Blog Template Theology of the Body: Family Matters

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Family Matters


I have been writing a huge paper on modern theologies of the Christian family- just thought I would share a little...

Tertullian on good wives:

"The devout wife visits strangers, calls at the hovels of the poor, attends evening devotions, spends all night away at Paschal Vigils, attends the Lord's Supper, visits prisons to kiss martyrs' chains, washes the feet of saints and gives them food and drink, offers hospitality to fellow Christians at her house. ... she could do none of these things without inviting suspicion if she were married to a pagan."

Tertullian, "To His Wife" II.4

Pauline tradition on good husbands:

"Husband, love your wife and die for her, and feed her, and bathe her a lot."

Ephesians 5.

How we can bring up our children to be faithful:

"Start with baseball and also teach them to read. Don't teach kids a bunch of rules. Help them submit their lives to something that they find to be a wonderful activity that transforms them. Activities such as baseball and reading are where the virtues are inculcated with a seriousness that is hard to match in other areas of our lives.

Christians also ought to go to church. That's where you learn to practice religion and be virtuous. It's unnatural at first, but that's what virtue is all about."

- Stanley Hauerwas on childraising (Christianity: It's an Adventure)