmw.org/core-beliefs/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2013-03-06 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206132921/https://www.cbmw.org/core-beliefs/ |archivedate=2013-02-06 |df= }} Accessed 5 March 2013</ref>

3. [[Biblical patriarchy]], though not popular among mainstream Christians, prescribes a strict male-dominant hierarchy. This view makes the husband the “ruler” over "his" wife and “his” household.<ref>https://cbmw.org/uncategorized/summaries-of-the-egalitarian-and-complementarian-positions; 1/15/2018/</ref> Their organization's first tenet is that "God reveals Himself as masculine, not feminine. God is the eternal Father and the eternal Son, the Holy Spirit is also addressed as 'He,' and Jesus Christ is a male.". They consider the husband-father to be "sovereign" over "his" household—the family leader, provider, and protector. They call for a wife to be ''obedient'' to her "head" (husband).<ref name=Patriarchy>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070626134919/http://www.visionforumministries.org/home/about/biblical_patriarchy.aspx "The Tenets of Biblical Patriarchy". Visual Forum Ministries]</ref>

Some [[Polygamy in Christianity|Christian authorities used to permit]] [[polygamy]] (specifically [[polygyny]]) in the past, but this practice, besides being illegal in Western cultures, is now considered to be out of the Christian mainstream and continues to be practiced only by fringe fundamentalist sects.

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[[File:Pukirev ner brak.jpg|thumb|Orthodox betrothal depicted by [[Vasily Vladimirovich Pukirev]], 1862.]]

Much of the dispute hinges on how one interprets the [[New Testament Household Code]] ''(Haustafel)'' which has as its main focus hierarchical relationships ~~between~~among three pairs of social classes that were controlled by Roman law: husbands/wives, parents/children, and masters/slaves. The Code, with variations, occurs in four epistles (letters) by the [[Apostle Paul]] and in 1  Peter. The Roman law of ''Manus'' gave the husband nearly absolute autocratic power over his wife, including life and death. The law of ''Patria Potestas'' (Latin for "Rule of the Fathers") gave a husband equally severe power over his children and slaves. [[Frank Stagg (theologian)|Theologian Frank Stagg]]<ref name=Stagg>Stagg, Frank. ''New Testament Theology''. Broadman Press, 1962. {{ISBN|0-8054-1613-7}}</ref>{{rp|pp.187ff}} finds the basic tenets of the Code in [[Aristotle]]'s discussion of the household in Book 1 of ''[[Politics (Aristotle)|Politics]]'' and in [[Philo]]'s ''Hypothetica 7.14''.<ref>{{cite web|quote=

(7.14) Do not these objects appear to you to be of greater importance than any other pursuit can possibly be? Therefore they do not go to interpreters of laws to learn what they ought to do; and even without asking, they are in no ignorance respecting the laws, so as to be likely, through following their own inclinations, to do wrong; but if you violate or alter any one of the laws, or if you ask any one of them about their national laws or customs, they can all tell you at once, without any difficulty; and the husband appears to be a master, endowed with sufficient authority to explain these laws to his wife, a father to teach them to his children....

|author=Philo

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The Staggs believe the several occurrences of the [[New Testament Household Code]] in the Bible were intended to meet the needs for ''order'' within the churches and in the society of the day. They maintain that the New Testament Household Codes are attempts by Paul and Peter to Christianize the harsh Codes for Roman citizens who had become followers of Christ. The Staggs write that there is some suggestion in scripture that because Paul had taught that they had newly found freedom "in Christ", wives, children, and slaves were taking improper advantage of the ''Haustafel'' both in the home and the church.

"The form of the code stressing reciprocal social duties is traced to Judaism's own Oriental background, with its strong moral/ethical demand but also with a low view of woman.... At bottom is probably to be seen the perennial tension between freedom and order.... What mattered to (Paul) was 'a new creation'{{Bibleref2c|Gal.|6:15}} and 'in Christ' there is 'not any Jew not Greek, not any slave nor free, not any male and female.".{{Bibleref2c|Gal.|3:28}}<ref name=Staggs/>

Such codes existed in Greek tradition. Two of these Christianized codes are found in {{Bibleref2|Ephesians|5:21-33}} which contains the phrases "husband is the head of the wife" and "wives, submit to your husband", and in {{Bibleref2|Colossians|3:18-4:1}} which instructs wives to subordinate themselves to their husbands.

The importance of the meaning of "head" as used by the [[Apostle Paul]] is pivotal in the conflict between the Complementarian position and the Egalitarian view. The word Paul used for "head", transliterated from Greek, is ''kephalē''. Today's English word "cephalic" ({{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|f|æ|l|ᵻ|k}} {{Respell|sə|FAL|ik}}) stems from the Greek ''kephalē'' and means "Of or relating to the head; or located on, in, or near the head.". A thorough concordance search by [[Catherine Kroeger]] shows that the most frequent use of "head" ''(kephalē)'' in the New Testament is to refer to "the anatomical head of a body". She found that its second most frequent use in the New Testament was to convey the metaphorical sense of "source".<ref>Kroeger, Catherine Clark. "Toward an Understanding of Ancient Conceptions of 'Head',", ''Priscilla Papers, '' Volume 20:3, Summer 2006.</ref><ref>Johnson, Alan F. "A Meta-Study of the Debate over the Meaning of 'Head' (Kephale) in Paul's Writings. ''Priscilla Papers, '' Volume 20:4, Autumn 2006</ref> Other Egalitarian authors such as Margaret Howe agree with Kroeger, writing that "The word 'head' (in {{Bibleref2|1cor|11:3||1  Corinthians 11:3}} and other similar passages) must be understood not as 'ruler' but as 'source{{' "}}.<ref>Margaret Howe, Women and Church Leadership (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), p. 60.</ref>

