A serious consideration of tradition shows that we Christians must be various cautious when we speak of a defense of traditional marriage. Much of what we think of as traditional about marriage has a very short history and has only a tangential relationship to the Church's tradition. Affirming tradition has less to do with isolating a restrictive ideal and more with discerning where the Holy Spirit is at work in the varied and imperfect relationships that are our domestic churches. These are far from perfect and certainly do not occur only where they image some fairy-tale vision of the nuclear family, a vision which can only obscure the authentic tradition of embodied love.

Contributions by Anselm Theodos Ngetwa, Temple Anuforo, Michael G. Lawler & Todd A. Salzmann, Katharina Ebner, Charles M.A. Caspers, Elvira Roncalli, and Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn.

Book reviews of 23 new publications. Our book reviews contribute to the community of scholars and practitioners working in the field of marriage and the family, by informing readers about recent publications, and thus sustaining the practice of serious and careful, yet scholarly and critical exchange.

Download here the full article by Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn: A Sacrament of Love: Marital Sacramentality