Don Browning, Jim Wallis and others are challenging mainline churches to do a better job of addressing family issues in modern society. People from across the religious and political spectrum can agree that families (especially those raising children) are under enormous pressures and have few resources at their disposal to succeed. Progressive Christians need to define how we address family issues on our own terms and be more inclusive of family diversity than our brothers and sisters in the Religious Right. Modern families come in all forms and any attempt to address family issues needs to take this reality seriously. The United Church of Christ offers this one understanding of family that recognizes the changes occurring in family life dynamics:
There are many examples of family forms in the scriptures. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were three adult siblings living together as family, and Jesus spent quality time with them. The mother of Jesus functioned as a single parent after Joseph's death. From the cross, Jesus formed a new family by saying: "Woman, here is your son, " and telling his beloved disciples, "Here is your Mother."
There is not just one family structure that is lifted up in the Scriptures as being chosen by God. The definition of family needs to be expanded to include the current diversity in family structures. people who choose to live and love together as family. All types of families need to be empowered and resourced by society—including the church and government.
The United Church of Christ, as early as 1977, encouraged the Church to address the issues of family life from the biblical-theological perspective of covenantal relationships. It has called upon all settings of the church to initiate changes in social, governmental and economic conditions which are destructive to family and community life.
Progressive churches have not done the best job of developing family resources. But there are some and churches looking for resources to help them design programs, offer study groups, or to assist in worship should consider these materials:
For the Good of All Families
http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/goodofallfamilies.pdf
This study guide was produced by the Justice for Women’s Working Group of the National Council of Churches USA and addresses how churches and public policy efforts can support family life in America. This resources also has a wealth of information on other groups reaching out to families (including resources for gays and lesbians families an single people).
Religion, Culture, and Family Project
http://divinity.uchicago.edu/family/lilly.htm
The Religion, Culture and Family Project was funded by the Lilly Endowment. “The Religion, Culture, and Family Project claims that religious traditions have valuable theological, ethical, and institutional resources to help revitalize North American family culture and families. It brings together over a hundred leading Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and other religious scholars of both liberal and conservative convictions to produce a major series of books on religion and the family together with conferences, articles, and media projects,” states the introduction to the project.
Public policy debates about family tend to center around narrowing the definition of family to a two-parent heterosexual model (think Defense of Marriage Act). That model is obviously the norm and there are public policy initiatives that could clearly support these families. Narrowing the definition of family, however, both ignores the realities of modern life and is clearly an attempt to limit the full participation of gays, lesbians, divorced people, and even single adults in religious and civil life. Progressive religious people need to proactively understand that family issues are justice issues that warrant our time and concern.
