Penna Dexter
As 2023 ends, we see less evidence than ever of the Christian consensus that used to exist in the United States. Not that we were a “Christian nation.”  But norms existed — I guess you could call them family values — that, although not practiced by everyone, were at least considered good and true. All of that is waning.
Author and cultural commentator, Rod Dreher points back to another observer of American society, sociologist Philip Reiff. Dr. Reiff, an agnostic Jew, may not have called what he saw happening back in the 60’s a sexual revolution, but he read it as a sign of loss of the Christian influence on the culture. He lamented what Rod Dreher now describes as “the death knell of Christianity as the controlling narrative of the west.”
The sexual revolution, fueled by the availability of “The “Pill,” allowed the sexual act to be separated from childbearing and – to some extent – from marriage The “modern” woman, unconstrained by faith or old-fashioned morality, could still marry. Or not. But women could advance professionally without the burden of caring for children.
Now we’re seeing double-income, no-kids couples boasting online of their carefree life and their wealth. However, this choice can also turn out to be sad, or scary.
Journalist Melissa Persling insisted she didn’t want kids. Now she feels “unbelievably betrayed by feminism.” In a recent post, at Business Insider that went viral, she wrote, ”I’m 38, and I recently realized I want a child. I’m terrified I’ve missed my opportunity.”
Other young adults, including Christians, want marriage and children, but in a society that de-emphasizes marriage, many are missing out.
As faith fades so does human flourishing as people turn from God’s plan that man and woman would marry and produce children. The consequences of our below-replacement birthrate could be disastrous.
And now, the Pope has tied a bow around our arrogant rejection of God’s plan for the family.
Lord, help us. 

Kerby Anderson
Most Americans are already financially worse-off than they were before the pandemic. But here is an arresting statistic. JP Morgan estimates that 99 percent of all Americans will be financially worse-off by next year.
The majority of Americans have burned through their excess savings they accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic. The last few percentages of Americans will have used them up by July 2024.
The bank’s top stock strategist points to the fact that most Americans are already losing ground financially. He predicts that “only the top 1% of consumers by income will be better off than before the pandemic.” He also points to the increasing number of credit card and auto loan delinquencies, as well as Chapter 11 filings.
It appears that excess savings peaked in August 2021 at $2.1 trillion, which was boosted by the government stimulus checks. Now the savings have dwindled to below $148 billion. Consumers are facing tighter credit conditions and rising rates.
The graph that accompanies this commentary helps to explain the different reactions to the current economic conditions. On one side you have the president and his cabinet, along with many Wall Street pundits, talking about the positive economic news. They point to low unemployment figures and economic growth. They don’t understand why most Americans aren’t more excited.
On the other side are most Americans, who are the bottom 80% of income level. They are struggling financially and are already having a difficult time making ends meet. All this financial “happy-talk” hasn’t changed their financial circumstances and they find themselves financially worse-off.

Kerby Anderson
If you visited New York City more than a decade ago, you likely saw this sign on buses or on subway cars. “If you finish high school, get a job, and get married before having children, you have a 98% chance of not being in poverty.”
That phrase may sound familiar since I have mentioned it in previous commentaries. It is known as the “success sequence” that was first articulated by two scholars at the Brookings Institution. It has been repeated by authors and social scientists many times since.
Jason Riley mentions it in a recent Wall Street Journal commentary because he points to the evidence that the “biggest root cause of crime is fatherlessness.” He reminds us that America’s crime debate tends to focus on various root causes, like poverty and joblessness. Though that may be a partial explanation, the real problem is the lack of two-parent families.
A research paper from the Institute for Family Studies acknowledged that economic conditions play a role in criminal behavior. However, the authors argue that family instability may be the biggest factor. And they also add that factor isn’t receiving the attention it deserves.
“Cities are safer when two-parent families are dominant and more crime-ridden when family instability is common,” the authors write. Nationwide, the total crime rate is higher in cities “that have above the median share of single-parent families, compared to cities that have fewer single-parent families.”
The study concludes that we need to develop cultural incentives that favor marriage and stable families. This is where I believe the church can make a difference. We need pastors and Christian leaders to use their platforms to promote marriage and sexual responsibility.