Wayne Grudem criticizes commonly rendering ''kephalē'' in those same passages only to mean "source", and argues that it denotes "authoritative head" in such texts as {{Bibleref2|1cor|11:3||1 Corinthians 11:3}}. They interpret that verse to mean that [[God the father]] is the authoritative head over the [[Jesus Christ|Son]], and in turn Jesus is the authoritative head over the church, not simply its source. By extension, they then conclude that in marriage and in the church, the man is the authoritative head over the woman.<ref>[http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/tj/kephale_grudem.pdf Wayne Grudem, "Does Kefale ("Head") Mean "Source" Or "Authority Over" in Greek Literature? A Survey of 2,336 Examples"] Trinity Journal ns 6.1 (Spring 1985): 38-59</ref>

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Christian Egalitarians (from the French word "égal" meaning "equal") believe that Christian marriage is intended to be a marriage without any hierarchy—a full and equal partnership between the wife and husband. They emphasize that nowhere in the New Testament is there a requirement for a wife to ''obey'' her husband. While "obey" was introduced into marriage vows for much of the church during the Middle Ages, its only New Testament support is found in {{Bibleref2|1pet|3:6||1 Peter 3:6}}, with that only being by implication from Sarah's obedience to Abraham.<ref name="Staggs"/>{{rp|p.190}} Scriptures such as {{Bibleref2|Galatians|3:28}} state that in Christ, right relationships are restored, and in Christ "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.".<ref name=CBE>Christians for Biblical Equality. "Men, Women and Biblical Equality". Ltd. CBE on the Web at "Biblical Equality", 1989. [www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content/men-women-and-biblical-equality.] Accessed 5 Mar 2013</ref>

Christian Egalitarians interpret scripture to mean that God intended spouses to practice ''mutual submission'', each in equality with the other. The phrase "mutual submission" comes from {{Bibleref2|Ephesians|5:21}} which precedes advice for the three domestic relationships of the day, including slavery. It reads, "Submit to one another ('mutual submission') out of reverence for Christ": wives to husbands, children to parents, and slaves to their master. Christian Egalitarians believe that full and equal partnership in marriage is the most biblical view, producing the most intimate, wholesome, and reciprocally fulfilling marriages.<ref>Spencer, Aída Besançon, William Spencer. ''Marriage at the Crossroads''. InterVarsity Press, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-8308-2890-6}}</ref>

The Christian Egalitarian view<ref>Christian Egalitarian view as differentiated from humanistic egalitarianism</ref> of marriage asserts that gender, in and of itself, neither privileges nor curtails a believer's gifting or calling to any ministry in the church or home. It does not imply that [[women]] and [[men]] are identical or undifferentiated, but affirms that God designed men and women to complement and benefit one another.<ref name=Groothuis2>Groothuis, Rebecca Merrill. "The Bible and Gender Equality.". [www.cbeinternational.org Christians for Biblical Equality Web site]</ref> A foundational belief of Christian Egalitarians is that the husband and wife are created equally and are ordained of God to "become one", a biblical principle first ordained by God in {{Bibleref2|Genesis|2:24}}, reaffirmed by Jesus in {{Bibleref2|Matthew|19:4-6}} and {{Bibleref2|Mark|10:6-8}}, and by the [[Apostle Paul]] in {{Bibleref2|Ephesians|5:30-32}}. Therefore, they see that "oneness" as pointing to [[gender equality]] in marriage. They believe the biblical model for Christian marriages is therefore for the spouses to share equal responsibility within the family—not one over the other nor one under the other.

David Dykes, theologian, author, and pastor of a 15,000-member Baptist church, sermonized that "When you are in Christ, you have full equality with all other believers". In a sermon he entitled "The Ground Is Level at the Foot of the Cross", he said that some theologians have called one particular Bible verse the Christian ''[[Magna Carta]]''. The Bible verse reads: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" ({{Bibleref2|Galatians|3:28}}). Acknowledging the differences between men and women, Dykes writes that "in Christ, these differences don't define who we are. The only category that really matters in the world is whether you are 'in Christ.' At the cross, Jesus destroyed all the man-made barriers of hostility:" ethnicity, social status, and gender.<ref>Dykes, David O. "[http://www.preaching.com/sermons/11682921/page-3/ The Ground Is Level at the Foot of the Cross]". (Senior Pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas)</ref>

{{Quotation|The {{Bibleref2|Galatians|3:28}} passage comes after the apostle Paul tells us he would not submit to what was "hypocritical" to the Gospel.{{Bibleref2c|Gal.|2:1-14}} The apostle Peter had affirmed the truth of the Gospel in regards to the Gentiles with his words, but his actions compromised it.<ref>[http://www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content/2013-02-28-preparing-womens-history-month-arise-e-newsletter Quient, Allison. "Arise" CBE newsletter, 28 Feb 2013] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515014730/http://www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content%2F2013-02-28-preparing-womens-history-month-arise-e-newsletter |date=2013-05-15 }}</ref>}}<blockquote>Those of the egalitarian persuasion point to the biblical instruction that all Christian believers, irrespective of gender, are to submit or be subject "to one another in the fear of God"{{Bibleref2c|Eph.|5:21|KJV|Eph. 5:21 KJV}} or "out of reverence for Christ".{{Bibleref2c|Eph.|5:21|NIV|NIV}} [[Gilbert Bilezikian]] writes that in the highly debated Ephesians 5 passage, the verb "to be subject" or "to be submitted" appears in verse 21 which he describes as serving as a "hinge" between two different sections. The first section consists of verses 18-20, verse 21 is the connection between the two, and the second section consists of verses 22-33.<ref name="Bilezikian">Bilezikian, Gilbert. ''Beyond Sex Roles.'' Baker Book House, 1989. {{ISBN|0-8010-0885-9}}</ref>{{rp|p.153}} When discussion begins at verse 22 in Ephesians 5, Paul appears to be reaffirming a chain of command principle within the family. However, he explains:</blockquote>{{Quotation|...when interpretation begins with verse 21, the entire passage describes mutual submission within the family. The wife submits to her husband in everything "as unto the Lord.". If her husband makes a request unworthy of her Lord, her primary loyalty is "unto the Lord.". ...Instruction about submission is four times longer for husbands than for wives. The greatest burden of submission is clearly placed on the husband.<ref name=Prescott>Prescott, Bruce. "The Christian Family: Mutual Submission or Chain of Command?" ''Mainstream Messenger'', Vol. 1, No. 3. November 1998. Online: http://www.mainstreambaptists.org/mob2/family.htm</ref>}}

