The recent decision in New Jersey to allow gay
and lesbian couples to legally adopt is another example of how
the foundations of the home and family in this nation are being
undermined. It was not a good decision for children or families. The recent decision in New Jersey to allow gay
and lesbian couples to legally adopt is another example of how
the foundations of the home and family in this nation are being
undermined. It was not a good decision for children or families.
As we enter the twenty-first century, the breakdown
of the home is one of the most significant problems facing this
nation. As goes the home, so goes the nation. There was a time
in our history when family ties were close and solid, but no more!
What has caused the disintegration of the American
family? Several factors are involved, including the following:
1) easy divorce, 2) the acceptance of alternate lifestyles, 3)
rampant sexual immorality, 4) mobility - the average family moves
once every five years causing ties to the extended family to be
stretched too thin, 5) materialism - pulling mothers with small
children out of the home and into the work force while they are
still needed at home, and 6) the breakdown of traditional religious
values. These factors, and others, are combining to destroy the
traditional American family.
Can the trend toward the collapse of the home
be reversed? Yes, but it will not be easy! We must return to a
Biblical framework for marriage and family. The home was the first
institution ordained by God, and it was meant to be lasting (Genesis
1:28; Matthew 19:9). It should be at the center of our spiritual,
emotional, and physical growth. It should be the place where love
is nurtured and cultivated. The ties that bind us to home and
family should be strong and lasting. Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote:
"And where we love is home, home that our feet may leave,
but not our hearts. The chain may lengthen, but it never parts."
We can have strong marriages and loving families.
Our homes can be places of comfort and security in a very insecure
world, but only when they are built on the foundation of God's
word!
Would you like to know more about building a loving
home and family? If we can help, please let us know. -534 Sixth
St., Marietta, OH 45750. http://sixthandwashingtonchurchofchrist.org