After a long, painful public battle, the Boy Scouts of America has succumbed to the demands of gay-rights groups to welcome openly homosexual young men into their ranks.
Many wonder what this will do to the long-term viability of the storied boys’ organization. Many others are wondering what this will mean for society as a whole, as the once-reliable organization, which produced droves of responsible, morally-straight young men, now has changed its standard for what a Scout looks like.
The timing of this coincides with a huge shortage of what women call “marriageable men.” Women, particularly Christian women, are finding it harder and harder to find a young man to marry. New studies show that women in their quest for “Mr. Right” are, unfortunately, settling for “Mr. Right Now.”
The latest U.S. Census data, for example, shows that the number of births out of wedlock in America is way up. In fact, some 40 percent of births in Oklahoma alone in 2011 were to unwed mothers, which is higher than the national average. This represents a significant crisis and challenge for the church to address.
The script for those desiring children used to be, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby carriage.” Today, TV shows like “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” too closely reflects the reality of women becoming pregnant out of wedlock.
The biggest losers in this equation of out-of-wedlock births are children. A close second, though, are the mothers who raise them. Coming off nearly Scott Free are men, who sleep around and take no responsibility for their offspring. We have, in a way, catered to the barbarians in society. We have lost the whole idea of a “shotgun wedding.” This must change.
First, let’s face the fact that this is mostly the fault of men. A woman cannot become pregnant without a man, and the pool of guys out there is getting worse and worse. In his 2004 essay, “Wimps and Barbarians: The Sons of Murphy Brown,” Terrence O. Moore predicted we would see what we are seeing 10 years later.
Moore examined societal attitudes about single mothers, when Vice President Dan Quayle criticized fictional TV anchor “Murphy Brown” for purposefully becoming a single mother. Moore argues that Brown’s son would grow up to be one of two extremes, either a wimp or a barbarian.
Boys without fathers, as it turns out, often trend toward one of these extremes. By God’s grace, a single mother can raise godly children, but it is an uphill battle.
Therefore, the church must respond in love by supporting mothers who are single, by telling men who abandon women and children they are living in sin and encouraging them to take responsibility for their actions, and by a recommitment to God’s best for a family, having a mother and a father.
Jesus, while compassionate to the woman at the well (John 4), did chide her for living with a man “who is not your husband.” Our Lord forgave her and restored her, as well as set her on a new path for life.
Part of her old, sinful way was cohabitation. The church should not be afraid to tell women and men that God does not want them to have sex outside of marriage, nor does He smile upon cohabitation.
God is not trying to spoil any fun. He is trying to protect us from ourselves.
Until a fundament shift in expectations occurs in society, the number of marriageable men is likely to continue to dwindle. Regardless as to what outside organizations like Scouts do, God’s people can be accountable for our own and our actions.
Let’s pray the Lord, through the Church, will raise up a new generation of men who are Christ-like, the ones who any young lady could be proud to bring home to meet Mom and Dad.
