Editorial

It’s usually great when Florida leads the nation—especially in college football.

Last week I learned a startlingly statistic of Sunshine State supremacy that we should all wish was not so: 86,000 divorces occurred in Florida in 2007—leading America, outpacing states with larger populations.

Even taking into account the fact that a few states—including California—do not keep divorce statistics, it should be troubling to every Floridian, and especially Florida Baptists, that our state is a leader in one of the key factors contributing to so many societal ills.

It’s more than a little ironic that our state would be the nation’s divorce leader in light of the successful adoption of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment last year defining in our state constitution marriage as only between one man and one woman.

During the long battle over Amendment 2, opponents (and secular media) would frequently suggest or blatantly claim that pro-family leaders should be more concerned about divorce than “gay marriage” and that if they were troubled about divorce they would be doing something about it before “gay marriage,” which was deemed of little consequence to the society.

Of course, the claim falsely assumes that pro-family leaders are only capable of working on one thing at a time—and that supporting a proper definition of marriage in the constitution is mutually exclusive of expressing concern about and taking action against divorce.

In fact, both issues are closely related, which is why it’s only natural that having won the battle to protect the definition of marriage in our constitution that we should also give high profile attention to strengthening marriages and reducing the rate of divorce in our state.

“Strong Marriages Florida” (www.Yes2Marriage.org) is an attempt to do just that.

Launched at a Tallahassee news conference last week led by John Stemberger, president of Florida Family Policy Council and chairman of the coalition backing the Florida marriage amendment last year, Strong Marriages Florida has five goals: a 10 percent reduction in the state’s divorce rate, saving taxpayers $100 million per year, increasing the number of couples receiving premarital counseling, strengthening existing marriages and creating community awareness that celebrates marriage.

Legislative consultant Bill Bunkley was on hand at the news conference to offer the general support of the Florida Baptist Convention for the effort.

The urgency of this matter could not be clearer—family fragmentation is the source of so many other problems in our society.

Citing a study by Heritage Foundation scholars, syndicated columnist and marriage activist Mike McManus writes in How to Cut America’s Divorce Rate in Half, “Children of divorce are three times as likely to be expelled from school or to get pregnant as an unwed teenager as a child from an intact home. They are five times more likely to live in poverty, 14 times more likely to be physically abused, and are 2 to 12 times as apt to be incarcerated.”

As McManus notes, “Of course, most children of divorce do not become criminals or dropouts. However, even those who averted such calamity suffered intensely.”

The sociological effects of divorce are felt in a tangible—and costly way—in federal, state and local governmental spending to address the family fragmentation. According to a 2008 study released by Institute for American Values and other organizations found Florida spends $1.9 billion per year in response to divorce, fragmented families and unstable marriages. The cost to the nation is at least $112 billion annually.

The Strong Marriage Florida campaign, for now, is mainly an effort to educate and involve churches in addressing the problem of fragmented families and what can be done within communities to make a difference.

McManus is a pioneer in establishing community marriage policies in which pastors across denominational lines agree they will all require certain premarital counseling requirements and other steps for all prospective marriage couples before agreeing to perform the ceremony.

In the 223 communities such policies have been enacted, McManus reports divorce as dropped on average 17 percent, with some cities like Austin, Texas, and Modesto, Calif., experiencing a drop in divorce by half. The Tallahassee community marriage policy effort has resulted in a 30 percent decline in divorce.

Fortunately, I don’t know any Southern Baptist pastor who does not require at least some level of premarital counseling of prospective spouses. That doesn’t mean, however, our churches are not touched by divorce or that we don’t have a role to play within our communities by working with other churches to create an environment that makes divorce a less likely outcome.

Although not offering specific legislation at this time, eventually Strong Marriages Florida expects to back some version of a bill that would modify no-fault divorce, according to Stemberger a “sociological disaster” that quickly swept the nation since its first enactment by California in 1969.

In addition to divorce lawyers who profit from America’s no-fault divorce culture, there is strong objection to changing the law by those who argue that people should be happy and have the right to leave failed marriages.

In his book, McManus answers such claims:

“First, marrying and having children are decisions that carry great responsibilities. A parent’s obligations are to provide for and protect their children.

“Second, research … provides evidence that nine out of ten couples whose marriages are in crisis, if they stick together, are happy five years later. There is a good reason why the marriage vows they profess were ‘for better, for worse.’…

“Third, instead of adopting a victim mentality, realize that the problem is not exclusively a personal one.”

In McManus’ view, the enemy is no-fault divorce, which allows either spouse to get a divorce, whatever the desire of the other.

Beyond social policy and economic implications, divorce is a violation of God’s plan for marriage—no less so than is “gay marriage.”

Scripture teaches repeatedly marriage is a lifetime covenant between a man and a woman. Indeed, God says, “I hate divorce” (Mal. 2:16). Jesus Himself invokes the creation ordinance of marriage as a “one flesh” union that God has joined together, which should not be separated by any man (Matt. 19:1-9), with very limited exceptions.

Like “gay marriage,” divorce obliterates the picture marriage represents of Christ’s relationship with the church (Eph. 5:25-33). Every divorce, therefore, besmirches the Gospel message of God’s work in reconciliation humanity to Himself.

Florida Baptists should be on the front lines in their communities to save marriage. A good place to start is by involvement with Strong Marriages Florida.