Family Ties That Bind

Do you remember Family Ties, the wildly popular eighties sitcom which focused on the Keating family?Mom and Dad were former hippies and committed liberals. The three (eventually four) kids grew up before our eyes and son Alex provided much of the comic juxtaposition with his Type-A capitalist commitment. They were a white, middle-class, American Dream family. They weren't perfect, but their flaws were cosmetic -- you just had to love them.

There have been two stories involving Family Ties cast members recently. Mom Elyse -- Meredith Baxter Birney -- has shared that she is in a same-gender relationship after a lifetime of relationships with men. It is a sign of changed times that the announcement didn't create much of a stir, and rightly so.

The other is Alex, Canadian Michael J. Fox, who is now 52, and a leading spokesperson for Parkinson's, the disease which he has lived with for more than twenty years. He has a new family sitcom where he is the dad, living with Parkinson's.

What strikes me is that the template of the happy family we took for granted just thirty years ago has changed both in real life and on TV. Some lament this, including many Christians. Others are relieved that issues of orientation and illness are being addressed openly and honestly, rather than shoved into the background, into doctor's offices and closets.

I want to be in a Christian community which continues to uphold the values of fidelity, commitment and mutual support. I do believe that can happen powerfully in households with a mom and dad with a couple of kids. Hey, I have lived it. But I have also come to realize that God in so many other relationships where what are termed "family values" are demonstrated. Blest Be The Ties That Bind is still a wonderful hymn, but perhaps it has taken on a different meaning.

What do you think about all this?