Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

The family, that is, husband and wife and children are addressed in Genesis 4:1 with the birth of Cain, and in Genesis 4:2 with the birth of Abel. After Cain committed the first murder by killing Abel, which took place in the family, Adam and Eve were blessed with the birth of Seth (Genesis 4:25).

When Seth was born it is possible that Adam and Eve were grandparents. Cain had married and his wife gave birth to Enoch (Gen. 4:17). While at this point, I may as well consider the issue of Cain’s wife. Without blinking, I am using the Jewish Publication Society Commentary on Genesis, when I say, Cain married his sister.

That is a plausible answer, given the context. Now for those whose sensibilities are disturbed by this claim, based on the Bible story, what other sources were there? You may argue that only male children are listed. However, Genesis 5:4 says other sons and daughters were born to Adam. Consequently, Cain’s marriage was likely an act, which we call incest.

We must be careful about denying Biblical realities, based on modern and contemporary standards, mores, norms and values. Whereas, monogamy is the acceptable form of marriage, polygamy was acceptable in Old Testament times. Jacob, for example, married sisters Leah and Rachel. Further, Rachel, who was childless, gave her maid Zilpah as a wife to Jacob. (Genesis 29:15-30;30:9)

When we turn to Jesus’ teaching on family, we come face to face with a challenge to our views on he subject. His words are strong and run counter to what Christians might expect from him. In Matthew 10:35, Jesus said, “I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother.”

With members of his immediate family standing outside waiting to see him, Jesus asked, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:46-50).

Was Jesus anti-family?

I want now to leave Jesus’ words temporarily and consider the state of family in today’s culture. And then return to Jesus’ words and pick them up to hear what they are saying to the Church.

First, what is the village CMEs speak of rebuilding? Since the technical definition has to do with spatial designation, that is, a village is defined as a collection of houses, smaller than a town, but larger than a hamlet. Yet, with advancements in communications technology and transportation, especially by means of air, the global village concept has rendered obsolete the dictionary definition.

I regard village as a concept characterized by the inter-dependence and the inter-relatedness of its various component parts. When I was in college, students were required to take a course called, “Art Appreciation.” We were required to learn this definition of art: “Art is a form created by the artist out of human experience. It is born in time and its form reflects the forces of that time, social, economic, political and religious.”

The village as I perceive it is constituted by the social, economic, political and religious.

Family is a social construct. In the Bible, it precedes worship. It was after the birth of Enoch, son of Seth, that the Bible says, “At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord.” (Genesis 4:26b).

In the recent presentations I’ve made on “Rebuilding the Village,” I have said, “we rebuild what used to be but is no longer. And if a thing is no more, who or what tore it down?” Since it is the family, as a social construct that we are discussing, what orwho has torn down family?”

Let us try or test some things:

The lack of family time. Everyone is busy and going his or her own way.
The pursuit of the acquisition of things. Both parents work and do so to get things and to give things to their children.
The absence of a spiritual center. A family needs core values that come from basic religious beliefs. Integrity. Honesty. Fair play. Goodness.
The failure of churches to minister to the entire family as a unit. The family is compartmentalized.
The media, even African American publications, seem to highlight and promote any celebrities and athletes, regardless of behavior. People emulate them.

In light of Jesus’ teaching, what can be concluded? He had His own “family values” which Robert Ellsberg of Orbis Books calls:

Inclusiveness versus exclusiveness.
Humility versus power
Discipleship versus kinship

Jesus’ “family values” can assist churches as they minister to the many types of families in today’s culture.

1. Nuclear family: two parents and two children

2. Single parent family: male or female, and a child or children

3. Broken family: survivor parent and child or children

4. Blended family: two parents blend their families through marriage

5. Extended family: where generations of the same family make up a household.