There is a move afoot, pushed ahead by militant gays and supported by certain activist judges, to redefine marriage law so as to make it more inclusive. There are good and sufficient reasons not to yield to these pressures but to retain the present unique status of traditional marriage.

Traditional marriage, as we have known it down through history, is not only unique but vital to the survival of a civilized society. We destroy its uniqueness at our peril. For millennia marriage has been a heterosexual relationship and in Western civilization that has meant one woman, one man in a committed conjugal relationship.

The primary function of marriage is the propagation of children for the survival of the human race, and incidentally of our nation. The traditional family model of husband, wife and children is the basic building block of society. Present Canadian law affirms this.

The legitimacy of the state's special recognition, support and protection of heterosexual marriage, because of its long tradition and its unique contribution to society, has already been upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of Egan (1995).

As part of the above decision Justice La Forest stated, in part: "Because of its importance, legal marriage may be properly viewed as fundamental to the well-being of the family...Parliament may quite properly give special support to the institution of marriage." And that "special support" (translate "financial advantage") is the sticking point prompting many in homosexual relationships to want to have their "marriages" legalized.

The Parliament of Canada passed on June 8, 1999 a motion, by an overwhelming majority of 218 to 55, that "all necessary steps" be taken by the government to preserve the definition of marriage as "the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others."

What unique contributions do same-sex liaisons make to society that merit their receiving the same support and protection from the state as traditional marriages? Why should they receive state benefits (and again make no mistake, money is what it's all about) any more than two sisters living together or two bachelors?

This is an hour when the stability of families is increasingly under attack due to loose divorce laws and the shameless selfishness of many parents. The harvest is broken marriages, broken homes, poverty, alienated children and juvenile delinquency. We must not further "water down" the institution of marriage by broadening it to include other sexual liaisons.

Restricting the legal term "marriage" to its traditional meaning and use is vital. Why? Because stable nuclear families have been shown in study after study to be superior to all other environments for the nurture of children and the formation of their characters—-and these children are our future citizens.

We must say "no" to the legalization of same-sex "marriages."

Bert Warden is retired Christian and Missionary Alliance churchman living in Abbotsford, B.C.

It pleases me greatly to report that very little is new at ChristianWeek. One year ago our readers were about to receive the first edition of a totally redesigned and reformatted CW, and welcome a bevy of new contributors and columnists, including the first of our regional correspondents. A month later they were introduced to CW Connect, which focuses on youth.

The good news is that these enhancements are working well. Most readers were delighted by our return to a tabloid size, and CW articles continue to generate considerable comment, especially the duo of Charles Moore and Marianne Meed Ward whose columns appear in alternate editions. I doubt if those two can ever agree on anything other than the things that matter most—their love for God who extends salvation to a needy world through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is good news indeed.

We're very happy with the way our six regional correspondents are finding and telling stories about Christian faith and life in Canada. We all gain tremendously by having them on location.

Pleased as we may be with the way things are, CW is a long way from becoming stagnant. This issue marks the debut of two new columnists. Gideon Strauss, a Regent College graduate now doing research and educational work with the Work Research Foundation, will take up where John Longhurst left off writing the Faith@Work column (page 5). John will still patrol the business and media beats for CW.

Every issue of CW contains a spiritual nurture column, something explicitly biblical, devotional or reflective for maturing Christian believers. Barry Whatley, who came to his post at Rocky Mountain College in Calgary after 15 years of pastoring in Montreal, is contributing a six-part series on spiritual growth (page 14). After 17 editions, Robert Alloway's Cameo Roles has reached the end of its run.

Meanwhile, the regular Faith@Work and Faith & Science rotation has now been enlarged to encompass Faith & Law. Former CW columnist Danielle Shaw, a legal advisor with The Salvation Army, returns in our next edition to launch it.

What else has changed? Well, after three years as a monthly supplement, we decided to shelve ChristianWeek Life. Much of the feature material and advertising that appeared there will migrate over to the parent paper. Look for expanded "Focus" sections (such as the missions, relief and development emphasis in this issue).

But wait, there's even more good and important reading ahead. We are already gathering material for a special section highlighting the career and contributions of Canadian theologian Clark Pinnock, who retired earlier this year. We also expect to introduce a "Newsmaker of the Year" tribute to be awarded in December. And yes, we will be running another Christmas writing contest and producing a Christmas supplement to be distributed in thousands of Canadian churches.

There's no way I would trade this September for last. A year ago we had just found a new layout and design artist and I was searching for new editorial staff. Now the team that's come together is really hitting its stride. You can see it here, and look forward to a continuing stream of stories of God and His people throughout Canada.