Before Divorce

I've come across a tremendous little booklet entitled, Divorce: Before You Say "I Don't" by Lou Priolo. Lou Priolo is director of the Center for Biblical Counseling at Eastwood Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He's a fellow of the National Association of Nouthetic Counselor's (NANC). He's written several other good books that I'd recommend, but if you are on the verge of divorce, or know someone who is, please consider this little booklet before decisions are made.

In this 32-page booklet, Priolo gives some consequences of divorce that many don't consider before they go to the lawyers. He raises an interesting point from the words of Jesus to the Pharisees in Matthew 19:8 "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so." So often, spouses feel justified in dissolving a lifelong covenant over the smallest offenses (or even large ones). But Jesus is clear - divorce is the result of a hard heart.

After giving several consequences, Priolo moves on to answering some of the more common reasons given for divorce, such as: "Even though I know the divorce is wrong, God will forgive me," or "I've fallen out of love with him," or "I have a peace about it," or "I could never trust him again." He answers these reasons, and others, with a biblical response rather than the faulty human reasoning one sometimes gets when contemplating divorce.

The booklet ends with counsel on how to give up an adulterous affair. There are many times when a spouse wants a divorce because he or she already has another person in waiting. Either there has been an expressed interest, or there's been an actual sinful relationship. Priolo explains how to overcome a complicated issue like this. I think this section is the best part of the booklet. Lou Priolo says a lot in a short amount of space in this excellent resource for counselors or those plotting to end their marriage. I highly recommend you get this book.