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Rubel Shelly

Divorce And Remarriage: A Redemptive Theology Hardcover – July 1, 2007

by Rubel Shelly (Author)

69 ratings

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In this book, a serious scholar with extensive experience in ministry looks at the question of divorce and remarriage. He offers a redemptive theology that affirms the importance of marriage, the urgency of helping people survive their marital crises, and the redemptive mercies and grace of God for those who have divorced and remarried.

Print length

156 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Leafwood Publishers
Publication date

July 1, 2007
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

0891125191
ISBN-13

978-0891125198
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Editorial Reviews

Review

With the high rate of divorce and religious confusion on this subject there is a desperate need for a book that is comprehensive in its appeal to the original Hebrew and Greek languages, that challenges the traditional interpretations, that is caring and compassionate, wise and practical. This is it! --Dr. Kenneth R. Greene, Pulpit Minister, Metro Church of Christ, Cedar Hill, TX

I wholeheartedly recommend Rubel Shelly's book as the most faithful, courageous and practical book on the topic I have ever read. Tentative where it needs to be, bold where it must be, and refreshingly humble throughout. --Scotty Smith, Christ Community Church, Franklin, Tennessee

About the Author

RUBEL SHELLY served as a minister for a large church in Nashville, Tennessee from 19782006. During that time he also taught at Lipscomb University and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, and is the author or coauthor of many books. He presently lives in the Greater Detroit area where he teaches philosophy and religion at Rochester College.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Leafwood Publishers; 1st edition (July 1, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 156 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0891125191
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0891125198
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,326,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,540 in Christian Dating & Relationships (Books)
- #3,604 in Christian Pastoral Counseling
- #4,426 in Religion Encyclopedias

Customer Reviews:
69 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		78%
4 star		15%
3 star		4%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Geoff

This book changed my life

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2018

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I don't want to sound overly dramatic, but having been raised with a very conservative religious background I was somewhat familiar with Rubel Shelly. When someone gave me this book, I figured I was in for a lecture about how I had screwed up and was doomed a lifetime of shame and struggle. I was completely blown away by Mr. Shelly's compassion and understanding. There were passages from the Bible I had read my whole life, but Mr. Shelly provided a fuller context for the cultural and Biblical perspective. If I could sum up the book in a single word it would be hope, which can be in short supply in the darkness that is divorce.

10 people found this helpful

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waumpuscat

God bless Rubel in his effort to bring clarity to God's Holy Word

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018

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I am so thankful for Gods word and those who are passionate about studying and helping others have clarity on what can be a difficult to understand subject. I would have awarded 5 stars but felt that for some of us it may be slightly difficult to fully appreciate Rubel's higher level of theological education and consequently a bit harder to fully understand. I do however believe that the bottom line is abundantly clear, God is good all the time and He does not put those of us that fail in marriage in a special category of sinners nor does He forbid us from trying again. Rubel writes clearly how divorce is wrong and this cannot be denied but those who suffer failed marriages are no less loved, cherished and saved by God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ than any other member of His family of sinners who have been blessed with healthy unions.

7 people found this helpful

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Godseeker

Conclusion is good, but not the pathways to the conclusion

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2014

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It's Ok because I agree with his notion that divorced Christians remarry, regardless of the reasons for divorce. The explanation of scripture, though, is not clear, and often presumptuous. For example, 1 Cor 7:8 says "Now to the unmarried and widows...." Shelly says that "unmarried" refers to divorced Christians, and the following verse says it's OK to marry. Well, unmarried does not mean divorced; it simply means unmarried, per the Greek: unmarried, unwedded, single. So he applies that verse to the verses following that say "a wife must not separate from the husband," and likewise for the husband.

He made an interesting case for Deut. 24, which states that the first husband cannot take back his wife. He says that this is for the protection for the woman since in the surrounding cultures husbands could reclaim their wives, especially if they came into some money. At first, I was amazed by this, yet the Deut. verse doesn't say the husband can't take her to protect the woman. It says this:
"then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD." The reason the husband can't take her back is that the woman has been defiled. Shelly skips over this inconvenient verse. To get a clear understanding of these troublesome verses on divorce, see Difficult Bible Topics, by P.Nicholas Kinnas.

