8/4/2019 RingMakesDifference_Stanton_October2011

1/3

COUNTING THE COST: Christians Stand Strong Under Increased Persecution. Page 17

www.citizenmagazine.com

$3.

50

PLUS THE CHURCH AND THE STATE: A Taxing Issue. Page 22

Finding Harmonyin NashvilleIf citizens will become informedand engaged, and pastors will

ead, there are so many positivethings that can be accomplished.

David Fowler, president of the

Family Action Council of Tennessee

by Ashley Horne, Page 12

OCTOBER 2011

8/4/2019 RingMakesDifference_Stanton_October2011

2/3

Ocobe 2011 Vol. 25, No. 8

ISSN 1084-6832

Editor Tom Minnery

Managing Editor Catherine Snow

Poliical Edio John Paulton

Contriuting Editor Karla Dial

Contriuting Editor Matt Kauman

Copy Editor Scott DeNicola

Publishin Edio Kevin ShirinProduction Dan Collins

Ciculaion Helen Mills

Desin Pixel Dance, Inc.

Jim Daly

President

Focus on the Family Citizen is published 10 times a year(combined issues in June/July and August/September) byFocus on the Family, a nonproft organization recognizedor tax-deductible giving by the ederal government, and

CitizenLink, a 501(c)(4) organization. Focus on the FamilyCitizen is a registered trademark o Focus on the Family.

Copyright 2011 Focus on the Family.All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

INTERNET: Reerral to websites not produced byFocus on the Family is or inormational purposes

only and does not necessarily constitute anendorsement o the sites content.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: By submitting letters, commentsor stories, you agree: 1. you are at least 18 years o age;2. the submission becomes the property o Focus on the

Family Citizen magazine and Focus on the Familyand will not be returned; and 3. Focus on the Family,

its assigns and licensees, are granted the nonexclusiveright to use, adapt and/or reproduce the submission

in any manner or any purpose. Our agreement is made inColorado and controlled by Colorado law.

CITIzEN SUbSCRIPTIONS: A one-year subscriptionto Focus on the Family Citizen magazine is available

or $24. Write Focus on the Family, 8605 Explorer Drive,Colorado Springs, CO 80995-7450. To use your creditcard, call 800-A-FAMILY. Current subscribers also can

call that number to renew.

Discounted rates available or group subscriptionso fve or more delivered to one location. For

group inormation only, call 800-232-6459, or emailvolumesubscriptions@amily.org

ADVErtISINg: adsales@ot.orgFocus on the Familys acceptance o advertisements

or publication in this magazine does notnecessarily imply a complete endorsement

o the goods or services advertised.

PERMISSIONS: amily-permission@custhelp.com or719-531-3400

CONTACT: 800-A-FAMILY or8605 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80995

Email citizeneditor@amily.orgFind us online at www.CiizenMaazine.com.

Contents

FEATURES

12 Findin Harmony in NashilleLearn how the Volunteer state overturnedNashvilles harmful anti-discrimination law.

17 Countin the CostChristians are standing strong againstpersecution and paying the price.

22 The Church and the State:A Taxin IssueThe tax-exempt status of churches is underattack like no other time in modern history.

BOOK REvIEW

15 The Ring Makes All the Difference The Hidden Consequences of Cohabitation

and the Strong Benefits of Marriage.

BRIEFINgS

4 Answerin the CallTwo Texas teens step forward to sharethe truth about the Girl Scouts agenda.

7 Planned Parenthoods

Scandalous PoliciesAn in-depth report chronicles the breadthand persistence of the organizationsabuses...

26 If We Dont Speak The Truth,Who Will?Preachers are being called to speak upon the moral issues of the day.

29 True Meanin of Marriae

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan onthe push to redefine marriage.

IN EvERY ISSUE

10 Whee! The People

20 Letters to the Editor

28 Adisories

EDITORS DESK

30 Tom Minnery

3October 2011

8/4/2019 RingMakesDifference_Stanton_October2011

3/3

by Paul J. Batura

Politicians (Winston Churchill)and even musicians (Bon Jovi)have popularized the observation ofFrench poet Jean-Baptiste Alphonse

Karr, and for good reason. Themore things change, he wrote, themore they remain the same. In thearc of political and cultural historythis has always been true, but espe-cially when considering the state ofthe family.

Focus on the Familys GlennStanton is a student of not onlythe social science surrounding andsupporting traditional marriage,but also the culture both reli-gious and secular in which itresides. With a strong commandof these two spheres, this makesStanton the ideal author to ex-amine the chronic but worseningtrend of cohabitation.

In the early 1970s, at the apex ofthe Cultural Revolution, Americanmodel Lauren Hutton succinctlyput to words the fears of her gen-eration. In an interview with Time

Magazine, Hutton was unapologeticwhen acknowledging that she livedwith her boyfriend. When askedabout the prospect of marriage, shesaid that it was great for taxes, nec-essary for children, abominable forromance.

That such a lie actually took rootamid the tumultuous turn of cul-tures tide is not surprising. Howev-er, as Stanton convincingly pointsout with grace, just believing a lie

doesnt make it true. More thanthree decades removed from Hut-

tons progressive perspective, thereis conclusive evidence that the co-habitation experiment has failed,and miserably so.

This is a rare instance wheretheres a chasm the size of the

Grand Canyon between what

many young adults believe and the

proven reality of their experience,Stanton writes. And it is not themoralizing preachers and tradi-tionalists saying so.

Indeed, Stanton wades throughthe scientific research indicatingthat cohabiting couples, if theyever marry, are 50 percent to 80percent more likely to divorcethan those who live apart prior tothe big day. Cohabiting couplesare also at much greater risk of

suffering serious relational im-pairments a gentle term for

general discord and dysfunction.Orthodox Christians will reso-

nate with the early part of the book,

which affirms the multi-millennialand biblical case for marriage. Stan-ton saves the latter-half, though, forhis most compelling and originalmaterial. Cohabitation, the authorargues, clearly favors men overwomen. Ironically, liberation frommarriage was considered a corner-stone of the feminist movement,and yet decades later, the researchnow concludes living together out-side of marriage is nothing short ofa relationship on the guys terms,whereby a man enjoys easier accessto sex, minus any formal commit-ment.

The tone of Stantons analysis isredemptive, suggesting that despitedisconcerting trends, the institutionof marriage remains solid. Suchoptimism brings to mind the manwho once suggested that the largenumber of divorces indicate that

America is still the land of the free.Yes, replied his friend, and the mar-riage rate shows that its also stillhome of the brave. l

Paul J. Batura serves as senior writerto the President at Focus on the Familyand is a biographer of both Paul Har-vey (Good Day!) and Arnold Palmer(Mentored by the King).

This book is offered by Focus on the

Family at Focusonthefamily.com/resources.

The Ring Makes

All the DifferenceThe Hidden Consequences of Cohabitationand the Strong Benefits of Marriage

Book Review

Ironically, liberation from

marriage was considered

a cornerstone of the

feminist movement, and

yet decades later, the

research now concludes

living together outside ofmarriage is nothing short

of a relationship on the

guys terms, whereby a

man enjoys easier access

to sex, minus any formal

commitment.

15October 2011