Project – CHALLENGES IN CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE AND IT’S EFFECT ON THE CHURCH

Table of Contents

Title Page                                                                                                        i

Certification                                                                                                    ii

Dedication                                                                                                      iii

Acknowledgement                                                                                          iv

Abstract                                                                                                          v

Table of Contents                                                                                           vi

CHAPTER ONE: – INTRODUCTION

1.1.      Background of Studies

1.2.      Statement of Problems

1.3.      Objectives of Study

1.4.      Significant of the Study

1.5.      Scope of the Study

1.6.      Limitation of the Study

1.7.      Definition of Terms

Endnotes

CHAPTER TWO – LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1.      Concept of Marriage

2.2       Marriage in Nigeria Context

2.3       Concept of Christian Marriage

2.4       Customary Form of Marriage

2.5       The Covenant of Marriage

2.6       The roles of Husband and Wife in Christian Marriage Covenant

Endnotes

CHAPTER THREE – BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MARRIAGE

3.1       Marriage according to the Old Testament

3.2       Marriage According to the New Testament

3.3.      Misunderstanding the Divine Intention of marriage

3.4.      Cultural and Societal Perspective of Marriage and its Effect on Christian Marriage

Endnotes

CHAPTER FOUR: -CHALLENGES IN CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE AND IT’S EFFECT ON THE CHURCH

4.1       The Causes of Rampant Break-down of Marriages today

4.2       Challenges in Christian Marriages

4.3       Promotion of the Biblical View of Marriage by the Church

4.4       Effects of the Challenges faced in Christian Marriages on the Children

4.5       Effects of Challenges faced in Christian Marriages on the Church

4.5       Possible Solutions to Resolving Challenges of Christian Marriages

Endnotes

CHAPTER FIVE: – SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1       Summary

5.2.      Conclusion

5.3       Recommendation

Endnotes

Bibliography

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of Study

There have been reoccurring cases of of divorce, out-of-wedlock births and father absence due to globalisation as well as same-sex marriages or civil unions and cohabitation of people without a marriage contract in Nigeria recently (Browning 2001) 1. Whereas, from the earliest days of the Christian faith, Christians have honored holy matrimony (as Christian marriages are referred to) as a divinely blessed, lifelong, monogamous union, between a man and a woman. When God first instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15), it was meant to be an everlasting union filled with pleasures from the Garden of Eden until sin set in and altered this plan. When God instituted marriage, He intended it

to be held in honour and high esteem. The couples are meant to be one and

demonstrate this purposefully.

Marriage is a covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves life partnership which nature is pioneered toward the good of the spouses, procreation and education of offspring.Then, the purpose of marriage is unity, complimentary and oneness. Nevertheless, looking in depth to what obtains today; the researcher discovered that the reverse is the case as some marriages are hell on earth. The partners are like prisoners living inside big cages without gates.² Christian couples even sue each other through church disciplinary committee, in traditional courts and in appeal court of law (1  Cor.  6:1-8).

The book  of  Galatians  warn  believers  against  “biting  and  devouring”  one another (Gal. 5:15). Christian homes are presently in chaos and some at the verge of divorce while some are already experiencing divorce just because they neglected premarital counseling before entering into marriage. In addition, the researcher also noticed that 40% out of 100% of Christian marriages today collapse within three (3) or four (4) months after the wedding, which was as a result of lack of exposure to premarital counseling, that is why the majority  of them find themselves in this marital conflicts. However, the remaining 60% are enjoying their marriages because of the important steps they took about premarital counseling before they entered into marriage.³

Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a socially or ritually recognized union or legal contract between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between them, and their children, and between them and their in-laws. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman who makes a permanent and exclusive commitment to each other of the type that is naturally (inherently) fulfilled by bearing and rearing children together. Today, the greatest challenge in christian marital conflict is that often times the blames are pushed on the church, where some members would accuse the pastor of inability to safe-guard his member’s marriages. In some cases it leads to both the divorced parties leaving the church entirely to avoid in-house gossips from church members. Therefore, this study intends to look into theChallenges In Christian Marriage and it’s Effect On The Church.

• Statement of Problems

Despite the church involvementin resolving marital conflicts among christian couples, divorce cases and marital disputes is still on the rise.Marital disputes assume different ways. Rarely, they get worse into divorce. Most often, however, they  are  conflicts  fought  in  delicate  ways  such  as  verbal  abuse,  stoic  silence,  open  criticism, ironic comments, threats, humiliating comments and unresponsiveness. Such common strategies are wrong because they tend to weaken a marriage. Looking at what is happening in the society and in some of Christian marriages, it was discovered that some marriages have led to divorce and face numerous marital conflicts because most of the couples did not seek premarital counseling before entering into marriage. This means that the issue of premarital counseling is a phenomenon that every intended couple who wants to have a lasting home should not undermine because, it is important and it determines how a marriage will look like either good or bad. The researcher discovered also, that some church weddings do scatter within three or two months after wedding, resulting no or inadequate pre-marital counseling. Thus, this work intend to bridge these gaps by examining  theChallenges In Christian Marriage and it’s Effect On The Church.

• Objectives of Study

The primary aim of this study is to examine theChallenges In Christian Marriage and it’s Effect On The Church. The specific objectives are to:

1. Examine the impact of christian couples divorce on the church
2. Investigate the causes of divorce in christian families

• To help the intended couples in the church in order to build a solid biblical foundation for marriage.

1. To proffer solutions to the Challenges In Christian Marriage and it’s Effect On The Church.

1.4.Significant of the Study

The findings of this research will be useful to the following people:

1. Ministers or Pastors who crave to unite christian homes and marriages for a lasting experience as parts of their obligatory duties
2. It will help young men and women who are preparing for marriage to understand some necessary things they needed to know before entering into marriage.
3. Christian counselors in the churches would be able to put more effort in the area of premarital counseling
4. It will help Christ Apostolic Church in solving marital challenges and reduce the issues of divorce that are common in some Christian marriages today.

1.5.Scope of the Study         

The scope of the study is limited to Christ Apostolic Church Oke-Gboluwaga District Headquarters, Big Joe Ore, Ondo-State as a case study. It is based on theChallenges In Christian Marriage and it’s Effect On The Church.

1.6.Limitation of the Study 

1. Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
2. Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work

1.7.      Definition of Terms

Effect: a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause

Challenge: is a (the situation of being faced with) something that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a person’s ability⁴

Marriage: Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally recognised union between people, called spouses, that establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between them and their in-laws.⁵

Christian Marriages: A Christian marriage is a public declaration of love and commitment. This declaration is made in front of friends and family in a church ceremony. Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God, one that should not be taken for granted. It is the right atmosphere to engage in sexual relations and to build a family life.

Church: According to an Online Dictionary, Church is defined as a building used for public Christian worship.⁶

Project – CHALLENGES IN CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE AND IT’S EFFECT ON THE CHURCH