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Clergy divorce and remarriage

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Abstract

The incidence of clergy divorce and remarriage requires a rethinking of the church's position when the divine intent for marriage is not fulfilled. A ministry to clergy couples and families marked by truth and grace can lead to a restoration of persons and an effecting of constructive ministries for clergy who have themselves been restored.

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References

  1. Emil Brunner,The Divine Imperative (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1947), pp. 340–342.

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  2. Ibid., p. 341.

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  3. Such writings from sacred and secular perspectives are available. I mention only representative works because of limited space: Myrna and Robert Kysar,The Asundered: Biblical Teachings on Divorce and Remarriage (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1978), pp. 9–15 and Robert S. Weiss,Marital Separation (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1975), pp. 3–35 andGoing It Alone: The Family Life and Social Situation of the Single Parent (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1979), pp. 3–13.

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  4. Problems related to over-emphasizing perfection in clergy are evidenced in such writings as James G. Emerson, Jr.,Divorce, The Church, and Remarriage (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1961), pp. 11–32 and David and Vera Mace,What's Happening to Clergy Marriages? (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1980), pp. 37–45.

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  5. Mace, p. 25.

  6. Katherine L. Ruark,Clergy Divorce and Subsequent Career Mobility. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Florida State University, 1977.

  7. The Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, (Richmond: John Knox Press, 1960 — Tenth Printing), p. 140.

  8. Ibid., p. 141.

  9. The following representative references have been helpful:Minutes of the 118th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, Office of General Assembly, Atlanta, Georgia, pp. 367–376; Elizabeth Achtemeier,The Committed Marriage (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976); Emil Brunner,The Divine Imperative; and William B. Oglesby, Jr., “Divorce and Remarriage in Christian Perspective,”Pastoral Psychology, 25, No. 4 (Summer 1977): 282–293.

  10. The Confession of Faith, p. 145.

  11. Ibid., pp. 145–146.

  12. Ibid., p. 146.

  13. Ruark,Clergy Divorce.

  14. The Confession of Faith, p. 146: “The remarriage of divorced persons may be sanctioned by the church, in keeping with the redemptive gospel of Christ, when sufficient penitence for sin and failure is evident, and a firm purpose of and endeavor after Christian marriage is manifested.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey

    Sandra Read Brown Ph.D.

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  1. Sandra Read Brown Ph.D.
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Dr. Brown is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary, CN 821, Princeton, New Jersey 08540. She is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Theological and Social Concerns Committee of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.

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Brown, S.R. Clergy divorce and remarriage. Pastoral Psychol 30, 187–197 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01151724

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01151724

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