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Fifth, churches must help their members recover the link between marriage and procreation. In the 1970s, the evangelical subculture rightly affirmed the delights of marital sex through popular books like The Total Woman and Intended for Pleasure. ("Fundies in their undies!" joked church historian Martin Marty in response.) Unfortunately, even in the church, the procreative dimension of sex has been sidelined by economic pressures, cultural ideals, and technological fixes. Churches need to celebrate the fact that every marriage is procreative by design.

Sixth, churches must continue to help their members learn the practical skills associated with all of the challenges of married life. There is really no lack of resources: magazines like CT's sister publication Marriage Partnership, organizations like Marriage Savers and Marriage Encounter, cautionary studies like Judith Wallerstein's The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, and inspirations like Mike Mason's classic Mystery of Marriage. While resources abound, focus is needed. The restoration of Christian marriage should be at the top of our congregational agendas.

A favorite anthem of early '70s counterculture was Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi." In a familiar refrain, she mourned the passing of unspoiled nature: "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

When the states passed a rash of no-fault divorce laws in the '60s and '70s, few anticipated the disastrous impact on the economic and psychological well-being of women and children. When same-sex marriage is legalized, the unanticipated cultural impact and personal costs may likewise be enormous.

The truth about marriage is embedded in nature, and nature has a way of reasserting itself. Inevitably, the Big Yellow Taxi factor will come into play: People will long for what once was. The challenge to the church is to be a countercultural outpost, modeling marriage as it should be for the world. Those with an impoverished understanding of marriage will be able to grasp it only when they see the real thing.

It's time to start the revolution.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

In June, Christianity Today rounded up evangelical opinions on the Lawrence v. Texas decision and asked, "Does Lawrence v. Texas Signal the End of the American Family?"

In reaction to the case, Cal Thomas wrote, "Supreme Court ignores history, relies on whims of culture in sodomy ruling" and Mona Charen argued that "the Supreme Court makes a very poor legislature." In The Weekly Standard, Maggie Gallagher wrote about "What Marriage Is For."

Books mentioned in the editorial, including Sing Me to Heaven, Intended for Pleasure, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, and The Mystery of Marriage, are available at Chrisitanbook.com and other retailers.

Sing Me to Heaven was one of the books selected for September's Editor's Bookshelf by David Neff. On our site you can read Neff's review, an interview with the author, or an excerpt from the book.

Online you can read articles from Christianity Today sister publication Marriage Partnership.

Christianity Today articles on the Federal Marriage Amendment include:

The Marriage Battle Begins | Profamily and gay activists agree: Texas decision sets significant precedent. (August 11, 2003)

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September 2003, Vol. 47, No. 9