Christmas is the most recognized holiday around the globe. While much is associated with Christmas—lights, traditions, and holiday cheer—nothing is more trademark to Christmas than spending time with family and loved ones. The family is a powerful community. Yet, modern society has attempted to redefine and diminish the family unit, suggesting that it is fluid and subject to societal interpretations. This is not just unbiblical; it is damaging to our society. The nuclear family is not subject to individual interpretation. It is a permanent institution and the bedrock of civilization with numerous benefits.
Benefits to Individuals
The Biblical prescription for marriage—one man and one woman in a monogamous, faithful, lifelong relationship—is the best for individuals. Marriage cultivates trust and selflessness, the social glue of civilization. Strong marriages act as “commitment devices,” creating support and cooperation. On a practical level, Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research revealed that married couples achieve a higher standard of living through shared consumption, stretching income, and building financial resilience. As a result, marriage is preferable to modern alternatives like cohabitation. Pew Research shows that married couples are more likely to trust their partners to be faithful, act in their best interest, and tell the truth. Cohabitation fosters the wrong perception: the mindset that moving on is easy. Consequently, cohabitating relationships are far more likely to end. The Institute for Family Studies reports this holds even in Europe. Commitment is essential for a thriving relationship, and the Biblical standard creates that commitment.
Not a Tool of Oppression
Modern feminist movements argue that marriage is an oppressive institution, historically used to subjugate women. Society is lying to young women when it says that marriage will make them unhappy and dissatisfied. Multiple studies from the Institute for Family Studies show that married women with children are the happiest demographic across decades and socioeconomic status. Beyond that, marriage can actually enhance a woman’s career. A meta-analysis from the National Opinion Research Center found that marriage enhances well-being for both men and women and links to lower job burnout and greater career satisfaction. Marriage and family are a powerful source of purpose, stability, and professional success—a truth society should embrace.
Benefits of the Family Unit
Children flourish when raised in a two-parent household with a mother and a father. The American College of Pediatricians concluded that children with married, biological parents consistently have better physical, emotional, financial, and academic well-being. Biblical marriage is not just a romantic ideal; it is the bedrock for thriving generations. Familial breakdown directly contributes to severe social decay. Data from the America First Policy Institute shows that fatherless children are twenty times more likely to be incarcerated, and girls whose fathers left home early are eight times more likely to become pregnant as adolescents. These results contradict the narrative that all relationships are equal. Children raised in homes with both a mother and a father show stronger social development and fewer behavioral issues. The Biblical design of marriage provides unique and irreplaceable benefits for children and the family unit.
The Impact on Society
The combination of strong individuals and stable families leads to a stable society. Joseph Unwin, a premier anthropologist, analyzed 86 cultures over 5,000 years of history. Unwin found that cultures restricting sex to lifelong monogamous marriage always prospered. There was “no recorded case of a society adopting absolute monogamy without displaying expansive energy.” Unwin discovered a consistent correlation between a Biblical sexual ethic and a creative, profitable society. Unwin concluded that a society embracing total sexual freedom would collapse within three generations. With a Biblical perspective on marriage and the family unit, people work harder—not just for themselves, but to build a stable future for their spouse and children. When sexual freedom replaces these values, that energy dissipates—and with it the strength of the civilization.
The story of Christmas at its core is the story of family and the themes it represents: humility, sacrifice, and love. America is at a crossroads. Christians must recognize that the Biblical ethic of marriage is not just a romantic ideal, but a practical necessity to create a world worth leaving to future generations. As we gather with family this Christmas, let us ponder the distinct purpose of family and the beauty it brings. Let us also commit to work to uphold the enduring institutions of marriage and family, thus ensuring the future prosperity and stability of the American society we cherish.
Juliet Hetzel is a Young Women for America Ambassador in Colorado.
