Quality in marriage in value-laden contexts: An empirical and theological study

With the broad methodology belonging to the field of practical theology, different parameters of quality in marital relationship have been studied in general with particular attention to the situation in the country of Sweden. Studies of marriage are very rare in Sweden and it is a neglected field. Those few that exist often focus on particular traits, e.g. communication or a common understanding of economic matters that make a difference to the subjective experience of a happy and possibly lasting relationship. The systemic understanding of family life contributes to a deeper understanding of marital health. The interrelationship of dynamics between generations as well as the systemic forces within the "new" relational picture in a marriage is laid bare. It is argued that all relationships, marriage included, are lived and worked out in value-laden contexts, whether in secular society or a Christian church community. Values are personal yet values also permeate the social weave. Some values and contexts are wilfully chosen and others are simply taken for granted and unconsciously present. Value-laden contexts contribute towards support and function or undermine and contribute to dysfunction. Since the small unit of a marriage or a nuclear family needs support of a larger structure, particularly in a fast-paced society like we have in the West, it is suggested that Christian faith and church community contribute in a positive way towards marital quality and strength.; Evangelical theological understandings and reflections on marriage and family, Bowenian family systemic thinking and relationships in secular society are made as a basis for empirical testing. An example of a qualitative congregational study is made to illustrate the value-laden basis of a sociologically more or less functional Christian community. Finally more than 160 couples from two free-church contexts in Sweden were surveyed. A battery of questions from DAS, Universal I/E religiosity, DTS, ISS, and FRSI and other questions asking for values, Christian faith and participation in church life were distributed. The population indicated a positive relationship between marital quality and religious understandings on parameters of commitment, satisfaction, and intimacy. The conclusion is that intrinsic religiosity in functional religious context interplays with marital quality.