Grant, Brian W.

THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF CHRISTIAN FAMILIES

Over the last two thousand years, the organiza-tion of the family has changed greatly, as have norms and expectations of ideal family life.

In this comprehensive study, Brian Grant traces the history of Christian family practices from precursors in ancient Israel to today, with an emphasis on the past 500 years. He looks at how the shape of the family in different cen-turies influenced the theological shape of the church, paying particular attention to the family's role in the theology of today's church.

Grant concludes with a discussion of the building blocks necessary for a contemporary constructive theology of family.

BRIAN W. GRANT is Lois and Dale Bright Professor of Christian Ministries at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana, and is director of the seminary's pastoral counseling service.