Delegates waiting to speak.
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Delegates began debate on a proposed revision to the “Divorce and Remarriage” section of the Church Manual at today’s business meeting of the 57th Seventh-day Adventist World Session. No vote was taken.
The amendment stems from a 1995 Session recommendation that the World Church reconsider its position on divorce and remarriage. An international commission–consisting of both church employees and lay people–was subsequently appointed and, in April 1999, submitted their report to the world church Administrative Committee, who then sent it to the Church Manual Committee. “You will see a number of the commission’s recommendations incorporated into the recommended revision,” said new Secretary, Matthew Bediako.
Yesterday several delegates had requested that the original commission report be made available, and today delegate Gerald Winslow, who in 1995 made the motion to reconsider divorce and remarriage, moved to distribute the full report to the floor. Minutes later, that happened.
In addition to allowing divorce and remarriage when one’s spouse commits adultery/fornication, the amendment cites “abandonment by an unbelieving spouse” (see 1 Cor. 7:10-15) as cause for divorce, but not remarriage (until the spouse commits adultery/fornication). Likewise, physical violence is cause for separation or divorce, but not remarriage.
“We do not have a perfect document,” said Vice President Lowell Cooper, prior to floor discussion. “It does not answer every question. We are trying to affirm an ideal, while at the same time recognizing situations that are much less than ideal. But this will be a significant step forward.”
But some delegates argued that the eight-page document didn’t go far enough, questioning why “unfaithfulness to the marriage vow” was limited to adultery/fornication. “Part of the marriage vow is to ‘love, honor, and cherish,’” said John Fowler, associate director of education. “Physically abusing one’s spouse is a breaking of the marriage vow.”
Others, such as Arthur Rodd of the Trans-European Division, questioned the idea that a divorced spouse be freed to remarry by the former spouse’s behavior. “How can we have grounds for remarriage depending on which partner gets into bed with someone else first?” he said.
But other delegates opposed some of the revisions, including “abandonment by an unbelieving spouse” as cause for divorce. “1 Corinthians 7:10-15 does not convincingly support abandonment as a reason for divorce,” said Tunde Ojewole of the African-Indian Ocean Division. “Abandonment–how long? One week? One month? One year?”
Dan Jackson of the North American Division suggested that the document placed too much power with the conference/mission/field. “Local congregations are often in a better position to deal with these issues,” he said.
Discussions will resume tomorrow. |
