By Sherrie Johnson

When you think of marriage, what comes to mind? Do you imagine a picture-perfect couple who have it all together? Perhaps you have memories of parents who did nothing but argue. Maybe a single parent raised you and you didn’t get to see what marriage looked like before you said “I do” yourself.

Today’s politicians, influencers, and leaders at every level are trying their hardest to undermine marriage by redefining it. Changing the definition of marriage may not sound like much, but doing so creates a shift away from God’s standard. Instead, man’s design is upheld and chaos reigns.

We can see this shift everywhere from the highest courts to the smallest public schools. Schools teach that marriage no longer needs to be between one man and one woman. In fact, students are encouraged to change their own gender if it suits them.

In 2015, the U.S Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking ruling that legalized gay marriage nationwide. This effectively opened the door to rewrite the definition of marriage over and over again.

Fast-forward to an April 2024 city council meeting in Oakland, California. During this meeting, legislation was passed to recognize and protect polyamorous relationships, where three or more people mix it up. This is the first of its kind, but council members are optimistic about its adoption in other parts of the nation.

Diana Adams, a divorce lawyer who was present for the ruling said, “It’s very exciting that there is a national movement for these laws because once it’s made illegal to discriminate against someone anywhere in the U.S., that starts to change the perception of whether that’s acceptable.”

The U.S. Supreme Court may not rule on the legalization of polyamorous marriage anytime soon, but rulings like the one in Oakland push the needle. Thankfully, there is still opposition to these changes. Greg Burt, a member of the California Family Council, a Christian organization, stated, “Our primary opposition is government normalizing, incentivizing and promoting nontraditional family arrangements that actually hurt children.” He went on to make it clear that children do better when raised by one mother and one father.

The Institute for Family Studies upholds Burt’s opinion. In a June 2024 article, they warned that there is a growing trend among young men. These men are failing to launch. They are staying out of the workforce, staying out of college, and are more likely to end up in jail. The common denominator? They come from “non-intact” families.

On the flipside, young men raised by both biological mother and father are 20% more likely to end up in college instead of jail. The same demographic also demonstrates better physical health, mental health, educational outcomes, and satisfaction in life. These statistics relate entirely to family structure without regard to race or income.

God’s design for marriage was right from the beginning, even if the world doesn’t want to admit it. Children are more stable, confident, and apt to succeed. Young men and women become productive members of society. And the world gets to see a picture of God’s love, mercy, and care for His church.

It’s time we show the world what good, sacred, godly marriages look like. In Jack Chick’s book, The Marriage Mess, you’ll read about the gospel’s transforming power in marriage. There is no substitute for Jesus in our marriages.When He is at the center, everything else falls into place.