There is no way that Ms. Hart can demonstrate that a particular wedding vow contributes to a lasting marriage more than another vow. I recognize her strong religious feelings, but her prejudices in this area do not impress me. Is Ms. Hart prepared to show us statistically that religious people have more lasting marriages than, say, atheists?

I’m not making a case for traditional vows being connected to longer marriages. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case, it could also be that those who choose traditional vows are more likely to stay married to begin with. I also know the Christian divorce rate is at or even a little higher than that of the secular culture which is and indictment of both Christians and our churches.

Nonetheless, the truth remains that for Christians marriage should not be an end game at all, but rather point to the real marriage to come: I recently came across this beautiful post from John Piper, and it’s worth sharing here, enjoy:

Human marriage is just a shadow. Just a hint. Just a pale echo. Just an appetiser. Just a teaser. Just a foretaste of the real context in which love can be given and received and enjoyed…(Eph 5:22-33)… All the love and security and protection and companionship and intimacy and ecstasy of any healthy human marriage is just a pointer to the far greater love and far greater security and far greater protection and far greater companionship and far greater intimacy and far greater ecstasy of being with God himself.

Marriage…is a momentary gift. It may last a lifetime, or it may be snatched away on the honeymoon. Either way, it is short…Very soon the shadow will give way to Reality. The partial will pass into the Perfect. The foretaste will lead to the Banquet. The troubled path will end in Paradise. A hundred candle-lit evenings will come to their consummation in the marriage supper of the Lamb. And this momentary marriage will be swallowed up by Life. Christ will be all and in all. And the purpose of marriage will be complete. (John Piper This Momentary Marriage 178)