Marriage, Children, Economy, and the Created Order

In a 2012 New York Times article entitled Strong Marriages and Economies an intriguing point was made,

The bottom-line message is that what happens in the home does not stay at home; rather, the size of families, and their stability and quality, has important implications for the health of the global economy.

The point is clear: our economy is directly affected by marriage. However, it is evident that marriage in America is on the decline. As the National Marriage Project indicates the total number of marriages fell from 2.45 million in 1990 to 2.11 in 2010. So, in a country suffering with a lack of jobs, an unstable economy, and an unpredictable future the role of marriage is crucial to our society. The question has to be asked then, “Why is marriage so important?”

The Created Order

What is the purpose of marriage and why is it so important? The Biblical worldview provides a solid answer,

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

God, in His love and wisdom created man and woman in His image. This image is functional, meaning, God created man and woman to do something which does not include just sitting around aimlessly hoping that God would provide. The creation of the man and woman is the first marriage and they were given a task. They are to first, be fruitful and multiply. Second, fill the earth and subdue it. Third, have dominion over creation. We could call this task creating society. It is important to notice, however, that marriage itself is not a private union but a social institution. God created marriage to benefit creation. Bonhoeffer would say it this way,

Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power, for it is God’s holy ordinance, through which He wills to perpetuate the human race till the end of time. In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of the generations, which God causes to come and to pass away to His glory, and calls into His kingdom. In your love you see only the heaven of your own happiness, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind. Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more that something personal – it is a status, an office.

Marriage, between a man and woman, then in the mind of God is the foundational building block of a society. Again, marriage is created to benefit creation. Thus without strong marriages a society (creation) could possibly collapse.

Social Issues

If marriage is the foundational building block of a society it appears that our culture is steadily moving away from that social institution. And since it is moving away it is possible that our society will too. Yet in the same vain there are several other issues hindering our country that I believe are playing a part in this social-economic decline:

Abortion: Under the banner of convenience 55 million babies in the last 40 years have not had the “choice” to benefit our society. Abortion is actually counterproductive to the whole purpose of society. We as a country have allowed the eradication of a complete generation that could have married, produced jobs, and strengthen our economy and society. Instead we have chosen to circumvent the very process of society. We as created being are given the task to create; however, we have chosen to destroy that which we have created, which will result in the collapse of creation.

Homosexuality: Without a clear definition of marriage the lines have become blurred and “for the sake of love” our social institution has become nothing more than a privatized union between two individuals. Homosexual unions are counterproductive to society for reasons that are obvious. Those unions cannot have children. Without children you cannot have a future generation.

Declining Birth Rate: Heterosexual couples are adding to the mess. From 2007-2010 the birth rate has fallen by 8%. In 2012 the birth rate was 64.1 per 1,000 women. Recently articles have shown that if the birth rate continues to fall we will be unable to the keep population stable.

Low Marriage Rate: An ABC news article states in 1960, 72 percent of U.S. adults age 18 and older were married compared with 51 percent today. The median age when adults decide to finally take that big step is also the highest its ever been for both men and women — 26.5 and 28.7 respectively.

(As a side note, I would argue that even within the Evangelical world the attempt to “protect our children” from sex has resulted in a low marriage rate among us Christians. Maybe we should be encouraging early marriage instead of late.)

What Can We Do?

You may be thinking that I’m saying “Hey, all you have to do is get married and make babies in order to sustain our country.” Well…maybe…but not quite. It isn’t just about “getting married” and “making babies.” It is something more foundational than marriage. It first starts with changing the current paradigm regarding humanity, namely we are created to be rulers over creation. We humans aren’t the recipients of creation. We are created in God’s image. We are created to benefit creation. Also being created in the image of God includes community. This leads me to say that humans are created for community. We are relational and communal beings. This I fully believe is experienced through marriage. So, as humans we are created for community, which is experienced fully in marriage for the benefit of creation. This is a complete worldview shift.

Am I saying that marriage is the only savior for the social-economic structure of America? I wouldn’t use the word “only” but I do believe that healthy marriages benefit society and could possibly further the economy of our nation. For example in a Huffington Post article the writer states,

[There is] a real premium that men tend to enjoy when it comes to marriage … Men who are married tend to earn more than men who are not married. What we think is happening here is that the act of getting married, and often having kids, encourages men to think in terms not just of their own welfare but of the welfare of their families, and to behave more responsibly... Marriage seems to help men become more responsible, more strategic in their thinking and more oriented towards the long term rather than just having a good time in the present.

[Women are] more likely to accumulate wealth and assets when they get and stay married in part because they’re often pooling their income with their spouse, and partially because they and their spouse tend to adopt a more long-term orientation toward their financial well-being rather than a short-term orientation.

Liberals and Conservatives agree that marriage benefits the economy. But theologically marriage is important because God has called His people to be a blessing to the nation and society. This is Kingdom action. We can do this by being stewards of the things God has given us and taking the opportunity to rule over creation. We can participate in the Genesis mandate to “work and keep” the garden. When our government speaks about jobs and the economy they aren’t actually addressing the true issue. The issue begins with the proper view of society, marriage, and our role living under the reign of God.