"Marital sexual infidelity as a risk factor for HIV infection : the role of the Anglican Church in Malawi in modelling mutual relationships in Christian marriages".

Abstract

This textual study has found that marital sexual infidelity behaviour (MSI) is a risk factor for the spread of HIV. The study has showed that the Anglican Church in Malawi (ACM) stresses morality to build strong marriages and enhance fidelity; however this study has revealed that the ACM has not yet developed teaching materials on pre-marital counselling and programmes that can enhance mutual relationships and just sex in marriages. This study confirmed that dependence on morality alone cannot be a solution to reduce MSI. Therefore it proposed the use of alternative means of engaging married partners in order to assist them to enhance mutual relationships and just sex for the purpose of decreasing MSI which in turn may lower HIV infection in marriages. Using the theoretical framework of justice in sexuality proposed by Margaret Farley (2008), the study proposes that the ACM should development faith based pre-marital counselling teachings and programmes that can enhance mutual relationships and just sex in marriages in the hope of building strong marriages. The study uses the methodological framework of context, text and appropriation. The context is MSI and the aim is to invent alternative methods of enhancing mutual relationships and just sex which can then be appropriated in the ACM.