| Children in Danger by Warren Krug (September-October, 2007) |
The African elephant is in danger of going extinct. So is the Bengal tiger, the blue whale and a host of other
animals. But there are some signs that there may need to be at least one addition to the list of the endangered—
Western civilization.
It is well known that Europe’s population is sinking. According to the BBC, with 2.1 children per woman
considered the minimum just to hold the population steady, statistics show that many European countries are
falling far short of that including France (1.90 national average), U.K. (1.74), Germany (1.37), Italy (1.33) and
Greece (1.29), just to name a few.
The population of the United States continues to grow, and projections indicate that, thanks almost entirely to
immigration, this population increase will continue for decades.
However, a recent Pew Research Center survey may provide some answers as to Europe’s decline and raise
questions about America’s projected growth.
The survey asked what Americans considered keys to a good marriage. The 2007 survey was then compared to
a similar survey in 1990 with some interesting results.
In 2007 faithfulness was considered by more respondents (93%) to be important to a successful marriage than
any other factor. This was down slightly from 95% in 1990.
The biggest jump in any factor was “sharing household chores” which went from 47% in 1990 to 62% in 2007.
The factor with the biggest decline is a shocker. In 1990 65% of respondents indicated having children was
important to a good marriage. In 2007 it was only 41%!
Adequate income, good housing, happy sexual relationship, shared religious beliefs and shared interests all
came out ahead of having children.
More than likely Europeans have similar feelings and, if so, that is an answer to their falling populations. For
Americans, this survey should be a warning.
Shouldn’t we pay attention to what God says about children? Psalm 127 states that children are a “reward” from
God and a “blessing.” For Christians especially, children should be right up there with faithfulness as keys to a
happy, blessed marriage. LSI
—Warren Krug, editor
animals. But there are some signs that there may need to be at least one addition to the list of the endangered—
Western civilization.
It is well known that Europe’s population is sinking. According to the BBC, with 2.1 children per woman
considered the minimum just to hold the population steady, statistics show that many European countries are
falling far short of that including France (1.90 national average), U.K. (1.74), Germany (1.37), Italy (1.33) and
Greece (1.29), just to name a few.
The population of the United States continues to grow, and projections indicate that, thanks almost entirely to
immigration, this population increase will continue for decades.
However, a recent Pew Research Center survey may provide some answers as to Europe’s decline and raise
questions about America’s projected growth.
The survey asked what Americans considered keys to a good marriage. The 2007 survey was then compared to
a similar survey in 1990 with some interesting results.
In 2007 faithfulness was considered by more respondents (93%) to be important to a successful marriage than
any other factor. This was down slightly from 95% in 1990.
The biggest jump in any factor was “sharing household chores” which went from 47% in 1990 to 62% in 2007.
The factor with the biggest decline is a shocker. In 1990 65% of respondents indicated having children was
important to a good marriage. In 2007 it was only 41%!
Adequate income, good housing, happy sexual relationship, shared religious beliefs and shared interests all
came out ahead of having children.
More than likely Europeans have similar feelings and, if so, that is an answer to their falling populations. For
Americans, this survey should be a warning.
Shouldn’t we pay attention to what God says about children? Psalm 127 states that children are a “reward” from
God and a “blessing.” For Christians especially, children should be right up there with faithfulness as keys to a
happy, blessed marriage. LSI
—Warren Krug, editor