Final Battle?, 12/18/21 update

• Governments Object to Biden Admin Forcing LGBT Resolution in UN General Assembly (Friday Fax, 12/17/21)

• Pope at 85: No more Mr Nice Guy, as reform hits stride (Crux, 12/17/21)
• Buyer's Remorse? Marriage, Divorce, and Declarations of Nullity (Catholic Stand, 10/7/21)
• Marital Nullity, Farewell. Doors Open for “Catholic Divorce” (L’Espresso, 12/14/21)
• A New Book Outlines a Game Plan for a Church-led ‘Marriage Renaissance’ (Institute for Family Studies, 12/16/21)
• The Religious Marriage Paradox: Younger Marriage, Less Divorce (Institute for Family Studies, 12/15/21)
• As per the Future of Christian Marriage (2020):
• "In developed societies—especially, but not only, those that exhibit lengthy economic prosperity—it is believed that men and women alike are beginning to lose the motivation to marry and have children, and so they increasingly delay or avoid one or both" (p. 2).

"although it remains a hot topic in the United States, most of the world’s Christians live in countries where talk of same-sex marriage is only on the lips of tourists, local activists, or Western diplomats. In such countries, divorce rates are also much lower than we are used to seeing in the West" (p. 4).

"How central is marriage to the future of Christian faith and practice? Very, I argue. Can it recede in popularity without damaging the reproduction of the faith? Not much" (p. 18)

"I want to light a candle rather than curse the darkness—so I discuss eight general themes of advice that emerge from the interviews as well as from my own wider observations of this topic after studying it for several years: 

1. Tell exemplary stories. 
2. Create or recover marriage-friendly subcultures. 
3. Make the home a haven (in a heartless world). 
4. Effectively prepare people for marriage. 
5. Help others navigate challenging marriages. 
6. Parents: be mindful about the advice you give. 
7. Consider allowing adult children to live at home before marrying—but only for the right reasons. 
8. Experiment with prudent, targeted state investment in marriage" (p. 162).

• Fewer than half of American adults pray daily: study (Christian Post, 12/17/21)

• How can spiritual doctors help us, if they pretend fatal illnesses or symptoms are insignificant? (12/4/21)