Breaking the Marriage Idol - by Kutter Callaway (Paperback)

About the Book

Should all Christians be married? Kutter Callaway considers why marriage, which is a blessing from God, shouldn't be expected or required of all Christians.

Book Synopsis

Should all Christians be married? Kutter Callaway considers why marriage, which is a blessing from God, shouldn't be expected or required of all Christians. Through an examination of Scripture, cultural analysis, and personal accounts, he reflects on how our narratives have limited our understanding of marriage and obscured our view of the life-giving and kingdom-serving roles of single people in the church.

Review Quotes

"I've been waiting for someone to write a book like this: a culturally astute, refreshingly iconoclastic critique of evangelical Christianity's marriage myopia. Beyond the shattered remnants of the marriage idol, singleness and marriage emerge as equally and uniquely beautiful vocations within which followers of Christ can steward our sexualities. I'm eager for you to read this book. I'm even more eager for you to believe it."

"In Breaking the Marriage Idol Kutter Callaway has tread where few have gone before. What Kutter has done for us is offer a balanced, thoughtful, and theological exploration of culturally difficult, if not ecclesially taboo issues, that many in our culture and our churches live through every day. I have known Dr. Callaway for many years, and there are few in pastoral ministry or the academy who I respect more. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for every Christian who is willing to invite God into real life. Not because we all will agree, but because we all had better join the conversation."

"Kutter Callaway has written and assembled a rich tool for reflection on marriage and relationships in today's milieu. Its honest, provocative, and savvy engagement, combined with biblical and theological considerations, makes it a strong resource. Some of the additional voices-especially Joshua Beckett's-make it that much richer."

"Kutter's right. Churches' marriage promise and allure of happily ever after has cast many into a subclass existence. He carefully confronts Christians' assumptions about singleness, marriage, community, and personhood and leads us toward a helpful direction that is good news for singles, marrieds, young, and old. Kutter is being more than a relevant theologian. He is a culturally in tune thinker that possesses the unique ability to reorient our categories of the popular and religious, the relevant and traditional, sacred and secular. This book bridges the gaps for needed conversations that can help us escape the binary, anemic, and often hurtful views that keep, especially those in our faith communities, from having generative conversations. Whatever you do, do not read this book alone. Read it with your partner, your friends, your community. Let it lead you into better conversations about faith, love, sex, singleness, marriage, and community. We all know we need them."

"Sincere in its effort to make the church more inclusive."

"This book is recommended for pastors, church leaders, Christian educators, and artists interested in transforming the cultural norms of the Church to grow a more just and loving community of God where married and unmarried persons are equally valued at all levels of Church life."

About the Author