The Costly Collapse of The Family

A new study has returned troubling, but not all that shocking, results. The findings were tallied by Georgia State University economist Ben Scafidi. The work was sponsored by four groups, all part of a nationwide movement to bolster the institution of marriage in America.

The first-of-its-kind study looked at the actual economic impact on the nation of a soaring divorce rate and the fully out-of-control, out-of-wedlock birth rate. Although other projects have looked at similar data, this is said to be the first to compute the broader cost of "family fragmentation": both divorce and unwed childbearing.

Scafidi's calculations were based on the assumption that households headed by a single female have relatively high poverty rates, leading to higher spending on welfare, health care, criminal justice and education. This was added to the cost of other related federal, state and government programs, plus a typical loss of certain tax revenues. When all the factors were considered, the estimated price tag to the American taxpayer came in at a stunning $112 billion per year. The purpose of the project is to hopefully push legislators to reverse that trend by funding more programs geared to stabilize marriage through preventative educational programs.

It is no wonder that the prophet Malachi wrote in chapter 2 verse 16, "For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce.” He was, of course, not despising those caught up in its destructive grip. But rather He was revealing His displeasure knowing the great pain and harmful effects it has on men and women, not to mention the potential for even greater impact on emotionally vulnerable children.

And while God’s concern was is not really economic, that aspect remains as a by-product of the whole scene. As a sidelight, it is also interesting that the war on terror in Iraq has cost and average of about $100 billion per year. This would mean that a virtual elimination of the above mentioned problems could actually fund the entire war.

America is at war. The attacks come from the outside and, perhaps even more importantly, from the inside. No nation can long endure if the family unit caves in. And while government intervention may be helpful, the ultimate solution is a spiritual one. It comes when the principle of Ephesians 5:24-25 is seriously adhered to and put into practice. “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.”

As far as the other addressed issue, it likewise finds its ‘fix’ through observing the biblical command spelled out by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor”.

Most all of the problems facing America, or any nation, can be effectively dealt with. It requires only that the words of Psalm 33:12 become more than just words. It demands that the Psalmist’s words be fully engrafted in the hearts and evidenced in the lives of its people.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”

Bill Breckenridge