Varying Fixed Terms for Marriages?

FROM DOWN UNDER: In an opinion piece written for The Courier-Mail newspaper, Brisbane (our home city in Australia), the writer suggests that because of the high rate of divorce, that varying “fixed-term marriage contracts” be introduced. The very fact that a major newspaper would publish such an article, illustrates how the secularization of the Western world is increasing at an alarming rate. This writer discusses marriage contracts in the same way one discusses contracts for buying a house, etc.

The article is entitled, “Why not get married for a fixed term?” (published on April 24, 2009). The writer states:

ACCORDING to the Australian Bureau of Statistics it appears that lifelong marriages are becoming a thing of the past. Few marry for life any more. Thirty-two per cent of divorces involved separation within the first five years of marriage, and 22 per cent within five to nine years of marriage. We have fixed-term contracts for the buying of property, cars and insurance, but there is only one contract available for marriage and it is for life. Is it time to consider introducing fixed-term marriage contracts?...It would allow for the celebration of the renewal of vows after a five-year or 10-year term and encourage partners to work towards maintaining a good relationship – in effect, it opens communication akin to a marriage performance review. Or it would allow for the marriage to be dissolved by completing an acceptable contract term, without the shame and stigma associated with the failure of a marriage...It's a simple process: the standard certificate of marriage becomes a five-year contract...The marriage licence would clearly state the start and dissolution date for the five-year term...The celebration is in the renewing – what better excuse for a party and family gathering?...Perhaps when a couple completes a 10-year marriage term (two five-year consecutive contracts), they could opt to undertake an "eternity" contract.

And what about children? Well the writer goes on to say that statistics indicate that children don’t hold a marriage together, and more and more marriages will end up with no children.

What a sad statement about our Western culture and how far it has fallen. The more people abandon God’s Word, the more they will abandon Christian morality—the more it will be like the Israelites, who, when they had no King to tell them what to do, did what was right in their own eyes!

You can read the entire article here: www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25375117-23272,00.html

Unusual Museum Visitors

Last week, when Photo FX photographers Marty and Deb Minnard came to work, they saw two unusual visitors: a pair of quail was on the patio. It appeared that they were looking for a home. They approached the building and seemed to be looking in the windows.

How Could a Loving God?

How could a loving God? is the title of the book I wrote that deals with the death and suffering issue and a loving God. The book is centered around the death of my younger brother Robert, who was a great Bible teaching pastor. I have had numerous testimonies over the past few years from people saying this book helped them more than any other they read to cope with a situation in the lives involving death, pain, and suffering. Yesterday, after I spoke at the Creation Museum, a pastor told me he recently had his entire church read this book and then he gave a series of sermons based on its contents. He said that this was very helpful for all the people in his congregation. One never knows how the material AiG has produced is influencing lives in special ways. You can find out more about this book from AiG’s online bookstore.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying.

Ken