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Glenn T Stanton Headshot

Glenn T. Stanton

Glenn T. Stanton is the director of Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family. He debates and lectures extensively on the issues of gender, sexuality, marriage and parenting at universities and churches around the world.

Stanton also served the George W. Bush administration for many years as a consultant on increasing fatherhood involvement in the Head Start program.

Stanton is the author of nine books and is senior contributor to the Federalist blog. His latest book is“The Myth of the Dying Church: How Christianity is Actually Thriving in America and the World.” His previous is “Loving My (LGBT) Neighbor: Being Friends in Grace and Truth,” explores how Christians should interact with gay or lesbian neighbors in a Christ-honoring way. He is also the co-writer of “Irreplaceable” a film seen in theatres nationwide, and the co-author and creator of “The Family Project,” a 12-session small group DVD curriculum produced by Focus on the Family.

Stanton earned bachelor’s degree in philosophy, communication arts and religion and a master’s degree in philosophy, history and religion from the University of West Florida.

A young married couple celebrates their wedding. Studies show the best age to marry is between the lower to mid 20s.

What Is The Best Age To Marry?

There is not a great wealth of research on the best age to marry, but there is some good data that can be helpful.

Happy couple laughing.

Why Marriage Matters for Adults

Is marriage an old-fashioned, outmoded institution? Is it merely a piece of paper, having no real impact on our lives?

Man and woman exchanging wedding vows

Should Civil Marriage Matter to Christians?

civil marriage (noun) a marriage performed, solemnized, recorded, and recognized by a government official as a civil contract.

gender confused children

Answering Parents’ Questions on Gender Confusion in Children

To be human is to be gendered — male or female. And one of the most important jobs of a parent is to help their children develop as healthy boys or girls and into strong, confident men and women.

Gender identity issues. Boy looking into a mirror and seeing himself as a girl.

Understanding the Myths of Gender Identity and Transgenderism

Male and female are not what we feel we are, but what we actually are. Help your kids sort the truth from fiction regarding transgenderism because transgenderism doesn’t physically exist.

Smiling white man playfully slinging a smiling black boy over his shoulder, with sunlit forest in background

What Fathers Do For Sons

When fathers take the time to build relationships with their sons, they help them develop their identity, confidence and perseverance

A statue of Jesus as we think about Christianity and Abortion

The History of Christianity and Abortion

Christianity is blessed with extremely strong and clear teaching on abortion found in ancient texts from the earliest church fathers.

Them Before Us – The Fight for Children’s Rights

Children have the right to be loved by his or her own married biological or adoptive mother and father. But the trends of divorce, artificial reproductive technology/surrogacy, and same-sex marriage and parenting intentionally robs every child they touch of the daily love from a mother AND father. We might not like this truth but the reality is that it is them before us

The Boy Crisis

Dr. Bradley captures the reason for this boy crisis bluntly, “Men and boys are lost!” He adds, “They don’t know why the country needs them. They don’t know why they are here.” The male problem today is a crisis of hopelessness. They lack a sense of purpose.

Photo of a cross on a hill, backlit by the sun.

For Pastors, Easter is the Best Good News

The victorious God of Easter morning can relate all too well to whatever anguish you might be suffering on your own Holy Thursday and Good Friday—as a pastor, the weight of your vocation, and the unknown trials of your congregation.

a newly married couple gazes on a pond at sunset

Does Marriage Help You Live Longer?

Married individuals … experience less stress and emotional pathology than their unmarried counterparts.

What Research Says About Couples Who Pray Together

Why is a couple’s prayer life such a strong aspect of marital happiness? Three types of prayers happen in different instances and have unique marriage-enhancing effects.

christian views on homosexuality

10 Things Everyone Should Know About a Christian View of Homosexuality

Why traditional Christians believe as they do regarding gender, sexuality, marriage, and the family.

man in a field

The Universal Qualities of a Man

Manhood is not so much about anatomy and age as it is a particular set of character qualities.

man helping a woman

Gentlemen Never Apologize for Being Gentlemen

A woman offended by a man’s genuine kindness doesn’t deserve an apology.

