1. Biblical Views

The NT allows for an ambivalence toward marriage and the family by recognizing a place for singleness, in contrast to Judaism and many other traditions. Salvation within Christianity is not dependent on the continuation of a biological lineage. Jesus and Paul, for example, were both unmarried. Yet the NT also endorses monogamous and lasting marriage as an equally valid way of life.

Jesus of Nazareth endorsed the possibility of voluntary singleness in the service of God’s kingdo…