Our series on marriage and same-sex blessings continues

A quick update on our adult education series on blessings, marriage, and same-sex blessings. The Rev. Dr. Heather Warren, who is a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, gave a talk Sunday on the biblical origins and understandings of blessings (and curses), and her presentation is now posted on a special blog we've set up for this course. You can read her remarks by clicking HERE. She packed quite a lot into her presentation, so take your time.

This Sunday I will continue with a presentation on covenants and vows, and a quick history of marriage in Christianity. We will look at some of the vows of marriage and see how vows have changed as understandings of marriage has changed. We will leave plenty of time for discussion.

I've been asked what the purpose of this series is and whether we are going to "debate" same-sex marriage. My intention is that we not just pool our preconceived notions and opinions in a debate, but gain some common understanding of the historical and theological underpinnings of marriage and blessings so that we aren't lobbing sound-bites at each other. The institution of marriage comes with tremendous emotional and historical baggage, and that makes any debate about same-sex blessings so difficult. This is not the same as blessing your house or your car. It is about people and their relationships.

If you haven't read my presentation about the crisis in marriage from two Sundays ago, I would ask that you do so, especially if you are coming to the presentation this Sunday. You can read my presentation by clicking HERE. I hope to see you Sunday, or please follow along at our special blog: www.episcopalmarriage.blogspot.com.

Artwork above: Detail from a decorative block print of a Hebrew blessing; late 14th century C.E. The Hebrew text from Deuteronomy 28:6 reads: "May you be blessed as you arrive and as you depart." From the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit, University of Cambridge.