The rapid decline of marriage and family as a social institution calls for understanding the family biblically and theologically. This course provides a Trinitarian theological foundation of family. The course will focus on practical insights for missional relationships so that families may thrive as they are on God’s mission amidst today’s unrelenting worldly pressures.
This course is an introduction to the theology of family as a social and theological institution. The 21st century has seen drastic changes in family structure and the understanding of genders and relationships. There are relentless debates on the role of spouses and children. All this demands a fresh look at the causes and consequences of disruption in the family from a Christian perspective. This course will provide a theology of family based on the doctrine of the divine family, i.e., the holy Trinity.
The dehumanizing influence of the world has not spared the sacred institutions of marriage and family. Today’s confusing gender roles, conflicting relationships, increasing rate of divorce, and broken families have resulted in a crisis for the society. A Christian response is required not only theologically but also practically to show the world that a family could learn to live, work, and exist like the Holy Trinity and restore many a broken relationships and families in our neighborhoods.
This course will examine the biblical foundations of the family, fatherhood, motherhood and children, and gender roles from the theological perspective of the divine family, i.e., the holy Trinity.
The contemporary family is under tremendous pressure due to the changing gender roles and the degradation in the family values. The very institution of marriage and family is under attack. This context of missions today demands a refreshing look at the biblical meaning and significance of family and children and their roles from the point of view of God’s design for the family and how family is a missional unit of demonstrating God’s reign on earth.
Theology is always done in context. The context of mission today cannot escape the reality of changing gender roles and the attacks on marriage and family. How a Christian is to respond to these drastic changes in the contemporary world will be the main concern of this course as students do a theology of family and children informed by the classical Trinitarian theology.
With the intermingling of cultures and faiths in the multi-religious communities around the globe the gender roles are confused and family values are blurred. This course will help learn some cross-cultural values and virtues of family relationships from various cultures while doing a Christian Trinitarian theology of family based on biblical foundations.
Since the gender, marriage, and family crisis is real and it is adversely affecting Christian families, too, students will learn practical ways to be a family on God’s mission and to be a beacon of light in the darkness around them. The course will help provide practical ways of relating with the opposite gender and the virtues of relationships that show God’s reign on earth.
The course will help gain biblical and theological insights for living as a family on God’s mission on earth. It will provide opportunities to learn to live as a family that demonstrates Kingdom values in contemporary world.
