International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation Volume 8 2025 112
Christ, and the individual Christian person,
body and soul, came to be seen as the bride of
Christ…Becauseofthisextensionofthemetaphor
of the Song of Songs, Bernard and the mystics who
followed him used the language of marriage
to describe the conformity of the soul to Christ,
the transformation into Christ, and the
deification of the Christian.8
1
Viewing an individual as Christ’s bride elevates that
person to divine status as God’s partner, confusing the
divine/human distinction.
Christian author Erin Pavlicek is typical of those who
consider the bride of Christ to be only the church,
the body of believers. She was vehemently opposed
to applying Christian bridal theology to individual
believers. She provided two primary reasons for her
opposition. First, she concluded:
The problem with adapting a theology from
the Song of Solomon is that the book is taken
out of context in accordance with its original
intent and purpose. That is a clear perversion
of scripture. The Song of Solomon is NOT a
prophetic book. It was never written as
a revelation of Christ, or as a standard for
the marriage covenant He would fulfill. On
the contrary, attempting to use this book as such
is heretical. To arrive at deep theological
conclusions based on the poetic verses that
clearly elaborate upon marital love and sexual
union are perverse at best, and heretical at
worst.9
2
In short, Christ had nothing to do with the construction
of the Song of Solomon, so applying it theologically to
his teaching makes unwarranted assertions about its
meaning. Second, Pavlicek believed that the sexual
dimension of the Song of Solomon has troubling
implications for understanding the divine/human
relationship. On this point, she said:
The Song of Solomon theology is a very alluring
cult theology which operates by a seductive
spirit, which is a type of false Christ…Jesus
8 Podles, The Church Impotent.
9 Erin Pavlicek, “Unveiling the Bridal Paradigm and the Song of
Solomon Theology,” The Wordsmith Blog, last modified December 3, 2019,
https://www.thewordsmithblog.com/unveiling-the-bridal-paradigm-and-
the-song-of-solomon-theology/
is worshipped as a man who becomes our Lover.
He becomes sufficient as our spiritual Husband.
This teaching is a gross perversion of the
scriptures.10
1
Christianity is based upon the belief that Christ is the
saviour of humankind, not its lover.
Loss of an appreciation for the salvific, rather than
the erotic, role of Christ has led to some unfortunate
examples of misguided worship among some Christian
groups:
I’ve witnessed and heard songs such as ‘Let
Him kiss me,’ echoing Song of Solomon 1:2,
among many others which are sung in
hypnotic seductive rhythms. I’ve heard lyrics that
are suggestive of sex with Christ wherein
a marital bond is consummated. These musical
rhythms and rhymes are no less graphic than
their mantras, which use the Song of
Solomon to support their perverse spiritual
activity.11
2
Christians, therefore, cannot conflate eroticism with
Jesus’s salvific role for humankind, and this kind of
critique of the use of the Song of Solomon has particular
salience when examining the theology of the Children
of God.
Bridal Theology in The New Testament
At the core of Christian bridal theology is the belief that
marriage is a sacred covenant ordained by God as a sign
of love for humanity. It emphasizes the importance of
mutual submission, selflessness, and sacrificial love as
the foundations of a healthy and fulfilling marriage.
The marriage covenant is generally seen as a reflection
of the relationship between Christ and the church.
However, scriptures in the New Testament regarding
earthly marriage can also be interpreted as a metaphor
for the spiritual marriage between Christ and individual
Christians.
In Eph. 5.22–33, Paul discussed the dynamics of a
Christian marriage relationship and explained the
mutual responsibilities husbands and wives have to
10 Pavlicek, “Unveiling the Bridal Paradigm and the Song of Solomon
Theology.”
11 Pavlicek, “Unveiling the Bridal Paradigm and the Song of Solomon
Theology.”
Christ, and the individual Christian person,
body and soul, came to be seen as the bride of
Christ…Becauseofthisextensionofthemetaphor
of the Song of Songs, Bernard and the mystics who
followed him used the language of marriage
to describe the conformity of the soul to Christ,
the transformation into Christ, and the
deification of the Christian.8
1
Viewing an individual as Christ’s bride elevates that
person to divine status as God’s partner, confusing the
divine/human distinction.
Christian author Erin Pavlicek is typical of those who
consider the bride of Christ to be only the church,
the body of believers. She was vehemently opposed
to applying Christian bridal theology to individual
believers. She provided two primary reasons for her
opposition. First, she concluded:
The problem with adapting a theology from
the Song of Solomon is that the book is taken
out of context in accordance with its original
intent and purpose. That is a clear perversion
of scripture. The Song of Solomon is NOT a
prophetic book. It was never written as
a revelation of Christ, or as a standard for
the marriage covenant He would fulfill. On
the contrary, attempting to use this book as such
is heretical. To arrive at deep theological
conclusions based on the poetic verses that
clearly elaborate upon marital love and sexual
union are perverse at best, and heretical at
worst.9
2
In short, Christ had nothing to do with the construction
of the Song of Solomon, so applying it theologically to
his teaching makes unwarranted assertions about its
meaning. Second, Pavlicek believed that the sexual
dimension of the Song of Solomon has troubling
implications for understanding the divine/human
relationship. On this point, she said:
The Song of Solomon theology is a very alluring
cult theology which operates by a seductive
spirit, which is a type of false Christ…Jesus
8 Podles, The Church Impotent.
9 Erin Pavlicek, “Unveiling the Bridal Paradigm and the Song of
Solomon Theology,” The Wordsmith Blog, last modified December 3, 2019,
https://www.thewordsmithblog.com/unveiling-the-bridal-paradigm-and-
the-song-of-solomon-theology/
is worshipped as a man who becomes our Lover.
He becomes sufficient as our spiritual Husband.
This teaching is a gross perversion of the
scriptures.10
1
Christianity is based upon the belief that Christ is the
saviour of humankind, not its lover.
Loss of an appreciation for the salvific, rather than
the erotic, role of Christ has led to some unfortunate
examples of misguided worship among some Christian
groups:
I’ve witnessed and heard songs such as ‘Let
Him kiss me,’ echoing Song of Solomon 1:2,
among many others which are sung in
hypnotic seductive rhythms. I’ve heard lyrics that
are suggestive of sex with Christ wherein
a marital bond is consummated. These musical
rhythms and rhymes are no less graphic than
their mantras, which use the Song of
Solomon to support their perverse spiritual
activity.11
2
Christians, therefore, cannot conflate eroticism with
Jesus’s salvific role for humankind, and this kind of
critique of the use of the Song of Solomon has particular
salience when examining the theology of the Children
of God.
Bridal Theology in The New Testament
At the core of Christian bridal theology is the belief that
marriage is a sacred covenant ordained by God as a sign
of love for humanity. It emphasizes the importance of
mutual submission, selflessness, and sacrificial love as
the foundations of a healthy and fulfilling marriage.
The marriage covenant is generally seen as a reflection
of the relationship between Christ and the church.
However, scriptures in the New Testament regarding
earthly marriage can also be interpreted as a metaphor
for the spiritual marriage between Christ and individual
Christians.
In Eph. 5.22–33, Paul discussed the dynamics of a
Christian marriage relationship and explained the
mutual responsibilities husbands and wives have to
10 Pavlicek, “Unveiling the Bridal Paradigm and the Song of Solomon
Theology.”
11 Pavlicek, “Unveiling the Bridal Paradigm and the Song of Solomon
Theology.”
