Celibacy: preaching on celibacy challenges singles to live up to their full calling in Christ (412 hits)
Pastoral concerns: Tough topics Preaching Today.com: Why did you choose to preach on "celibacy" and not "singleness"?
Stewart Ruch III: Well, that's a string that leads to a big sweater. I wanted to talk about a larger issue than just human marriage or singleness. I wanted to talk about the very goal of human personhood. God in Christ wants to marry humanity. He chose spiritual marriage, the great marriage of our souls with God, as a kind of beatific vision, the end goal of all of our personhood. Marriage with God is a dramatic biblical metaphor for God's relationship with his people.
The concept of "singleness" can't do justice to this. For one thing, no one is autonomous or truly "single." When we realize this, we begin to see that every person is profoundly connected, and has the ultimate destiny of absolute communion with God.
You can reject "celibacy" if it doesn't work for you, and look for a better word. But I want you to reject "single" as well. The church has deeper things to say than that. Often, the problem in the church is that "singles" get left behind. We subtly communicate that marriage and raising a family is the "big deal" of Christianity. That's incomplete. Celibacy, just like marriage, points us towards the real big deal—the marriage of God in Christ with humanity. A celibate Christian can be a sign of living faithfully into that marriage. Celibacy is a far more rounded, nuanced, positive word to say what our theology calls us into. I call those embracing this lifestyle "celibate" because they're actually being called to live in full marriage with God as a picture of what we're all going to be when there's no giving and taking of marriage in heaven.
That more rounded definition is helpful. With that in mind, tell us why you think celibacy can be a "gift." ...
