Spiritually, it doesn’t matter one bit if nonbelievers live virtuous lives. My point? Explaining the “virtues of virtuous singlehood and dedicated monogamous heterosexual matrimony” may help people live healthier and happier lives in general, but it misses the more important issue—salvation. Not only that, but nonbelievers are unlikely to be swayed by arguments about virtue that isn’t God-based.
Without God, people act as their own gods, and they’ll do what they think is in their best interests. We can see where that’s leading today. Nonbelievers are weighing the perceived risks and taking their chances, and if God isn’t a part of the equation, we can see that people are choosing sin over virtue.
You’re jumping ahead, condemning concepts too quick by implication.
The virtues are not just in a vacuum. They form living illustrations of the love of God, both in a common grace and a saving grace context. That is how they need to be presented.
Virtue does serve as illustration, and therefore I must disagree that “spiritually it makes no difference.” That is to deny God’s own witness.
But I would certainly agree that we do not STOP there.
Sometimes evangelicals don’t see the big picture.