Nurturing a Healthy Gender Identity in Your Child (Part 2 of 2)

Family formation expert Glenn Stanton offers insight and advice from his book Secure Daughters, Confident Sons: How Parents Guide Their Children Into Authentic Masculinity and Femininity. (Part 2 of 2)

Nurturing a Healthy Gender Identity in Your Child (Part 1 of 2)

Family formation expert Glenn Stanton offers insight and advice from his book Secure Daughters, Confident Sons: How Parents Guide Their Children Into Authentic Masculinity and Femininity. (Part 1 of 2)

Does Living Together Build a Stronger Marriage?

Many people mistakenly believe that living together is an effective way to test a potential marriage. But is cohabitation really a smart move for couples interested in a healthy, lasting marriage?

Manhood Is Not the Problem: Teach Your Sons to Be Men

Teaching our boys to be men is not dangerous, and we fathers should not shrink from this essential task.

Couple holding hands and praying together

Does Your Faith Reduce Your Risk of Divorce?

Authoritative research conducted at leading universities presents the case that religious service attendance makes a strong positive contribution to marriages, including a resistance to divorce.

Manly Man

The Unique Matter of Manhood

Manhood is in crisis today. The increasingly accurate term “perpetual adolescence” is not a reference to girls failing to grow up.

Man smiling

Why Manhood Doesn’t Happen Naturally

What is it about manhood that requires intentionality in turning boys into men?

Man

Why Does Manhood Matter?

Knowing why manhood is essential and what it does.

Is There a Universal Male and Female Nature?

Why is the human male and female nature constant across time and cultures?

Are Young People Leaving the Church in Droves?

It has become an oft-repeated truism that young people are leaving both the faith and Church in very disturbing numbers. The truth, however, is a much more encouraging story.

Is Biblical Christianity on the Decline?

The Recent Pew Report Offers Surprising Good News.

Family Formation and Poverty

It has been well-established for decades that there exists a dramatic connection between thriving, intact families and financial well-being for women and children. Here is a summary overview of the major academic contributions to this field of inquiry over the last few decades and their various findings.

Man

Why Womanhood Doesn’t Demand Proof and Manhood Does

One of the very interesting, and underappreciated, things about the differences in the human male and female nature is that femininity doesn’t need to prove itself. Manhood does.

The Divine in the Daily Grind

Here’s why God cares about your family.

The Best Way a Son Learns to Be a Man

Most boys enter healthy manhood with the help of a “point man” — someone who leads the way and offers support through the trials of life.

effects of marriage on health and happiness shown by couple holding hands

Hidden Health Benefits of Marriage

Regardless of culture or socio-economic status, research shows overall positive effects of marriage on a couple’s health and wealth.

CDC: Virginal High School Students Exhibit Greater Overall Health Behaviors

A new report from the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) examines a large and diverse array of health behaviors of high school students classified by their sexual activity. There are two major conclusions from the report.

CDC: LGB Teens Have Extremely High Rates of Unhealthy Behaviors

While the Centers for Disease Control states that “(LGBTQ) youth are happy and thrive during their adolescent years,” their own data from tells a different story.

Seven Billion and Counting: How Many is Too Many?

How should we feel about our world population at 7 billion?

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What is the Actual Divorce Rate?

A Brief Explanation.

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Cohabitation: Why Traditional Marriage Matters

Glenn Stanton, Focus on the Family’s Director of Family Formation Studies, discusses the benefits of marriage and describes the negative consequences of couples living together before getting married – not only for couples who engage in that practice and their children, but society as a whole.

Divorce

Marriages formed today have about a 41 to 43 percent chance of ending in divorce.

Two young boys running in a park on a sunny Summer day

Are Kids Raised in Same-sex Homes Just Like Kids Raised by Mom and Dad?

Strong and reliable research show this widely reported “fact” is far from it.

Kids in rain boots standing together

Does New Research Prove Kids do Better with Two Moms?

A new study from Australia claims to say kids do better with same-sex parents. Is it true?

Theology of Marriage and Family

An Annotated Bibliography.

Three young woman having fun, standing up through an open roof of a small car in front of Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris

A Feminist Institution

What empowers women more than anything else? You might be surprised.

