CalvinandHodges
Puritan Board Junior
Hi:
In one of my previous classes we were given the problem below and asked to answer some questions about it. (I am putting this under General Discussions rather than Pastoral because it is purely theoretical.) I would like to know how you would react to this scenario?
Here it is:
This case begins with a couple who starts their marriage as unbelievers. The wife is reached through your evangelization. She makes a public profession of faith and is baptized. The husband remains an unbeliever. The situation develops that he is neglecting his sexual duty as a husband, and their marriage takes on related problems. In desperation the wife seeks pastoral counseling. The husband refuses to come to the counseling sessions. The wife extends efforts to reconcile the difficulties, but finds no reconciliation. Lonely and frustrated, she again seeks the counsel of you, her pastor, asking for adivorce on grounds of unfaithfulness (i.e., neglecting sexual duty). She is denied grounds for divorce. Furthermore, her husband agrees and desires to remain with her.
Taking matters into her own hands, she disobeys the counsel of the church and secures a divorce. Immediately the church takes action by applying church discipline. Weeks pass and the results of the church discipline finds fruition. She finally acknowledges her error. Confesses her sins and asks for forgiveness. Time has healed her pain. She reconciles her differences with her husband and now desires to remarry him. The husband is compliant, but remains an unbeliever.
Questions:
1) Was the initial ground for divorce justifiable? Why or why not?
2) What is involved in church discipline?
3) Should she now be allowed to re-marry the same man? Why or why not?
4) What would your counsel be regarding remarriage to the same man?
5) What would be your counsel to her regarding marriage to any man? If she wanted to marry someone in the Church should she be allowed to do so?
Looking forward to some interesting answers.
-CH
In one of my previous classes we were given the problem below and asked to answer some questions about it. (I am putting this under General Discussions rather than Pastoral because it is purely theoretical.) I would like to know how you would react to this scenario?
Here it is:
This case begins with a couple who starts their marriage as unbelievers. The wife is reached through your evangelization. She makes a public profession of faith and is baptized. The husband remains an unbeliever. The situation develops that he is neglecting his sexual duty as a husband, and their marriage takes on related problems. In desperation the wife seeks pastoral counseling. The husband refuses to come to the counseling sessions. The wife extends efforts to reconcile the difficulties, but finds no reconciliation. Lonely and frustrated, she again seeks the counsel of you, her pastor, asking for adivorce on grounds of unfaithfulness (i.e., neglecting sexual duty). She is denied grounds for divorce. Furthermore, her husband agrees and desires to remain with her.
Taking matters into her own hands, she disobeys the counsel of the church and secures a divorce. Immediately the church takes action by applying church discipline. Weeks pass and the results of the church discipline finds fruition. She finally acknowledges her error. Confesses her sins and asks for forgiveness. Time has healed her pain. She reconciles her differences with her husband and now desires to remarry him. The husband is compliant, but remains an unbeliever.
Questions:
1) Was the initial ground for divorce justifiable? Why or why not?
2) What is involved in church discipline?
3) Should she now be allowed to re-marry the same man? Why or why not?
4) What would your counsel be regarding remarriage to the same man?
5) What would be your counsel to her regarding marriage to any man? If she wanted to marry someone in the Church should she be allowed to do so?
Looking forward to some interesting answers.
-CH