1. How much do we need Geoffrey W. Bromiley's godly reminder that to "talk of a right to happiness is to delude oneself. Happiness, when it is attained, is a gift from God and it cannot be attained, nor can human life be fulfilled, where there is conflict with God's stated will or a difiant refusal to see that true happiness and fulfilment lie only in a primary commitment to God's kingdom and righteousness." (Cod and Marriage, 41).
2. See, e.g., the article by J Lee Gradys in Charisma Magazine who says:
In some conservative churches, leaders teach that divorce is never acceptable and that a person who chooses to divorce—even if they have been abused—is in sin if they leave the marriage. These hardliners will typically declare, "God hates divorce," quoting Malachi 2:16, and then suggest that even the innocent party in a divorce will be judged by God. That's an unfair use of Scripture. God's mercy is bigger than that!
Gladys closes with the appeal to let us "also leave room in our hearts—and in our theology—for people who simply cannot stay in irreparable relationships." Yes, we should in fact make room in our hearts for such people but still recognize that divorce in such case is a sin; kind acts in a near-impossible action can no more make it "right" over God's declaration about it. We can only say, as leaders, we understand why the decision to divorce is made and will stand accountable with the person caught in such difficult circumstances.