DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE:

STATEMENTS BY CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS

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We have attempted to obtain statements on divorce and remarriage from each of the faith groups in America who claim in excess of two million members.

African Methodist Episcopal Church:

The internal search engine of their Internet site is not functioning; it is impossible to search for any church statement on divorce. They do not appear to have an Email address for their Webmaster, so we cannot inform them of the problem. We will try again in the future.

Assemblies of God:

Their document "Assemblies of God beliefs: Divorce and Remarriage," states in part: "...divorce is treachery (deceitful unfaithfulness) against your companion...Jesus forbade divorce as contrary to God's will and word...Paul forbade a Christian couple getting a divorce...Jesus permitted a Christian to initiate a divorce when fornication was involved...Jesus in His basic teaching forbade the remarriage of divorced persons...[Church] membership is open to all born-again believers...The offices of elder and deacon are not open to those who are remarried...We positively disapprove of Christians getting divorces for any cause except fornication and adultery." ₁

Church of England:

Since the 17^th century, the Church has refused to remarry individuals unless their previous spouses had died. This position is not without irony, when one considers that a main reason why the church broke away from the Roman Catholic church was to enable King Henry VIII to obtain a divorce from his first wife, Katherine of Aragon in order to remarry. In 1981, the General Synod softened the rules regarding remarriage somewhat.

In late 1999, the church's House of Bishops, proposed new laws concerning remarriage. "...divorced persons may remarry if they meet at least twice with their parish clergy, who must seek the advice of the bishop; if each person has looked honestly at his or her first marriage, fully disclosing to the prospective partner the background that led to the divorce; if the children and spouse from the previous marriage are provided for; if the couple's new relationship was not responsible for the end of the previous marriage; and if neither the bride nor the groom has been divorced more than once." ₂ The revisions may be in place sometime in 2002.

Church of God in Christ, Inc.

Their Internet site has so many bugs that it is impossible to search for any church statement on divorce. They do not appear to have an Email address for their Webmaster, so we cannot inform them of the problem. We will try again in the future.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a. The Mormons & LDS):

The church magazine Ensign maintains a "I have a question" section which is set up so that members can ask theological questions. One dealt with divorce. After reviewing Matthew 19, and Mark 10, Jonathan M. Chamberlain, (a family therapist, and a first counselor at Orem Utah Lakeview Stake) commented: "In these texts dealing with divorce, the sincere reader can discern the Savior’s gentle flexibility and acceptance of divorce when it is clearly necessary. The reader can also see the Lord’s recognition of persons whose current societal circumstances are different from the celestial standard." ₃

Chamberlain quoted Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "Divorce is not part of the gospel plan no matter what kind of marriage is involved. But because men [and women] in practice do not always live in harmony with gospel standards, the Lord permits divorce [as in Moses’ time] for one reason or another, depending upon the spiritual stability of the people involved...In this day divorces are permitted in accordance with civil statutes, and the divorced persons are permitted by the Church to marry again without the stain of immorality which under a higher system would attend such a course." ₄

Chamberlain continues: "Unfortunately, our societies are less than ideal. Some persons do live in unbearably difficult marital circumstances, suffering as victims of spouse abuse, substance abuse, promiscuity, and other evils that are sometimes addressed through divorce as a last resort. In such cases, the Lord in his mercy 'permits his agents to exercise the power to loose [to authorize divorce] as well as the power to bind.' " ₅

Chamberlain quotes LDS President David O. McKay who stated, "In the light of scripture, ancient and modern, we are justified in concluding that Christ’s ideal pertaining to marriage is the unbroken home, and conditions that cause divorce are violations of his divine teachings. … There may be circumstances which make the continuance of the marriage state a greater evil than divorce. But these are extreme cases—they are the mistakes, the calamities in the realm of marriage. If we could remove them I would say there never should be a divorce. It is Christ’s ideal that home and marriage should be perpetual—eternal." ₆

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA):

In 1982, a predecessor of the ELCA, The American Lutheran Church, adopted a statement on marriage, divorce and remarriage. ₇  The statement is not binding on the ELCA because it has not been voted upon by a Churchwide Assembly. However, it probably reflects current ELCA opinion reasonably well. Some selected sections:

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:

In an essay titled "Divorces," the Archdiocese states that: "An ecclesiastical divorce may be granted after a civil decree has been given. However, the parish priest must exert every effort to reconcile the couple and avert a divorce. Should the priest fail to bring about reconciliation, he will transmit the petition of the party seeking the ecclesiastical divorce to the Spiritual (Ecclesiastical) Court of the Diocese...The only church ground for divorce is adultery, but through special mercy the church will make exceptions...Members of the Church who have only received a civil divorce and not an ecclesiastical divorce are not permitted to receive Holy Communion or to be sponsors, in weddings, and godparents in baptismal ceremony....Second or third marriages are allowed by the church...A fourth is forbidden." ₈

Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod:

In a Q&A section of their web site, they state that: "The LCMS believes that divorce is contrary to God's original design and intention for marriage. While divorce can be justified Scripturally in certain situations (e.g., adultery or desertion), it is always preferable for couples to forgive and work toward healing and strengthening their marriage. Because no two situations are alike, LCMS pastors deal on a case-by-case basis with members (or potential members) who are wrestling with the issue of (past or present) divorce." ₉

