Imagine receiving this invitation in the mail: "You are invited to join me as we officially celebrate the dissolution of my marriage...yep, you guessed it, I'm having a divorce party!"
I heard a segment on the Today Show this morning about this very thing and I found it to be very shocking. As a Christian it is hard to understand having a party to celebrate divorce but apparently it is an increasing trend. It is described as a "rite of passage" for a person to re-declare their independence and proclaim that part of life over, surrounded by supportive friends and family who are there to love and help them through the process. It's difficult to have the answers when wading through the murky waters of divorce, yet I can't help but feel that such "parties" further serve to trivialize the covenant commitment of marriage as it was and is intended. The end of marriage should not be viewed as festive but as a reality check that we live in a fallen world. I wonder if this speaks a word to how we as Christians can love and support people facing issues of divorce, especially if there needs to be a celebration to otherwise receive it. Here's a link explaining more on this lastest hot topic...
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2 comments:
Tim Sensing made his SPM 6 folks read the book Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals. The authors suggest that the church needs to have certain rituals for the various events in the lives of Christians. They suggest the church even develop something for those who have gone through divorce, though I don't think a "divorce party" is what they had in mind. But, I do think that this is a place where the church is often, unfortunately, silent, unless they only speak out to condemn the divorcee. The church needs to find a way to support the divorcee, give their situation a theological context, and yet refrain from celebrating the unfortunate dissolution of a marriage. I don't know how this can be done, though. I just bring things up for others to figure out.
I agree with Travis. But I didnt think about that at first. I gues that illustrates how the culture I have grown up with has automatically conditioned my heart to think about how horrible it is that people are celebrating that. I think the church definetely needs a voice in divorce recovery. Good post Mike!
~JK
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