Publications
Publication details [#11976]
Zaloudek, Julie A. . 2014. Evangelicals’ Sanctification of Marriage through the Metaphor of Jesus as a Husband. Religions 5 (3) : 623–647. 25 pp.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Keywords
Place, Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Abstract
Adopting the Hermeneutic Theory the study explores the role of biblical family metaphors (e.g., God is father) in shaping Christians’ perceptions of family relationships. If focuses specifically on how members of Evangelical Church understand and implement the metaphor of Jesus as husband and the Church as bride in their intimate relationships and spiritual life. The results of qualitative interviews with 15 Evangelicals demonstrate that the two metaphors play an important role in relationship structuring, demonstration of feelings and execution of family duties as well as relating to God. They indicate that gender hierarchy inscribed by them and implication that husbands are the “head” or “Christ” figure in marriage were problematic for some participants. The authors discuss the applications of biblical family metaphors, their implications, and present ideas for future research.