According to reliable sources, 50% of all marriages in the United States end in divorce or separation; 41% of all first time marriages end in divorce; 60% of second marriages end in divorce; 73% of all third marriages end in divorce. Our country has the 6th highest divorce rate in the world. Not surprisingly, the Bible has something to say about divorce. Here is what God says about it through the Prophet Malachi, in chapter 2: “Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. ‘For I hate divorce!’ says the Lord.” “‘To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.’” Today, even though divorce is sometimes unavoidable, we should never regard it as the norm. Why? Divorce breaks the heart, destroys relationships, violates the integrity of the family, damages the well-being of children, and puts the future of all family members in jeopardy.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
