Author: Grudem, Wayne
Genre: Christian Living
Tags: Christian Living / Cross / Discipleship, Parenting / Family
Series:
Rick Shrader‘s Review:
In this small book (about 100 pages, published in 2021) Wayne Grudem gives a lot of up-to-date information on the problems, various views, and New Testament teaching on divorce. In the rather lengthy introduction he includes helpful current statistics on the causes and effects of divorce within the family. Especially helpful here is the effect divorce has on children and other family members even years after the divorce. Grudem takes the common position that there are two biblical grounds for divorce. He writes, “The position that I have briefly summarized here—that both divorce and remarriage are allowed when a person’s spouse has committed adultery or has irreparably deserted the marriage—is the most common position that has been held among Protestants since the Reformation. This is the position set forth, for example, in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646).” Grudem does take space to refute the position that porneia (fornication) only applies to the betrothal period (and explains why William Heth gave up on this view). Also, Grudem explores what can be done when an innocent party is left divorced. How is he or she “under no bondage” (doulos, slavery) in such cases? Here he believes this phrase leaves open the possibility for other closely related reasons for remarriage that are similar to dissertion. This is one of the main reasons for this short book. Good and helpful read whether one agrees with everything or not.