So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. -Job 2:13, KJV Protestantism is big on sin and forgiveness. Emphasis on sin and forgiveness is pervasive through evangelical teaching and preaching. That is good. … Continue reading “Protestantism, Forgiveness, and Failing Adultery Victims”
Category: Grief
Feeding False Hope In “Reconciliation”
Sharing only testimonies of reconciled and restored marriages following adultery… feeds false hope in “reconciliation” for faithful spouses dealing with unrepentant cheaters. Show of hands. How many here thought their marriage was going to “make it” and then you would have a testimony about marriage reconciliation to share with others? I know I did. The … Continue reading “Feeding False Hope In “Reconciliation””
Where are the godly divorced testimonies?
Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. -Matthew 1:19, NIV And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; … Continue reading “Where are the godly divorced testimonies?”
Ruby Slippers
I met with someone down the hall today and discovered that she went through divorce after 29 years of marriage to an emotionally abusive husband. For her healing process she journaled in the form of poems. Though her goal was her own healing and not publication her poems got published in 2008, with the help from … Continue reading “Ruby Slippers”
Cheater-speak: “I’m careful not to bad-mouth you.”
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. -Genesis 3:1a, NKJV “I’m careful not to bad-mouth you to your friends and family,” says the cheater. This is another tactic by the cheater to control the narrative of the marriage and manage their image. They want the … Continue reading “Cheater-speak: “I’m careful not to bad-mouth you.””
Two Common Christian Mistakes
Eliphaz replying to Job– “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.” -Job 4:7-8, NIV As I have blogged for closing on two years regarding infidelity and how Christians respond to faithful spouses, I … Continue reading “Two Common Christian Mistakes”
On Warm Baths and Nice Kitties
This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. -Genesis 8:11, NLT Cheaters are already too central. As faithful spouses, we make them central for several very good reasons: 1) They are central because some of us … Continue reading “On Warm Baths and Nice Kitties”
Forgiving My Ex
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Yesterday’s passage (John 20:21-23) and post has led me to rethink the question of whether or not I have forgiven my ex-wife. When I was going through my ecclesiastical trial to retain my minister’s license, this was one of the questions being asked of me. Namely, they asked me if I had forgiven my … Continue reading “Forgiving My Ex”
Acceptance And Forgiveness
All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him. -Genesis 37:25, NIV Much confusion surrounds the ideas of grief and forgiveness. I maintain that what is a … Continue reading “Acceptance And Forgiveness”
The Insane Church-y Pressure To Appear “Forgiving”
They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. -Jeremiah 6:14, NIV The pressure from Christians to appear forgiving towards adulterous spouses or exes is incredible. This pressure was enshrined in my ecclesiastical trial to retain my minister’s license. They probed around … Continue reading “The Insane Church-y Pressure To Appear “Forgiving””