JAN. 31 - Does God really expect every marriage to hold together?

Les & Leslie Parrott offer some great resources for married couples - CLICK HERE.

"A Weekend to Remember" comes recommended as a great weekend experiences for couples who want to strengthen their communication skills - CLICK HERE.

"Marriage Encounter" and "Engaged Encounter" are also weekend experiences for couples who desire to strengthen their relationship - CLICK HERE.

Click HERE for an interesting article by Michael Gorman on how Christian views on divorce and remarriage have been stated across the years.

A good site for teens and other singles: "How Not to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk!"


Here are the statements of The United Methodist Church (2008 Social Principles) about marriage, divorce, and single adult life:


We affirm the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman. We believe that God’s blessing rests upon such marriage, whether or not there are children of the union. We reject social norms that assume different standards for women than for men in marriage. We support laws in civil society that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

God’s plan is for lifelong, faithful marriage. The church must be on the forefront of premarital, marital, and post-marital counseling in order to create and preserve strong marriages. However, when a married couple is estranged beyond reconciliation, even after thoughtful consideration and counsel, divorce is a regrettable alternative in the midst of brokenness. We grieve over the devastating emotional, spiritual, and economic consequences of divorce for all involved, understanding that women and especially children are disproportionately impacted by such burdens. As the church we are concerned about high divorce rates. It is recommended that methods of mediation be used to minimize the adversarial nature and faultfinding that are often part of our current judicial processes.

Although divorce publicly declares that a marriage no longer exists, other covenantal relationships resulting from the marriage remain, such as the nurture and support of children and extended family ties. We urge respectful negotiations in deciding the custody of minor children and support the consideration of either or both parents for this responsibility in that custody not be reduced to financial support, control, or manipulation and retaliation. The welfare of each child is the most important consideration.

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.

We affirm the integrity of single persons, and we reject all social practices that discriminate or social attitudes that are prejudicial against persons because they are single. This also includes single parents, and we recognize the extra responsibilities involved.

We affirm that sexuality is God’s good gift to all persons. We call everyone to responsible stewardship of this sacred gift. Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.


Here is an interesting article by the late Ray Stedman which goes into much more detail about the biblical teaching on marriage and divorce, and how it can be that God both "hates" divorce and "permits" divorce:

"Answers on Divorce," by Ray Stedman