Is there such a thing as Christian marriage in Ghana?
Welcome back, my faithful Fidus Achates!
Marriage is the oldest human institution on earth. From the inception of time, God has been committed to providing the human race with its basic needs such as food, water, shelter, security, etc. The distribution of these needs is more organised and effective when it is done through the “tool” of family. And what gives essence to the family is marriage. Aristotle believed that without marriage and strong families, children would grow up violent and the wide social fabric would be damaged. He taught that affection between children and invested natural parents inhibits the violent impulses of both adults and children [1]. Moreover, what is supposed to be Christian Marriage has been a subject of scholarly discussion. One would wonder if any of the marriages contracted in Ghana actually qualifies to be called a Christian Marriage. Travel with me and let’s further interrogate this subject.
What is Christian Marriage?
John Stott defines Christian marriage as “an exclusive heterosexual covenant between one man and one woman, ordained and sealed by God, preceded by a public leaving of parents, consummated in sexual union, issuing in a permanent mutual supportive partnership and normally crowned by the gift of children [2].” According to Kwabena J. Darkwa Amanor, Christian marriage is “the union of a man and a woman who believe in God, who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who join in the worship, ordinance and the fellowship of the Church, and who are not mere professors of the Christian faith, but live their married lives in the light of God’s will for couples as revealed in the Bible [3].” Amevenku and Boaheng are of the view that “Christian marriage is that which is in accordance with God’s principles of marriage revealed in Scripture [4].”
Christian marriage is God ordained
We need to understand that Christian marriage is ordained by God. Therefore, God is the sole architect and engineer of Christian marriage. God instituted marriage even before the fall of humanity. It is worth noting that even though marriage is recognised and regulated as a human institution in all societies, it is not a human invention [5]. Instead, it is God ordained. God is the one who created marriage and gave the rules that should govern it. Although every culture tends to contextualise marriage to reflect its worldview, the Word of God, being the fulcrum of marriage, should be the backdrop by which marriage is celebrated.
Christian marriage is a heterosexual union
Christian marriage is a heterosexual union between a man and a woman. In other words, Christian marriage is exclusively a man-woman relationship. This is evident both from the fact that God created one man and one woman at the beginning (Gen. 1:27) and gave them a mandate to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28), and also from the assertion that a man will leave his father and mother and cleave with his wife (Gen. 2:24). Homosexual union therefore, is a deviation from God’s original intention. It came about as a result of the degenerate nature of humanity. This is essentially because the human nature is fallen.
The fact that something is acceptable by some people does not make it right. Wrong will still be wrong when everybody does it and right will be right even if nobody does it. When Jesus was asked about divorce, He answered by saying, “in the beginning it was not so”. This same principle can legitimately be applied to the issue of homosexuality; “in the beginning it was not so”! Knowing about the ideals of history is imperative because it gives us a context for the future. Those who throw away the past are in the danger of losing the future.
Types of marriages in Ghana
Three forms of marriage are recognised by the Laws of Ghana, namely, Marriage under Customary Law, statutory marriage under the Marriage Ordinance (CAP 127), and Marriage according to Islamic rites or Mohammedan marriage (CAP 129). It is interesting to note that, although Ghana prides itself as a Christian nation, with a whopping 71.3% of Ghanaians being Christians [6], it has no marriage specifically named after Christians and for that matter targeting the Christian faith. As a result, many Christians in Ghana have taken marriage under the Ordinance to be Christian marriage, mainly because it is strictly monogamous. Some Christians also take the Customary marriage as Christian. However, there are some things peculiar to these marriages that disqualify them from being Christian marriages, as these things contradict Scripture. Many Christians in Ghana first perform customary marriage (what most Ghanaians wrongly term “Engagement”), before performing the marriage under the Ordinance (wedding).
Customary Marriage
There is no universal form of customary marriage in Ghana because it depends on the particular community. The formalities vary from ethnic group to ethnic group. Even in some tribes, there may be more than one form of valid marriage that can be contracted. In Ghana, customary marriage is registered under the Customary Marriage and Divorce Registration Law, 1985 (PNDCL 112). Customary Marriage is potentially polygamous, since there is no legal limit to the number of customary wives a man may have. Nor is there any limit to the number of such marriages that can be legally registered under the Customary Marriage and Divorce Law [7].
Requirements for customary marriage in Ghana
Although the requirements to perform customary marriage in Ghana vary from tribe to tribe, there are some common elements that are very essential to the process in every culture. According to Judge Ollennu, the essentials of a valid marriage under customary law consist of the follows [8].
- Agreement by the parties to live together as man and wife.
- Consent of the family of the man that he should have the woman to be his wife; that consent may be indicated by the man’s family acknowledging the woman as the wife of the man.
- Consent of the family of the woman that she should be joined in marriage to the man; that consent is indicated by the acceptance of drink from the man or his family; or merely by the family of the woman acknowledging the man as the husband of the woman.
- Consummation of the marriage; that is the man and the woman are living together in the sight of all the world as man and wife.
Why Customary Marriage cannot be Christian
It is worth mentioning that customary marriage does not qualify to be Christian marriage not because of culture or how the customary marriage is conducted. God, as a matter of fact, requires us to serve Him through the lenses of our culture and worldview, therefore, there is nothing absolutely wrong with how we conduct the customary marriage. Culture, in its simplest definition, is what we do with the things God has made. It is what human beings do with the created world, the natural world, and the resources that God has given us. It is human beings’ response to the created order. The Bible, indisputably, has a lot to say about the world, what God has made and what we are to do with the world God has made. Read this blog for more about Christianity and culture. Customary marriage does not qualify to be a Christian marriage for two main reasons:
1. Customary marriage is potentially polygamous
The ideal marriage God put together is strictly monogamous. However, the customary marriage is potentially polygamous. God created one man and one woman and put them together in marriage. Therefore, the potentially polygamous nature of customary marriage goes against the original intent of God. Though there were instances of polygamous marriages in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, they are not the ideal form of marriage God intended. Like Jesus answered the divorce question, “in the beginning it was not so”. Polygamy has never been God’s ideal form of marriage. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:2 said, “each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.” Notice that Paul said “wife” not “wives” and “husband” not “husbands”. This confirms his strong emphasis on monogamous marriage.
