Christianity and Families

Keywords

Christianity, family, marriage and family relationships, family life

Abstract

Christianity has influenced millions of families for over two thousand years and continues to exert some influence on the family life of about two billion adherents. Christianity sanctifies marriage and family relationships, encouraging many to devote significant attention to their spouses and families. Christianity has contributed to family life by raising the status of marriage, promoting trust and loyalty in marriage, promoting marital stability by discouraging divorce, increasing the status of children in society, improving the quality of marital and family processes, countering cultural trends that harm families, helping to resolve relational problems through pastoral counseling, and promoting human life and health. Religion also has had some negative effects on marriage and family life, including justifying corporal punishment, discouraging and disallowing divorce even in situations involving abuse, and sanctifying gender inequity and oppression. Christians manifest great diversity in beliefs and practices regarding marriage and family issues and policies.

Original Publication Citation

Dollahite, D. C. (2016). Christianity and families. In C. Shehan (Ed.), The encyclopedia of family studies (pp. 345-351). New York: Wiley-Blackwell.

Document Type

Other

Publication Date

2016-03-21

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7762

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Link to Full Text

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