Horrible Article from Christianity Today

If you want to see what the true attitudes of the Mandatory Marriage Movement are, just click on this link. This article perhaps displays the selfishness of the Mandatory Marriage Movement most clearly, and demonstrates its absolute inability to engage in any meaningful exegesis. Throughout the entire article, I could not help but wonder if the author was a Christian or a pagan. It is so entirely hedonistic that, to my very little suprise the author, Dr. Mark Regnerus, was not an exegete or a theologian. He is a professor of sociology.

I found the following section of this article most strikingly unchristian:

And I am suggesting that when people wait until their mid-to-late 20s to marry, it is unreasonable to expect them to refrain from sex. It’s battling our Creator’s reproductive designs. The data don’t lie. Our sexual behavior patterns—the kind I documented in 2007 in Forbidden Fruit—give us away. Very few wait long for sex.

I mean, what can you say to that! Here you have a man saying that God designed us to marry young. Now, there is absolutely no Biblical case for that at all. He has to go to “the data,” ignoring the fact that data needs to be interpreted, and neglects to interpret it in the light of scripture. However, notice the real reason for this coming out clear as day. It is all about us. It is all about our desires to have sexual relations. That is why I have to ask whether this is being written by a pagan secularist rather than by a Christian! What is the mantra of those who teach condom based education? “They are going to have sex anyways, we might as well give them condoms for when they do it.” Now, just replace “condoms” with “marriage,” and you have Dr. Regnerus’ position.

I have to ask where has self-control gone in Christian culture? Do we even care about temperance, moderation, self control, continence, chastity or anything else like that any more? This author is willing to abuse the text of scripture in order to get what he wants, and is encouraging others to do the same. How selfish have we become that our own desires become more important than accurately interpreting the text of scripture! Now, I am not saying that it is wrong for someone to pursue marriage. However, it is wrong to shame single men [as he suggests] just so that we can selfishly fulfill our desires.

Now, he tries to wiggle his way out of it by saying that he says that this is not the only reason for which he thinks people should marry. I simply say that it shouldn’t be any reason at all! Saying that you will not be obedient to God in being continent and self controlled unless God gives you a wife is sin, pure and simple.

This stuff is a perfect reminder of the materialistic nature of our society that is now even affecting evangelicalism. I mean, think of how much this stuff reminds you of the word-faith movement. They say that God wants you to be wealthy, and the reason you are poor is because you don’t have enough faith. Dr. Regnerus is saying that God wants you to be married, and the reason you are not married, and having sexual relations is because of your sin. If you just “Got Serious about Getting Married,” God would give you what you want.

Most of the folks in the Mandatory Marriage Movement are not this open about what they really think. I thank Dr. Regnerus for being so open about the selfishness inherent in this line of thinking.