Advocates of [[Christian egalitarianism]] believe that this model has firm biblical support:

*Until quite recently, the word translated "help" or "helper" in {{bibleref2|Genesis|2:18}} was generally understood to subordinate a wife to her husband. The KJV translates it as God saying, "I will make an help meet for him". The first distortion was extrabiblical: the noun "help" and the adjective "meet" traditionally have been combined into a new noun, "helpmate". Thus, wives were often referred to as her husband's "helpmate". Next, from the word "help" were drawn inferences of authority/subjection distinctions between men and women. "Helper" was taken to mean that husband was boss and wife his domestic. It is now realized that of the 21 times the Hebrew word '''ezer'' is used in the Old Testament, in eight of those instances the term clearly means "savior"—another word for Jehovah God. For example, {{Bibleref2|Psalm|33:20}} says "the Lord…is our help ('ezer) and shield". {{Bibleref2|Psalm|121:1-2}} reads "I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help ('ezer) come from? My help ('ezer) comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.". That Hebrew word is not used in the Bible with reference to any subordinate person such a servant.<ref name=Bilezikian/>{{rp|p.28}} Thus, forms of 'ezer in the Hebrew Bible can mean either "to save" or "to be strong" or have the idea of power and strength.<ref>Freedman, R. David. ''Biblical Archaeology Review''. Jan/Feb 1983, pp. 56-58</ref>

*The "two becoming one" concept, first cited in {{bibleref2|Gen.|2:24}}, was quoted by Jesus in his teachings on marriage and recorded almost identically in the gospels of both Matthew and Mark.{{bibleref2c|Matt.|19:4–6}} {{bibleref2c|Mk.|10:7–9}} In those passages, Jesus reemphasized the concept by adding a divine postscript to the Genesis passage: "So, they are no longer two, but one" (NIV).

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*The [[Apostle Paul]] calls on husbands and wives to be subject ''to each other'' out of reverence for Christ—mutual submission.{{bibleref2c|Eph.|5:21}}

*As persons, husband and wife are of equal value. There is no priority of one spouse over the other. In truth, they are one.<ref name="Staggs" /> Bible scholar [[Frank Stagg (theologian)|Frank Stagg]] and Classicist [[Evelyn Stagg]] write that husband-wife equality produces the most intimate, wholesome and mutually fulfilling marriages. They conclude that the Apostle Paul's statement, sometimes called the "Magna Carta of Humanity"<ref>Jewett, Paul K. ''Man as Male and Female: A Study in Sexual Relationships from a Theological Point of View.'' Eerdmans, 1990, p. 142. {{ISBN|978-0-8028-1597-2}}</ref> and recorded in {{bibleref2|Galatians|3:28}}, applies to all Christian relationships, including Christian marriage: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is ''neither male nor female'': for you are all ''one'' in Christ Jesus.".

*The Apostle Peter calls husbands and wives "joint heirs of the grace of life" and cautions a husband who is not considerate to his wife and does not treat her with respect that his prayers will be hindered.{{Bibleref2c|1Pet|3:7||1 Peter 3:7}}

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Complementarians hold to a hierarchical structure between husband and wife. They believe men and women have different gender-specific roles, assigned by God, that allow each to ''complement'' the other, hence the designation "Complementarians". The Complementarian view of marriage holds that while the husband and wife are of equal worth before God, husbands and wives are given different functions and responsibilities by God that are based on their gender, and that male leadership is biblically ordained so that the husband is always the senior authority figure. They state they "observe with deep concern accompanying distortions or neglect of the glad harmony portrayed in Scripture between the intelligent, humble leadership of redeemed husbands and the loving, willing support of that leadership by redeemed wives".<ref>[http://cbmw.org/core-beliefs/ Core Beliefs{{snd}} the "Danvers Statement"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626082957/http://cbmw.org/core-beliefs/ |date=2014-06-26 }}. [[Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood|CBMW]]. Retrieved on 17 July 2014.</ref> They believe "the Bible presents a clear chain of authority above all authority and power is God; God is the head of Christ. Then in descending order, Christ is the head of man, man is the head of woman, and parents are the head of their children.".<ref>"Authority in the Family". Online: [www.covenanttruth.com.au/html/study/f/f4.htm] Accessed 1 March 2013</ref> Complementarians teach that God intended men to lead their wives as "heads" of the family. [[Wayne Grudem]], in an article that interprets the "mutual submission" of {{Bibleref2|Ephesians|5:21}} as being hierarchical, writes that it means "being considerate of one another, and caring for one another’s needs, and being thoughtful of one another, and sacrificing for one another.".<ref>Grudem, Wayne. "Submission as an Interpretation of Ephesians 5:21.".{{cite web |url=http://goodshepherdinitiative.net/docs_pdf/cbmw-grudem-myth-mutual-submission.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2013-02-15 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112212330/http://goodshepherdinitiative.net/docs_pdf/cbmw-grudem-myth-mutual-submission.pdf |archivedate=2014-11-12 |df= }} Accessed 14 Feb 2013.</ref>

Complementarians interpret certain Scriptures to mean that the wife is to be subject to her husband, if not unconditionally.<ref>[http://www.galaxie.com/article/jbmw16-2-12 Meyer, Jason C.. ''Another Middle Way that Doesn’t Exist,''] (A Review of Jim and [[Sarah Sumner]], ''Just How Married Do You Want to Be?'') Accessed 13 March 2013 (subscription)</ref> They cite such as 1 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV) : "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.".

