Declining Trends

According to the latest Pew Research report, the marriage rate in America has set a record low. In 1960, 72% of Americans were married. In 2010, we hit a mere 51%. In fact, it dropped 5% in one year. In 1960, 15% of Americans had never been married. In 2010, that his hit a high of 28%. Unless something changes, clearly it won't be long before marriage will be in the minority. While the marriage age is rising, divorce rates are dropping. That, they surmise, is largely because marriage age is rising. Another critical revelation in the report? In the age group of 18 to 29-year-olds, 44% say marriage is obsolete (even though 61% say it's something they would like to do some day).

So how is this reported in the news? "The face of the American family is changing," they say. Well, I suppose that's to be expected. Since "marriage" has shifted its definition from "a man and a woman" and "for cooperation, commitment, and procreation" and "for life" to "whomever you wish" and "for whatever you want" and "for as long as you want ... or don't", it stands to reason that "marriage is obsolete". Strip this structure of its meaning and it's not surprising that it means very little. Apparently, then, while "family" used to mean people related by birth or marriage, it no longer means that, either. Now it means more of "household" or "group of people loosely related" or "whatever we want it to mean ... how dare you be judgmental?"

And, really, how dare you? Just the other day Paris Jackson, "the daughter of Michael Jackson", went on the Ellen DeGeneres Show to share "the best advice her father gave her". That was possible because "father" no longer means "A male person whose sperm unites with an egg, resulting in the conception of a child" and "daughter" no longer requires "female offspring". So, look, if we're going to change the entire definition of father, daughter, son, and marriage, we certainly have no reason to retain some sort of word that used to mean "family" and now means ... something else.

So what are we left with? God's image of His Son and His Bride can easily be discarded because, after all, marriage is obsolete. The biblical picture of "God the Father" is really no longer relevant because "father" is simply "the male figure in a person's life" (and, let's face it, likely a goof and possibly a pervert). No, no, that's too harsh. For most, the "father" is "the breadwinner" and a "good father" is the one who gives his "kids" everything they could want. Now that's a "God the Father" we could get behind, eh? Oh, wait ... that's Santa Claus. Okay, we can live with that.

Most people will read this as another rant. "Stan's complaining about nothing ... again. It's just the nature of things. Things change. That's the way it works. Get over it." Maybe. I just find it odd that the treasured images in Scripture like marriage, family, and father are all under simultaneous attack in our society today. You may think of it as inevitable change. I have to wonder. Who would benefit from undercutting all of these images God has created to express Himself and His relationship to us? Certainly not His allies.