Finally, ''Do not cohabit if children are involved'' because its effects are devastating to children and long-lasting. I would add that churches should stop aiding this trend by their silence. Pastors should cite this sociological evidence that Scripture is right in calling for chastity, and preach on it from the pulpit, as a warning to the young and to help middle-aged parents know what to tell their adult children who are cohabiting. Second, churches should offer young adults an alternative way to test their relationship by taking a premarital inventory. They can predict with 80 percent accuracy which couples will divorce, and a tenth who take them decide not to marry that person.
Studies show they are avoiding a bad marriage before it has begun.
St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, ''Test everything. Hold onto the good. Cohabitation is an embracing of evil. Premarital testing avoids it, while holding on to the good. Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by members of the Coalition.