Recent Books on Divorce

Besides the books reviewed by Helen Hosier in this issue, here are some others that have come to our attention that have been published by Christian firms in the last year or so. Your Christian bookseller can show you these and others. Ask to see the February 1979, issue of his trade periodical, The Bookstore Journal, for a larger roundup. The books are divided into three groups.

The first group is aimed at preventing divorce and the first three are by evangelical marriage counselors who draw heavily on case histories. Gerald Dahl gets right to the point by discussing Why Christian Marriages Are Breaking Up (Nelson). He rightly says that to prevent divorce, concerned Christians must understand it better. From the Brink of Divorce: … Advice on How to Save Your Marriage by Anne Kristin Carroll (Doubleday/Galilee) is just what the title promises. Try Marriage Before Divorce (Word) by James Kilgore has quite specific “exercises” to strengthen sagging marriages. Ruthe Spinnanger’s Better Than Divorce (Logos) is a chatty reminder of some of divorce’s results that could stimulate renewed efforts at making a marriage work.

The second group of books primarily considers the biblical teachings on marriage and their implications for divorce, for remarriage, and for Christian service. All of these books wrestle from a Christian perspective with the problem of upholding God’s revealed standard that opposes divorce while also manifesting the grace and forgiveness that God has communicated. Anyone who does not see such a problem, who contends that the Christian position is “clear,” does not know as well as he should either the full range of relevant Scripture or the situations in which faithful Christians find themselves. Divorce and Remarriage in the Church (Zondervan) is a brief and thoughtful contribution by Stanley Ellisen who teaches at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary. Divorce and the Faithful Church (Herald Press) is by G. Edwin Bontrager, a pastor whose Mennonite and Church of the Brethren associations have traditionally been noted for marital stability. The Asundered: Biblical Teachings on Divorce and Remarriage (John Knox) by Myrna and Robert Kysar is for more advanced Bible students. Two books that are staunchly biblical come from Church of Christ and dispensational authors respectively: Divorce and Remarriage (Biblical Research [774 E.N. 15th, Abilene TX 79601]) by J. D. Thomas, and Divorce and Separation (Maranatha [5339 Beacon Hill Rd., Minnetonka, MN 55343]) by George Meisinger.

The third group of books are those addressed to persons who are divorced. Many of these books are equally addressed to those who have lost a spouse through death. Coping With Being Single Again (Broadman) by J. Clark Hensley and Alone Again (Augsburg) by Richard Krebs treat briefly the range of adjustments. Putting the Pieces Together: Help for Single Parents (Judson) by Velma Thorne Carter and J. Lynn Leavenworth and Parent Alone (Word) by Suzanne Stewart provide help with one of the biggest challenges; the latter title is more of a testimony of how one mother with three young children coped. The plaintively titled, But I Didn’t Want a Divorce: Putting Your Life Back Together (Zondervan) is by André Bustanoby, a former pastor and well-known counselor. His book is filled with both practical illustrations and biblically-based counsel and will be of value to professionals and to those who are not yet divorced. Second Marriage (Augsburg) by Darlene McRoberts and Getting Married Again: A Christian Guide for Successful Remarriage (Word) by Bob W. Brown address in practical terms a problem that is even harder to handle than the question of divorce. McRoberts speaks from personal experience; Brown from his experience as pastor of an evangelical church for more than twenty years. Of more specialized interest is What the Church Is Doing for Divorced and Remarried Catholics (Claretian) by James Castelli.

The literature on divorce is rapidly increasing from Christian as well as non-Christian sources. To find out what is already available, the best single source is probably Divorce in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain (Gale Research) compiled by Kenneth Sell and Betty Sell and issued just last year. In addition to extensive references to book and periodical literature, the Sells also provide guidance on statistical, legal, audiovisual, journalistic, and even fictional material on divorce and related problems. This volume should be in all theological libraries, and teachers and counselors who are heavily involved with the subject will want it for their personal libraries.

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