{"id":302000,"date":"2010-03-26T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-26T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/al-mohler-on-marriage-part-2\/"},"modified":"2010-03-26T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-03-26T15:00:00","slug":"al-mohler-on-marriage-part-2","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/al-mohler-on-marriage-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Al Mohler on Marriage, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Mohler lays out common ground upon which all Christians must unite, if we are to accurately and compassionately transfer the culture-defining and civilizing truth about marriage to the next generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-03-26.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"29.73M","filesize_raw":"31176114","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2805],"tags":[5138,4782],"podcast_series":[7716],"cwp_profile":[3441],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302000","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gods-plan-for-marriage","tag-marriage-roles","tag-traditional-marriage","podcast_series-al-mohler-on-marriage","cwp_profile-al-mohler","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302000\/al-mohler-on-marriage-part-2","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302000\/al-mohler-on-marriage-part-2","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"96GfQo3Lfd\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/al-mohler-on-marriage-part-2\/\">Al Mohler on Marriage, Part 2<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/al-mohler-on-marriage-part-2\/embed\/#?secret=96GfQo3Lfd\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Al Mohler on Marriage, Part 2&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"96GfQo3Lfd\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Dr. Mohler lays out common ground upon which all Christians must unite, if we are to accurately and compassionately transfer the culture-defining and civilizing truth about marriage to the next generation.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-03-26.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Marriage is about something much bigger than just your happiness.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al:<\/strong>\u00a0 To be related to Christ is to be a part of Christ\u2019s body, and that body is Christ\u2019s bride.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Dr. Al Mohler says, \u201cGod created marriage, not simply because it\u2019s not good for man to be alone but because he wanted to reflect in marriage the glory of God.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al:<\/strong>\u00a0 Marriage is thus a central symbol, and explanatory principle of the gospel.\u00a0 The gospel itself is at stake, and we need to understand that the gospel is communicated to us by means of words. Those words take the shape of metaphors and pictures and thus, when we distort that picture, when we take away the that to which indeed the church is compared and the work of God and our salvation points, we\u2019ve done grave injury.\u00a0 Not only to the institution of marriage, and not only have we created a homiletical challenge, we have made it more difficult for persons to see the gospel of Jesus Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>for Friday March 26<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey and I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 Those who would want to alter the definition of marriage in our society and our culture today need to recognize there is a lot more at stake than they may realize.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>thanks for joining us on the Friday edition.\u00a0 As I was listening to Dr. Al Mohler here at the beginning of our program talk about marriage and its transcendent purpose, I was reflecting back to a time when I was getting ready to lead a home Bible study and we were going to talk about marriage.\u00a0 This was two decades ago.\u00a0 I was doing some studying and getting questions ready.\u00a0 And, all of a sudden, in the middle of my preparation, it kind of dawned on me, \u201cHuh!\u00a0 Marriage is a bigger deal than I guess I really realized!\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I\u2019d been married for a decade at that point, we had kids.\u00a0 I was committed, and I thought marriage and family are important.\u00a0 But the more I looked at the scriptures I thought, \u201cThis is pretty big stuff here.\u00a0 This is not something that God is casually interested in.\u00a0 This is pretty primary.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes, God wasn\u2019t off on a celestial picnic and came back and said \u201cOh!\u00a0 Look at what happened!\u00a0 Man and woman got created and they\u2019re together!\u201d\u00a0 No, there\u2019s a reason why the Bible begins with a marriage and it ends with a marriage.\u00a0 Marriage is central to what God\u2019s doing on planet earth.\u00a0 I think it is no mistake today that we are seeing the biggest assault in the history of our nation and certainly upon the believing community here in America that has ever occurred upon the definition of marriage.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 We\u2019ve already heard this week Dr. Al Mohler, address this subject in part one of a message that he presented to a group of leaders from around the country\u2014actually from around the world\u2014who gathered in New York back last fall.