Critique of the Modern Notion of Family

Raising Children as the Church's Social Mission? Hauerwas's Theological Critique of the Modern Notion of Family

Chi W.HUEN

This essay explicates the theological arguments leading to Stanley Hauerwas's claim that having, rearing and welcoming children is the Church's primary social mission. Hauerwas's theological reflection on the modern individualistic notion and institution of family is considered part and parcel of his larger project of theological critique against political liberalism. His thinking is prefigured by a persistent concern for the (un)intelligibility of people's (Christians or otherwise) decisions of having (or not having) children. His theological ethics aims at helping Christians to make sense of beliefs, practices and commitments that they are commonly unable to account for, including sex, marriage, family, parenthood. Hauerwas's stance is elucidated by way of three propositions: (1) the telos of marriage is parenthood; (2) yet, parenthood is not natural, but a Christian calling; and (3) the vocation of marriage can only be properly understood and affirmed by accepting singleness as an equally valid form of life for Christians. It is argued that Hauerwas not only compels us to re-think whether and why family (as a social institution or a set of social values) should be a good to be defended by the church, but also spells out the heroic, subversive and political nature of Christian family as a practice of faithfulness, hope and patience. Under the light of Hauerwas's characterization of parenting as a form of adoption, some implications are drawn regarding the abdication of moral burdens by parents in late modern society like Hong Kong, and the correlative and collective role of the church as parent.