Commenter Bee proposed that Christians should encourage single mothers to adopt their children out at birth, instead of shaming Christian men for having a “vain expectation of marrying a childless virgin”:
Mark Driscoll is another Christian Leader that has encouraged Christian men to marry single moms.
I think a better policy for Churches and Leaders would be to go go back to encouraging single moms to put their kids up for immediate adoption.
This is an interesting proposal. I can’t imagine modern Christians having that kind of will*. I’m also not sure it is needed.
Imagine if we simply made a public note in the wedding ceremony, and in the run-up to the wedding, that the single mother understood the seriousness of her sin and was repentant of it, and was deeply grateful that her husband-to-be was willing to be so gracious as to marry her despite the extra burden she has placed on their marriage?
We wouldn’t have to be cruel about it, just honest, humble, loving, and sincere. This would be incredibly powerful, and would set the couple (and therefore the children) up for a much greater chance of success. It would also go a long way to reducing any shortage (if there really is one) of Christian men willing to marry Christian single mothers.
This would send the right message all the way around. Young women would have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others, steering them away from both sin and pain. Women who today are being discouraged from repenting (cruelty) would be encouraged to repent (kindness). This repentance would prompt the congregation to respond with Christian love. And instead of disrespecting Christian men who marry single mothers, we would be treating them with respect.
*I can’t imagine us having the will to do what I’m proposing, either, but in theory it should be easier for us to work our way up to it.