\u00a0 You were a part of that group right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>That\u2019s right.\u00a0 We gathered together to talk about what needed to be done.\u00a0 We were there having been invited, a number of us by Chuck Colson.\u00a0 The net effect, Bob was we came out of it with an agreement that there needed to be a statement of what our beliefs were about marriage, about human life, and about religious rights that the Christian community needed to step up and make a statement about.\u00a0 What was created as a result of the meeting was the \u201cManhattan Declaration.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s now been signed by several hundred thousand people, Barbara and I have signed it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhile we were together, our time concluded with a message by Dr. Al Mohler.\u00a0 As you\u2019ve mentioned, Al is a guest here on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, he is President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.\u00a0 After hearing that message I thought our listeners need to hear that for two reasons.\u00a0 Number one, they need to be aware of what\u2019s at stake around the definition of marriage.\u00a0 This is, as you said Bob, it\u2019s not a casual issue.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut secondly, single people, husbands, wives, parents, grandparents; everybody needs to understand you\u2019ve got to come to grips of what the Bible teaches about marriage and how a marriage works.\u00a0 That He created them male and female, and God didn\u2019t stutter at that point.\u00a0 It was very, very clear.\u00a0 We shouldn\u2019t be stuttering either.\u00a0 We need to be standing firm on what the Bible teaches.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>This is one of those messages that you could miss your exit, because you\u2019d be paying attention to what Dr. Mohler is saying, and I don\u2019t want anybody to miss their exit.\u00a0 But I do want you to pay attention as we hear part two of Dr. Al Mohler\u2019s message on the importance, the transcendence of marriage.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Let us be agreed that marriage points to eternal realities.\u00a0 Marriage is not only of significance for this life, but also for the life to come.\u00a0 Even as it was given to all humanity in creation and is known by common grace, even as it was given to us as a gift before the fall as a part of creation given to all humanity, it points beyond itself.\u00a0 It points indeed to the economy of salvation.\u00a0 It points to the relationship between Christ and his church.\u00a0 To be related to Christ is to be a part of Christ\u2019s body and that body is Christ\u2019s bride. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe bride is not merely, when we look back to the biblical text, a culturally available artifact or metaphor.\u00a0 I read that just recently, a liberal biblical scholar said that, \u201cThe reason why they picked up that language is because marriage is such a convenient cultural artifact to pull up as a metaphor.\u00a0 That\u2019s all it is.\u201d\u00a0 I think not.\u00a0 The very God who gave us marriage is the God who redeems sinners through the blood of the Christ.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMarriage is thus a central symbol and explanatory principle of the gospel.\u00a0 The gospel itself is at stake and we need to understand that the gospel is communicated to us by means of words and those words take the shape of metaphors and pictures and thus when we distort that picture, when we take away the that to which indeed the church is compared and the work of God in our salvation points, we\u2019ve done grave injury.\u00a0 Not only to the institution of marriage and not only have we created a homiletical challenge, we have made it more difficult for persons to see the gospel of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat gospel, the gospel that reminds us that every single human being is a sinner, a sinner desperately in need of salvation, that gospel that reminds us there is no rescue but Christ, and no rescue but faith in Him.\u00a0 That gospel that reminds us there is only one Savior.\u00a0 It reminds us that the mono in monotheism points to the fact that this is a God who says, I am one, and I have acted in this way for your salvation.\u00a0 And there is one Lord and one Savior, and there is one gospel.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe need to understand that marriage always points beyond itself, it points to the character of God.\u00a0 God displays his character, he displays his glory in marriage, in this picture we come to understand more about the gospel, we come to understand what it means for God to be a covenant making God, a God who makes and keeps covenant.\u00a0 And, has given us the covenant of marriage, a little picture, a little domestic picture of what it means for us to be united with Him through Christ.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe issue of the gospel meaning of marriage is also a reminder to us that what God intends for us is better than what we intend for ourselves.\u00a0 One of the greatest challenges we have in this generation is to say, \u201cWe do not want you to have less joy.\u00a0 We want you to have more joy.\u00a0 We do not want you to have less; we want you to have infinitely more.