Mike said:
I'm just wondering who is telling people not to get married early within Christendom.
As I mentioned, my sibs married early, and for the most part, so did their kids. Most of my nieces and nephews were between 18-23 when they got married. One was 27 and one was 28.
The ones who married younger, the 18 year old (who married her 19 year old bf), the 20 year old (who married his 19 year old gf) and the 20 year old (who married her 23 year old bf) all got a lot of grief from people they went to school with, and people within their churches. Their parents got a lot of grief from people within their churches for not discouraging their kids from marrying "too young".
The one who was 28 when she married was engaged to be married once before, when she was 19. She got a lot of grief too, about marrying "too young" and yet she was mature enough to realize that the marriage wasn't going to work out...not because of age, but because of her future mother-in-law...and called off the wedding. Even though age had nothing to do with her calling off the wedding, there were many comments that it was "for the best because they were too young anyway."
But, mainly I posted this to give food for thought to some of those who are young or have teens.
My siblings were not "financially independent" when they got married. My one sister and brother-in-law married two weeks after they graduated High School and not only did neither of them have a job, my brother-in-law was functionally illiterate because he goofed off at school and was only passed because of his prowess on the football field and especially on the basketball court. He is now set to retire, has a beautiful house in the mountains of Idaho, car, truck, boat...in other words, life worked out.
Same with my other sister...her husband was still in college when they married. She worked full time and he worked part time until he graduated and found a job in his field. Then she took college classes and worked part time, until babies started showing up. She stayed home until her kids were in school, then she went back to school and got her teaching degree. He is now the principle of a Christian school and she is one of the teachers there. They too have a nice house, all the necessities of life and are set for retirement as well.
My brother was 19 when he married his 17 year old gf. She worked at an ice cream shop and he worked for both my dad and hers and took whatever jobs he could. He studied and became a licensed contractor.
Retirement is a few years away for them, but they own their home and do pretty well. My brother struggles a bit more than my brothers-in-law do, but that is because he lives in an area where so many contractors bids are undercut by illegal aliens who will work pennies on the dollar. But, God does provide their needs.
Yes, my sibs needed a lot of help when they started out...that was what the article mentioned. My parents helped them out as did his, and they worked through financial hardship which taught them the importance of budgeting, saving and living within their means. Not to mention the importance of working through what life throws at one, because life throws a lot of hardships, no matter what financial situation or how much education has to offer. Oh, and just in case anyone thinks that it might have been easier for them because things were "better back then", all my siblings got married during the Ford and Carter years of the '70's when things were just as bad as they are now.
I was 38 when I married, my husband 33, we both had college degrees and good jobs and were financially independent, and yet we are no better, nor no worse off than my sibs.
My point to all of this is that there is a lot of young Christian kids out there who truly believe that they cannot, absolutely cannot married until they graduate college, have a good job and own a house. I've even known of, not just one, but several Christian couples, couples who professed Christ as their savior and went to church regularly and took communion, who lived together for months to years because they "couldn't afford to get married".
Most of the younger Christians I know wouldn't openly live with anyone, however, they still think that they cannot marry until they are mature, own a house, and have a good job. The only thing is, the economy has been so bad for so long now. I know several couples who have been in long standing relationships now for several years, one young couple have been together a total of 6 years now, without marrying. This has taken a toll on their relationships and I do know that they are no longer sexually pure because they felt they couldn't marry, loved each other too much to break up, and couldn't face the sexual temptations that come with long term relationships. When I've talked with the young ladies involved I've asked, "Why don't the two of you just get married?" and the answer is the same, "We can't afford too."
I know that this is a problem in this area, and this area has been hit really hard by this Depression we are in. My hometown in California has been hit hard and my best-friend has said that she has not gone to a wedding for at least 5 years now, where the couple didn't either live together or sleep together before they married, because they held marriage off. Her son is 19 and he talks regularly that he is the only person in his Christian circle of friends that isn't having sex, but none of his friends are even thinking of marriage because they are "too young."
Great minds think alike! I must have missed the article the first time around. I've been in several conversations lately, both on-line in out here in "real-life" about marriage, so maybe it's worth looking at again! 
I mean, here I am where there are mountains, real mountains over 10,000 feet tall, the Sawtooths, the White Clouds, not too mention class 5 white water rivers, pristine lakes, natural hot springs, and BSU FOOTBALL!!! 
Not fun, but nonetheless, its what we have to do for now to make it.
