Reflections by Forrest Boyd
Comments, Reflections, & Observations - Transcripts by the Late Forrest Boyd
When born again Christians make their wedding vows, do they really mean them?
A study by the Barna Research group has found that there's very little difference between Christians and non-Christians when it comes to married couples staying together.
Born again Christians are just as likely as other couples to experience a divorce. Marriage is not as stable a relationship as it once was. Among the three-quarters who have been married, one-third have also experienced at least one divorce.
The Barna Research Group study identified three surprises in terms of who is most likely to get divorced. First, born again Christians are just as likely to get divorced as are non-born again adults.
Second, while college graduates are typically more liberal in their political views and lifestyle than adults who lack such a degree, adults who have a college degree and have been married are comparatively less likely to get divorced. Thirty-one percent of college grads who have been married have been divorced, versus 36% of adults who did not earn a college degree and have been married.
Third, residents of the Northeast and West are commonly noted for their more liberal leanings in politics and lifestyle. However, the region of the nation in which divorce was least likely was the Northeast.
Also, census data have revealed that about one out of every three children in the U.S. these days is the child of an unwed mother.
Anticipating reaction to the study, researcher George Barna explained: "The adults analyzed in the born again category were not those who claimed to be born again, but were individuals who stated a personal commitment to Christ, having confessed their sins, embracing Christ as their savior, and believing that they have received eternal salvation because of their faith in Christ alone."
More than 90% of the born again adults who have been divorced experienced that divorce after they accepted Christ, not before. Barna said, "It is unfortunate that so many people, regardless of their faith, experience a divorce, but especially unsettling to find that the faith commitment of so many born again individuals has not enabled them to strengthen and save their marriages."
Barna also said, "It seems clear that the rules concerning relationships and marriage are being rewritten by young adults. A majority of married Busters co-habited prior to their marriage. If the existing relationship between co-habitation and higher rates of divorce persists, we can expect to see a continued deluge of divorces in coming years, in spite of the fact that teenagers and college students have listed the desire to get married and stay wed to their spouse for the duration of their life as one of their top goals in life."
But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Mark 10:6-9 Publications