Remarriage after Divorce in Today's Church : 3 Views

by Mark L. Strauss, General Editor; Paul E. Engle, Series Editor

• ISBN13: 9780310255536
• ISBN10: 0310255538
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-01
• Publisher: Harpercollins Christian Pub

Summary

A biblical and practical case for three main evangelical views on remarriage after divorce Among born-again Christians, 27 percent have experienced divorce as compared to 24 percent in the general population. Yet no consensus exists among evangelicals on their views of remarriage, leaving many Christians confused. This single volume summarizes and explores three main evangelical views: no remarriage, remarriage after adultery or desertion, and remarriage for a variety of reasons. Each of the three contributors offers his point of view succinctly with biblical support, and each interacts with the others to help readers come to their own conclusions. Contributors include: Gordon J. Wenham - No remarriage after divorce William A. Heth - Remarriage (two grounds) Craig S. Keener - Remarriage (variety of reasons)

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	7	(4)
Introduction: Are Cindy and Bob in Your Church?	11	(8)
Mark L. Strauss
No Remarriage After Divorce	19	(40)
Gordon J. Wenham
Responses
William A. Heth	43	(6)
Craig S. Keener	49	(10)
Remarriage for Adultery or Desertion	59	(44)
William A. Heth
Responses
Gordon J. Wenham	85	(6)
Craig S. Keener	91	(12)
Remarriage for Circumstances Beyond Adultery or Desertion	103	(34)
Craig S. Keener
Responses
Gordon J. Wenham	121	(6)
William A. Heth	127	(10)
Conclusion: Three Key Questions for You to Answer	137	(6)
Mark L. Strauss
Resources for Further Study	143	(2)
About the Contributors	145	(2)
Discussion and Reflection Questions	147	(4)
Scripture Index	151	(6)
Subject Index	157

Excerpts

Remarriage after Divorce in Today’s Church
Copyright © 2006 by Mark L. Strauss, Gordon J. Wenham, William A. Heth,
and Craig S. Keener
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wenham, Gordon J.
Remarriage after divorce in today’s church : 3 views / Gordon J. Wenham,
William A. Heth, Craig S. Keener ; Mark L. Strauss, general editor.
p. cm. — (Counterpoints)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-25553-6
ISBN-10: 0-310-25553-8
1. Remarriage — Religious aspects — Christianity. I. Heth, William A.
II. Keener, Craig S., 1960 – III. Strauss, Mark L. IV. Title. V. Counterpoints
(Grand Rapids, Mich.).
BV838.W46 2006
241'.63 — dc22
2005034268
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible,
New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version. Copyright © 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International
Version®. TNIV®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version
of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian
Education of the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used
by permission. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without
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Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 09 10 11 12 • 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Abbreviations 7
Introduction: Are Cindy and Bob in Your Church? 11
Mark L. Strauss
1. No Remarriage after Divorce 19
Gordon J. Wenham
Responses
Wiliam A. Heth 43
Craig S. Keener 49
2. Remarriage for Adultery or Desertion 59
Wiliam A. Heth
Responses
Gordon J. Wenham 85
Craig S. Keener 91
3. Remarriage for Circumstances
beyond Adultery or Desertion 103
Craig S. Keener
Responses
Gordon J. Wenham 121
Wiliam A. Heth 127
Conclusion: Three Key Questions for You to Answer 137
Mark L. Strauss
Resources for Further Study 143
About the Contributors 145
Discussion and Reflection Questions 147
Scripture Index 151
Subject Index 157
Chapter One
No Remarr iage after Divorc e
19
No Remarr iage after Divorc e
Gordon J. Wenham
The issue of remarriage after divorce painfully divides
evangelical Christians.
Perhaps you have seen tension over this
issue in your own family or church or among your friends. I
hope to shed light on what I believe Scripture teaches about
this sensitive issue. My goal is that you will become biblically
informed and feel better equipped to discuss the issue. But
before I set out the reasons why I think divorced Christians
should not remarry, I want to set out some points about marriage
with which I believe my coauthors agree. Perhaps you
will agree as well.
Points of Agreement about Marriage
First, the Bible advocates lifelong, monogamous heterosexual
marriage as best for human welfare. Jesus points to two passages
in Genesis as foundational for his view of marriage (Mark
10:6 – 7; Matt. 19:4 – 5). The first is Genesis 1:27 – 28, which tells
of God’s creation of man and woman in his image. Their union
is blessed by God as a means of perpetuating the human race for
the benefit of creation. They are told to “be fruitful and increase
in number.” The second passage Jesus cites, Genesis 2:24, is even
more explicit about biblical ideals for marriage. Adam’s loneliness
could not be satisfied by the creation of the animals or by
the creation of other men, but by just one woman. Adam’s joy
at Eve’s creation shows that monogamous heterosexual partnership
offers the most satisfying sort of human relationship. It
20 | Remarriage after Divorce in Today’s Church
is noteworthy, too, that Eve is created out of Adam’s rib. She is
formed from him, which indicates the intimate bond between
them — and between every married couple.
This is summed up
in Jesus’ quotation of Genesis 2:24 in Matthew 19:5: “For this
reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to
his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
The Hebrew term here translated “be united,” which may
also be rendered “stick,” suggests a bond that cannot easily be
broken. Indeed, the statement that they become “one flesh” is a
description of the relationship between close relatives (cf. Gen
29:14), which endures whatever changes occur to the related
individuals.
The second point of agreement with my colleagues is that
marriage is an image of the relationship between God and
Israel, and in the New Testament it’s an image of Christ and
the church. Traditionally, Song of Songs, which on the surface is
all about human love, has been understood as an image of God
and his bride, Israel, or the church. The prophets identify the
infidelity of Israel as adultery against God (cf. Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Hosea). The apostle Paul is most explicit: “Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for
her. . . . ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’
This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and
the church” (Eph. 5:25, 31 – 32).
The third point of agreement is the understanding that
divorce is a failure due to sin. As Jesus put it, “Moses permitted
you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But
it was not this way from the beginning” (Matt. 19:8). Though
all of us are sinners, and this fact will have an obvious impact
on the marriage relationship, to agree that divorce is caused by
sin is not to say that, when it occurs, both parties are equally
to blame. Some divorced people
are more innocent than others.
But when divorce occurs, it demonstrates a breakdown in
relationships, which is at odds with the gospel message of forgiveness
and reconciliation. God loves us even though we are
sinners (Rom. 5:8), so his people
should love each other despite
the experience and reality of sin.
The fourth point of agreement is the awareness that the
present situation is catastrophic. The present anarchy in sexual
No Remarriage after Divorce | 21

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