Where does contraception fit into the Christian life?
In my search for sources and answers in the debate on contraception, I spoke with my brother-in-law, who graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville and has just finished his masters in theology and pastoral ministries. One thing he pointed out to me was that in the debate over contraception, we must not lose sight of the big picture. We can argue over Scripture verses and semantics and such, but the bigger question must not be overlooked: where does contraception fit into the Chrisitan life, and more specifically Christian marriage?
We can clearly see in Scripture, that God's most prominent image of the relationship He wants to have with His church, His people, is the image of marriage. God continually, throughout the Old and New Testaments, speaks of Himself as the bridegroom and His people as the bride. He even uses images of the sexual marital act as an analogy of the intimacy He wants to have with us in the Old Testament book The Song of Solomon. The book of Hosea speaks of a woman who was unfaithful to her husband as an analogy of how we as God's people are unfaithful to Him. In Ephesians 5, husbands are told to "love their wives as Christ loves the Church".
Since the marital image is used so much in our understanding of God's relationship to us, we in our Christan marriages must strive to make our marriages like the relationship between God and His people: faithful, unitive, trustworthy, pure, true, completely loving, sacrificial, life giving etc. Our Christian marriages must mirror the marriage God has with His people. Our Christian relationship in marriage must mirror the relationship God has with His people.
With this understanding of marriage being a model of God's love for us, and with the understanding that we must make our marriages like that relationship between God and His people, where does contraception fit? Where would contraception fit into the relationship with God and His people? Where would contraception fit into the marriage of God and His people, the supreme Bridegroom and Bride? Where would the concept of contraception theologically fit into this holy relationship?
If our Christian marriages are to mirror the relationship God has with His people, where does contraception come in? When would God use an image of contraception in His relationship with His people? Where would something that prevents the creation of life be allowed in the ultimate life-giving relationship between the Creator and His creatures?
God would never, has never, and does not in any circumstances use any image of contraception whatsoever in His relationship, in His marriage to His people. Ever.
So, why should we?
We can clearly see in Scripture, that God's most prominent image of the relationship He wants to have with His church, His people, is the image of marriage. God continually, throughout the Old and New Testaments, speaks of Himself as the bridegroom and His people as the bride. He even uses images of the sexual marital act as an analogy of the intimacy He wants to have with us in the Old Testament book The Song of Solomon. The book of Hosea speaks of a woman who was unfaithful to her husband as an analogy of how we as God's people are unfaithful to Him. In Ephesians 5, husbands are told to "love their wives as Christ loves the Church".
Since the marital image is used so much in our understanding of God's relationship to us, we in our Christan marriages must strive to make our marriages like the relationship between God and His people: faithful, unitive, trustworthy, pure, true, completely loving, sacrificial, life giving etc. Our Christian marriages must mirror the marriage God has with His people. Our Christian relationship in marriage must mirror the relationship God has with His people.
With this understanding of marriage being a model of God's love for us, and with the understanding that we must make our marriages like that relationship between God and His people, where does contraception fit? Where would contraception fit into the relationship with God and His people? Where would contraception fit into the marriage of God and His people, the supreme Bridegroom and Bride? Where would the concept of contraception theologically fit into this holy relationship?
If our Christian marriages are to mirror the relationship God has with His people, where does contraception come in? When would God use an image of contraception in His relationship with His people? Where would something that prevents the creation of life be allowed in the ultimate life-giving relationship between the Creator and His creatures?
God would never, has never, and does not in any circumstances use any image of contraception whatsoever in His relationship, in His marriage to His people. Ever.
So, why should we?
posted by Philothea Rose at
11:05 AM
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