Courtship and Marriage

Syllabus tag: Kenya CBC | Grade 9 Christian Religious Education | Strand 5.0 Christian Living Today | Sub-Strand 5.1 Courtship and Marriage (10 Lessons)

Lesson objectives

By the end of this sub-strand, you should be able to:

• Explain the meaning and purpose of courtship in Christian teaching.
• Discuss the causes and consequences of early courtship and early marriage.
• Describe the Christian understanding of marriage and the qualities that sustain it.
• Appreciate the importance of preparing well before entering marriage.

Summary

Courtship is the period during which two people who are considering marriage get to know one another seriously, with marriage as the intended outcome. Christian teaching presents marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman, established in creation and reaffirmed by Jesus. The syllabus places particular weight on early courtship and early marriage, because both are common in Kenya and both carry consequences that fall most heavily on girls. The central idea is preparation: marriage is presented as something to be entered by people who are ready, not something to drift into.