Back in April of this year, Regnerus wrote an op-ed column for The Washington Post arguing for early marriage. In his words, his article met with a "nearly universal hostile reaction." As one who has made similar arguments in public for years now, I can understand his pained reflection that even to raise this issue in public is to risk being heard as speaking a "foreign language." But this is not universally true. There are many evangelical young people, parents, and pastors who fundamentally agree that evangelicals are putting off marriage for far too long. More and more are speaking this language every day.Finally, someone who says what I have thought for years. Mohler states toward the end of his post.
The biblical case for early marriage is even stronger than Regnerus indicates. Our bodies are not evolutionary accidents, and God reveals his intention for humanity through the gifts of sexual maturation, fertility, and sexual desire. As men and women, we are made for marriage. As Christians, those not called to celibacy are called to demonstrate our discipleship through honoring the Creator's intention by directing sexual desire and reproductive capacity into a commitment to marriage. Marriage is the central crucible for accepting and fulfilling the adult responsibilities of work, parenthood, and the full acceptance of mature responsibilities.I agree with this statement, but I do so with a major question. With both a secular culture and Christian culture that tolerates adultery and divorce, how could this possibly work? Would not the divorce rate just go up? Would not more children be produced in broken families?
Until our culture learns to encourage early marriage with encouraging married couples to work through the difficult times such as dealing with finances and honestly dealing with lustful desires, I don't see how encouraging early marriage will solve our culture's problems. Nevertheless, I think this attitude is moving back in the right direction.
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