According to Complementarian authors [[John Piper (theologian)|John Piper]], [[Wayne Grudem]] and others, historically, but to a significantly lesser extent in most of Christianity today, the predominant position in both Catholicism and conservative Protestantism places the male as the "head" in the home and in the church.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books/about/Recovering_Biblical_Manhood_Womanhood.html?id=NHPxcYNV0BwC John Piper, Wayne Grudem, ''Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism]'', p. 165; Crossway, 2006</ref><ref>Mr. David Blankenhorn, (ed), Mr. Don S. Browning (ed), Mrs. Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen (ed.), ''Does Christianity Teach Male Headship?: The Equal-Regard Marriage and Its Critics,'' pp. 29-36</ref><ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_corinthians/11-3.htm 1Cor. 11:3] [[Albert Barnes (theologian)|Albert Barnes]] Notes on the Bible; [[Adam Clarke]]'s Commentary on the Bible; [[John Gill (theologian)|John Gill]]'s Exposition of the Entire Bible; [[Matthew Henry]]’s Commentary on the Whole Bible accessed 17 July 2014</ref><ref>Ron Rhodes, [https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Complete_Guide_To_Christian_Denomina.html?id=ZOWNgDET8agCe ''The Complete Guide To Christian Denominations''], 2005</ref> They hold that women are commanded to be in subjection to male leadership, with wives obedient to their husband as head, based upon Old Testament precepts and principles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cbmw.org/uncategorized/summaries-of-the-egalitarian-and-complementarian-positions/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216235028/http://cbmw.org/uncategorized/summaries-of-the-egalitarian-and-complementarian-positions/ |title=Summaries of the Egalitarian and Complementarian Positions | author=Bruce A. Ware |archivedate=16 December 2013 | deadurl=no | accessdate=17 July 2014}}</ref> Complementarians hold that "God has created men and women equal in their essential dignity and human personhood, but different and complementary in function with male headship in the home and in the Church.".<ref>{{cite web | last=Duncan | first=Ligon | title=Male Authority and Female Equality: In the beginning—Genesis 1-3 being understood as part of God’s created design | publisher=Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood | date=2004-12-15 | url=http://www.cbmw.org/Resources/Sermons/Male-Authority-and-Female-Equality-In-the-beginning-Genesis-1-3 | accessdate=2012-02-27}}</ref>

Grudem also acknowledges exceptions to the submission of wives to husbands where moral issues are involved.<ref>[http://bible.org/seriespage/wives-sarah-and-husbands-who-honor-them-1-peter-31-7 Wives Like Sarah, and the Husbands Who Honor Them 1 Peter 3:1-7].</ref> Rather than unconditional obedience, Piper and Grudem are careful to caution that a wife's submission should never cause her to "follow her husband into sin.".<ref>Piper, John and Grudem, Wayne (eds.)'' ''[[Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood]]: A Response to Evangelical Feminism.'' Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991, p. 57</ref>

[[Roman Catholic Church]] teaching on the role of women includes that of Pope Leo XIII in his 1880 encyclical ''Arcanum:''

{{Quotation|The husband is the chief of the family and the head of the wife. The woman, because she is flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone, must be subject to her husband and obey him; not, indeed, as a servant, but as a companion, so that her obedience shall be wanting in neither honor nor dignity. Since the husband represents Christ, and since the wife represents the Church, let there always be, both in him who commands and in her who obeys, a heaven-born love guiding both in their respective duties.".<ref>Pope Leo XIII Encyclical 1880 Arcanum {{cite web |url=http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_10021880_arcanum_en.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-05-30 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622095840/http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_10021880_arcanum_en.html |archivedate=2009-06-22 |df= }} 1880 Arcanum]</ref> This position was affirmed in the 1930 encyclical ''Casti Connubii,'' which invokes {{Bibleref2|Ephesians|5:22}}, "Let women be subject to their husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ is the head of the Church.<ref>[http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_31121930_casti-connubii_en.html, Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubii]</ref>}}

Though each of their churches is autonomous and self-governed, the official position of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, is male dominant:

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While Scripture allowed this approach in Old Testament times, nowhere does the Bible ordain it. In the Hebrew nation, patriarchy seems to have evolved as an expression of male dominance and supremacy, and of a double standard that prevailed throughout much of the Old Testament. Its contemporary advocates insist that it is the only biblically valid model for marriage today. They argue that it was established at Creation, and thus is a firm, unalterable decree of God about the relative positions of men and women.<ref name=EB>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446579/patria-potestas]</ref>

Biblical patriarchists see what they describe as a crisis of this era being what they term to be a systematic attack on the "timeless truths of biblical patriarchy". They believe such an attack includes the movement to "subvert the biblical model of the family, and redefine the very meaning of fatherhood and motherhood, masculinity, femininity, and the parent and child relationship.".<ref name=Patriarchy/> Arguing from the biblical presentation of God revealing himself "as masculine, not feminine", they believe God ordained distinct gender roles for man and woman as part of the created order. They say "Adam’s headship over Eve was established at the beginning, before sin entered the world". Their view is that the male has God-given authority and mandate to direct "his" household in paths of obedience to God. They refer to man's "dominion" beginning within the home, and a man’s qualification and ability to lead well "in the public square" is based upon his prior success in ''ruling his household''.<ref name=Patriarchy/>

