In a time when divorce rates are calculated at upwards of 50% (National Center for Health Statistics, 2010), it is easy to wonder what has gone wrong with marriage. Statistical reports on divorce among religious and non-religious group do not differ significantly and shows that most young people today see divorce and remarriage as inevitable, as expressed in the following segment by George Barna :
“There no longer seems to be much of a stigma attached to divorce; it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage,” the researcher indicated. “Interviews with young adults suggest that they want their initial marriage to last, but are not particularly optimistic about that possibility. There is also evidence that many young people are moving toward embracing the idea of serial marriage, in which a person gets married two or three times, seeking a different partner for each phase of their adult life.”
As we witness the widespread rate of divorce, have we ask, what are the corrosive elements of marriage, and what are those that would lead to the permanence of it? While the passage does not necessarily refers to marriage, a look at Ephesians 4:3-32 encourages us to consider what would happen if we to followed this command: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
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