As a Conservative I hold to certain facets of marriage; these include, but are not limited to, the positive social and economic effects of same-sex marriages on spouses and their children. As a Christian, I am aware of the more beautiful truth that these statistical, practical and political realities aim at. The decisive correlations between healthy marriage and a wide array of positive deeds has peaked my interest towards deeper study of this subject.
In my time at Colorado Christian University I have been blessed with an amazing relationship. I am now preparing myself, as best I can, for the divinely daunting & alluring commitment of marriage. The study of the Bible’s depiction of marriage has been crucial in that, while the instruction of married people has also aided my pursuit of marital wisdom. Until recently, I tended to ignore statistics in this quest; referencing free will as the conqueror of all statistical claims and conclusions. However, when used correctly statistics do provide a greater understanding of the impacts that certain factors hold over our free selections.
At the Centennial Institute’s Western Conservative Summit this summer, I was fortunate to spend an hour speaking with Arthur Brooks, President of The American Enterprise Institute and a prize speaker of the Summit. Our conversation found its way to the topic of Marriage. Brooks, as a social scientist and married man of 20 years, provided a plethora of statistics and advice about the great union. Mr. Brooks explained that when looking at older wedded couples, the one common factor in a happy marriage is … a loving husband. Now, Brooks made it very clear that love is a conscious choice, not just a feeling. He suggested that other dynamics come and go in happy marriages, but if the man makes his love for his wife a priority, then, statistically, nothing else matters.
Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”
This is the verse that comes to mind after thinking over Arthur Brooks’ statement. The Bible, in many locations, places great weight on a man’s marital love for his wife. It is truly amazing that we have the very word of God to guide us through our lives; we can even find specific instruction of how to shape our matrimony around Christ’s example of devotion. The sight of God’s written truth witnessed in the sometimes foreign world of social science and statistics is a great anointment. God’s holy word and the statistical examples of His truth should inform our lives spiritually, politically and practically.