2. The grounds for dissolution of Customary marriage is not Biblical
A marriage under customary law may be dissolved by customary procedure or by an action of a Court of competent jurisdiction. Customary marriage may be dissolved at the instance of either spouse, on several grounds such as adultery, infertility, impotence and general incompatibility of the couple. The grounds of valid dissolution of customary marriage with the exception of adultery, contradict biblical teachings.
Marriage under the Marriage Ordinance
The marriage under the Marriage Ordinance (CAP 127) is a statutory marriage. Ordinance marriage cannot be contracted twice for one person, therefore, it is strictly monogamous. Until the death of one spouse or the legal dissolution of the marriage by a Court of competent jurisdiction, those who marry under the ordinance cannot validly marry anyone else. Because of its monogamous nature, Christians in Ghana have adapted the Ordinance marriage as Christian marriage [9]. The Ordinance marriage was promulgated on November 19, 1884 for two reasons:
1. It served as an appropriate form of marriage for European merchants who needed legal backing for the form of marriage they practised.
2. The missionaries desired to make available a form of “Christian marriage” for African converts who might require it.
Ordinance may be conducted at the Registrar General’s department and may not even require a Christian prayer. When it takes place in the Church, the priest acts on behalf of the civil authorities. The Ordinance marriage cannot be Christian marriage for two main reasons:
1. The Ordinance marriage is contractual not a covenantal
Marriage as God created it is a covenant between a man and a woman with God being the enforcer of the covenant. The couples are to pledge their undying love to one another without breaking the covenant. The only time the covenant is annulled is when one of the spouses dies. However, because Ordinance marriage is contractual, there are stipulated legitimate grounds for abrogating the contract which contradict biblical teaching.
2. The grounds for dissolution of Ordinance marriage is not Biblical
The conditions that precipitate divorce under the Ordinance marriage with the exception of adultery are unbiblical. In a more generic sense, the conditions by which marriage dissolution is allowed for Customary and Ordinance Marriages reflect African and European worldviews respectively. They all appear to contradict Scriptural values. The question is how can something that contradicts the Bible be accepted as Christian? According to the Laws of the Republic of Ghana, an ordinance marriage can be deemed broken down beyond reconciliation and may end in divorce if even one of six situations occurs [10].
1. That one party committed adultery.
2. That one party behaved in a manner that the other cannot reasonably be expected to live with that party.
3. That there is desertion for a continuous period of at least 2 years.
4. That the parties have not lived together continuously for 2 years
5. That the parties have not lived as husband and wife for a continuous period of 5 years.
6. That the parties have after diligent effort not been able to reconcile their differences.
Conclusion
There are three marriages in Ghana with constitutional backing, they are Customary marriage, Ordinance marriage and Mohammedan marriage. The Mohammedan marriage as its name implies is solely for Muslims, the Customary marriage disqualifies to be Christian marriage because it is potentially polygamous and the grounds of dissolutions is not entirely biblical. Also, even though the Ordinance marriage is strictly monogamous, it is contractual and not covenantal. Also, the grounds for dissolution of Ordinance marriage is not entirely biblical. Therefore, no marriage in Ghana theologically qualifies to be Christian marriage. Nevertheless, Christians in Ghana have adapted the Customary and the Ordinance marriages as Christian marriages. Could this be the reason for many divorce cases, particularly in the Christian circles?
Recommendation
The Christian body in Ghana, like the Muslims, should come up with a marriage which can be called Christian marriage, which fulfils all the biblical requirements and also meets the cultural expectations of the people. It must have the following features:
1. Backed by the constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
2. Strictly monogamous.
3. Divorce should be allowed only on Scriptural grounds.
4. Fulfil the traditional requirements of the families.
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References
[1] Abebu-Quashie, Lecture in Christian Marriage and Family Counselling at Trinity Theological Seminary in 2022.
[2] John Stott, Issues Facing Christians Today, 4th ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 361.
[3] Kwabena J. Darkwa Amanor, Customary Marriage Rites: Pagan or Christian? (Accra SonLife Press, 2012), 10.
[4] Frederick Mawusi Amevenku and Isaac Boaheng, The Bible and Ethics in Contemporary Africa: Exegetical Insights, (Noyman Publishers: Accra, 2022), 3.
[5] Frederick Mawusi Amevenku and Isaac Boaheng, The Bible and Ethics in Contemporary Africa: Exegetical Insights, 4
[6] Wikipedia, “Religion in Ghana”, accessed on 25th October, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Ghana
[7] Frederick Mawusi Amevenku and Isaac Boaheng, The Bible and Ethics in Contemporary Africa: Exegetical Insights, 12
[8] Lawyer Ebenezer Haizel, Lecture in Law for Pastoral Ministry at the Trinity Theological Seminary in 2022.
[9] Frederick Mawusi Amevenku and Isaac Boaheng, The Bible and Ethics in Contemporary Africa: Exegetical Insights, 12
[10] Lawyer Ebenezer Haizel, Lecture in Law for Pastoral Ministry, 2022.
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