Dear _____ ,
Thanks for your question on "the waiting game" (relayed by
____). Such foolishness is forbidden in Matt. 5:32, as
discussed at length in my article on "DIVORCE &
REMARRIAGE: NO WAITING GAME." I will send this via computer
along with my sermon outline on "MARRIAGE, DIVORCE, AND
REMARRIAGE," which I have preached hundreds of times through
the years. You will also receive my article on "MARRIAGE:
GOD’S GIFT TO MAN AND WOMAN." Feel free to forward these
materials to others or to print and distribute them.
I will send "ARE WE DOOMED TO DIVIDE OVER EVERY DIFFERENCE
ON DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE?" parts
1 & 2
via computer so that you can share them with anyone who has a
question about my stand. Part 1 shows that we must divide when
men attack and destroy what Jesus revealed and required on
marriage and divorce. Part 2 shows that there are matters
involving judgments and scruples not legislated and we should
exercise forbearance in such matters.
I have gotten criticism for not taking what someone
considers a "hard line" on several of the points listed in part
2 of "ARE WE DOOMED TO DIVIDE...?"
Such charges proliferated when I began to preach on "TRENDS
POINTING TOWARD A NEW APOSTASY" (a copy of the booklet of this
sermon is being sent via U.S.
mail), especially by some who are drifting and who wanted
to undermine my efforts. The campaign continues and,
naturally, many brethren and even friends have heard various
stories and rumors and have wondered what is going on. I
understand this and do not hold it against them. The truth is
that I have not wavered from preaching the basic truth given
by Jesus on marriage and divorce, the same truth I defended in
the 2 debates with Jack Freeman in 1990 (the second debate is
in book form, The Halbrook-Freeman Debate on Marriage, Divorce
& Remarriage, available from Truth Bookstore;
1-800-428-0121). I have not let the rumors and criticism deter
me from preaching about dangerous trends. I will send via
computer my outline on "A NEW CYCLE OF APOSTASY," which
somewhat updates the material in the "TRENDS"
sermon.
Brethren who are united in the truth regarding marriage
(one man for one woman for life, with one exception) will
differ from time to time about difficult cases, convoluted
situations, and some details and procedures. I listed 21
examples in part 2 of "ARE WE DOOMED TO DIVIDE...?" and we
could list 21 more, then 21 more. No one can settle all of
these matters. None of these matters involves compromise of
the truth. In spite of the "news"
circulating about me, I do NOT try to settle all of these
issues in preaching. These matters involve the reality that we
must leave some judgments about details to the individuals
involved and to the local churches which know the situations
best. No one can create a list of rules to settle such
matters. We must leave some of these details between the
individual conscience and God.
In addition to those who are drifting, another factor
contributes to some criticism I have gotten. As the cycle of
apostasy develops little by little, there always comes a point
of overreaction among the more conservative element. If you
study the history of apostasies, that always happens.
Therefore, some brethren are overreacting by trying to nail
down every detail, every procedure, every legal step, etc.
They begin to see adultery, waiting games, mental divorce, and
compromise under every rock. As some of these men who are
trying settle all of this become more obsessed with minutae,
they even turn against each other and make the same charges.
In their minds, if you don't agree with their every judgment,
nuance, and conclusion, you are a part of the apostasy. One of
these men has become so obsessed with all of this that he
maintains a website devoted to "proving"
that I along with a few others are raving liberals
advocating adultery, waiting games, mental divorce, and
compromise. I try to be patient with these men and try to
avoid the mistake of getting into extensive firefights with
them, which would only feed their factional tendencies. I pray
for them and try to avoid any bitterness toward them.
I dealt with this latter development in a lesson entitled
"THE RENEWED COMMITMENT TO BALANCED PREACHING" at the Truth
Magazine Lectures in Bowling Green, KY this July. The lecture
book and CDs are available at
