One of the popular panaceas which some politicians prescribed during the General Election campaign was the need for a return to family values.
Now the breakdown of the traditional family unit in our increasingly secular society is a matter for grave concern. Rising divorce rates, couples living together outside of marriage, same sex relationships and all sorts of other pressures have brought about this sad state of affairs. However, before we wholeheartedly jump onto this bandwagon, I believe we need to think the issue through a little more carefully and biblically. Above all else, we need to ask if the nuclear family is indeed God's blueprint for society.
While marriage is a creation ordinance and not a social convenience, we need to recognise that the Bible and Jesus acknowledged and approved of the fact that not all people are married. More-over, the Bible and the gospel face up to the reality of living in a fallen world where relationships break down and in which people are painfully wounded.
