Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Well, even as the American marriage rate has steadily declined, the cohabitation rate has steadily grown.

According to a 2019 Pew Research study, more Americans have cohabitated at some point in their lives than have been

married. And 15 times more couples live together outside of marriage today than in 1960. So rather

than being an option among many, cohabitation is now a cultural norm when it comes to romantic

relationships, one that reflects the deeply held belief that

marriage is just a piece of paper and all that matters for a couple is that they live together

and love each other. In truth, however, cohabitation is a disastrous way to form a household.

Recently on X, pro-life author Lila Rose highlighted the facts about so-called shacking up.

Quote, according to research, couples who cohabitate before marriage are 48% more likely to divorce.

Cohabitation doesn't set you up for success. It undermines the success of your marriage.

So for those who are dating and in a relationship, build a strong foundation by growing together

spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally. If this is the person God's calling you to marry,

make the commitment first. Get married, then build your home together, end quote. Reposting her

advice, Brad Wilcox of the Institute for Family Studies reaffirmed just how many young people

accept the popular but

wrong wisdom on cohabitation. Quote, my students at the University of Virginia, he wrote,

think cohabitation is a great way to prepare for marriage. They don't know. Cohabitation is

actually linked to marital failure. A Stanford study found that cohabiting with an extra partner

boosted women's

odds of divorce by three times." So how did this relational arrangement that is so prone to failure

...