Family Matters

   The nature of family has changed significantly in the new millennium. The number of unmarried partners living together in the United States nearly tripled in two decades from 6 million to 17 million as of 2019. Estimates show that about 40 percent of births in the United States occur outside of marriage, up from 28 percent in 1990. The structure and stability of the home is weaker than ever.

  For some, this might not be alarming. The rhetoric is that this “new normal” is more inclusive and diverse and opens people to more freedom of choice. Polls show that large majorities believe society “should value all types of families” and cohabiting couples should receive the same benefits as a married couple. Also, a majority consider living in unmarried households as having either no effect or a positive effect on children.

  But the facts don’t bear that out.

 Researchers have consistently found that children born outside marriage face elevated risks of falling into poverty, failing in school, or suffering emotional and behavioral problems. 71 percent of poor families with children are headed by single parents. The majority of kids born outside of marriage are born to cohabiting couples that are twice as likely to break up than married relationships.

 When God created man, he established the institution of marriage and family (Genesis 2:23-24). It wasn’t done without purpose. There is a reason God has said, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge”(Hebrews 13:4).

 Family matters. It matters to God and it should matter to us as a nation as well. The family is the framework on which our nation is built. Break it apart and watch everything fall to pieces.