Acceptable Offenses Against Marriage

It almost seems like it would be easier to defend a cottage against angry villagers armed with torches and pitchforks than to speak a word today in defense of the traditional covenant of marriage.  Some object to the "until death do we part" duration of marriage and instead treat the institution as sequential contracts through life with different partners.  Others seek to redefine marriage as the holy union of two men, two women, a human and a robot, or one presumes eventually some combination of people, higher primates, or other creatures. Many others now consider marriage to be irrelevant, simply one option that some prefer for living together or parenting children.  Nevertheless, marriage as instituted by God will endure.

The divine origins of the institution of marriage are evident in its resiliency in the face of these assaults from many fronts.  Any man-made institution would have crumbled to dust long ago.  Rather, the Bible is clear about how we should view marriage, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous" (Hebrews 13:4).  Churches that teach this truth and help believers live it out in vibrant, healthy marriages will stand out more and more in a culture where the prevailing view of marriage is increasingly dishonored.  Two recent television ads illustrate this erosion:

In a recent PETA commercial airing in ten states, a mother and father sit down in their daughter's bedroom for an important talk about sexuality. However, in crass terms the parents encourage their daughter to pursue premarital sex, and "a lot of it."  Shrugging off his daughter's concerns about becoming pregnant, the father exclaims, "So what? You should pop out all the kids you want.  We will just leave them in the shelter; dump them in the street."

In explaining the ad, Melissa Karpel, spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, explained, "This is a way to get the message into the mainstream. It is irresponsible to let your children have unprotected sex and it's irresponsible not to spay and neuter your animals."  I agree that animals are an important part of God's creation, but it requires an extremely low view of marriage to link the one-flesh union to concerns about the overpopulation of cats and dogs.

Another commercial for Heinz mayonnaise in Britain was intended to convey that the product "Tastes as if you have your own New York deli man in your kitchen."   To this end, the spot features a brawny short-order chef with a Brooklyn accent making sandwiches in a home kitchen.   A young boy and girl refer to him as "Mum."  Before the father figure leaves for work, he plants a kiss on the lips of the deli man.  Lest the viewer miss the point, the chef calls after the father, "Love ya! Straight home from work, sweet cheeks."

Both ads are intentionally shocking, using premarital and homosexual sex to communicate an advertising message in a memorable way.  But the marketers know better than to use an electric chair or a reference to the Holocaust to sell condiments, because by today's standards that would be unacceptably shocking.  The ads clearly use carefully-chosen acceptable shocking situations in a way that essentially winks and gives approval to the underlying behavior.  Imagine the outcry if a baby duck were injured to "shockingly" convey the same message!

In God's providence, there are three reasons for believers to find encouragement in these dismal commercials.  First, the fact that people still find them offensive shows an deep, if unstated, respect for God's gift of marriage.  Because marriage is still held in some regard, the ads evoke offense rather than indifference.  Second, the second commercial was pulled from the air after concerned citizens took the time to register formal complaints.  We can be grateful to God that the respectful voices of many people calling for decency still carry weight in this world.

Third, it is likely that few youngsters saw the Heinz commercial because the British government has child-protection rules which limit the broadcast hours for commercials advertising unhealthy products like mayonnaise which are high in fat, salt and sugar....