Moral Action Committee Reports
The 21st Century Family Portrait
Larry J. Norcross
First Baptist Church
Italy, Texas
In the last 50 years, the American family has undergone drastic change as the family has splintered and reformed into a host of family types. The statistics below paint a picture of today’s family.
Marriage/Divorce
56% of American adults are married.
33% of adults who have been married have gone through a divorce.
50% of marriages entered into today are likely to end in divorce.
56% of marriages between 1990 and 1994 were preceded by cohabitation, up from 10% between 1965 and 1974.
78% of adults said it is always wrong for a married person to have sex with someone other than his or her spouse.
Children/Youth
47% of all married couples have children under 18 living in their home.
37% of all Americans have children under 18 living in their home.
14% of parents with children under 18 have never been married.
78% of today’s teens say their parents have a lot of influence on their lives.
From 1960 to 2000 the birthrate among unmarried women more than doubled, while the birthrate among married women fell by 43%.
One out of four children live with a single parent.
85% of children of divorce live with their mother.
43% of mothers of children under the age of 6 work full time.
87% of Americans agree that it is best for children to grow up in two-parent homes (1999).
Faith
Children ages 5-13 have a 32% probability of accepting Christ.
Youth ages 14-18 have a 4% probability of accepting Christ.
Adults ages 18 or older have a 6% probability of accepting Christ.
I do not believe that these numbers are what the Lord had in mind when He instituted marriage and the family. The church must do all it can to care for and strengthen the fragile family institution. We must ask ourselves as well as our churches what are we doing to strengthen our families. My pastor believes we should put feet to our prayers and our faith. He is setting up seminars for 2005 dealing with these family matters. We are blessed in the BMA in that God has provided programs as well as experts who will come to our churches and hold seminars dealing with marriage, family and parenting.
We urge our readers to pray for our families and as God leads, utilize the programs and experts which have been provided to us.
Sources: Barna Research Group
Family Research Council