Cliff and Monica Hill have worked together for nearly 70 years of married life – much of it in tough inner-city areas of London where they survived knife crime, gang violence and race riots in a joint ministry. Monica reopened five redundant church buildings, transforming them into vibrant centres of Christian mission. Cliff founded the Newham Community Renewal Programme (still thriving after 52 years) and he lectured in Sociology at London University. In this article they are looking at marriage and social change, which they have personally borne witness to over many years.
The news released last week by the Office For National Statistics showing that less than half of the population is now living in a married couple household will not come as a surprise to those who have been watching social trends in Britain for a number of years. My wife and I have spent many years studying the changing social patterns that have led to this scenario.
‘Family Matters’ report
It is over 25 years ago that Cliff wrote the report “Family Matters”, which was presented to then Home Secretary Jack Straw MP by Lord Ashbourne, chair of the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group in the Moses Room in the House of Lords on 15th July 1998. The report was the outcome of research by a team of leading academics to which the Home Secretary had given his support and appointed a representative. Jack Straw said that the family is the building block of the nation and he promised a White Paper to strengthen marriage and family life. But he ran into severe problems in the Cabinet, as well as with backbenchers.
Opposition came largely from the group known as the “Blair Babes”, some of whom were strongly against marriage due to their personal experience. The political mantra at that time was that government should not be judgemental and that all types of ‘family’ should be recognised as equal.
Why marriage matters
This was a fundamental error that went against mountains of research showing that marriage provides the best environment for children to grow up and develop into thriving adults. Children raised by their married parents:
- are more secure;
- are much less likely to be poor;
- have a far lower risk of being abused;
- are less likely to be involved in crime;
- are more likely to achieve better education, attend university, and get better jobs.
The proportion of married parents in a community is one of the strongest factors predicting the health, well-being and social mobility of children.
The proportion of married parents in a community is one of the strongest factors predicting the health, well-being and social mobility of children.
All this was known 25 years ago, yet it was deliberately ignored by politicians of all parties, who were driven by the false values of ‘equality’ rather than seeing them as opportunities for reforming the systems that created the inequality. The plain fact is that human beings are not all equal – we are born with different DNA, different IQs, and different gifts and abilities which need to be recognised in order to help each individual achieve their full potential – a strategy which, when followed positively, can produce amazing results.
In the same way there are different kinds of social environment, some that promote health and well-being, others that do not; so this is true also of family relationships, and we need to aim at improving these. A happy, healthy, secure family life is essential for bringing up children. All family breakdown does immeasurable harm to children. It affects their education as well as their mental and emotional health.
Social change
In the aftermath of World War II, during the 1950s, we got married and we later married hundreds of young couples. At this time, marriage and traditional family life flourished. But the 1960s brought the challenge of cultural change and thus began the slow decline of marriage and the increase of family breakdown and divorce, which has increased sharply since the beginning of the 21st century.
... family breakdown and divorce has increased sharply since the beginning of the 21st century.
The social outcome of these trends we see every day in the rise of knife crime, gang violence, the drug culture, epidemic levels of sexually transmitted diseases, depression and mental health disorders, leading to vast numbers unable to work and living on sick pay and social benefits, which is putting a severe strain on the economy.
Rights without responsibilities
Attempting to provide a quick fix to solve the problems of inequality without looking at its causes has produced ever more intractable problems for society. We are already seeing this in Local Authorities unable to cover their budgets and big institutions like the National Health Service struggling to maintain their standards. Most of the social ills in society today can be traced back to family breakdown because the family is the building block of the nation. When the family crumbles all our social institutions are affected.
There have been hundreds of research studies and reports published in the last 30 or 40 years showing that marriage is the most beneficial structure for the health and happiness of human beings because it is part of God’s creation. But we are part of a generation that is not interested in truth or personal commitment. They demand rights without responsibilities. The ‘Me Generation’ seeks only the fulfilment of personal needs, and turning away from the commitment required in marriage is now a major part of their way of life.
Tipping point
We recognise that bringing God into the equation will simply be dismissed by some people as nonsense, but we have now reached the point in the decline of social values where the disintegration of society and the crumbling of our civilisation is inevitable. This is a fundamental sociological fact as well as a spiritual truth.
All the signs now indicate that we have reached the tipping point where social disintegration will accelerate.
In the ‘Family Matters’ 1998 report there was a statement that relates to the time we have reached today. It said:
“When relative deprivation reaches certain levels, as it did for example in the inner-city riots of the early 1980s, social disorder is easily triggered. The stability of all our major social institutions is threatened if the present trends in the breakdown of the family continue”.
All the signs now indicate that we have reached the tipping point where social disintegration will accelerate.
Looking forward
But we should not look upon this as a message of doom and gloom. The principle of death and resurrection is embedded in the whole of nature – winter is followed by spring and new life comes from the bare ground. But winter is needed to absorb the decaying vegetation into the ground to provide the fertility for the next harvest.
Our decaying civilisation has to be cleared of corruption for new life and vitality based upon fundamental truths to emerge, just as the first crocuses have already appeared in our garden as the promise of spring – but these early bulbs may be in trouble if we get severe weather.
But spiritual awakening will provide the womb of social renewal and provide the vision for a new social order of justice and righteousness based upon truth and the word of God.
We are rejoicing that two of our family are leading church plants in different parts of the country, where crowds are coming to hear the gospel and longing to be part of a redeemed community of believers emerging from the crumbling ruins of the dying traditional church structures. The new communities emerging will not be the same as the old structures they are replacing, but the underlying principles of the New Testament ecclesia will remain.
Certainly, there are dark days ahead for our nation as the major social institutions crumble. There will undoubtedly be times of severe hardship, with the breakdown of social order on our city streets.
But spiritual awakening will provide the womb of social renewal and provide the vision for a new social order of justice and righteousness based upon truth and the word of God. So, fear not, God’s dear children. The Lord is on the throne and His hand is guiding the destiny of His people.