Glenn T. Stanton's Why Marriage Matters: Reasons to Believe in Marriage in Postmodern Society is published by Piñon Press. His book has an extensive bibliography on marriage as a social institution. See especially Christopher Lasch, Haven in a Heartless World: The Family Besieged (Basic Books, 1977); Scott Kieran and Michael Warren, Perspectives on Marriage: A Reader (Oxford, 1993); David Popenoe, Jean Bethke Elshtain, and David Blankenhorn, eds., Promises to Keep: The Decline and Renewal of Marriage in America (Rowman and Littlefield, 1996). Mr. Stanton also mentions three recent titles from John Knox/Westminster Press, representing a variety of opinions. They are: From Culture Wars to Common Ground: Religion and the American Family, by Don Browning et al.; Sexual Ethics: An Evangelical Perspective, by Stanley Grenz; and From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in Western Tradition, by John Witte. Other literature on marriage includes, "Commitment and Dependency in Marriage" Journal of Marriage and the Family 57 (May 1995). [Posted October 2001, ALG]
David Blankenhorn and Dana Mack are the editors of The Book of Marriage: The Wisest Answers to the Toughest Questions (Eerdmans, 2001). See also the anthology Wing to Wing, Oar to Oar: Readings on Courting and Marrying (Notre Dame, 2000), edited by Amy and Leon Kass. The Kasses were among the many guests interviewed for our MARS HILL AUDIO Report called Wandering toward the Altar: The Decline of American Courtship. Consult our online catalog for more information. The Case for Marriage (Doubleday, 2000) by Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher considers (in the words of the subtitle) Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better off Financially. Marriage and the Common Good (St. Augustine's Press), edited by Kenneth D. Whitehead, contains essays on the social dimensions of marriage by (among others) David Blankenhorn, Robert P. George, Gerard V. Bradley, Jean Bethke Elshtain, and William E. May. [Posted June 2002, ALG]
"The First of Institutions"As headlines from both coasts indicate, there is increasing argument about the morality of homosexuality and about the proper response to social and ecclesiastical demands by homosexual rights activists. In an insightful article called "The First of Institutions" (which is available as a pdf file here), Gilbert Meilaender establishes a framework for the portion of the discussion that focuses on theological ethics. Meilaender writes that conversations about homosexuality should begin with a discussion of marriage and its purposes because marriage is the first of institutions and, as such, has much to say about the nature of sexuality and love. He proceeds to define the purposes of marriage and what they imply about sexuality, and only then moves on to the Bible’s evaluation of homosexual behavior and what others have said about it. He concludes by measuring the latter against the former. "The First of Institutions" was published originally in Pro Ecclesia, Volume VI, Number 4.
 Meilaender has appeared on various issues of the Journal. [Posted April 2004, ALG]
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Sheila O'Connor-Ambrose, on the work of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese in defending marriage against the various claims of individualism (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-093.2.3
Allan C. Carlson, on how the industrial revolution changed the shape of households (including their floorplans) and the understanding of marriage (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-093.2.2
James Turner Johnson, on the development of Christian thought about the meaning of marriage (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-084.2.1
Hadley Arkes, on the difference, in law, between evidence from social scientific data and moral truths (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-079.1.3
Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, on how young people are taught to invest in themselves rather than family or community (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-061.2.2
David Blankenhorn, on the public meaning of marriage and the private sector and the family (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-051.1.2
Christopher Wolfe, on homosexuality in American public life (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-049.1.2
Steven L. Nock, on why married couples divorce (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-034.2.1
Glenn Stanton, on the health of marriages and the health of society (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-030.1.1
Robert George, on why marriage is an intrinsic good (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-022.2.3
Hadley Arkes, on how arguments for legalizing same-gender marriages go further than their advocates would like (MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, ) MHT-022.2.2
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