Browsing Tag

divorce

Church Leadership

When to contact your minister

“You didn’t visit Susan* in the hospital. You’re not doing your job. You’re not being a good pastor.”

Those words hung in the air for a few moments before I explained on the phone that Susan nor her family told me that she was in the hospital. It didn’t matter. The caller didn’t care. In the caller’s mind, I was responsible for information that I didn’t know about. It was very painful to be accused of not doing my “job”.

I’ve thought about that conversation many times in the years that have passed.   So, I worked more hours and harder at being omnipresent. Continue Reading…

Pat Robertson

Pat Robertson should not give marriage advice

Oh… here he goes again.Pat Robertson made more conversational remarks on The 700 Club program that were sexist in nature.

Robertson told viewers that women should fix themselves up in order to maintain their marriages.

Pat Robertson gave advice to a daughter asking for help. The 17-year-old daughter was looking for ideas to aid her parent’s marriage. Her father spent his time playing video games and her parent’s marriage was in danger. The talk show preacher turned the situation into blaming women for martial trouble.

Robertson said,

“A woman came to a preacher I know — it’s so funny… She was awful-looking. Her hair was all torn up, she was overweight and looked terrible, clothes bad and everything, and she said, “Oh Reverend, what can I do? My husband has started to drink. ‘And the preacher looked at her and he said: ‘Madam, if I were married to you, I’d start to drink too.'”

At about :58 seconds we find the conversation going down hill fast.

His female co-host gasped in shock at his comments and shook her head in disagreement.

Robertson went on to say that would should “fix [themselves] up, look pretty, look alert” in order to keep the attraction active from a husband. If that wasn’t enough, Robertson inserted his own information as he theorized about the 17-year-old’s mother:

“It may be your mom isn’t as sweet as you think she is, she may be kind of hard-nosed…”

As he ended his remarks, he proudly proclaimed that he “knows” what works after his 50+ years in marriage.

This isn’t the first time Robertson made headlines for ugly comments.

In 2001, he said that Haiti made a pact with the Devil and that homosexuality was a cause of 9/11.  Last year, Robertson remarked on his program that if a spouse has Alzheimer’s it constitutes grounds for divorce because the evangelist said the disease is “a kind of death”.

This type of talk only alienates Christians from non-Christians. Robertson’s advice is a back eye upon Christian, which is already struggling with an image problem.

Why do you think Pat Robertson continues to make comments like this? Respond below.

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social media, Tom Cruise Katie Holmes divorce

What Tom Cruise and Katie Homes’ divorce taught us

If it is anything Americans love it is watching a good dramatic celebrity break up. Although, if you are a DirectTV customer, it’s lights out for you if you want to watch all the drama of the Tom Cruise and Katie Homes divorce saga. It is really sad that more Americans tune into or log on to TMZ than reading the daily newspaper.

It is never a happy thing when a marriage fails, but if the reports are true it was wise of Katie Homes to get out of crazy Cruiseville. There is a lot of speculation swirling around why Katie Homes called it quits on Tom Cruise.  Apparently, it totally took Maverick off guard as Katie used a disposable cell phone to plan the divorce while Tom was in Iceland (of all places) filming a movie.

No matter what the rumors say about why the marriage failed, we can learn three things from TomKat‘s divorce that give us a glimpse into some revealing trends and realities in our culture:

Continue Reading…

Pat Robertson

Another reason why Pat Robertson is out to lunch

As if Pat Robertson hasn’t already embarrassed himself enough by saying that Haiti made a pact with the Devil and that homosexuality was a cause of 9/11, add another to the list.  Robertson recently comment on his 700 Club program that if a spouse has Alzheimer’s it constitutes grounds for divorce because the evangelist said the disease is “a kind of death”.  This comment came in response to a viewer’s question regarding the topic.

Other awesomely bad Robertson quotes from the show were:

“Get some ethicist besides me to give you the answer.” (Robertson translation: I’m crazy help!)

“I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her…” (Robertson translation: That’s what I’d do.”)

I guess the whole, “in sickness and in health” part of marriage vows don’t apply anymore.

The media pressed a spokesperson for the TV network, no reply.  I wonder why.

Watch the clip:

Is Alzheimer’s grounds for divorce? Read and comment.

blog, marriage

Al & Tipper Gore: An Inconvenient Marriage?

I’m sure by now every one has heard of Al & Tipper Gore’s separation.  The former vice president and his wife have publicly said,

“This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration,”

While divorce or separation of couples after 40 year of marriage is rare (in fact less than 1% of couples divorce after 40 years), it makes us wonder why such a couple would separate?  The typical responses come to mind: They are such a happy couple.  They have been together for so long.  They have been through so much!  Remember the “Convention Kiss of 2000?”

Writing about the Gores, Ellen McCarthy at the Washington Post said it well:

They’re like the couple down the block with the lush garden and the annual Labor Day cookout. The pair who are always power walking together and drinking wine on the front porch, who make you nudge your husband and say, “See? I want that.”

However, I was absolutely shocked at what I read next in McCarthy’s article:

Continue Reading…

blog, Culture

Why I am Going to Watch Jon and Kate Plus 8

UPDATE: Jon and Kate filled for divorce.  I wonder if they tried counseling.  From the looks of the editing in the episode, Jon and Kate cannot come to an agreement.  It seems that ” trying to do the best thing for their kids” does not include trying to save their marriage.

I have resisted blogging about “Jon and Kate Plus 8“, which is the show about Jon and Kate Gosselin and their 8 children, because it has been the “hot” celebrity news item.  I try not to give any attention to “celebrity news” because it is not real news.   The Jon and Kate story is news worthy on this blog because they are professed Christians and their situation is putting Christianity to the test in the eyes of secular viewers.   Part of the show contains scenes of the family going to church, memorizing scripture, and reading Bible stories.    Recently, the couple has gone through a dark time in their relationship, which has made news in just about every news outlet.  Allegations of infidelity have plagued the show since the start of season 5.  Questions have been raised regarding  the couple  staying together.

Tonight’s episode is billed as TLC’s most shocking show announcement, which many think will include the couple divorcing or ending the show.   Many of my friends who are Christians have found themselves in conversation about Jon and Kate and wondering, “What would I do if I were in the situation.”   News outlets have also been talking about how America is watching this train wreck but cannot look away.  There have been reports that Jon has been looking for an apartment in NYC. This show has gone from entertainment to the guilty pleasure of watching a family being torn away from each other.  This family does not need to go through anymore drama, but that is what you sign up for when you do a reality show in your kitchen.  Their children will no doubt watch the show when they are older and be changed for it.

Continue Reading…

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