What do you think about a Baptist preacher getting divorced and remarried?

Question

Any verses and/or opinions about those verses? Does the Bible say Pastors should not remarry? Just looking for some thoughts on the subject. Thanks!!

Answer 1

They are held to the same strictures as all Christians are, no more or less. They are no different from us, they are human too.

Answer 2

No.
Only Levitical priest can not marry a widow or a divorced woman. A Nazzarite priest can never marry.

Divorce, although not God's original plan, is allowed because of the "hardness of our hearts" for reasons or uncleanness (which is not defined). Remarriage is 'always assumed' (see Deut.24:2), and is justified if done "properly" (legally, certificate of divorce).
In the New Testament Jesus places strict requirements on divorce (see Matt.19:9) "like" unfaithfulness as opposed to "any" reason (verse 3). Paul allow divorce for abandonment (see 1 Cor. 7:15).

Now, Baptist ( I am one) have made divorce out to be a sin-which is wrong. This dogmatic stance really hurts the Baptist movement. Divorce is not sin-it is the result of sin. Divorce (legal) is salvation from a failed marriage. A divorced Baptist preacher is a rare bird. A remarried one is even more rare. Most Baptist preachers who find themselves divorced usually switch to Methodist because of their more liberal view of divorce. No where in scripture does it say that a Christian (Baptist or Methodist, or any other) can not remarry after divorce. The denomination may have a rule, but the scriptures restrict pastors and deacons to one wife (at a time).
Baptist preachers have it rough. They are required to have a graduate degree (most of them) and work 70-80 hours per week and for minimum wage. That is a rough row to hoe. They are always on call 24/7. Their families have to share them with the world. In some of the bad situations, the wives just can not take it, so they leave. Whats the guy supposed to do? If he can get her back over time-he is a divorced man. That does not make him guilty of any sin. He should be allowed to find a wife when he heals.
Now there are a few who get eyes for the girls and run off with another woman, or have an affair. This is different. He should be defrocked forever, and never again allowed to preach in a Baptist church.
For the rest of them-cut them some slack-they have it hard. After all they are just human beings like the rest of us. Maybe a little better that most of us. These guys devote their lives and sacrifice a normal life just to help the rest of us. We should not judge them by the actions of a few that we perceive as improper.

Answer 3

Your answer is going to come primarily from 1 Tim. 3:1-7. These are the qualifications for pastors. There are two qualifications in verse 2 that make the issue clear to me.
The first is that he must be the husband of one wife. This obviously disapproves the polygamist, but it doesn't necessarily disapprove the remarried pastor.
The second qualification is the catcher. V. 2 says that he must be "above reproach." And added to that v. 7 says he must be someone who has a good reputation with those outside the church. Above reproach means that the pastor shouldn't have anything that would make him a distraction from the ministry. No flagrant sin, questionable past, or reason to doubt him. Literally it means that he should be above the standard. Every case is different, but if a pastor's divorce would cause question or concern about his ability to shepherd his church as an "undershepherd" of Christ, then he should not continue as a pastor.
I know, as a pastor, that if my wife cheated on me, divorced me, and I was completely free from any wrong-doing, I would have a hard time continuing as a pastor simply for the sheer appearance of things. I know it isn't right, but if my life distracts from my preaching, that's wrong.
It is a difficult issue, but on any questionable issue like this, I think it is safer to error on the side of caution knowing that pastors will be held to a stricter judgment than anyone else. I'd hate to be wrong.

Answer 4

In order to be in the ministry, He must be the Husband of ONE WIFE, if he is going to divorce his first wife & remarry then he no longer qualifies for the ministry. Christ will only have ONE BRIDE, The requirements is many throughout the bible, but it says that HE must be the husband of one wife, not novice, & so on. Therefore if he remarries, he automatically dis-qualify himself from the ministry, But That does not mean he dis-qualify himself from being a Christian, only a Minister. I don't know the reason for his divorce, there is scriptures that allows the innocent person to re-marry again, But he will have to lay down the ministry part, & just live for God. Now if a minister wife is dead then he can remarry & still stay in the ministry. But he must marry only in The Lord or in simple terms, A Christian women that has a good clean background, & not one that has divorce her husband for no reason at all. I am not a Minister, But just a Christian, My first wife passed away after 21 yrs. of marriage, I was free to marry again, but only to another christian women, & if I were a minister, that would not disqualify me from the ministry, & I did found a Good Christian women & now we have been married over 16 yrs.

Answer 5

The Bible says God hates divorce. It is allowed for the sin of adultery. Paul said he wished people be as he (not married), but if they can't contain themselves, they should get married. I believe he is talking to the divorced, as usually the word virgin would have been used. Pastors are human too, and none of us are sin free.
1 Co 7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

Answer 6

It's hypocrisy. They preach about everybody else's sins, but they ignore their own adultery and divorce situations. The divorce rate amongst born-again evangelicals (particularly Baptists is very high). Here are two articles (one of them is from a Baptist site) that discusses this:

http://www.baptiststandard.com/2000/1_12/pages/divorce.html
http://www.divorcereform.org/mel/rbaptisthigh.html

They need to stop preaching against everybody else and "live and let live". Nobody likes double standards.

Answer 7

What are the circumstances? Was she unfaithful to him? If she was, he is free to marry again. Did she die? Then he is free to marry again.

If she divorced him, for no apparent reason other than she wanted to to be free...he would be free to marry.

Things can get complicated, but the Bible can answer a lot of questions if you just look for it. 1 Corinthians addresses this to some degree, not just for pastors but everyone.

Answer 8

It depends on why he divorced. The biblical answer is that divorce is acceptable only in cases of adultery or when the couple are of different faiths. So if the pastor's first wife cheats on him, then he is biblically correct.

Answer 9

the bible states the only reason anyone can get a divorce is if their mate commits adultery....So if his wife committed adultery it is spiritually allowed to get divorced and then remarry no mater what denomination you are...no other reason is given anywhere in the bible that you may get a divorce that i know of....

Answer 10

There is only one reason for divorce, adultery. If your pastors wife cheated then he's free for remarriage. OR if she left him.
I believe God can forgive divorce and remarriage but my church would never hire a preacher who did this unbiblically.
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