What is a Christian wedding?

In this section the question posed in the title will be addressed from a protestant perspective. Marriage is to be understood as the union of one man and one woman in lifetime commitment.

The Christian wedding ceremony is an extra-biblical ritual. It is not a sacrament. There are no more than two rituals which are advocated in scripture for Christian believers. One is water baptism, the other is the Lord's supper. The Christian wedding ritual is not essential to salvation or even prescribed in the Bible. In fact, scripture is remarkably silent over the whole matter. There are hints as to what constituted the official marking of matrimony in ancient times but very little is definitive and even less is prescribed for universal application.

The Bible does not teach that a wedding must be conducted in a designated building. Neither must an ordained Christian minister preside the ceremony. Indeed, the Bible does not even prescribe the need to have a wedding celebration at all. Even the public making of vows before God was largely unknown before the 16th century.

The Church Wedding ritual which is universally recognized as an established cultural form is utterly man-made. It has far more to do with the traditions of men rather than the revealed Word of God. As such, it is plain wrong to elevate the event to a status which it should not enjoy. From a biblical perspective, a marriage formalized at the Registry Office is equally valid in the sight of God (Rom 13:1) as one conducted in a Church. There are misconceptions in the deep mindsets of believers about Christian weddings and false assumptions can easily be transferred into the understanding of non-Christian people.

Primary activities of the church in all nations are to preach, baptize and make disciples (Mat 28:19). Whatever is conducted beyond this may be going beyond what God has ordained. When extra-biblical traditions of men are added to the mix then an element of confusion and inconsistencies are introduced. So how does this apply to the topic in hand? Well, it is a great tragedy that one of (if not the) most well recognized expressions of 'Christianity' in Japan is the ubiquitous Christian-style wedding. It is desperately sad that the main point of contact that many irreligious Japanese have with anything remotely Christian is the chapel wedding. The ritual is at best an add-on to the revealed Word of God; at worst a stumbling block to those in the dark.

The phenomenal rise in popularity of Christian-style weddings in Japan is hardly surprising. The attractive aesthetic, the novelty, the convenience and a religious form which is not girded by the weight of Truth. In other words, religion can easily be digested by the culture without the offense of the blood stained cross.

It cannot be concluded that the fact that Japan has embraced the Christian-style wedding marks a change in perception of Christianity.

In 2006, a Gallup poll recorded a major leap in the number of Japanese who associated with Christianity. This made headlines across the world. Commentators have remarked that this sudden jump is partly because of the popularity of Christian-style weddings. On the understanding of the factors detailed above, it is not to be heralded as a victory for the sake of Christ. It seems that Japanese people are increasingly appropriating the religious form and claiming to be favourable towards Christianity. This is to be lamented.