Approval of marriage is slipping among the upper middle class, the unchurched, college graduates and Democrats, according to the American Family Survey. Republicans still respect the institution but are less supportive of public policy positions that would protect it. The survey finds, for example, that 54% of Americans do not agree that society is better off when more people get married. Nearly half don't agree that marriage is needed to create stronger families.
Washington Times columnist Robert Knight says the empirical evidence proves the opposite.
"Facts," he says, "don't seem to matter to the Democrats, who have been pushing the sexual revolution for decades no – and many Republicans are indifferent."
Knight argues part of the problem is that America is now two or three generations past the sexual revolution of the 1960s that decimated the institution; and today's young adults have very few role models to show them the way.
"It used to be that we lamented that families were breaking up," notes the columnist. "Now we are lamenting that they're not even being formed in the first place. So, a lot of children have grown up not knowing what marriage is."
According to Knight, those who claim to be conservative and claim to be for smaller government ought to strong supporters of marriage. "As families collapse, the government grows to pick up the pieces," he adds.
And, as Knight points out, God created marriage so humans can flourish. He urges evangelical churches to be loud and clear about the value of marriage – and their pastors to speak more clearly about the importance of marriage … not only to society, but as part of Christian beliefs.
