Extra! Extra! Want a better chance at a lasting marriage? Become an Evangelical. According to a new study by The Barna Group, evangelicals are less likely than the overall population to divorce, although one out of every four evangelicals who are or have been married nevertheless have gone through at least one divorce. Compared to about one out of two for the general U.S. population.

The survey was based on a sample of 5,017 adults conducted over a year, from January 2007 through January 2008. Of this sample, 3,792 adults were or had been married.

Christian researcher George Barna said Americans have grown accustomed to divorce and added,"There no longer seems to be much of a stigma attached to divorce; it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage." And indeed it does.

Barna goes on to suggest that one reason for the shockingly high divorce rate in America is co-habitation. He says that although government statistics have shown that co-habitation increases the likelihood of divorce, it is still growing in popularity.

Why? Barna suggests that America has become an "experimental, experience-driven culture" and rather than learning from the objective and teaching based information, people prefer to follow their instincts and let the chips fall where they may. Personally, I couldn't agree more.

So, what do you have to do to be considered an evangelical by Barna researchers? Click here to read about that, and more.

The rate of divorce among those in the armed forces held steady last year at 3.3 percent, which is leaving some wondering whether the figure — which was reported by the Pentagon — is an accurate one.

Consider for a moment the amount of stress that having a spouse in the military, on active duty, can put on a marriage, especially if there are children involved, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if at least half of them divorced. So, why aren't they?

One Army spokesman, Paul Boyce, credits the military's "strong programs ... and a sense of real teamwork among the families," for the fairly low divorce rate.

For example, the Marines have offered workshops to teach couples to manage conflict, solve problems, and communicate better, and the Navy started a similar program.

The Army has started paying for what it calls its "Family Covenant," a broad initiative of services and facilities to improve the quality of life for military families nationwide and overseas. It includes improving health care, schools, housing, and child care to relieve stress on spouses.

Army chaplains have trained some 60,000 active duty and reservists in the "Strong Bonds" program for strengthening personal relationships. Troops also get mental-health training in a program called "Battlemind" that teaches about common problems to expect at home as troops readjust to domestic life.

Still, the numbers tracked do not speak of marriages that are in trouble or falling apart, just those that have ended. In 2006 troops were given a mental health survey, 20 percent of those questioned said that they or their spouse were planning a divorce, compared with 15 percent in 2005.

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