Stand for Family

What is a family?

Not all that many years ago, if you asked that question, people would look at you as if you were from another planet. Why? Well, basically, family was mum, dad and children, with extended family of grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts making up the basic family unit.

However, today, the definition of family is one of the most hotly debated issues around. “All the political parties stand for it. Society is built upon it. Governments enshrine laws to protect it. But yet … no-one will tell us what it is.” So says part of the introduction to the booklet What is a Family? And why it matters. Dr. Corbett states:

Far more is actually at stake than the mere defining of family composition. How we understand and vali-date family relationships within the most fundamental of social structures – the family, will determine the basis for how we treat each other within society. Should we discard the time honoured concept of a family in favour of newer more radical models?

Yes, we have allowed radical models of family to become somewhat the norm today as can be seen in various TV shows, books written on the subject and the redefining of family through government legislation. And, we are paying a high price for that redefinition and our acceptance of what Corbett calls more radical models.

No doubt each of us has a fundamental idea of what constitutes the ‘ideal’ family while also recognising that ‘my’ family might not quite fit the ideal even though it seems to tick along pretty well.

So, during November we will take a brief journey seeking to consolidate our understanding of family from a biblical perspective and ask why it is so important to have a solid foundation.