Singleness and the Church: A New Theology of the Single Life

by Jana Marguerite Bennett

Despite the fact that almost half of all Americans are single, singleness remains an often overlooked oddity in American culture and in Christian communities. Christians ought to be the people who most support singleness, given what scripture and tradition suggest, but this does not seem to be the case. In this exciting new book, Jana Marguerite Bennett examines a variety of usually forgotten models of the never-married, the casually uncommitted, the committed but unmarried, the same-sex attracted, the widowed, the divorced, and the single parent. Each chapter in Singleness and the Church takes one of these models and considers the cultural commentary, Christian debate, and a holy guide-figures like Paul, Augustine, Aelred of Rievaulx, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and Dorothy Day -in order to offer a new perspective on singleness, the church, and what it means to be a single Christian disciple.
In Singleness and the Church , Bennett provides a fresh new theology of single life, a starting point for restoring singleness, in all its amazing varieties, to its rightful place in Christian tradition.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published August 18, 2017

Reviews

[Alyssa Foll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Bennett's book is an excellent resource on theologies (yes, plural) of singleness. She examines many facets of singlehood -- single, never been married; singe, but cohabitating; single after divorce or widowhood; single and same-sex attracted; single and single parenting. What I appreciate about Bennett's work is that in all of these facets of singlehood, she asks the question -- what can people in these contexts say to the church? What do their voices add to the conversation?
In this way, Dr. Bennett pulls up a chair of welcome to the church's table and bids all to come and talk a while.

[John Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent conversation-starter, surveying contemporary Christian accounts of several different kinds of singleness and pointing to a historical figure whose life and/or theology offers insights into a more productive response to each type of singleness. Some of the pairings are stronger than others, and (despite a stated goal of trying to bring singles of each kind into conversation with the Church without passing judgment on them) the author's Catholic perspective sometimes comes across as unproductively judgmental.