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MISGUIDED EDUCATION Sabbath to Sunday — P. 12 — — P. 5 — July-August 2020 | TomorrowsWorld.org THE PERFECT STORM How did 2020 go wrong? And why? A personal message from the Editor in Chief “Nothing Like a Good Pandemic!” curious thing happened at our Tomor- was right. He had survived the Great Depression and row’s World offices here in Charlotte, World War II, and understood—as King Solomon did North Carolina, and in our local Living (Ecclesiastes 7:2)—that there are events that strip Church of God congregation. It all began away the superficialities of life and help us to see what becauseA we had a higher than usual number of young is truly important. COVID-19 is just such an event. So, adults planning weddings for early spring and summer. to paraphrase my uncle, “There is nothing like a good Each member of these couples is much like oth- pandemic to bring us back to reality.” ers who want to share their lives with another. Many Perhaps that is why Bible sales increased when brides shop for that “just-right” dress. They plan what this crisis set in. People privately ask themselves, the bridesmaids will wear and choose flowers to dec- “Will I get sick? Will I survive? Will this be how I die?” orate the venue. Meals are often part of the reception, Yes, people begin wondering about the big questions. and bands are sometimes hired for a dance. As the “What is the purpose of life? And when I die, will I live price increases, the bride’s father in some instances again?” These questions come to the minds of many. (If may identify with the character Steve Martin played you have been contemplating your mortality in recent in the movie Father of the Bride, though in the case of months, why not explore the modern marriages, the bride and groom sometimes topic with our booklet What contribute their own funds to the occasion. Weddings Happens When You Die? these days are often expensive events. The answer is both sober- But then something unexpected happened: pan- ing and encouraging.) demic restrictions and lockdowns. Forced to decide be- I am not suggesting tween an expensive, “dream” wedding that would need that weddings are no big to be postponed until who-knows-when, and a simpler deal—we read in the Bible ceremony that could be performed now, one couple of marriage celebrations after another chose the simple ceremony with the min- lasting several days. But ister and a handful of witnesses—no expensive dress, marriage today is rarely no elaborate reception, no expensive meal and band, what it was intended to be. and minimal flowers. Even the honeymoon was within Too many couples have everything in the wrong order: driving distance, if any travel was possible at all. They move in together, maybe even have children, and This was not the wedding they had planned! But then, possibly, get married. Weddings today are divorced it certainly made memories and some of these cou- from marriage and have become one-day opportunities ples may have saved enough for a down payment on for couples to have their “day in the sun.” As the institu- a future home. There will no doubt be a reception at tion of marriage has been increasingly devalued, many some later date, though probably not as elaborate or weddings themselves have lost their connection to the expensive as the wedding would have been. sanctity of marriage and marital privileges. Few today put real thought into what marriage Reality Is Back in Fashion truly means. Many consider it merely some cultural My Uncle George once told me, “There is nothing like a good depression to bring people back to reality.” How Your Subscription Has Been Paid This surprised me when I was younger, and I won- Tomorrow’s World has no subscription price. It is made possible dered what my atheist uncle considered “reality.” by the tithes and offerings of Living Church of God members and What did he value? It was obvious his values and by others who have chosen to become co-workers in proclaiming Christ’s true Gospel to all nations. Donations are gratefully mine were not the same. Nevertheless, I think I know acknowledged and may be tax-deductible. what he meant by his comment and I’m convinced he 2 Tomorrow’s World | July-August 2020 TomorrowsWorld.org Volume 22, Issue 4 | July-August 2020 tradition where the bride gets to “Say yes to the dress!” riage matters. Although many marriages fail, statisti- How many times have you heard someone sneeringly cally, marriage wins out over cohabitation every time. say that marriage is no more than a piece of paper? However, saving oneself for marriage is not the trend With such disrespect for the institution of marriage today. itself, it is no surprise that so many people couple and A November 6, 2019, Pew Research Center study de-couple at will and that many marriages don’t last. reported that the number of cohabiting adults in I enjoy talking to people about my wife’s parents the U.S. continues to rise, and that it is now more and their wedding—to say it was merely “simple” common for those of ages 18 to 44 to have cohabited would be an understatement. They showed up unex- sometime during their lives than for them to have pectedly at the minister’s home at supper time and been married. This is not surprising, as 69 percent of waited while the man and his wife finished eating. Americans believe living together before marriage is Just the four of them were present as the two “tied acceptable and an additional 16 percent say it is ac- the knot.” There were only two wedding pictures: ceptable as long as the couple plans to marry. Only 14 She stood by a tree and he took her picture with a box percent find sleeping together prior to marriage un- camera, and then they traded places as she returned acceptable. In other words, only 14 percent subscribe the favor. That was long before selfies, where they to biblical values (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians could have stood by the tree together! 5:19–21; Ephesians 5:3). It is hard to believe the situa- Despite this humble beginning, they stayed tion is any better in other Western countries. married for 72 years and raised two beautiful daugh- Nevertheless, marriage benefits the couple, the ters. Did they have their struggles? Yes, just as most family, and society. Detailing those bountiful bene- couples do. But they understood commitment and fits is beyond the scope of my message here, though responsibility. How different from the elaborate and I will mention just one example: Pew Research also expensive events we see today, after which the hus- reported that the same study showed that “married band and wife remain “faithful” so long as they can adults express higher levels of relationship satis- get along without too much difficulty—or until one faction and trust in their partner than do those who jumps into bed with someone else. are cohabiting” (“Key findings on marriage and co- For many of the weddings we have seen recently habitation in the U.S.,” PewResearch.org). For those in our office and congregation, the couples faced the who understand the purpose of marriage, this is no choice between getting married earlier or waiting to surprise at all. have an elaborate ceremony much later, so they chose Yes, there is nothing like a good depression or the former. pandemic to bring people back to reality—but has This does not mean, of course, that a couple would society declined so far that people have no idea what be wrong for waiting so that more family and friends is real and what is not? When it comes to marriage, could be present. Not at all. But one thing is clear in all most people never consider its God-given purposes. of this: How simple or how elaborate the wedding and In fact, they do not consider that God has anything reception may be has nothing to do with how long the at all to do with marriage, beyond having a beautiful marriage will last. Understanding God’s purpose for “church” wedding. If you would like to discover more marriage and the willingness to commit to one another about this subject, please contact our office nearest and work through difficult times arefar more import- you and request a copy of God’s Plan for Happy Mar- ant. And the size of one’s wedding is not a very reliable riage. As with all of our materials, the booklet is free indicator of the depth of one’s commitment. of charge. Marriage Really Matters! Even though few understand the God-given purposes behind marriage, study after study shows that mar- July-August 2020 | Tomorrow’s World 3 5 Who Changed the Sabbath to Sunday? The Bible describes the seventh-day Sabbath as a sacred day of rest. So, why do most professing Christians worship on Sunday? 12 Misguided Education and the Demise of the West Modern education in Western civilization is seen as a largely secular pursuit. But it didn’t start that way. How did it change? 16 The Mayflower: Ship That Launched an Empire Knowledge or Four hundred years ago, the Mayflower set sail to its destiny in a new land! Its voyage changed the world in ways few recognize. Confusion? 18 A Perfect Storm Misguided education is The year 2020 has seen a startling convergence devastating the West of multiple, life-altering events—a perfect storm that is changing the world.