The Church Cannot Remain Silent on Cohabitation

Word from the Center
Written By LCRL Staff

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As faithful Lutherans, we need constantly to guard against those forces seeking to undermine our faith — particularly the faith of our young people. We must send clear and consistent messages regarding issues of biblical sexuality to help them stand up to and see through the lies of the world around them.

Unfortunately, too many Christian young people are buying into the lie that it is just fine for couples to cohabitate before marriage as long they intend to tie the knot sometime in the future. In some cases, they feel it’s OK to live together even if they do not intend to marry. The Pew Research Center, The Institute for Family Studies and other research organizations have, over the last decade and a half, released a series of alarming statistics regarding the acceptance of — and deliberate choice to participate in — cohabitation before marriage by evangelical Christians, including Lutherans.

For instance, as long ago as 2019, Pew reported that 58% of white evangelicals of all ages saw cohabitation as acceptable if the couple eventually planned to marry. As startling as that statistic is, the situation is more sobering among young evangelicals. In 2012, a General Social Survey found that more than 40 percent of evangelicals aged 20–29 thought cohabitation was acceptable even if they had no plans to marry. In addition, David Ayers, writing for the Institute of Family Studies in 2021, found that nearly half of evangelical Protestants (with whom Lutherans are usually grouped in demographic studies) aged 15–22 who were not presently cohabitating or married believed they would likely cohabit with a member of the opposite sex sometime in the future. Analyzing the available research, Ayers also found that 65% of evangelicals aged 23–44 who had already cohabitated planned on doing so again.

If all these data points sound a little outdated — and they are — it’s largely because “Christians embrace cohabitation” doesn’t even seem headline worthy anymore. The social science is settled: Even among conservative, Bible-confessing church bodies like the LCMS, cohabitation has now been accepted as “normal” by at least half of all churchgoers.

This is tragic not only for the young people involved but also for the witness of the church. Click here to continue reading.

Timothy S. Goeglein is vice president of external and government relations for Focus on the Family and author (with Craig Osten) of What Really Matters: Restoring Faith, Freedom, and Family (Fidelis Publishing).

Be Informed
Dr. Mart Thompson of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, reminds us of the importance of the family as well as family discipleship in the faith.

Be Equipped
The state of California is actively attempting to prevent the promotion of abortion pill reversal options. Dr. Michael New of the Charlotte Lozier Institute explains why the state would rather allow mothers to kill their babies than save them.

Be Encouraged
“However imperfect, every day comes as opportunity and privilege. They usually require patience and persistence, of course, and not a little bit of shared sweat and tears. But they turn out the sweeter for it. ‘When she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world’ (John 16:21). ‘Take heart; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33)!” –Rev. Michael Salemink

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The Church Cannot Remain Silent on Cohabitation
The Church Cannot Remain Silent on Cohabitation

As faithful Lutherans, we need constantly to guard against those forces seeking to undermine our faith — particularly the faith of our young people. We must send clear and consistent messages regarding issues of biblical sexuality to help them stand up to and see through the lies of the world around them.

Unfortunately, too many Christian young people are buying into the lie that it is just fine for couples to cohabitate before marriage as long they intend to tie the knot sometime in the future. In some cases, they feel it’s OK to live together even if they do not intend to marry. The Pew Research Center, The Institute for Family Studies and other research organizations have, over the last decade and a half, released a series of alarming statistics regarding the acceptance of — and deliberate choice to participate in — cohabitation before marriage by evangelical Christians, including Lutherans.

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LCRL Staff
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