Trying to Understand Divorce Biblically

When I was a young Christian I was very dogmatic about many issues. I saw them primarily in black or white. As I matured I learned that there are a number of gray areas that don't easily fit into black or white understandings. As I've matured even further I am convinced of two things: there are a lot more gray issues than I initially calculated, and there is a movement in our culture to reconstruct truth, which is always black or white, into palatable shades of gray.

Divorce is one of those issues. Christianity Today has published an article available here that attempts to shed some light on the tricky issue of divorce. While some may immediately jump to the conclusion that it is a capitulation to the culture, others will be just as quick to accept much of our divorce culture in a pragmatic attempt to be biblically relevant.

There are two basic principles of Bible interpretation that most, if not all, scholars agree on. Rule number one is that we must try to determine what the original authors actually said, and the second rule is that there is only one interpretation of scripture although there may be many applications. Scripture cannot be made to say today what it didn't say when it was written. And that is where we find the sticky wicket.

There is 2,000 years of history separating us from the original writers and message. Add to that a foreign language and culture and the difficult task of properly interpreting scripture is easily understood. But that doesn't mean that one has to be a scholar in order to grasp the truth of God. It simply means that we must approach the text with humility saturated with grace.

We must do our necessary homework before we pronounce something as true or untrue. We then live in the light as we understand it with an open heart and mind seeking further illumination. Until then, we can live with a clean conscience. Sloppy interpretation may lead us to live in the bliss of ignorance, but only knowing the truth can keep us free indeed.

I am grieved by the number of divorces that happen whether to Christians or non-Christians. The subsequent brokenness and pain to the persons involved takes years, and often decades, to work through. Add to that the dysfunction that often exists in the lives of children caught up as innocent parties, the poverty that often exists in single-parent families and that alone would make me want to take a strong stance against divorce.

But once the divorce has happened, I am motivated by wanting to bring healing to those same broken people in need of God's grace and mercy. Read the article and share your experience or thoughts. This is a topic that has many sociological as well as theological ramifications.

Yet Another Post on Women in the Pulpit

Talk about a debated issue. There are few issues that can stir it up like the issue of "women in the ministry." Over the years I have spent a lot of time researching the topic. I have some personal convictions on the subject, but I am always intrigued, sometimes befuddled or amused, and always interested in what fellow believers, especially theologians, have to say on the topic.

Some denominations or fellowships have recognized and allowed women to be ordained since their inception. Others have debated the issue to a compromise, while others strongly object to the concept. They all use scripture to justify their conclusions, but obviously they can't all be right . . . or wrong.

Obviously God created men and women with the capacity to minister. How, when and where women minister is what the debate is all about. Women ministry very effectively as child care providers in our churches, choir members, ladies bible study leaders etc. But there is a glass ceiling that has been put over their heads in many churches and fellowships. I've never understood the logic, for example, of groups who don't allow women to pastor or preach, while allowing female missionaries to do so in foreign lands. I also think it is somewhat demeaning to suggest that if you can't find a man to do it, then it is OK for a woman to do so. I believe this delegates a woman's ministry to a second class status.

But I also can't escape that the biblical context is very patriarchal. Male and female roles were much more clearly defined when the Text was written. As society and history have evolved, how do we revisit issues that seem so cut and dried in one generation and oh so gray in the next? For example, when was the last time tattoos were declared a sin? (Leviticus 19:28) They are much more mainstream now and there is even a Christian Tattooing website. But we must always be careful when relegating a biblical topic to "culture" or "the times" just because societal norms have become more accommodating.

I suppose this will be an issue for debate in some circles for some time to come. In the meantime, it's fun reading and mind expanding to see how other brothers and sisters are interpreting the Scriptures and trying to find the best way to integrate their findings in ministry.