\u201d\u00a0 Against the expressive individualism, and the sense of autonomy and self-definition of this age, we have to be a people who say, \u201cLook we weren\u2019t smart enough to get this right either.\u00a0 We\u2019re not smarter than you.\u00a0 This is a given.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn Ecclesiastes chapter three, verse eleven and following, among other things, the writer of Ecclesiastes says, speaking of God, \u201cHe has put eternity in their hearts.\u201d\u00a0 There\u2019s a crying out to us that as wonderful and fulfilling as normative and important as marriage is, it\u2019s pointing to something else.\u00a0 And that is something else of eternal consequence.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLast let us be agreed that this is a battle that calls us, and a cause that demands us.\u00a0 We did not ask for this.\u00a0 But we\u2019re now called to defend marriage from subversion and redefinition.\u00a0 This is not just a spiritual battle but it is, at essence a spiritual battle.\u00a0 As Paul was informing the church in Ephesians chapter six, our battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authority, cosmic powers, this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI read those three words, \u201cThis present darkness;\u201d we\u2019re summoned to this darkness to defend against it, to bring light to it.\u00a0 This is a battle that is deeply spiritual and if we believe what the bible says, it is satanic in its origins.\u00a0 It is the apostle Paul who, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us that we\u2019re fighting against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.\u00a0 This is an ecclesiastical battle, this is a church battle.\u00a0 In every one of our churches, in every one of our denominations, in every one of our congregations in one way or another, this battle is going to come home.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe should be in the battle already.\u00a0 We should not wait for some issue local or for some problem, pastoral.\u00a0 For some challenge personal all of a sudden to bring us into this battle.\u00a0 We should be there; we have already been called to this battle.\u00a0 If we are not there, we are not faithful.\u00a0 It is an ecclesiastical battle.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be fought out there are going to be churches that will be lost and if they are lost on marriage, I am bold to say, they are lost to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere are churches, denominations, theological seminaries, universities, para-church organizations, some will stand, and some will fall.\u00a0 But all will eventually be in this battle.\u00a0 It is a legal and it is a political battle.\u00a0 We are called to this.\u00a0 Love of God and love of neighbor means that we are animated in faithfulness to Christ, to care about the structure of laws, to care about the structure of civilization to care about the structures of the culture.\u00a0 Not because we believe the culture can save, or the civilization can save, or the law can save, but we do believe that all are accountable to the lordship of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 All are accountable to what is embedded in the law that is given to us in creation and in nature.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere is no choice but to be in this battle.\u00a0 This battle over marriage is, it is unmistakably and inevitably a battle for religious liberty.\u00a0 Because there will be a price to be paid, and we are already seeing the voice of the Church as the very voice of central attack, by those that would silence the strongest argument and the clearest witness and the most accountable voice to the unique status of marriage.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe power of light in darkness, well that\u2019s our hope.\u00a0 We are now witnessing this present darkness. And our task is not merely to cry against the darkness, but rather to take light to it.\u00a0 That is our responsibility to tell the truth; to speak the truth in love; but to tell the truth when it is convenient when it is inconvenient, when it\u2019s in season, when it\u2019s out of season.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is a battle that calls us.\u00a0 It is a call to arms that we must answer.\u00a0 It\u2019s not just about those marriages, it\u2019s not just about the institution of marriage, it\u2019s about our marriages, it\u2019s about our churches, it\u2019s about our denominations, and it\u2019s about our witness.\u00a0 Brothers and sisters, where there is only one husband and wife living together in faithfulness, the glory of God shines round about them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhere there is only one family in the midst of an ocean of moral rebellion and moral confusion, where there\u2019s only one family that is rightly ordered by, indeed the word of God, the gospel of Christ, and the institution of marriage and the right ordering of the family, the glory of God is evident.\u00a0 The light will shine through.\u00a0 I am absolutely confident of that.\u00a0 I\u2019ve read the book.\u00a0 But there could be a lot of darkness on the way.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI am absolutely confident of the victory of Christ.\u00a0 I am absolutely confident of the vindication of marriage.