Thus, William Einwechter refers to the traditional Complementarian view as "two-point complementarianism" (male leadership in the family and church), and regards the biblical patriarchy view as "three-point" or "full" complementarianism (male leadership in family, church ''and society'').<ref>[http://www.visionforumministries.org/issues/family/men_and_women_and_the_creation.aspx Men and Women and the Creation Order, Part 1 - Vision Forum Ministries]</ref>

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The Bible clearly addresses marriage and divorce. Those in troubled marriages are encouraged to seek counseling and restoration because most divorces are neither necessary nor unavoidable.<ref name=Desai/>

{{Quotation|"Have you not read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.".|{{Bibleref2|Matt.|19:4–6}}, {{Bibleref2|Mark|10:7–9}}|source=}}

In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus appealed to God's will in creation. He builds upon the narratives in Genesis where male and female are created together{{Bibleref2c|Genesis|1:27}} and for one another.{{Bibleref2c-nb|Genesis|2:24}} Thus Jesus takes a firm stand on the permanence of marriage in the original will of God. This corresponds closely with the position of the Pharisee school of thought led by [[Shammai]], at the start of the first millennium,<ref name="Git910">''[[Gittin]]'' 9:10</ref><ref>''[[Sotah]]'' ([[Jerusalem Talmud]] only), 1:1</ref><ref>''Sotah'' (Jerusalem Talmud only), 1:16b</ref> with which Jesus would have been very familiar. By contrast, [[Rabbinic Judaism]] subsequently took the opposite view, espoused by [[Hillel the Elder|Hillel]], the leader of the other major Pharisee school of thought at the time. In Hillel's view, men were allowed to divorce their wives for any reason.<ref name="Git910" />

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Jesus brought together two passages from Genesis, reinforcing the basic position on marriage found in Jewish scripture. Thus, he implicitly emphasized that it is God-made ("God has joined together"), "male and female,"{{Bibleref2c|Genesis|1:27}} life-long ("let no one separate"), and monogamous ("a man…his wife").<ref name="Stagg NT">Stagg, Frank.''New Testament Theology''. Broadman, 1962. {{ISBN|0-8054-1613-7}}</ref>

[[Jesus]] used the image of marriage and the family to teach the basics about the [[Kingdom of God]]. He inaugurated his ministry by blessing the [[Marriage at Cana|wedding feast at Cana]]. In the [[Sermon on the Mount]] he set forth a new commandment concerning marriage, teaching that lustful looking constitutes [[adultery]].{{Bibleref2c|Mt.|5:28}} He also [[Supersessionism|superseded a Mosaic Law]] allowing divorce with his teaching that "…anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality (Gk. ''porneia''),<ref>Thayer and Smith. "Greek Lexicon entry for Porneia". ''The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon''.</ref> causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery".{{Bibleref2c|Mt|5:32||cf. Mt. 5:32}} {{Bibleref2c|Mt|19:19}} {{Bibleref2c|Mk|10:11}} {{Bibleref2c|Lk|16:18}} Similar Pauline teachings are found in {{Bibleref2|1cor|7:10–11|ESV|1 Corinthians 7:10–11}}. The exception clause—"except for…"—uses the Greek word ''porneia'' which is variously translated "fornication" (KJV), "marital unfaithfulness" (NIV 1984), "sexual immorality" (NIV 2011), "unchastity" (RSV), ''et al''. ''The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon, KJV'' says ''porneia'' includes a variety of sexual "deviations" to include "illicit sexual intercourse, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, etc., sexual intercourse with close relatives….".{{Bibleref2c|Lev.|18}}

[[Frank Stagg (theologian)|Theologian Frank Stagg]] says that manuscripts disagree as to the presence in the original text of the phrase "except for fornication".<ref name="Stagg NT"/>{{rp|pp.300–301}} Stagg writes: "Divorce always represents failure…a deviation from God's will…. There is grace and redemption where there is contrition and repentance…. There is no clear authorization in the New Testament for remarriage after divorce.". Stagg interprets the chief concern of {{Bibleref2|Matthew|5:32}} as being "to condemn the criminal act of the man who divorces an innocent wife…. Jesus was rebuking the husband who victimizes an innocent wife and thinks that he makes it right with her by giving her a divorce". He points out that Jesus refused to be trapped by the [[Pharisees]] into choosing between the strict and liberal positions on divorce as held at the time in Judaism. When they asked him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?"{{Bibleref2c|Mt.|19:3}} Jesus answered by reaffirming God's will as stated in Genesis {{Bibleref2-nb|Gen.|1:27}} and {{Bibleref2-nb|Gen.|2:24}}, that in marriage husband and wife are made "one flesh", and what God has united man must not separate.{{Bibleref2c|Mt.|19:4-6}}<ref name="Stagg NT"/>{{rp|pp.300–301}}

In contrast to Judaism and many other traditions,<ref name="EOC">Fahlbusch, Erwin and Geoffrey Bromiley. ''The Encyclopedia of Christianity.'' Brill Academic Publishers (November 2000). {{ISBN|90-04-11695-8}}.</ref>{{Rp|p.283}} Jesus taught that there is a place for voluntary singleness in Christian service. He believed marriage could be a distraction from an urgent mission,<ref>Armstrong, Karen. ''The Gospel according to women: Christianity's creation of the sex war in the west,'' Anchor Books, 1991. {{ISBN|978-0-385-24079-6}}</ref> and that he was living in a time of crisis and urgency where the [[Kingdom of God]] would be established where there would be no marriage nor giving in marriage:

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{{Quotation|

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the [[World to Come|age to come]], [[Eternal life (Christianity)|eternal life]].".|{{bibleref2|Luke|18:29–30}}

}}

In {{bibleverse||Matthew|22:28-30|NIV}}, Jesus is asked about the continuing state of marriage after death and he affirms that at the resurrection "people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.".

