Two Christian podcasters expressed their concern over the declining belief in marriage, not only in America's general population but even among its very defenders - the conservatives.
John Stonestreet is an author, radio host and the president of Colson Center for Christian Worldview (CCCW). Shane Morris, on the other hand, is a podcaster and host. He works at CCCW as well and also writes for other media outlets, such as The Christian Post, Summit Ministries and The Federalist.
In their column on the Christian Headlines, the pair revealed about the latest research conducted by Gallup, wherein only 29% of the Americans believe that marriage is "very important," a huge decrease from 49% in 2006.
They attributed this decline to the advocates of "alternative" family models. Though they said that this findings is not surprising, they are heavily concerned over the decline among the "groups that have historically defended and championed the institution."
The study showed that belief on the importance of marriage immensely dropped among the Republicans which sank to 36% and 41% among the conservatives, down from 62% for both sectors in 2006.
Stonestreet and Morris also disclosed about the increasing division of the country's social classes on the view about marriage.
"Related research suggests that America has a growing 'marriage divide.' In other words, more and more working-class couples are choosing cohabitation over marriage, and seeing marriage increasingly as a kind of status symbol of the elite. And there's another divide too, the one between fiscal and social conservatives. That one has been growing for some time," they said.
The research was released by the Institute for Family Studies in September 2017. In the study, the organization unveiled that for adults, ages 18 to 55 who are currently married, 56% belong to the middle and upper class group, while the poor and working classes only consisted 26% and 39% respectively.
The pair said that Gallup's findings showed that people who are holding "socially conservative positions" are getting fewer. They added that this is not just a loss for those who "care deeply" about social values such as marriage, ideals of life and religious liberty, but also to those who want "smaller governments" which are not possible "without strong social institutions" like marriage.
They pointed out that marriage is highly significant in children's success, citing a report by the Brookings Institute which states that kids who are raised by married parents "do better in life" regardless of social class.
Stonestreet and Morris clarified, however, that not all children of married parents succeed, adding that many single parents were able to raise their children well amidst challenging situations and other children have also become successful despite hardships.
"Marriage is simply the best means of keeping both parents-especially fathers-involved in a child's life. And, the science is settled: moms and dads are irreplaceable, in different ways and for different reasons," they further explained.
They continued by reiterating the importance of marriage and family in producing the kind of people needed in establishing a "small government."
"That's why it is an oxymoron to claim to be a conservative while downplaying the importance of marriage and the family. The reason is simple: marriage is a non-negotiable part of reality," they added.
The pair concluded, warning against the ill effect of dismissing the significance of the basic unit of society.
"Any political vision that treats marriage and family as optional or fungible, even if it goes by the label 'conservative,' is destined to fail. This isn't a matter of updating our definitions. If we lose our belief in marriage and the family as the foundation of a healthy and flourishing society, there will soon be very little left for 'conservatives' to conserve," Stonestreet and Morris declared.
