Challenges of Christian Marriage in African Culture

By Sylvester Oyeka

The book Challenges of Christian Marriage in Africa Culture is a reflection of Fr. Sylvester on the challenges encountered by Christian marriage in a communitarian African culture of kinship. While Christian marriage is a free decision of the couple involved, African marriage is a communitarian task, and thus, the decision of the community must take precedence. The contrast between Christian marriage and African marriage becomes a challenge to the Christian ideology of marriage. However, this book aims at a reconciliation between these marriages, where the moral values found in either marriage could be adopted for a sustainable marriage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504946957

Sylvester Oyeka

Rev. Fr. Sylvester Chukwudi Oyeka, C.S.Sp., is a Nigerian missionary of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. He is originally from the eastern part of Nigeria and was ordained in 2010. In the course of his seminary training, he obtained a degree in philosophy, a degree in religion, and a master’s degree in theology. He is inclined to family rehabilitation since it is the basic unit of the society, having reflected on broken marriages and the impact on the wider society. As a missionary, he was posted to Zimbabwe in 2012 to disseminate the gospel of Christ.

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2015 Sylvester Oyeka. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/22/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4693-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4694-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4695-7 (e)

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Scripture quotations marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation — Second Edition. Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Table of Contents

TITLE PAGE

PUBLISHER PAGE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 MARRIAGE IN AFRICA WORLDVIEW

1.2 MARRIAGE IN CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW

1.3 THE CONTRAST BETWEEN AFRICAN MARRIAGE AND CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE A CHALLENGE

1.4 FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT OF MARRIAGE

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS BOOK

1.6 SCOPE OF THIS BOOK

CHAPTER TWO WHAT ACTUALLY IS MARRIAGE?

2.1 MARRIAGE

2.2 WHAT REALLY IS CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE?

2.3 THE IGBO CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE

CHAPTER THREE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES OF MARRIAGE

CHAPTER FOUR THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE IN AN AFRICAN (IGBO) CULTURE

4.1 THE CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE AMONG THE IGBO

4.2 PROCREATION: GOAL OF AFRICAN MARRIAGE

4.3 EXTENDED FAMILY SYSTEM: CUSTODIAN OF AFRICAN MARRIAGE

4.4 THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

4.5 THE BIBLICAL FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

4.6 COMPANIONSHIP IN LOVE: THE BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE.

4.7 THE CHALLENGES OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE IN AFRICA

CHAPTER FIVE EVALUATION

5.1 EVALUATION OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE IN AFRICAN CULTURE

5.2 KINSHIP RELATION IN AFRICA: IT’S EFFECT ON CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

5.3 THE FUTURE OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE IN THE KINSHIP ORIENTED ENVIRONMENT

5.4 THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE AS A VOCATION

5.5 CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE: RESISTANT TO SOCIAL CHALLENGES

CHAPTER SIX CONCLUSION

6.1 SUMMARY

6.2 CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE

6.3 MARRIAGE ENHANCEMENT

6.4 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

REFERENCES

Abstract

This Book aims at a comparative analysis between the African traditional marriage and the Christian marriage in order to extract some qualities which are universally accepted in creating a sustainable marriage. In order to achieve this, the Book explores the different concepts of marriage between the two traditions. In the course of this exploration marriage in Africa is seen as an ancestral vocation geared towards the fulfillment of a social task of regenerating the community, which is the foundation of human growth and development. It therefore implies following the findings of this Book that entrance into marital life involves integration into the goals and aspirations of the community. Life in isolation is totally abhorred in this environment and thus for a social acceptance, one must be in solidarity with the community. The community is the base for human self realization. Furthermore in the course of the research Christian marriage is projected as a marriage that contradicts the communal idea of the Igbo traditional marriage. Christian sacred union therefore, is seen here as the awakening of consciousness, that marriage is not just a communal ritual, but a voluntary venture which ought to be undertaken freely by the couple involved without the compulsion of the community. This sacred union in the Christian perspective is a decision, spouses make based on love, which is sacrificial, selfless, enduring and demanding. The Christian marriage is a sacred union, which involves a symbiotic relationship between spouses rooted in a selfless and sacrificial love. Nevertheless in bringing the Christian marriage parallel to the African traditional marriage one discovers that, which makes the Christian marriage unique. This is the ability to resist the crisis of marriage which involves childlessness, poverty, and deteriorating health. Under these conditions the Christian marriage demonstrates infinite patience. In view of this analysis this Book, projects love, infinite patience and selflessness as factors needed for sustainable marriage, which can be universally applicable, and recommends symbiotic relationship between spouses which is enabled by communication. Communication in marriage is generally emphasized in this project as stepping stone towards the couple’s understanding of each other. However this Book may not resolve all the problems in marriage perfectly, since it cannot give adequate account of the study of human temperaments which are witnessed in every marriage because of the limited number of pages stipulated for this Book. It therefore opens way for more researches that explore the other aspects in marriage that hinder a sustainable marriage.

Chapter One

General Introduction

1.1 MARRIAGE IN AFRICA WORLDVIEW

Among the significant events in the Africa culture, marriage seems to be the most prominent event. This lies on the fact that human family is established through marriage and through the family a community is built. Owing to this importance attached to marriage as the building block of

Reviews for Challenges of Christian Marriage in African Culture

[Sylvester Oyeka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is educative and gives a coherent explanation of marriage through a comparative analysis between the Christian and African culture. It enlightens the mind on what true marriage implies. It therefore encourages selflessness as a sustainable factor of marriage.