An as-yet-to-be-released study by David Barna revealed that one of the primary driving factors for the political decisions of individuals across all generations is their concern for their families. Although this study is still undergoing review, it points to a fascinating point of commonality among Americans.
This reminds us all that one thing we share with people across the political spectrum is that what really matters to us all is the people we love. In Christian tradition, there is no one we ought to love more than our family.
Although different denominations that use the name “Christian”have slightly different interpretations of what the family is, they all can agree that a family starts with marriage. As one article said:
“From the start, [the Bible] makes clear that we bear witness to the reality of marriage; we are not the inventors of this institution. If asked why we will not alter the definition of marriage, our response must be, “We can’t. We didn’t define marriage to begin with. We received it. We have no authority to make it something else.”” [1] According to the Bible, when God created Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, He ordained the first marriage and defined the roles of Man and Woman.
The Song of Solomon 4:9 poetically describes the love that God has ordained within the covenant of marriage “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.”
These foundational Christian beliefs about marriage are rooted in primary ideas about gender and sexuality. It is for this reason that many Christians, like Governor Ron DeSantis, have fought so hard to prevent public acts of sexual and gender-identity-based indecency from being pushed on young children. As the Miami Harold reported:
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration filed a state complaint against Miami’s R House on Tuesday that says the Wynwood bar’s weekend Drag Show Brunches expose minors to “sexually explicit drag shows.”[2]
Even as the battle rages on for traditional notions of gender and sexual propriety, there have been small wins across the nation. For instance, according to the Institute for Family Studies, divorce rates have hit a 50-year low. [3]
These findings should serve to provide us with hope for the up-and-coming generation.
Although fewer marriages may be happening, there has been a large decline in the number of divorces occurring, indicating that, to some extent, the new generations are being more careful with their marriages. [4]
We have certainly got a long way to go until the status of marriage in American culture is restored to its former position as a sacred institution ordained by God. Nonetheless, these trends ought to give us hope.
Christians must continue to proselytize until not just the United States, but all the nations of the world, recognize the words of Jesus as authoritative and, among other things, can join together in affirming what we are taught about marriage in Mark 10:6-9:
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
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