=== New Testament beyond the Gospels ===

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Some scholars have speculated that Paul may have been a widower since prior to his conversion to Christianity he was a [[Pharisees|Pharisee]] and a member of the [[Sanhedrin]], positions in which the social norm of the day required the men to be married. But it is just as likely that he never married at all.<ref name="Adams">Adams, Jay E. ''Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible,'' Zondervan, 1986, {{ISBN|0-310-51111-9}}</ref>

Yet, Paul acknowledges the mutuality of marital relations, and recognizes that his own singleness is "a particular gift from God" that others may not necessarily have. He writes: "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.".{{Bibleref2c|1Co|7:8||1 Cor 7:8}}

[[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] indicates that [[bishop]]s, [[deacon]]s, and [[Elder (Christianity)|elder]]s must be "husbands of one wife", and that women must have one husband. This is usually understood to legislate against polygamy rather than to require marriage:

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[[Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers|Nicene Fathers]] such as [[Augustine]] believed that marriage was a sacrament because it was a symbol used by Paul to express Christ's love of the Church. However, there was also an apocalyptic dimension in his teaching, and he was clear that if everybody stopped marrying and having children that would be an admirable thing; it would mean that the [[Kingdom of God]] would return all the sooner and the [[End times|world would come to an end]].<ref name="Armstrong">Armstrong, Karen. ''Gospel According to Women.'' Anchor Books, 1991. {{ISBN|978-0-385-24079-6}}</ref> Such a view reflects the [[Manichaean]] past of Augustine.

While upholding the New Testament teaching that marriage is "honourable in all and the bed undefiled,"<ref>Hebrews 13:4</ref> Augustine believed that "whenever it comes to the actual process of generation, the very embrace which is lawful and honourable cannot be effected without the ardour of lust.... This is the carnal concupiscence, which, while it is no longer accounted sin in the regenerate, yet in no case happens to nature except from sin.".<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/15071.htm Augustine, "On Marriage and Concupiscence," Book I], cp. 27</ref>

Both [[Tertullian]] and Gregory of Nyssa were church fathers who were married. They each stressed that the happiness of marriage was ultimately rooted in misery. They saw marriage as a state of bondage that could only be cured by celibacy. They wrote that at the very least, the virgin woman could expect release from the "governance of a husband and the chains of children.".<ref>Scholer, David M.''Women in early Christianity.'' Garland Publishing, 1993. {{ISBN|978-0-8153-1074-7}}</ref>{{rp|p.151}}

[[Tertullian]] argued that second marriage, having been freed from the first by death,"will have to be termed no other than a species of fornication," partly based on the reasoning that this involves desiring to marry a woman out of sexual ardor, which a Christian convert is to avoid.<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf04.iii.vi.ix.html "Chapter IX.—Second Marriage a Species of Adultery"] ANF04. Tertullian, Part Fourth.</ref>

Also advocating celibacy and virginity as preferable alternatives to marriage, [[Jerome]] wrote: "It is not disparaging wedlock to prefer virginity. No one can make a comparison between two things if one is good and the other evil.".<ref>''Classical library from 'Select Letters of St. Jerome,'' ' Letter 22. tr. by F. A. Wright. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1963.</ref> On [[First Corinthians]] 7:1 he reasons, "It is good, he says, for a man not to touch a woman. If it is good not to touch a woman, it is bad to touch one: for there is no opposite to goodness but badness. But if it be bad and the evil is pardoned, the reason for the concession is to prevent worse evil.".<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf206.vi.vi.I.html "Against Jovinianus," Book 1], Cps. 7,13,16,33</ref>

St. [[John Chrysostom]] wrote: "...virginity is better than marriage, however good.... Celibacy is...an imitation of the angels. Therefore, virginity is as much more honorable than marriage, as the angel is higher than man. But why do I say angel? Christ, Himself, is the glory of virginity.".<ref>St. John Chrysostom, Homily 19 on First Corinthians, NPNF, s. 1, v. 12, pp. 248–262</ref>

[[Cyprian]], Bishop of Carthage, said that the first commandment given to men was to increase and multiply, but now that the earth was full there was no need to continue this process of multiplication.<ref>St. Cyprian, "Of the Discipline and Advantage of Chastity," ''ANF,'' v. 5, p.1251.</ref>

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[[File:Pietro Longhi 007.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Catholic couple at their Holy Matrimony or marriage. In the [[Latin Church|Latin Rite of the Catholic Church]], during the celebration the [[priesthood (Catholic Church)|priest]] imposes his [[stole (vestment)|liturgical stole]] upon the couple's hands, as a sign to confirm the marriage bond.]]