Their "Divorce and Remarriage: An Exegetical Study" in 1987 stated, in part: "A person who divorces his/her spouse for any other cause than sexual unfaithfulness and marries another commits adultery. Anyone who marries a person so discarding his or her spouse commits adultery...When a spouse commits fornication (i.e., is guilty of sexual unfaithfulness), which breaks the unity of the marriage, the offended party who endures such unfaithfulness has the right, though not the command, to obtain a legal divorce and remarry...A spouse who has been willfully and definitively abandoned by his or her partner who refuses to be reconciled and is unwilling to fulfill the obligations of the marriage covenant despite persistent persuasion may seek a legal divorce, which in such a case constitutes a public recognition of a marriage already broken, and remarry....In cases of the remarriage of persons divorced for reasons not Biblically sanctioned, true repentance would presuppose a genuine desire to reconcile with one's estranged spouse....Where the refusal to reconcile and to seek healing is judged to be absent insofar as such a judgment is possible the pastor will be constrained to deny a request for remarriage....There are circumstances, however, where there are reasons to believe that true repentance is indeed present but where reconciliation and restoration of a broken marriage simply are not possible, either because the former spouse has remarried or is unwilling to be reconciled. In such cases, remarriage becomes a possibility." ₁₀

National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.:

They do not seem to have posted any statements on their web site about divorce or remarriage. We have faxed a request, requesting information.

Presbyterian Church (USA):

In 1983, the Presbyterian Church (USA) was founded by the merger of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA) and the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS). This healed a major split in the denomination which occurred at the start of the Civil War. In 1861 the denomination had split on north/south lines over the issue of the preservation and abolition of slavery.

The PCUSA's "Social Witness Policy Compilation 2000, Chapter Eleven: Sexuality and Human Values" contains a section on Marriage and Divorce. It describes how the predecessor denominations to the PCUSA gradually moved away from firm rules for divorce and remarriage. They issued very general statements that recognized the decisions that their members make in their own relationships:

Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

They do not seem to have posted any statements on their web site about divorce or remarriage. We have faxed a request, requesting information.

Roman Catholic Church:

This is the largest Christian denomination in the United States, in Canada, and in the rest of the world. The Roman Catholic Church regards marriage as permanent and indissoluble, except after the death of a spouse. However, they can -- in some circumstances -- issue an annulment. That document, in effect, states that a valid marriage never existed. This allows individuals to remarry in the church. We have written a separate essay on the Church's position on divorce and remarriage.

Southern Baptist Convention (SBC):

This is the largest, and one of the most conservative, Protestant denomination in the United State. They made history in 2001 by becoming the first denomination it the U.S. to have once ordained women to the ministry, and then withdrawn permission for any woman, no matter how qualified, to be ordained.

On June 14th, 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a revised summary of its faith. On the topic of marriage, it says in part:

Their statement on the indissolubility of marriage seems to imply that divorce is not an option for SBC members and that SBC pastors will not remarry divorced individuals. We have FAXed the SBC for a clarification.

The denomination has applauded the creation of covenant marriages in a few states. These are marriages which are more difficult to get into because they require pre-marital counseling and a declaration of intent. They are more difficult to get out of because the state's normal no-fault divorce options no longer apply.

United Methodist Church (2000):

The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church--2000 states in part: "When a married couple is estranged beyond reconciliation, even after thoughtful consideration and counsel, divorce is a regrettable alternative in the midst of brokenness. It is recommended that methods of mediation be used to minimize the adversarial nature and fault-finding that are often part of our current judicial processes....Divorce does not preclude a new marriage. We encourage an intentional commitment of the Church and society to minister compassionately to those in the process of divorce, as well as members of divorced and remarried families, in a community of faith where God's grace is shared by all." ₁₁  Full text

Related essays on this web site:

References:

1. "Assemblies of God beliefs: Divorce and Remarriage," at: http://ag.org/top/beliefs/position_papers/

2. "Church of England studies relaxation of rules on remarriage," 2000-JAN-31, at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/

3. "I have a Question" Ensign, 1993-JAN, at: http://library.lds.org  (Search for "divorce")

4. "Doctrinal New Testament Commentary," 3 vols., Bookcraft, (1973), 1:547

5. Bruce R. McConkie, "Mormon Doctrine," second edition, Bookcraft, (1966), Page 204.

6. David O. McKay, "Treasures of Life," Deseret Book Co., (1965), Page 66.

7. http://www.elca.org/jle/alc/alc.marriage_divorce.html

8. "Divorces," Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, at: http://www.goarch.org/search/query.as Use the search string: Divorce

9. "Q&A: How is divorce viewed in the LCMS?," at: http://www.lcms.org/cic/divorce.html

10. "Divorce and Remarriage - An Exegetical Study: A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod," 1987-NOV. Summary statements at: http://www.lcms.org/ctcr/docs/divrem-2.html#sum

11. "Divorce," The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, at: http://www.umc.org/abouttheumc/

12. "Social Witness Policy Compilation 2000," Presbyterinan Church (USA). Go to http://horeb.pcusa.org/folio/om_isapi.dll. Click the infobase "Social Witness Policy Compilation 2000," and use the search facility at the bottom of the page, with the search term: Divorce

Copyright © 2002, by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2002-APR-19
Latest update: 2002-MAY-2
Author: B.A. Robinson