Profile shot of a mother holding her infant close to her face against the backdrop of trees and a sunrise

Unmarried Birthrates Decline – First Time Since 1940

Out-of-wedlock births have taken a marked and sustained decline of late.

Millennials hanging out at cafe

Millennial Faith Participation and Retention

Many are quite pessimistic that today’s parents will be able to pass on lasting faith to their children.

Kids in rain boots standing together

How Fertility Drives the Health of Nations

The sustainability of humankind’s oldest institution, the family & the fount of fertility, nurturance, and human capital & is now an open question.

Same-Sex Parenting, Child Sexual Orientation and Sexual Experiences

A central question regarding same-sex parenting is how it might impact the sexual orientation and identification of children raised in such homes.

Examining the US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study

A serious topic like is drastically deserving of more careful, less partisan research.

The Upside of Nagging

Given the difference in married and single men’s health outcomes, it appears — not surprisingly — that wives are more powerful in changing grown men’s behavior than even their own mothers.

The Health Benefits of Marriage

Many studies have shown that married adults have a greater likelihood of living longer than their unmarried counterparts.

Key Findings of Mark Regnerus’ New Family Structure Study

Compared with off-spring from married, intact mother/father homes, children raised in same-sex homes are markedly more likely to…

Premarital Sex and Greater Risk of Divorce

Are there practical consequences of pre-marital sex for future marital happiness?

Divorce Rate in the Church – As High as the World?

Couples who regularly practice any combination of serious religious behaviors and attitudes enjoy significantly lower divorce rates.

New Research On Same-Sex Parenting

USA Today: Same-sex couples can be effective parents, researchers find.

Leading Factors Leading To Lasting Faith!

What helps ensure our children carry their faith into adulthood?

Generational Values and Desires

For Focus on the Family, Millennials are the present generation moving (or not) into family life.

little girl with paper family in hands.

Are The Kids Really All Right?

An overview of current research on mom/dad families as compared to same-sex homes.

The Pill: Did It Cause The Sexual Revolution?

Does a woman really become strong and liberated by submitting herself to the rules of the male sexual market?

Marriage as a Feminist Institution

Students of the family must consider and appreciate how marriage operates as a formative institution.

Is Marriage Dying?

Pew Study: Nearly 40% say marriage is becoming obsolete.

Couple standing on the beach at sunset

A Tale of Two Wives on Divorce and Spousal Infidelity

Infidelity is not growing among marriages like one might be led to believe from the proliferation of such high-profile cases.

Black and white of a father's hand holding his young son's hand, shown from behind

Are Men Necessary?

An analysis of three new articles on the status on men in society today.

Shown from behind, a couple sitting with their two young kids outside; all are wearing denim jackets

Healthy Families: A Community’s Most Effective Social Justice Agent

Family is the first institution God gave humanity. No surprise then that it is the best mechanism for improving human thriving and the establishment of justice.

American flag in front of government building

American Beliefs That Weaken Marriage

What is the health of marriage in America today?

Young adults having a picnic in the park

Young Adults Consistently Express Marriage and Family as Important Life Goal

How is marriage faring in terms of young people’s attitudes and life dreams?

Young woman standing outside, her face hidden by her hair

Unmarried Women Boost Record ’07 U.S. Birthrate

There was a great flurry of news last week about an increase for the second consecutive year in teen births.

God’s Design for Sex

Sex is one of the biggest somethings of all time in more fabulous ways than most people appreciate.

dad and son riding amusement park ride together

The Involved Father

Fathers are just as essential to healthy child development as mothers. Psychology Today explained, “Fatherhood turns out to be a complex and unique phenomenon with huge consequences for the emotional and intellectual growth of children.””Shuttle Diplom …

happy-couple

Sex as a Picture of the Inner Life of God

God creates man and woman as reflections of the image of the Trinity.

A couple is holding hands and wearing flannel shirts on a fall day.

The Glorious Story of Sexuality

Christians have a far more beautiful story to tell about the glorious nature of human sexuality than most imagine.

How We Dishonor God in Our Sex Lives

We dishonor God when we fail to mirror the Trinitarian reality and beauty in our relationships.

Sex: Where It All Starts

Sex: Where It All Starts

Sex is one of the biggest somethings of all time in more fabulous ways than most people appreciate.