Mark Regnerus’s The Future of Christian Marriage

Side Note

I am freely admit that I haven’t done the best job posting lately. All I ask is that you trust the plan. The plan-trusters will be vindicated.

The main reason that I haven’t been posting is that I’ve been planning a big event TCU Turning Point USA/College Republicans event on December 1^st.

A Fantastic Read

I haven’t make a “book recommendation” post in a while. Thus, I decided to recommend one of the best books I’ve read in a while: Mark Regnerus’s The Future of Christian Marriage (2020).

Mark Regnerus is a conservative, Christian author and sociology professor at the University of Texas. I first learned about Regnerus a few years ago when I read his previous book Cheap Sex back in 2017.

Regnerus is one of the few Christian writers who understands mating markets and gender-dynamics in modern America. His thoughts on dating apps, the prevalence of porn, and the decline of marriage have truly aided me in diagnosing the maladies of our culture

With that context in mind, let’s dive right into The Future of Christian Marriage.

A General Overview

The purpose of Regnerus’s book is to “understand the challenges that Christians face today’s ‘marriage market.’” (pp. 2)

Marriage has seen a rapid decline in the Western world—both in terms of % of citizens being married and the rise in the average age of marriage. These trends have produced major consequences for young Christian adults throughout the globe. Therefore, Regnerus conducted an abundance of research and interviews to see how young Christians view marriage and

Regnerus interviewed nearly 200 church-attending young adult Christians in seven countries—the USA, Mexico, Spain, Poland, Russia, Lebanon, and Nigeria.

Unsurprisingly, young Christian adults have adopted many of the attitudes of Western, secular society when it comes to their attitudes and actions regarding sex and marriage. The many quotes from interviewees in the book prove that fact to be true.

Moving on, I will now discuss my main takeaways from the book. I definitely recommend reading the book to get a fuller understanding of these concepts.

Major Takeaways

1. The Capstone Model vs the Foundational Model of Marriage

In chapter 2, Regnerus discusses an important change in how modern Christians view marriage.

Many young Christians view marriage as a “Capstone” rather than a “Foundation”.

Regnerus sums up that concept in this quote: “Marriage is now something individuals aspire to, rather than something a couple enters in order to help them fulfill their aspirations.” (pp.37)

In essence, marriage is seen as an achievement in the “capstone” model. It’s one of many achievements in one’s adult life. Marriage is no better than career achievements, financial success, and travelling. It’s just one optional objective (pp. 38)

Now, let’s contrast that model to the “foundation” model of marriage. The foundation model views marriage as the bedrock of one’s adult life. Everything flows out from one’s marriage in this model. Marriage is not seen as something fully-formed adults enter into (pp. 38). Instead, it is the basis for enabling the objectives for a satisfied life—children, home ownership,  career success, communal stability, etc.

In figure 2.1 on page 37, Regnerus lists the attributes of the Capstone Model and the Foundation Model of Marriage.

Capstone Model:

-Symbol of successful development

-Status you build toward

-Fewer Marriages

-Later Marriages

-Emphasis on Psychological Satisfaction

Foundation Model:

-Earlier marriages

-More marriages

-Emphasis on practical importance

-Complementary strengths help accomplish goals

2. The author’s 8 Tactics to “Revitalize Christian Marriage” (pg. 162)

1. Tell exemplary stories (about Marriage)
2. Create or recover family-friendly sub-cultures
3. make the home a haven (from a Heartless World)
4. Effectively prepare people for marriage
5. Help others navigate challenging marriages
6. Parents: be mindful of the advice you give
7. Consider allowing adult children to live at home before marrying—but only for the right reasons
8. Experiment with prudent, targeted state investment in marriage

That list covers the 6^th chapter of Regnerus’s book. So, I want you to read the book to better understand his 8 recommendations for renewing Christian marriage.

3. Moral Communities Theory

For my final major takeaway of the book, I wanted to discuss the moral communities theory concerning marriage. This theory basically posits that “churchgoing Christians are more apt to meet someone marriage minded, marry, have children, and remain married when more of their immediate peers exhibit similar behaviors and beliefs.” (pp.192-193)

I know that quote was long, but it truly gets at the heart of this book. The research and interviews in this book show that widely-held beliefs of the broader culture/community shape the view of young Christians. Marriage and sex are no exception to that. The beliefs and actions of young Christians—concerning marriage—have shifted in recent decades as America and other countries have adopted more secular views of marriage and family.

We—American Christians—need to understand and accept this reality before any change can occur. To revitalize and renew marriage, we need to recognize the re

To wrap up, The Future of Christian Marriage illustrates that the institution of marriage has not changed. It’s just that we—young American Christians—no longer desire what marriage truly is: a life-long, faithful sexual union between a man and a woman for the purpose of raising of children and exchanging resources (pp.77). That’s the rub.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post, my Tin Can Conservative reader. Stay strong in these wild times.