In America, one divorce happens every 13 seconds, equating to 6,646 divorces per day and 46,523 divorces per week.
One percent of first marriages end in divorce; 60 percent of second marriages end in divorce.
Three percent of children growing up in America today are being raised without their fathers.
Half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage. Of these children, close to half will also see the breakup of a parent’s second marriage.
Sixty-five percent of altar-bound men and women live together before getting married. People who live together prior to getting married are 40 percent more likely to have marriages that end in divorce.
Divorces for couples over 65 years old have doubled since 1980.
The numbers are sobering. Our world is corrupting at an alarming rate. I read those numbers, look at the culture around me, hear the stories of moral failure among church leaders, and everything I see indicates we’re living in the last days. The spirit of the anti-Christ is palpable and growing in its manifested intolerance of anything that represents moral and spiritual absolutes, especially traditional Judeo-Christian values.
As the tide of spiritual and moral lawlessness rises, the church is left with a threefold dilemma:
- How do we stand up for the truth without sounding like homophobic neanderthals?
- How do we uphold the biblical standard for marriage when divorce is as common among Christians as it is for non-Christians, a growing number of couples in our churches are living together, and a majority of the population is sympathetic to gay marriage?
- How do we heal the pain and devastation in people in our churches and communities in ways that will effect real change and not just treat the symptoms?
If the church is to be a redemptive force in society and accomplish the mission Jesus gave us to be salt and light, we must learn to understand and address these questions. And at the same time, we need to remember that though the problems around us are extremely real and ominous, our God is powerful—and our gospel is perfect for times like these. I truly believe we can change the world, but it will take a revolution—a marriage revolution!
