The Map and Mirror of a Family Stoned

I just recently watched the movie "The Family Stone." When engaging with popular culture it is important to remember that it's both a map and a mirror. As a mirror, it reflects what's going on in culture to some extent. In this movie you have a family that has a homosexual son with a partner intent on having a child. You also have a cohabitationing couple who decides not to sleep together at the "Stones" home during Christmas. The amazing thing is, the little granddaughter cannot understand why they don't sleep together since they love each other. I think this accurately reflects what's going on in the culture. I see more couples living together than ever before. This is where the movie becomes a map. Some people watching this movie are looking for direction on how to live. They see that living together and having sex before marriage is a normal experience. So it provides for them a map in giving direction on how to live. We so need to teach (faith as noun) and live (faith as verb) the Jesus way of couples in love. In Matthew 19:5, Jesus repeats His Father's command(Genesis 2:24) about marriage... "a man shall LEAVE his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife." (LEAVE is my emphasis) To leave indicates a public ceremony, a wedding, declaring to the community that two people have left their families to create a new family. Boy, have we lost this concept in our culture. The other day, we had a Campus Life Senior Supper and afterwards we sit down with dessert and discuss a life lesson. We talked about marriage and even with this group, leaning towards Christian belief, there was an undercurrent of living together is an acceptable practice. More than ever we need to get back to God's original design for couples. He is the Designer and He knows best on how we should live. So as a map, it was a "Family Stoned!" These are the days my friend!