What does it mean for America that in half a generation, the total percentage of men in their prime participating in marriage went from half — already an alarmingly low rate — to close to only a third? From 1 in 2 to 1 in 3 married? If we were a nation that was genuinely concerned with our collective future, this statistic would headline every major publication, every conference, and every town hall until this trend was reversed.
The current cover story for Christianity Today is nothing short of alarming. I did a double take when I read this statistic in the article by sociologist Mark Regnerus: “According to a Census Bureau survey taken in 2018, only 35 percent of 25- to 34-year-old men were married, a precipitous and rapid plunge from 50 percent in 2005.” Fifteen percentage points lost in a little over a decade!
What does it mean for America that in half a generation, the total percentage of men in their prime participating in marriage went from half — already an alarmingly low rate — to close to only a third? From 1 in 2 to 1 in 3 married? If we were a nation that was genuinely concerned with our collective future, this statistic would headline every major publication, every conference, and every town hall until this trend was reversed.
It is not an overstatement to say that if this trajectory holds, our society will collapse. Marriage is the cornerstone of the family, and the family is the foundation of society. Our society is currently experiencing violent cultural and social tremors, and we have weakened the very familial fabric that helps keep it all together, that helps absorb the shock waves. If it feels like our culture is coming apart at the seams, that’s because it is — and we as a culture have been actively cheering on those who are ripping out the stitching.
Marriage as an institution is imploding. But how is it faring in the community that has the greatest reason to uphold it? The Bible commands the church, after all: “Let marriage be held in honor among all” (Heb. 13:4); and the gospel depends on such: “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it [marriage] refers to Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32). How is the church doing with respect to marriage? According to Regnerus’s research, marriage rates within the church are following the same trend lines as those outside the church:
“How do American evangelicals fare? In a nationally representative survey collected in 2014 for the Austin Institute (where I’m a research fellow), 56 percent of self-identified evangelicals between ages 20 and 39 told us they were currently married. That number is well above the 42 percent reported by the rest of the same-age population. A repeated inquiry four years later yielded an obvious dip. In late 2018, 51 percent of evangelicals 20 to 39 were married, compared to 40 percent of that total population. The number is still higher, but it’s falling faster.”