While all [[Christians|Christian]] denominations regard marriage as a sacred institution (a covenant), Roman Catholics consider it to be a [[sacrament]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/ritesrituals/weddings_1.shtml |title=Religions – Christianity: Marriage and weddings |publisher=BBC }}</ref> It was officially recognized as a sacrament at the 1184 Council of Verona.<ref name="FiorenzaGalvin">{{cite book|editor1=Francis Schüssler Fiorenza|editor2=John P. Galvin|title=Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tp7KLNb3xcC&pg=PA320&dq=Fiorenza+%22Innocent+III+required|accessdate=7 October 2014|volume=2|year=1991|publisher=Fortress Press|isbn=978-1-4514-0795-2|page=320}}</ref><ref name=monger/> Before then, no specific ritual was prescribed for celebrating a marriage: "Marriage vows did not have to be exchanged in a church, nor was a priest's presence required. A couple could exchange consent anywhere, anytime.".<ref name=monger/><ref>{{cite book |title = Marriage, sex, and civic culture in late medieval London|last = McSheffrey|first = Shannon|year = 2006|publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn = 978-0-8122-3938-6|page = 21|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dJX_Nr2fdzAC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate = April 16, 2012}}</ref>

The [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]] defines marriage as "the intimate community of life and love...(that) has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws. God himself is the author of marriage.". The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator.". [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of God. "This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children.".<ref>www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c3a7.htm</ref>

In the decrees on marriage of the [[Council of Trent]] (twenty-fourth session from 1563), the validity of marriage was made dependent upon the wedding taking place before a priest and two witnesses,<ref name=monger/><ref name=omalley/> although the lack of a requirement for parental consent ended a debate that had proceeded from the 12th century.<ref name=omalley/> In the case of a [[divorce]], the right of the innocent party to marry again was denied so long as the other party was alive, even if the other party had committed adultery.<ref name=omalley>O'Malley, John W., in ''The Sensuous in the Counter-Reformation Church'', Eds: Marcia B. Hall, Tracy E. Cooper, 2013, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-1-107-01323-0}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=-AnYifgRz7QC&pg=PA8 google books], p. 31.</ref>

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·the good of the spouses themselves, and

·the procreation and education of children (1983 code of canon law, c.1055; 1994 catechism, par.2363). Hence, "entering marriage with the intention of never having children is a grave wrong and more than likely grounds for an [[Annulment (Catholic Church)|annulment]].".<ref>McLachlan, P. "Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.".</ref> It is normal procedure for a priest to ask the prospective bride and groom about their plans to have children before officiating at their wedding. The Roman Catholic Church may refuse to marry anyone unwilling to have children, since procreation by "the marriage act" is a fundamental part of marriage.<ref name="humanae_vitae">[[Pope Paul VI]].".Humanæ Vitæ.". 1968-7-25. Accessed: 2009-7-22</ref> Thus usage of any form of [[contraception]], [[in vitro fertilization]], or [[birth control]] besides [[Natural Family Planning]] is a grave offense against the sanctity of marriage and ultimately against God.<ref name="humanae_vitae" />

=== Protestantism ===

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[[Christian fundamentalism|Conservative]] [[Protestantism|Protestants]] take a more strict view of the nature of marriage. They consider marriage to be a solemn [[Covenant (religion)|covenant]] between wife, husband and [[God]]. Most of them view sexual relations as appropriate only within a marriage. Divorce is permissible, if at all, only in very specific circumstances (for example, sexual immorality or abandonment by the non-believer).

The [[United Methodist Church]], the second largest Protestant denomination, specifically holds that "the covenant of marriage was established by God who created us male and female for each other".<ref name="Tucker2011">{{cite book|last=Tucker|first=Karen B. Westerfield|title=American Methodist Worship|date=27 April 2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=English |isbn=9780190454203|page=188}}</ref> Methodists further teach that marriage is "God's gift and covenant intended to imitate [[New Covenant|God's covenant with humankind]]"<ref name="Tucker2011"/> that "Christians enter in their [[baptism]].".<ref name="Church2016">{{cite book|title=The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church 2016|date=16 December 2016|publisher=United Methodist Publishing House|language=English|isbn=9781501833250|page=623|quote=For the church, the marriage covenant is gounded in the covenant between God and God's people into which Christians enter in their baptism.}}</ref> The [[rite]] used in the [[Free Methodist Church]] proclaims that marriage is "more than a legal contract, being a bond of union made in heaven, into which you enter discreetly and reverently.".<ref name="Tucker2011"/>

==== Roles and responsibilities ====

Roles and responsibilities of husband and wives now vary considerably on a continuum between the long-held male dominant/female submission view and a shift toward equality (without sameness)<ref>Steil, Janice M. ''Marital Equality: Its Relationship to the Well-Being of Husbands and Wives.'' Sage. 1997. {{ISBN|0-8039-5251-1}}</ref> of the woman and the man.<ref>Throckmorton, Anne. [http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=3654 "The Lives of Wives: Their Changing Roles.".] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.is/20120805222142/http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=3654 |date=2012-08-05 }} University of Virginia, January 9, 2008. Accessed 11 May 2009</ref> There is considerable debate among many Christians today—not just Protestants—whether equality of husband and wife or male headship is the biblically ordained view, and even if it is biblically permissible. The divergent opinions fall into two main groups: [[Complementarianism|Complementarians]] (who call for husband-headship and wife-submission) and [[Christian Egalitarianism|Christian Egalitarians]] (who believe in full partnership equality in which couples can discover and negotiate roles and responsibilities in marriage).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2004/august/8.55.html |title=Editor's Bookshelf: Creating Husbands and Fathers |accessdate=2007-02-11 |last=Neff |first=David |date=2004-08-01 |work=Christianity Today }}</ref>

There is no debate that {{Bibleref2|Ephesians|5:12-32|NIV}} presents a historically benevolent husband-headship/wife-submission model for marriage. The questions are (a) how these [[New Testament household codes]] are to be reconciled with the calls earlier in Chapter 5 (cf. verses 1, 18, 21) for mutual submission among all believers, and (b) the meaning of "head" in v.23. It is important to note that verse 22 contains no verb in the original manuscripts:<ref name="Staggs"/>

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::22 Wives, ''[submit yourselves]'' to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

::25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.". 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

=== Eastern Orthodoxy ===

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[[File:Wedding ring Louvre AC924.jpg|left|thumb|Byzantine [[wedding ring]], depicting Christ uniting the bride and groom, 7th century, [[niello]]ed gold ([[Louvre|Musée du Louvre]]).]]

