Chairman’s Desk
By Beverly LaHaye
July/August 2001 Family Voice

You may have noticed news articles on the U.S. Census Bureau’s findings from 2000. The good news is the number of traditional nuclear families, defined as a husband, wife and their children, is on the rise. The data show the percentage of married couples rose 7 percent in the past decade. But the bad news is the number of unmarried couples rose an alarming 71 percent. Although all married couples still hold a majority of American households, their numbers have dropped 3 percent since 1990.

These findings tell me a number of battles will resurface in the public policy arena. Thomas Coleman, executive director of the American Association of Single People, has already responded. He said legislators need to deal with “the issues of changing family structures,” including expanding employee benefits for “domestic partners” and recognizing same-sex relationships. This, he says, will “even the playing field.”

In an article from its Web site, the National Organization for Women (NOW) assessed marriage this way:

“The highest rates of divorce are in the Bible Belt. Why? Possibly because men and women are urged to marry very young to avoid the perceived danger of premarital sex. The result is that many couples enter marriage as very immature young adults. It is only after a number of years, and a number of children, that they realize they are totally mismatched and the marriage crumbles.”

NOW denounced President Bush’s nomination of Wade Horn as assistant secretary for family support in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It feared that the former head of the National Fatherhood Initiative would “promote a pro-marriage and pro-fatherhood agenda, especially in welfare.” Amazing, isn’t it, that anyone would want our government to do something other than support a promarriage and pro-fatherhood agenda!

Many parents do have to raise children alone. My husband’s mother raised him after his father died. Tim was only 10 years old. Like his mother, many single parents do wonderful jobs in raising happy, healthy, productive children. But I doubt that many of them would say it is the best situation. Parenting is difficult enough without trying to do it alone.

Likewise, the homosexual lifestyle is not what God intended for men or women—and, even with children, it does not make a family. Those caught in homosexuality need our help and love—not laws or policies encouraging the behavior.

This summer, I encourage you to pray for God’s protection and blessing upon your family. Then, think about ways you can help to promote profamily, pro-marriage laws and policies in our government. If you have access to the Internet, subscribe to CWA’s e-mail alert list. This will keep you abreast of the latest news on legislation. As always, contact your elected officials in Congress to express your support for legislation that values life, marriage and the family.

Your family is important to all of us. By working together, we can support families and, hopefully, the next census will show that Biblical families have multiplied!

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