Opinions

[NaturallyGone]

Hey. My churchs youth and college ministries decided to sit in on our church's annual business meeting. During it, the pastor mentioned that when it came to deacons, he said he had a few (think he said 3) guys in mind. Afterwards, the college ministry met and just sat and talked. One of the youngest members (younger than me by 2 years and just graduated high school last school year) piped up and mentioned that the worship leader of the church was "ineligible" to be appointed a deacon due to him being divorced when he was about our age. Was just wondering: what are your guys's opinions on this matter? (And yes, I've read 1 Corinthians 7, but none of us really know the whole story of the marriage/divorce, otherwise I wouldn't be asking)

 

[citizenthom]

I'd have to re-read it (not time this morning), but I believe the requirements for a deacon/elder in 1 Timothy call for searching a man's CURRENT home situation, that is, the health of his CURRENT marriage and spiritual home life. It's not that the past is irrelevant, but it is possible for him to have moved on from the errors that led to it.

Also, in our society, not all divorce is at the behest of the husband: women can now obtain divorces on all sorts of unbiblical grounds almost on their own. So the reasons for the divorce are a big deal.

 

[twnsrkr]

You must do what you teach, or else become a hypocrite. It would just depend on whether or not your church condemns divorce, and whether its enforced among its members. If your church condemns it, yet everyone partakes in it, then whats the point in believing it in the first place.

The Messiah condemned divorce in all of it's respects, saying that Moses allowed the people to divorce simply because they were so hard-hearted.

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

This is exactly one of the reasons I despise modern Christianity: too much hypocrisy within the church. The same ones who speak out about how things like gay marriage are terrible and should be banned are the same ones who have divorced pastors or a council made up of some of the most corrupt bigots who don't come close to practicing what they preach.

 

[NaturallyGone]

Update: Pastor has since been removed from his position (was asked to step down willingly, and refused, so it was put to a vote over the summer and just enough people voted for him to no longer be pastor for him to be removed [he was pretty much acting like a dictator, preached that karma was in the Bible, and some other stuff]). New deacons have still yet to be voted on, although people have recieved/voted on a piece of paper that has a list of all eligible people.