Because Marriage Makes Sense

A week ago, while we were celebrating the spring arrival of wedding invitations, two young women wrote a column in Newsweek that Al Mohler considers "an opening salvo in a battle to finish marriage off, once and for all."

In their article, "I Don't: The Case Against Marriage", Jessica Bennet and Jesse Ellison declared: "Once upon a time, marriage made sense."

And now, according to them, it does not. Not financially, not sociologically, not personally.

Ms. Bennet and Ms. Ellison’s aversion to marriage, as with many in our generation, can be traced back to childhood:

“We are also the so-called entitled generation, brought up with lofty expectations of an egalitarian adulthood; told by helicopter parents and the media, from the moment we exited the womb, that we could be ‘whatever we wanted’—with infinite opportunities to accomplish those dreams. So you can imagine how, 25 years down the line, committing to another person—for life—would be nerve-racking.”

Nerve-racking, maybe. But so much more satisfying, fulfilling, beautiful, and rewarding than they imagine.

"The Bible compels us to see marriage as essential to human happiness, health, and infinitely more," insists Dr. Mohler. So the author of Hebrews exhorts us: “Let marriage be held in honor among all” (13:4).

How can we honor marriage in a culture that treats it with such disdain?

We can start by loving our husbands—passionately, tenderly, faithfully. We can cheer on the singles who honor marriage by walking in purity. We can encourage married couples who remain faithful to their vows. We can raise children, not to be “whatever they want” but to be what God wants them to be. We can pray for God’s mercy, that He would preserve the institution of marriage for the glory of the gospel.

And next time we get a wedding invitation? Celebrate! Because marriage will always make sense.