Christian Marriage (2) Slow Slide

Marriage is a gift from God, so in the past, marriage was organised by the church. People went to the church to get married. All weddings were recorded in a marriage registers that were kept in every church. These registers were the only record of a marriage. A couple wanting a divorce had to get it approved by the church controlling the register in which their marriage was recorded.

The church began handing over this role over to the State a long time ago. The first step was letting the state take responsibility for the record keeping. Unfortunately, when the state gained control of marriage records, it also obtained the right to define marriage, and God was soon squeezed out. When no-fault divorce was introduced, Christians became uneasy. Now same-sex marriage is being proposed, they are getting upset. We should not be surprised, as this last change is just one more in a long series of changes that have been made since the church handed marriage over the state. If you give away something that you treasure, you should not be surprised when it gets wrecked.

When a society rejects Christian faith, a slide away from Christian marriage is inevitable because civil marriage is defined by government legislation and not by God’s standards. In a secular society, the law often slips behind public opinion, but it eventually catches up. Christians failed to hold back the rapid change in sexual practices during the sixties and seventies, so we are unlikely to prevent the changes in legislation that make those change in behaviour legal.