\u00a0 I am absolutely confident that we\u2019re going to understand what it is by God\u2019s grace, by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and by the shed blood of our Lord to be the marriage supper of the Lamb.\u00a0 When we\u2019re there we\u2019re not going to have to ask \u201cwhat is this?\u201d\u00a0 Everything we have known about marriage, indeed everything we have known about the gospel will draw us to that moment and we will glory in the one true and living God, and in Jesus Christ our Lord.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere is a battle to which we have been called.\u00a0 There is a cause that demands us.\u00a0 One of my favorite biographies that I\u2019m sure it\u2019s shared by many of you is the two-volume biography of Winston Churchill by William Manchester.\u00a0 How we wish there had been that third volume.\u00a0 But, let\u2019s be thankful for the two we have.\u00a0 In the end of the early chapters in the first volume, you\u2019ll remember as Manchester is looking forward to the historical role of Churchill, he first deals with the challenge that any leader of England will face.\u00a0 He deals with Hitler.\u00a0 And he deals with the reality of the looming threat of the Third Reich, and of the fact that at the very moment that Churchill will be propelled into leadership, England is at its weakest and not at its strongest moment.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt appears ready to collapse and William Manchester said if anyone is going to be able to rally England at this moment, it\u2019s got to be someone who is ruthless for the good.\u00a0 And who is valiant when people think he\u2019s manic or maniacal in defense of England, and freedom and liberty.\u00a0 He goes through a long list; it\u2019s one of the most lyrical passages you\u2019ll find in any biographical literature, for the sake of time I will not read it.\u00a0 But he says \u201cIf England is to survive, indeed if civilization is to survive, there must be a man who would rise to face Hitler with a ferocity for freedom greater than his ferocity for evil.\u201d\u00a0 In one single sentence at the bottom of that page, \u201cIn London, there was such a man.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of my favorite things of Churchill\u2019s leadership is how continuously he told England the truth.\u00a0 As Manchester said, he threw the truth to England like chunks of red meat to dogs that were hungry.\u00a0 As he threw the truth to England, he led.\u00a0 Bit by bit, battle by battle, setback by setback, and then advance by advance.\u00a0 One of my favorite themes of Churchill\u2019s leadership is this.\u00a0 He said, \u201cNo other generation had the opportunity to fight a foe quite like this.\u00a0 This is not a burden on us this is a privilege if we understand it.\u00a0 It is our battle, not just ours to win, or ours to lose, but ours to take, surrender is not an option.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBrothers and sisters, this battle is of equal importance.\u00a0 It is of greater importance in terms of eternity.\u00a0 I\u2019ll tell you why I\u2019m glad to be here with you.\u00a0 As Manchester said, \u201cIn London there was such a man,\u201d I\u2019m thankful that today, in New York, there are many\u2014I detect\u2014that are ready.\u00a0 The battle is the Lord\u2019s.\u00a0 God bless you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>We\u2019ve been listening to part two of a message from Dr. Al Mohler on the issue of our day; the issue of the definition of marriage.\u00a0 I think the phrase that struck me as I listened to his message was the need to be \u201cruthless for good.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s just a good phrase.\u00a0 We need to be, as followers of Christ, people who are ruthless for good.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>We need to be known by what we\u2019re for, not by what we\u2019re against.\u00a0 If the Christian community doesn\u2019t stand up on behalf of marriage, and become its standard bearer, then who will?\u00a0 Who\u2019s going to stand up and protect it?\u00a0 I promise you that on the university campus, they\u2019re not going to defend marriage.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob, back in 1992, we drafted a document that was actually created by more than 25 theologians, educators, scholars, men and women from all of the United States, and became the <em>Family Manifesto<\/em>.\u00a0 In that Manifesto there are a number of issues addressed.\u00a0 One of them is marriage.\u00a0 In 1992, here\u2019s what we wrote about marriage.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cWe believe God, not man created marriage.\u00a0 We believe marriage was the first institution designed by God.\u00a0 We believe the Bible teaches that the covenant of marriage is sacred and life-long.\u00a0 The Bible makes it clear that marriage is a legally binding, public declaration of commitment, and a private consummation between one man and one woman, never between the same sex.\u00a0 We believe God created marriage for the purpose of couples glorifying God as one flesh, parenting godly children, and enjoying sexual pleasure.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe go on there to make several other statements about marriage.\u00a0 Really in its defense, that was nearly twenty years ago.