Christ First Forum

MILWAUKEE - Some prominent Christian leaders are raising concerns over the high rate of divorce among people who identify themselves as Evangelical Christians.
A new study at the University of Washington shows the divorce rate among Evangelicals is 43 percent. That is higher than the national average and it is no better than the rate for non believers.

“Evangelical Christians look a whole lot like the rest of the population in terms of their divorce rates,” said Mark Smith, the author of that study and a political scientist.

The bible has a lot to say when it comes to divorce. So you would think a high divorce rate among Christians would be a big deal in churches, but some leaders say the silence is deafening and harmful.

Prominent Southern Baptist theologian Dr. Albert Mohler recently published an article asking how Evangelicals can take a tough stand on gay marriage when so many of their own marriages are in crisis.

Hot button issues like abortion and gay marriage may grab the headlines, but Mohler argues many more Christians are actually hurt by divorce.

“Evangelical Christians and Christians at large would have a great deal more credibility in speaking to the marriage question, the divorce question, the same sex marriage controversy, or any part of it, if our divorce rates were remarkably lower than that of the greater culture, of the larger world and that is not the case,” Mohler says.

But behind the numbers are real people, real marriages. Lori is a devout Christian who got a divorce after her husband walked out. She struggled with the decision.

"What I needed to do was really pray about 'Lord are you telling me that this is biblically ok,” she says.

Like Lori, the church quietly struggles to explain how Christian divorce is biblically okay while vocally defining gay marriage as biblically wrong.

And Dr. Mohler argues that undermines their credibility.

"It is a scandal that we have allowed other issues to crowd out our concern for divorce and frankly our acceptance of the culture of divorce even among the Christian churches,” he says.

In his research, Smith asked why, if divorce is a more sweeping problem for Christians than high profile issues like gay marriage or abortion, do those issues dominate the Evangelical political agenda.

He concludes it's because that agenda is not based on the overall effect on Christian families, but rather driven by the issues that get voters to the polls.

"Divorce is not one of the ones that will show up on virtually anybody's list when it comes to voting,” Smith explains.

But it is a debate Elmbrook Church Pastor Scott Arbeiter is eager to have.

“We need to speak honestly and openly about those things and avoiding it is not going to help,” he says.

Arbeiter argues that the divorce rate is probably lower among the most devout Christians. His church has several programs to enhance and encourage marriages and counseling for those marriages that are in trouble.

But still, the debate continues. Is this a hidden Christian crisis? Christians argue the point blog after blog

Mohler advocates for changes inside the churches. And couples in pain look to their leaders and their bibles for guidanceas vows crumble.
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