The Well Magazine Winter 2012 - Page 25

Relationships port because of its unparalleled value to humanity. Marriage repeated Second, marriage words are repeated throughout the pages of scripture. Words like marriage, wedding, wife, husband, bride, bridegroom, betroth, and espousal are found over 750 Dr. Kent Olney is a socitimes, scattered across 47 ology professor at Olivet books of the Bible. God Nazarene University in must think marriage is signifi- Illinois and the co-director of Marriage, Inc., an cant to speak so frequently organization created to about it, and to keep coming strengthen marriages. back to the same theme in book after book. What other conclusion could one reach? Marriage unchanged Third, scripture is remarkably consistent about the topic of marriage. Moses (Genesis 2:24), Jesus (Matthew 19:5) and Paul (Ephesians 5:31) – stretching over a span of some 1,500 years – all referred to marriage in the same way when they said: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” Today we critique, tweak, and edit others’ thoughts as a sign of intellectual progress, always feeling like ideas can be improved upon with our fresh experiences and insights. That’s what makes the consistency of these three major Biblical spokesmen over a period of 15 centuries so extraordinary. The marriage message and model rema ́չɽѡѼѡ!Mɥɔ́ɥѕȁѼ ٥́ͅЁ̸́Ѽ́ѕɕձѼ͍ٕȁѡ̰ͥɕѥѥͥѕݥѠݡ́ѡՉи%ѡѥѥɥ́ͼхЁѼՕѥݽѠͥɥ́ѡ!܁Ս́ɥѕȁѼ()) եɽɥхչѥ) ȸ)ɽչѥ́ɥѥȁ䁉եQչѥ́ѡՍɔٕЁѡե́ѡչѥ%ԁɔեͽѡԁٔѼхЁݥѠͽչѥQ́ͅՔݥѠɥ եѡ䁅٥ɅЁɥݥЁ䰁Ё٥ɽȁչѥݥЁɔͥQ͔չѥɥ́ݥԁեɽѡ䁵ɥIɕЁɕЁ䁍Ʌ́ѡչѥȁɥ()()ȸ́ѡչȁɽ%ѕɹѥɽЁѼեѡ䁵ɥ̸()չѥAɥ́ȁ!ѡ5ɥ+eȁɥݥЁ݅́ɥ̰ЁЁձeȁɥݥЁəаЁЁЁɽɕͥeȁɥݥɥѥ́иЁЁɸɽиeȁɥݥٔͅѵ̸QЁ́չѼЁeȁɥݥхݽɬЁЁ́ݽѠиeȁɥݥɕեɔͽɅєɽѠ쁍́٥хȁ٥مeȁɥݥɕѕȁѡȁɕѥ͡ݥѠeȁɥݥɕեɔٕЁѵаٔݥѡЁѥ̸eȁɥݥͥѼѡ̰ݥ܁Ѽٕeȁɥݥ՝ѕȁѼѕѡ1ɸѼа䄃eȁɥݥQѽѡȁѥиeȁɥݥɕեɔɅɍ䁅ɝٕ́Ѽ́ݽչ̸eȁɥɅѕ́ݼͥ́ɕM٥ȸeȁɥ́ɕѽѡ́䰁٥ɕѥٔԁ]ѕȀȀQ]5饹()ȁɔɵѥЁɕѡɥ̰Ѽܹɥɜ((0