The binfire rages on

If not the Bible, where do our ideas about marriage come from? We take a jog through 2,000 years of church history, charting the evolution of Christian marriage to the institution we know today. Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves. Has the Church always cared about marriage? When did marrying for love become the norm and how does commonlaw marriage fit into the picture? How has marriage been used as a tool in religious power struggles? Simon explains all, along with a few important ideas from the past few millenia that have shaped our view of relationships. Coming up Our next Q&A episode is on Monday 8th December, so if you’d like to ask a question on anything you’ve heard from the podcast so far, then make sure you get your question to us by Friday 28 November to feature. Contact us via email, social media or our Substack page. Episode 5 – We need to talk about patriarchy – is released on Monday 22 December. Patriarchy is the invisible thread that has run through all of our conversations so far. Can our relationships ever be truly equitable under a patriarchal system? About A God We Could Believe In: A frank and honest look at Christianity as we find it today. We’re examining the things the church says and does that are embarrassing, confusing or even downright offensive. In other religious contexts, your questions might be forbidden but not here. So whether you’re a lifelong churchgoer with the scars to prove it, or you’ve never entered a church and are just interested in the debate, this is a safe space for you. New episodes are released every other Monday. Support the project by sharing it widely and join our Substack community for bonus episodes and reflections at agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com Stay in touchEmail: [email protected]: www.facebook.com/agodwecouldbelieveinInstagram: www.instagram.com/agodwecouldbelievein This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agodwecouldbelievein.substack.com/subscribe