Abstract
Digital technologies have become an integrated part of everyday life, and this development has not left relationships untouched. A need exists for theological reflection on the interaction between the dynamic contexts of the digital age and Christian marital relationships. The relational implications of the digital age are quite vast; therefore the focus of the article will be limited to online identity formation as a particular challenge of the digital age. Employing the method of a literature study within the scientific field of practical theology, this article explores the interplay between online identity formation and Christian marriage. It suggests that online identity formation exists around a reciprocal interaction with two prominent qualities of Christian marriages: The expansion of the self and one-ness. When considering the interplay between online identity formation and Christian marriage, awareness can be created regarding the marital implications of spouses’ online engagements, which may enhance contextual pastoral care with a relational focus within the digital age.Contribution: The article contributes to practical theological reflection on challenges posed to Christian marriages by the digital age. It is aimed at stimulating pastoral thinking regarding online identity formation and its adverse effects on so-called one-ness in Christian marriages that can enhance pastoral care with a view on the flourishing of couples in the digital age.
Highlights
This article aims to provide a practical theological perspective on the interplay between online identity formation and Christian marriages.1 Reflecting on relationships in the digital age brings about a realisation of the complex nature of this context
Considerable focus is found on the effects of online engagements on romantic relationships, especially pertaining to social networking sites (SNSs) of which Facebook received a great amount of attention because of its popularity (Burton 2017:1; Carter 2015:2; Clayton, Nagurney & Smith 2013:717; Marshall 2012:521)
The research question that this study aims to address is: ‘what is the interplay between online identity formation and Christian marriages?’ Cloete (2019:vii) conceptualises the term ‘interplay’ as an emphasis on a constant interaction between two concepts and how this interaction causes reciprocal influence
Summary
This article aims to provide a practical theological perspective on the interplay between online identity formation and Christian marriages. Reflecting on relationships in the digital age brings about a realisation of the complex nature of this context. Various questions have been raised and extensively answered in the literature relating to the interaction between the digital age and relationships. Research has been performed on marital relationships in the context of the digital age (Abramians 2016:vii) It seems as if the construct of ‘marriages’ is dealt with in a generic manner. Research related to this topic in most cases does not reflect a focus on religion or a particular faith tradition as a possible factor in the relation between the context of the digital era and the relational space of marriage (Burton 2017:3–4)
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