Pastors, let us strike “divorce” from our list of social ills and vices!
Before going through a divorce myself, I probably never would have understood the importance of this simple move. I was not sensitized to the subtle shaming messages such inclusion sends.
What I have noticed is how pastors and other Christian leaders will more frequently cite divorce than adultery in a list of social ills.
I fail to come up with ANY vice list from the New Testament that does the same. Think about it!
Jesus did not list divorce in the same breath as a long list of sins. Why are we?!
What I find especially egregious about this insensitivity is how the Bible very clearly and repeatedly condemns adultery, yet adultery rarely makes those society-destroying sin lists dispensed from modern pulpits.
Condemning divorce is like condemning amputation. The focus is in the wrong place and serves to shame the survivors.
Of course, no one in their right mind seeks out an amputation. However, sometimes it is necessary to deal with a serious disease.
Wise medical professionals do not rail against amputation. Rather, they focus their fire on the diseases that lead them to take such drastic measures to save lives.
The same thing out to apply to how spiritual care professionals view divorce:
Let’s stop railing against something that is life-saving for some and focus on the disease like adultery leading to taking such a drastic step.
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*A version of this post ran previously.
