(Former Director of Public Health for Croydon Health Authority)
Introduction
We live in a time when the Biblical understanding of marriage has been greatly undermined in both the Church and society. The promotion of same-sex marriage, which is attempting to re-define the meaning of marriage, is surely a symptom of our times. The Christian marriage education movement, which teaches psychological skills and techniques to help couples achieve marital happiness, has been eagerly embraced by many churches. As a consequence, many Christians are no longer sure what the Bible teaches about marriage. In my address, I aim to do two things. First to identify the influences and ideas that are undermining marriage in the eyes of society, and second, to show that the teaching of Scripture contains all that is needed for a blessed and fruitful marriage.
The ‘Marriage’ Word
We need to recognise that the word ‘marriage’ is now deeply contentious, for there is no longer a consensus on the meaning of the word. For over a thousand years the Biblical definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, who become husband and wife, has been widely accepted, but society has now changed the way it thinks about marriage. In the 1990s, the Oxford Dictionary defined marriage as ‘the legal union of a man and a woman in order to live together and often to have children’, omitting reference to husband and wife. This change has come about because of an intense ideological assault on the Biblical view of marriage, and because of reluctance on the part of many churches to teach about marriage. The void created by this reluctance has been eagerly filled by the so-called Christian marriage education movement.
Christmas is a season which almost all Christians observe in one way or another. Some keep it as a religious season. Some keep it as a holiday. But all over the world, wherever there are Christians, in one way or another Christmas is kept.
Perhaps there is no country in which Christmas is so much observed as it is in England. Christmas holidays, Christmas parties, Christmas family-gatherings, Christmas services in churches, Christmas hymns and carols, Christmas holly and mistletoe,—who has not heard of these things? They are as familiar to English people as anything in their lives. They are among the first things we remember when we were children. Our grandfathers and grandmothers were used to them long before we were born. They have been going on in England for many hundred years. They seem likely to go on as long as the world stands.
“And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.” Psalm 107:7
“He led them forth.” Forth out of the world—forth out of sin—forth out of a profession— forth out of a name to live—forth out of everything hateful to his holy and pure eyes. “To go to a city of habitation.” They had no city to dwell in here below; but they were journeying to a city of habitation above, whose walls and bulwarks are salvation, and whose gates are praise; where there are eternal realities to be enjoyed by the soul; where there is something stable and eternal; something to satisfy all the wants of a capacious and immortal spirit, and give it that rest which it never could find while wandering here below. If we have a city here, we want no city above; and if we have a city above, we want no city here.
This then must be our state and case; either to be pilgrims, journeying onwards, through troubles, to things above, or taking up our abode below; seeking heaven here, or heaven hereafter; resting upon the world, or resting upon the Lord; panting after the things of time, or panting after the things of eternity; satisfied in self, or satisfied only in Christ. One of the two must be our state and case. The Lord decide it clearly in the hearts of his people that they are on his side; and give us to know and feel that our very restlessness and inability to find food and shelter in the things of time and sense, are leading us more earnestly and believingly to seek after the things that have reality in them; that finding no city to dwell in here below, we may press forward to be manifestly enjoying testimonies of being citizens of
that city which is above, “which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God!”
A well-attended Annual Meeting was held at Slip End Village Hall, near Luton, on 4th October.
David Crowter, the Chairman, welcomed those present and then Mr. A. Chapman read the Scriptures from Exodus, chapter 32 and Marcus Brockes, Treasurer, followed in prayer.
The meeting then heard from Mr. Ian Henderson, Vice-Chairman, who told the meeting that CW had been founded by Bible-believing Protestants who were committed to the same beliefs and ideals as ‘the great Protestant Reformers’. He spoke with sadness of how many formerly Protestant Churches and whole denominations had ‘turned their backs on the great truths of the Scriptural Gospel message’. In some towns, he said, there were simply no Protestant, Reformed Churches left to proclaim the Gospel message. In some places, CW had been able to help and put believers in touch with one another, leading to small groups of believers meeting in each other’s houses – because there was no suitable Church in their areas.
An Open Air Witness was held on a lovely warm sunny day in Portsmouth City Centre, when I teamed up with Jim, Malcolm and Rick who came from the local Grace Baptist Church. As soon as I put up the Christian Watch table, two young men began to speak to Rick about a tract on evolution. Rick spoke with them for quite a while about their need of Jesus, but they were not so pleased when Jim began preaching and telling people that they needed to repent.
Jim and Malcolm took it in turns to preach, and there were a lot of people sitting nearby listening. Malcolm was able to talk to a man selling balloons, dressed in bright colours, who was of French origin.
