In a post-christian, highly secularizing America, there are those who want to maintain the trappings of religion and even, in this sense, a legally ordained clergy, without any theology whatsoever. Without any doctrine. Without any binding moral authority. Freedman cites Andrew Cherlin, a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins who said, "it shows a very personal, individualistic attitude towards marriage. Yet, even secular Americans still think that a religious presence matters. And having an online ordained friend gives you more control over the ceremony than bowing to the restrictions that a real clergyman would impose." Well, that Professor Cherlin, is exactly the point, isn't it? Here you have the intentional effort to try to escape the binding moral authority, the moral judgments, the doctrine, the theology of any church that is tied to orthodox biblical christianity. That's exactly what's going on here. But professor Cherlin actually in this article also offered an indictment of so many weddings that indeed are held in more traditional churches and are overseen and celebrated by more traditional ministers. He writes, "The ceremony is now a personal celebration. Marriage used to be the first step into adulthood, nows it's the last step. And when people do it, they want to celebrate how well they are doing in their lives. But that can't explain it all. There are couples who still want a thin veneer of religion on what's essentially a secular ceremony. It matters somehow that the officiant has a religious connection." Once again, that's actually an amazing insightful statement. It's actually more insightful I think than Professor Cherlin intended in terms of his statement to the New York Times.
That is exactly what's going on, and my point is that's actually whats going on amongst many people who haven't turned to a so-called Universal Life minister to officiate at their weddings, but instead think they're having a christian wedding. But it's simply because they are standing in what is identified as a christian building. There are far too many weddings that people would identify as christian weddings that are just as secular as the secular weddings overseen by ministers of the Universal Life Church. That's an even greater tragedy.
[emphasis mine]
- Albert Mohler
