The Media, Divorce and Pat Robertson

ABC News learned that Pat Robertson had foolishly stated that someone he knew had the right to divorce his wife because she had Alzheimer’s disease. Predictably, ABC produced a neurosurgeon who understandably called Robertson on his shameful and heartless position.

I continue to be amazed at the adeptness of the media in finding the misdeeds and misinformation coming from pastors, along with the media’s complete silence about the thousands of pastors who would take strong issue with Robertson. And it’s not just because we take a vow “until death do us part.” Robertson’s stance violates the core of the Gospel.

Think of it – if we can divorce our wives because, in some way, they fail to live up to standards, then why shouldn’t we expect God to divorce us for our failures. Yes, there were times when God did divorce Himself from His people, but that was because they had first divorced themselves from Him, refusing to repent and return.

Graciously, the New Covenant has therefore provided features to forestall any “divorce.” God has promised to give us a new heart so that we would never separate ourselves from Him, so that He would never need to divorce Himself from us:

• They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. (Jeremiah 32:38-41)

Our God even describes how He will marry us “forever” through His New Covenant:

• In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down safely. I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy. (Hosea 2:18-19)

Should we do any less with our own wives! Robertson misses it, but the media will not allow the world to miss Robertson – another portrait of pastoral foolishness.