SOME PROPHETS of doom feel the family is in danger of not surviving. It is easy to join their ranks and build a pious negative pessimism.
But God has not addressed His ministry to the task of preparing for the family funeral. It is time to turn off the dirge and accept the challenge of resuscitating the traumatized institution of the family.
Mel Foreman, sociologist at Free Methodist-affiliated Seattle Pacific University, recently stated, "It has to survive. Too much depends upon it and always has. If society is to continue, the family will have to be here. The future of the family is as assured as any human social form can be." Seattle Pacific University Bulletin, Summer, 1976.
"There is a lot of good hard evidence that the family is fairly healthy," he adds. Despite higher numbers in divorce statistics, marriage stability in the large majority of families is remarkably strong.
The greatest change in the family is in its style of life. Urbanization, the industrial revolution, the domestic-chore revolution, and husband-wife employment are but a few major forces impinging on the family. In spite of the rapid change in society about it, how ever, the family has demonstrated amazing adaptability.
Just a short decade ago family "experts" were talking of alternate family life styles such as communal, corporate, and contractual marriages as the wave of the future, spelling death for the family. Sensation-seeking journals profited from sinful humanity's voyeuristic tendency by initiating discussions providing lurid descriptions of the practices of a small minority of Americans. The endorsements of a few were made to seem universal. Some impressionable young adults and even a few older ones were thus encouraged to take advantage of a "newly permissive" society. Now the pendulum is swinging back, as many have come to the realization that meaningful living requires meaningful and permanent relationships.
It is exactly at this point that today's ministry has its greatest opportunity to slay this Goliath of Satan's devising. The answer here, as in any moral human dilemma, lies in the clear, bold preaching of the Word. A meaningful understanding of Genesis 1 and 2, focusing on Christ's words in support of marriage and family, can provide a springboard for such ministry.
Families long to hear the reassurance that comes from a reaffirmation of their chosen life style within the pattern of scriptural morality. But there is more. Presenting clear principles of human relationship and giving Biblical training in problem-solving skills, blended with the love of and commitment to a redeeming Christ, will again build up the foundations.
No single family model should be constructed. It is not row upon row of identical families that make up "the Christian home." Rather, it is uncounted families building individually meaningful family units upon the Biblical principles that form the true and effective model.
Christ the Chief Cornerstone, mutual respect and shared decision-making, constant presence at the altar of prayer and worship, humility and a forgiving spirit, sharing, nurturing love, positive use of sexuality, understanding support and patient acceptance of one another are all principles upon which to build homes that will be prepared for the re turn of the Saviour.
To my way of thinking, it is time to stop telling how bad the family situation is, how near to extinction it has come. Too many people respect and believe as absolute truth what we say in our pulpits. Instead, let us concentrate on the virtues of the family, the security it provides, the ideal environment it offers to nurture happy, stable children. Tell of the wonderful warmth occurring in the depths of a person who knows he is loved, and can in turn love another human being with faith and confidence.
The capstone of such preaching is in calling attention to the fact that such human love and life offers a taste of the greater love—the love of God for fallen man.
Such positive preaching will change family doom to family boom.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article introduces a series of articles on family life gathered for THE MINISTRY by Pastor Ferris that will be running in subsequent issues.
