Calvin and Covenant Marriage: A Critical Genealogy.

This article critically examines the Christian practice of treating marriage as a covenant, focusing on its theological roots in John Calvin's marriage theology and its contemporary implications. Calvin's conception of marriage as a divinely ordained, sacred, and indissoluble covenant reinforced patriarchal gender roles, legitimizing women's subordination and trapping spouses in abusive marriages by limiting grounds for divorce. Contemporary proponents of covenant marriage often share Calvin's view, and social science research indicates that such beliefs can pressure victims, especially women, to remain in abusive relationships. The article argues that while a non-oppressive form of covenant marriage might be possible—one that embraces egalitarian spousal roles and conditional commitments based on justice—no such model has yet been developed, leaving the viability of covenant marriage uncertain.