Here is a quote from Jana Marguerite Bennett's, Water is Thicker than Blood: An Augustinian Theology of Marriage and Singleness

"There is a cultural frenzy regarding marriage, and it has overtaken theology.  It has become a mesmerizing issue in contemporary culture, in part because there seem to be so many failures at it.  Every day, there is a newspaper article proclaiming the high divorce rate and the myriad of ways in which children are affected by divorce.  There are numerous academic and political think tanks around the country devoted to the singular question: how do we, in Western society, fix marriage?  In addition to these reports there are other considerations about marriage in contemporary culture.  Many feminist scholars have pointed out that marriage as traditionally conceived only serves to exacerbate gender issues and that some groups that want to 'fix marriage' are really advocating an unhelpful return to gender-specific roles… Theology follows the cultural frenzy by participating in a frenzy of their own, each attempting to address the myriad of problems that marriage brings with it.  Nearly all books that deal with both theology and marriage/family/household today begin with an account of heat is wrong with marriage sociologically, and thus consider marriage along the same lines as the culture does, questing to and fro for answers to the 'divorce problem,' the issue in single-parent families, and the like." (Page 3, in ‘How "Theology of Marriage" Damages Ecclesiology’)

On one hand I agree with the author’s (who is Assistant Professor of Religion at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, her dissertation is Mary and Martha meet Saint Augustine: Marriage, virginity, and household formation ) opinion on the “cultural frenzy regarding marriage”, on the other hand I see also a lack of consciousness and attention on marriage. At least on Catholic level, where there are several works on married love and institutes for studies on marriage and family, yet I don’t see that this interest and appreciation would permeate – not even show up -  in everyday Catholic – parish, diocese etc. – life and mentality. Notwithstanding official declarations on the dignity of marriage there is not too much change in the structure of the church itself, as for example involvement of married – and lay people in general – in the governance of ecclesial life etc. 

I see that there is a disconnect with what might go on in academic circles, and in our “normal” environment of faithful. There is a need to close the gap and bring to the our contemporary church settings the results of good theology on marriage and related issues.

The author adds that "My concern is not that these theologians identify numerous problems with marriage and family; those problems do exist.  Yet I am not convinced that the solutions to those problems is to narrow the focus the more and more toward marriage and family.” Yes, it might be that many problems have other roots in our ecclesial life and mentality.

What is you opinion on this issue?

Jana Marguerite Bennet’s books:

Water is Thicker than Blood: An Augustinian Theology of Marriage and Singleness