A diverse group of Christian leaders in the United States has endorsed a definition of marriage as “a holy union of one man and one woman in which they commit, with God’s help, to build a loving, life-giving, faithful relationship that will last for a lifetime.”  The document, known as the “Christian Declaration on Marriage,” rejects the definition of same-sex unions as “marriages” and urges Christians to support “practical ministries” for “reversing the course of our culture.”  Signed by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the National Association of Evangelicals, the document is a response to increasing rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and to efforts to have homosexual partnerships brought within the legal definition of marriage.

“This is a significant document,” says Karen Flowers, associate director of family ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide.  “It signals that Christians see heterosexual marriage as a vital, sacred institution, and that they want to have their voices heard in the public debate surrounding how marriage is viewed and protected within society.” 

The question of giving legal status to same-sex unions has become an increasingly contentious issue in legislatures around the world.  The Netherlands’ parliament made history in September this year by passing the first-ever law granting homosexual partnership the same legal status as traditional marriage.  Advocates of same-sex marriage laws argue that it is discriminatory to deny a homosexual partnership the same status as a marriage.

“As Christians, it is our responsibility to treat, with love and respect, those who do not share our moral or religious convictions,” says Flowers.  “But marriage, the union of a man and a women, is vital to the nurture and socialization of children and is a major contributor to the health and well-being of men, women and children, and thus to society in general.” 

Although the Adventist Church was not a co-signatory of the Declaration on Marriage, it has taken a clear stand on the issue of marriage, says Flowers.  In a statement voted by the church at its international session in Toronto, Canada, in July this year, church leaders approved a statement that described marriage as “a lifelong commitment of husband and wife to each other, and between the couple and God.”

Flowers points out that much needs to be done in addressing the “health” of marriages, not only in society at large, but within Christian communities as well.  Although the Adventist Church has a more than 20-year history in developing premarital preparation and marriage enrichment programs, says Flowers, “more must be done, and new and better approaches developed in response to current research and experience.” 

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