9 people found this helpful

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Joe Pote

A Scholarly Discussion of God's Heart toward His Children in Difficult Relationships

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2011

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Dr. Shelly does an excellent job of debunking many of the myths and biblical misinterpretations surrounding divorce in the Christian church. From a scholarly viewpoint, this book calls on both Shelly's knowledge of the original biblical languages and his knowledge of historical interpretation of scripture. From the viewpoint of a pastor and counselor, Shelly intersperses the scholarly discussion with examples of real-life heart-breaking situations that people have faced in their struggle to remain true to their marriage vows.

Shelly beautifully blends the personal life stories with the scholarly discussions so as to enable the reader not only to understand scriputural truth, but also personal relevance.

Too often, believers in Christ view issues such as divorce as black-and-white, with divorce seen as not a good thing. In this book, Shelly shows that personal relationships are full of twists and turns that often require choices between bad and worse, rather than between good and bad. He also demonstrates that God's heart toward His children is always one of love and protection.

Very well written, this book is a must-read for Christian pastors and counselors involved in counseling hurting people facing difficult marital situations.

Joseph Pote
Author of "So You are a Believer...Who has been through Divorce...: A Myth-Busting Biblical Perspective on Divorce"

14 people found this helpful

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JenMomofTwins

Helpful

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2017

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This book really clarified the misunderstood verses about divorce and remarriage. I am going to read the book again because there's a lot of information to digest.

4 people found this helpful

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Jerry A. Carter

Good book

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019

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Information is concise and easy to read

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Dee White Bernstin

A Difficult Subject Masterfully Discussed

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2013

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I appreciate this theologians discussion of a painful, heart-breaking and often deadly subject which affects the church world. My heart has been broken by divorce and I am forever trying to validate if I am ok with God on this side of the issue. My training as a social worker was not insulted as the author allowed God to give hi, the grace to show the pain and hurt even he inflicted before coming to his present understanding of the scripture's take on divorce. The case studies respected the individuals but gave us a picture of how important it is to have all the facts before judging or counseling or steering persons to places that may even drive them away from a loving God. I will pass on a few copies to pastors that I know.

10 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Neil Richardson

One of the best ones

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2019

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Do you wrestle with the divorce-remarriage question? There’s no question that marriage is a beautiful thing. It is ultimate reality, Christ and his Bride the Church, forever.

And divorce is, in the words of a recently divorced believing friend, “the hardest thing I’ve ever endured”. His ex said to me, separately, around the same time, “Divorce is a horrible thing especially with children. It truly is the devil.”

What makes this super-sensitive and hugely-deep topic even more agonising is the divorce-remarriage debate which sees massively godly theologians line up on both ‘sides’. People like Piper, Wenham, Cornes and Baucham advocate Permanence, the view that marriage is only dissoluble by death, and that all remarriage is adultery (if the former spouse is still living). Others like MacArthur, Carson, DeYoung, Sproul et al advocate a kind of Exceptionism, the view that marriage is *intended* to be lifelong but *can* sadly be dissolved by things other than death (specifically adultery and/or desertion).

Ruben Shelly cuts through a lot of the (unintentional) legalism and borderline casuistry - much of which I’ve probably been inadvertently guilty of. We all want to handle God’s Word with care, awe and submission. We all want to obey its every jot and tittle. We want to interpret and apply it correctly as the Holy Spirit intended it when he inspired its authors as they addressed their original contexts. Shelly manages to combine theological consistency with deep pastoral care. He shows how God’s people can navigate the mess of our lives in this broken world without resorting to either murky compromise or mean-spirited judgmentalism.

Essentially, his thesis is that divorcing for trivial reasons in order to marry another is to be a covenant-breaker and as such, adulterous. This should be resisted such that believers should aspire never to divorce. Even if a believing couple feel driven to separate, they should remain single while making every effort to reconcile (1 Corinthians 7:10,11). Marriage is so valuable in God’s sight that he requires us to stay in covenant even with unbelievers if they wish to stay (v12-14), but he also requires us to release them from this covenant if they wish to leave (v15-16).

Of the 20+ books I’ve read on this, it’s one of the most nuanced, careful, faithful and balanced, covering all of the major OT & NT data. The different cameos show how tricky the various permutations of this fraught issue can be, and the Q&A section is excellent. While I still take a slightly more conservative view (if that’s the right appellation) than Shelly, his is an absolutely superb contribution and I hope brings much more light into a overly-heated topic.

Love Reading

Read this--whatever side of the issue you are on.

Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2015

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An excellent book. Main take-away: my previous understanding of the "divorce and remarriage issue" was so limited, so ignoring (not even knowing about) all the OTHER passages (beyond Jesus' words in the gospels) relating to divorce and remarriage.

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