Focus on the Family at http://jimdaly.focusonthefamily.com/why-we-share-the-blame-for-the-redefinition-of-marriage/?utm_source=nl_dalyfocus&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=242510&refcd=242510&crmlink=content-keep-reading offered a somewhat new explanation for the recent redefinition of marriage from their President, Jim Daly. Here are some excerpts from that post:
"...As Christians who support traditional one-man, one-woman marriage, to do? [While] activist judges have gutted the state's definition of what marriage truly is, ...[j]udges aren't the only ones to blame for this assault on God's design and definition of marriage. We, as Christians, share a portion of the blame, too. Here's why:
Decades of no-fault divorce have undermined the concept of lifelong commitment. Many Christians simply tire of their spouse and allow themselves to be whisked away by a fantasy, that the grass will be greener on the other side of the fence. Premarital sex and cohabitation have become commonplace among those professing to be Christian. [Read about how much this can cost at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2205349 .] Calls to our Counseling department reveal that Internet pornography is destroying marriages on a daily basis. And many individuals, again including younger evangelicals are simply choosing to forgo the altar altogether. In fact... for the first time ever, more than half of U.S. adults are unmarried. At Focus, we vigorously continue our efforts to uphold the concept of one-man, one-woman marriage, but currently the trends are not moving in our favor. So, what if the Supreme Court decrees that across our nation marriage is no longer reserved for the union of one man and one woman? Does that mean marriage ceases to have meaning for the Christian? On the contrary, I think our witness to the beauty and goodness of true marriage becomes all the more important. It will be up to us to show a fraying culture that marriage is so much more than "just a piece of paper," or merely an association of any two or more people who profess to love each other.
Marriage is a sacred union of a man and a woman that brings with it myriad benefits to spouses, their children, and society at large that simply cannot be replicated by any other relationship. I would go so far as to say a society cannot ultimately flourish, even long survive, without stable marriages at its core.
Above and beyond that, for Christians, is the recognition of what our marriages symbolize. In some mysterious way, the Bible tells us, the husband-wife bond is a reflection, a miniature representation, of the relationship Jesus has with His bride, the Church (Eph. 5:31-32). When we demonstrate unwavering commitment and sacrificial love to our spouse, we are mirroring to our culture the very love Christ has for His people. What an awesome responsibility and privilege! ... Research tells us that for those Christians who take their faith seriously, the divorce rate is notably lower, but even so it is still far too high. What kind of testimony might we have to our neighbors if our divorce rate as believers was but a fraction of the general population? [For some solutions to this see http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1949256 , Realistic Reconciliation in an Age of Divorce.] Here at Focus we are doing everything in our power to see that vision become a reality. We invest a great deal of our effort and energy into creating resources to help couples not just survive, but thrive.
Roughly one-third of our radio broadcasts are devoted especially to the topic of strengthening marriages. Our website is packed with helpful information, including in-depth answers to hundreds of the most frequent marriage-related questions we receive. I'm also very excited about our new Family Project video curriculum, a long-awaited follow-up to our Truth Project series. It details the incredible importance of God's basic design for the family, along with its companion feature film, "Irreplaceable." In addition, we have a licensed professional counseling staff standing at the ready to help with marriage (and parenting) challenges and crises, all at no charge. And earlier this year, we welcomed the amazing folks at the National Institute of Marriage into our Focus family. They do great work with on-site intensives that have helped rescue thousands of marriages from the brink of divorce.
In short, whatever struggles or questions you may be facing in your marriage, we can help.
Am I concerned about the state of marriage in our nation? Certainly, but I'm not disheartened. I'm also disinclined to lay all the blame for our current circumstances at the feet of rogue judges or even those who advocate for the legalization of same-sex marriage. It's time for us to own up to our own sin and get our own house in order. We can educate, encourage and pray for the culture – but we cannot control it. However, we do have it within us to take our own marital commitment seriously. However challenging the season, I'm actually excited about the opportunity ahead of us. As our culture continues to drift from the stable moorings of our past and we experience ever greater chaos and confusion as a nation, our neighbors, friends, and colleagues at work and school will be searching for answers in their own lives.Will we be there to point them to the Gospel and to the One who can show them the Way? One of the most powerful ways we can do that is by loving our spouse the way Christ loves His church." -Jim Daly, Focus on the Family
Marriage's redefinition has been happening for a generation due to divorce and cohabitation. Find out more about how this redefinition toward same-sex marriage affects marriage at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=269418. Family restoration can happen when Christians begin to think seriously about marriage and the implications of the lifetime marital commitment.
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