\u00a0 Now today, the unthinkable is being foisted upon us as a culture and the Christian community, I believe, at its grassroots level where moms and dads are raising children, and single people are selecting a spouse and getting married, and grandparents are telling stories to their grandkids, all of us need to lock arms together and say, \u201cWe will be a standard bearer for marriage, because marriage is a reflection of Christ\u2019s relationship with his bride, the church.\u00a0 There are bigger issues taking place in marriage than just individuals getting their needs met.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You mentioned the <em>Family Manifesto<\/em>, our listener can go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com and there\u2019s a link there that will take them to the area of the site where the Family Manifesto is available online.\u00a0 You can get a printed copy from us as well if you\u2019d like.\u00a0 Again the website is FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 There\u2019s also a link as you mentioned to the page that has information about the Manhattan Declaration if listeners want to find out more about that.\u00a0 Again, it\u2019s FamilyLifeToday.com.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet me also mention that Dr. Mohler is going to be speaking next month at the Christian Alliance for Orphans event taking place in Minneapolis.\u00a0 That\u2019s April 29<sup>th<\/sup> and 30<sup>th<\/sup>, it\u2019s Summit number Six.\u00a0 Along with Dr. Mohler, John Piper is going to be speaking there, Mary Beth Chapman, Steven Curtis Chapman is going to be providing music as well.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can find out more when you got to FamilyLifeToday.com, and click on the link for the Christian Alliance for Orphans website.\u00a0 It\u2019ll give you all you need to know about Summit Six, and if you\u2019re involved at all in orphan care in your local church, if you have any kind of an adoption ministry and you want to network with others from all around the world who are helping to care for the needs of orphans.\u00a0 Go to Summit Six, and you can get the information online at FamilyLifeToday.com.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBy the way, while you\u2019re on our website, if you can help support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> with a donation of any amount, we would appreciate it; your donations are what enable us to continue this program on this station and on other stations all across the country.\u00a0 In recent days, we have had to pull back in some places where <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> was being heard because there was a decline in funding for the program, and we were simply not able to continue airing the program on those particular radio stations.\u00a0 That\u2019s always a hard decision for us to make.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd it\u2019s one we don\u2019t make lightly.\u00a0 But we want to be good stewards of the resources God entrusts to us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo thanks to those of you who have made this program possible in the past.\u00a0 If you can help today with a donation of any amount, we\u2019d like to say thank you by sending you a copy of a brand new movie.\u00a0 It\u2019s called<em> Magdalena<\/em>, it tells the story of the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mary Magdalene.\u00a0 It\u2019s available on DVD, and it\u2019s available with an audio track in Spanish, in French, in Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, Russian and Portuguese along with the standard English audio track.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can request that movie when you make a donation of any amount this month to support ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 If you make your donation online at FamilyLifeToday.com, just type \u201cMAGDVD\u201d into the key code box on the online donation form\u2014all one word\u2014\u201cMAGDVD.\u201d\u00a0 Or call 1-800-FLTODAY.\u00a0 Make a donation by phone and ask for the <em>Magdalena<\/em> DVD.\u00a0 Again we\u2019re happy to send it out to you, and we so much appreciate your financial support of this ministry.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWith that we\u2019ve got to wrap things up for today.\u00a0 I hope you have a great weekend, hope you and your family are able to worship together this weekend in church.\u00a0 I hope you can be back on Monday when Gary Thomas is going to join us to talk about how a wife can have a \u201csacred influence\u201d on her husband.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gary Thomas:<\/strong>\u00a0 Women would come up after going through <em>Sacred Marriage<\/em> or listen to me talk about it saying, \u201cGary I get that God is using my marriage to help me become a better person and to shape me.\u00a0 But, do I really have to just sit back while my husband\u2019s anger destroys our children, or while my husband\u2019s addictions make it so impossible to be intimate with him, or he\u2019s so involved with golf or work that he\u2019s never at home.\u00a0 How do I help him become the person that I think God wants him to be?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I hope you can be here for that.\u00a0 I want to thank our engineer today Keith Lynch and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts for you. However, there is a cost to transcribe, create, and produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright \u00a9 FamilyLife. 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