Many churches have different theological positions on what constitutes legitimate grounds for divorce. For centuries, some churches have believed that divorce is never biblically permissible. Other churches have believed it is permissible when the other spouse has been sexually involved with a person outside the marriage (Matt. 5:31-32) or when an unbelieving spouse abandons a marriage (1 Cor. 7:12-16). There are many articles and books supporting these positions (see, e.g., Divorce, Censure and Session Responsibility).
In recent years, a growing number of pastors and theologians have concluded that continued use of pornography or ongoing patterns of emotional, spiritual, physical or financial neglect or abuse may also constitute biblically legitimate grounds for divorce. For Example:
- Divorce and Remarriage in the Church: Biblical Solutions for Pastoral Realities (David Instone-Brewer)
- Abuse, Neglect and Pornography as Biblical Grounds for Divorce (Brian Sayers)
- Abuse As Grounds for Divorce? (Jim Newheiser)
- Separating What God Has Joined Together: Divorce and Remarriage (Andreas Kostenberger)
- Grounds for Divorce: Why I Now Believe There Are More than Two (Wayne Grudem)
- A Response to Wayne Grudem’s Paper on a Third Reason for Divorce (Greg Gifford)
RW360 serves churches across the theological spectrum and therefore respects the right and responsibility of every church to thoughtfully and prayerfully establish its official position on these issues. We offer these articles for churches that want to study these important matters more deeply, and we would welcome suggestions on other articles that may provide additional helpful insights on these issues.