# Covenantal Theology and Healthy families



## terry72 (Oct 8, 2004)

After listening to a sermon, by Dr. Joel Beeke on family worship, in which he he sets forth covenantal theology as the theological foundation, I began to wonder if there is any correlation between the rise of the divorse rate (in the church and culture) and the abandonment of Covenant Theology by the marjority of churches and the advent of dispensational theology and the revialist movement in the 19th century.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Has there ever been such a study?

I was also wondering if anyone has ever compared the divore rate between churches that are dispensatinal and those that are covenantal?

Blessings,
Terry 

P.S. By the way here is the link to the sermon by Dr. Beeke, http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?currSection=sermonsspeaker&sermonID=92604181044 
this is a very good sermon!


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## Contra_Mundum (Oct 8, 2004)

two cents...
I think we have to distinguish between concurrence and relation, and causality. It's a bit too narrow to focus on "lack of covenant theology" as a telling correllation. Covenant theology is simply the most consistent form of an integrated biblical theology out there (its so obvious! says the covenant-theologian). Other, less consistent views existed alongside of covenant theology since the Reformation--found primarily in less thoroughgoing churches and denominations, and generally outside the "Reformed" camp. 

The common ground was a [i:89263a12ec]total[/i:89263a12ec] approach to Scripture as the source of truth. What Dispensationalism does (or did) is abandon the less consistent forms of integrated biblical theology for a "consistency" allowed (they suppose) by an artificial division and truncation of the Bible. What they maintain (at least with respect to the parts of the Bible they consider most relevant, like the NT) is the [i:89263a12ec]authority[/i:89263a12ec] of that Word.

The real reason for the decline in marriage/rise in rate of divorce is the general abandonment of belief in the authority of God's Word. Thus the decline applies all across the ecclesial spectrum, from liberals to Roman Catholics to Dispensational-evangelicals. One could make the argument that dispensationalism goes part of the way there by discounting to some degree the relevance of at least some of God's Word. Certainly the elimination of the Law (although the serious-minded rediscover the Law in the NT) has an impact. But it is worth noting that in the dispensational circles where the NT is taken seriously, we find more stigmas attached to divorce (including prohibitions against even innocent party's remarriage) than in Reformed circles generally, where the whole Bible informs our stance on divorce.

I think the destruction of the family is more related to churches either hating God's Word; or having a low view of the Law (even NT expressions), doing less/no church-discipline, and preaching an Arminian gospel combined perversely with easy believism (Once-Saved-Always-Saved-Don't-You-Ever-Doubt-God-Loves-You-Repentance-What's-That?).


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## Areopagus (Oct 8, 2004)

Contra,

Wise words. Thank you.

A system can never save a marriage. Covenant Theology has no power. Covenant Theology is not an entity. Covenant Theology is an approach. It is a way of thinking. 

We shouldn't be asking [i:76c6057699]what[/i:76c6057699] saves marriage, but [i:76c6057699]Who[/i:76c6057699] saves marriage. 

There's my two cents.

In Him,

Dustin...


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 8, 2004)

This is a helpful discussion, especially in light of recent attacks on and efforts to uphold traditional marriage. The advocates of same-sex marriage point to the high divorce rate among heterosexuals and ask "what's so special about traditional marriage?" No-fault divorce, quick Las Vegas-style marriages and divorces, annulments (a la Britney Spears and John Kerry, separately, of course), co-habitation, feminism, birth control and abortion, the tolerance of polygamy in Utah, and other factors have tremendously denigrated the institution. The right response to these attacks is not just to wave a "save marriage" banner at a rally, but to hearken back to marriage as instituted by God in the Garden of Eden and then as reformed by the Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. The Confession and Larger Catechism have brilliantly captured the systematic teaching of Scripture as to the Biblical ends and blessings of marriage and the dangers of straying from those ends. The covenantal understanding of marriage expressed by the Assembly and by other Reformers and moderns not only reminds us that marriage is between one man and one woman, but also that God has created the institution as a building block for family, church and state. It is not enough to say to those who advocate same-sex marriage that they are wrong because they are going against tradition; it is necessary to understand and convey why marriage is good and necessary by reference to the Creator, who made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Marriage is not a convention of society but an institution created by God for certain covenantal ends. The argument cannot really succeed if it merely states a [i:d3db92bdf3]negative[/i:d3db92bdf3], ie., same-sex marriage is bad, but must rather state a [i:d3db92bdf3]positive[/i:d3db92bdf3], ie., God created traditional marriage and He did so because....


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## Areopagus (Oct 8, 2004)

Virginia,

Is The Confession, Catechism, or Scripture the best source for the explanation, identification, and teaching on the covenant of marriage?

Does the system of Covenant Theology, or Christ, hold the cure for the disease of what is happening in marriage today?

I love the Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve part.  

In Him,

Dustin...


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## Puritan Sailor (Oct 9, 2004)

[quote:f6a81994f1="Areopagus"]Virginia,
Does the system of Covenant Theology, or Christ, hold the cure for the disease of what is happening in marriage today?
[/quote:f6a81994f1]

Actually yes it does. If spouses would learn to love and forgive each other as Christ has so done for us, then marriages would be alot better. Why does God love and forgive us? Because of what Christ did for us. Thus, we another reason for the necessity of having a right view of justification, which in turn leads us to a right understanding of covenant theology. The practical implications of getting the gospel right, not only for marriage, but for all societal relations are enormous.

Now, as to whether or not there is a difference in divorce rates in the reformed churches, I think there probably would not be much of a difference simply because the reformed churches are usually not a homogenous isolated group of people, at least in the American churches. My experience has been that the members of reformed churches usually have become reformed after maturing in the faith and leaving the above mentioned doctrinally diluted churches. In other words, they bring their past mistakes with them, so statistically there probably wouldn't be much of a difference, but this is just conjecture at this point.


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## Areopagus (Oct 18, 2004)

What happened to the rest of this thread? There's 2 pages (I think it's 2) missing.

Dustin...


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## Puritan Sailor (Oct 18, 2004)

Lost in transition....


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