Over the past few weeks I’ve been contemplating Divorce and the Christian’s response to it. Between people I know, other church members and public figures there seems to be a constant flow of broken marriage vows and divorce.

• Temporary Inconvenience – Sorta like a hangnail that is bothersome but once removed heals quickly.

• Painful Problem – Like a tooth ache that needs to be dealt with but will soon be forgotten.

• Serious Problem – Similar to having to have your wisdom teeth out, very painful with risk of serious complications. The kind of thing you never forget and don’t wish on anyone, but sometimes it just must be done.

• Major Problem – Similar to having your gall bladder or appendix removed. May have to modify your daily diet, noticeable scar, potential of over growth of scar tissue and complications.

• Life Changing Major Problem – Similar to having a limb amputated. Will remember the problem every day of your life and have to significantly adjust the lifestyle in order to survive. Never for a moment forget about the missing limb even though an artificial limb may fill in some of the gaps.

• Life Altering Continuous Problem – Similar to Dialysis which will require sitting in the lab three days a week for the rest of your life. Your life is ruled by lab work and tests and even going out of town is near impossible due to the need for life sustaining treatment.

• Life Support – The problems are so serious that life is reduced to lying in a bed with tubes and machines to keep life going. No chance of recovery or improvement just a continuous spiral down until the machinery can no longer sustain the life.

• Temporary Inconvenience – The church as a whole may not ever realize a member has divorced, especially if the spouse was not an attending member.

• Painful Problem – The church expresses sorrow for the pain and offers to help. But soon the issue is swept aside by other issues.

• Serious Problem – The church is sorrowful and offers alternatives, but agrees that the divorce maybe necessary. A sudden response is given for prayer and counsel but the divorcing are left to choose what is best for them.

• Major Problem – The church offers prayers, counseling and points out that there will possibly be repercussions to deciding to divorce. A few will offer alternatives (alternative medicine) to the divorce such as extended counseling, refocusing, a lifestyle change or other such ideas. But most would agree that major surgery is probably necessary.

• Life Changing Major Problem – The church takes divorce very seriously and discourages it but with the understanding that there a just a few instances that divorce may be acceptable. But even if the divorce falls under an acceptable category they understand that life is forever altered and will always have some painful reminders. Divorce does not affect for a short time frame but its effects can last a lifetime.

• Life Altering Continuous Problem – This is the church that takes divorce so seriously that they will throw everything at it trying to avoid it. This church sees only a couple of reasons for divorce and all others are unacceptable reasons. They think nothing of giving serious amounts of prayer and counseling. The divorcees are also warned that a divorce will forever affect their life and their witness in the church. The repercussions of divorcing will be serious. Lack of being able to remarry, loss of leadership positions, or inability to pastor a church if divorcing on unbiblical grounds are warned against. Salvation is questioned when one chooses to willfully sin and seek an unbiblical divorce.

• Life Support – This is the church that says divorce is never acceptable. A divorced member is shunned and / or removed from the church. They feel that there are no biblical reasons for divorce and that once married you are bound to that partner for life. This is the type church that will encourage those in a second marriage to divorce and remarry their first spouse. Divorcees become second class citizens.