Marriage is an [[icon]] (image) of the relationship between Jesus and the Church. This is somewhat akin to the Old Testament [[prophet]]s' use of marriage as an analogy to describe the relationship between God and Israel. Marriage is the simplest, most basic unity of the church: a [[wikt:congregation|congregation]] where "two or three are gathered together in Jesus' name.".{{bibleref2c|Mt|18:20|KJV}}<ref name="Grabbe" /> The home is considered a consecrated space (the ritual for the Blessing of a House is based upon that of the Consecration of a Church), and the husband and wife are considered the [[Minister (Christianity)|ministers]] of that congregation. However, they do not "perform" the Sacraments in the [[house church]]; they "live" the Sacrament of Marriage. Because marriage is considered to be a [[pilgrimage]] wherein the couple walk side by side toward the [[Kingdom of God|Kingdom of Heaven]], marriage to a non-Orthodox partner is discouraged, though it may be permitted.

Unlike Western Christianity, Eastern Christians do not consider the sacramental aspect of the marriage to be conferred by the couple themselves. Rather, the marriage is conferred by the action of the [[Holy Spirit]] acting through the priest. Furthermore, no one besides a bishop or priest—not even a [[deacon]]—may perform the Sacred Mystery.

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In the teachings of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), [[celestial marriage|celestial (or eternal) marriage]] is a [[Covenant (Latter Day Saints)|covenant]] between a man, a woman, and [[God in Mormonism|God]] performed by a [[priesthood (Mormonism)|priesthood]] authority in a [[Temple (LDS Church)|temple]] of the church.<ref name = gospelprinciples/> Celestial marriage is intended to continue forever into the [[afterlife]] if the man and woman do not break their covenants.<ref name = gospelprinciples>[http://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-38-eternal-marriage "Chapter 38: Eternal Marriage"], ''[[Gospel Principles]]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 2011).</ref> Thus, eternally married couples are often referred to as being "[[Sealing (Mormonism)|sealed]]" to each other. Sealed couples who keep their covenants are also promised to have their posterity sealed to them in the afterlife.<ref name = gospelprinciples/> (Thus, "families are forever" is a common phrase in the LDS Church.) A celestial marriage is considered a requirement for [[exaltation (Latter Day Saints)|exaltation]].<ref name = gospelprinciples/>

In some countries, celestial marriages can be recognized as civil marriages; in other cases, couples are civilly married outside of the temple and are later sealed in a celestial marriage.<ref>''[[Handbook (LDS Church)|Handbook 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops]]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 2010) § 3.5.</ref> (The church will no longer perform a celestial marriage for a couple unless they are first or simultaneously legally married.) The church encourages its members to be in good standing with it so that they may marry or be sealed in the temple. A celestial marriage is not annulled by a civil divorce: a "cancellation of a sealing" may be granted, but only by the [[First Presidency (LDS Church)|First Presidency]], the highest authority in the church. Civil divorce and marriage outside the temple carries somewhat of a stigma in the Mormon culture; the church teaches that the "gospel of Jesus Christ—including repentance, forgiveness, integrity, and love—provides the remedy for conflict in marriage.".<ref>[https://www.lds.org/topics/divorce "Gospel Topics: Divorce"], lds.org.</ref> Regarding marriage and divorce, the church instructs its leaders: "No priesthood officer is to counsel a person whom to marry. Nor should he counsel a person to divorce his or her spouse. Those decisions must originate and remain with the individual. When a marriage ends in divorce, or if a husband and wife separate, they should always receive counseling from Church leaders.".<ref>''[[Handbook (LDS Church)|Handbook 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops]]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 2010) § 7.2.5.</ref>

In church temples, members of the LDS Church perform vicarious celestial marriages for deceased couples who were legally married.

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==== New Church (or Swedenborgian Church) ====

[[The New Church]] teaches that marriage love (sometimes translated "conjugial love") is "the precious jewel of human life and the repository of the Christian religion" because the love shared between a husband and a wife is the source of all peace and joy.<ref>[https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/exposition/translation/conjugial-love-rogers/contents/4570 Conjugial Love 457]</ref> [[Emanuel Swedenborg]] coined the term "conjugial" (not to be confused with the more general term for marriage, "conjugal.".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/exposition/translation/conjugial-love-rogers/contents/980|title=Conjugial Love 98|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|accessdate=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conjugal |title=Conjugal | Define Conjugal at Dictionary.com |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |date= |accessdate=10 October 2013}}</ref>) to describe the special love experienced by married partners.<ref>Swedenborg, E. ''[https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/exposition/translation/conjugial-love-rogers/contents/10 Conjugial Love]''</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conjugial |title=Conjugial | Define Conjugial at Dictionary.com |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |date= |accessdate=10 October 2013}}</ref> When a husband and wife work together to build their marriage on earth, that marriage continues after the death of their bodies and they live as [[angels]] in [[heaven]] into eternity. Swedenborg claimed to have spoken to angel couples who had been married for thousands of years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://smallcanonsearch.com/read.php?book=ml&section=42 |title=ML 42 - Small Canon Search - Reading - The Word of God, The Whole Word of God, and Nothing But the Word of God - Searching the Second Advent Christian Bible - The Second Advent Christian Canon of Scripture |publisher=Small Canon Search |date= |accessdate=10 October 2013}}</ref> Those who never married in the natural world will, if they wish, find a spouse in heaven.

==== Jehovah's Witnesses ====