When I attended Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon for my master’s degree, the professors were divided on the issues of divorce and remarriage. Twelve years after graduation in 1970, during which time I served as a pastor and a church planter, I had not yet had the opportunity to study the topic in depth. I was not able to draw my own conclusions. My primary purpose in returning to Western was to do guided in-depth research on this and other selected topics.
During those years, the subject of divorce and church leadership was hotly debated. While I have the utmost respect for the opinions of those professors who taught me, I wanted my convictions, and hence my ministry, to be based on Scripture, not the opinions of men.
Dr. Stanley A. Ellison was appointed to be my faculty advisor for my independent study which resulted in the final product, “Divorce and Church Leadership,” which is published on my website.[i] He had already written his book, “Divorce and Remarriage in the Church.” So I was concerned about his ability to evaluate my final product objectively.
Dr. Ellison was my favorite professor. He was the humblest of all of my professors throughout my under-graduated and graduate studies. He was not an expert in systematic theology but was an expert in biblical theology. [see my article for the distinction on my website].[ii] Stan assured me that he would strive to be objective, even if my conclusions differed from his.
This is the original document as submitted. The paper was written before the personal computer so there are many errors. The handwritten notes in the margin of this manuscript are his. Dr. Ellison was true to his word. Final products on the doctoral level were graded as either pass or fail. If approved, they were then graded S for satisfactory and S+ if above that. He gave me an S+.
One error I made repeatedly throughout the manuscript was regarding type and antitype. I had them confused. A type precedes and foreshadows an antitype. Please see the attached clarification. (see)
My research took me to the library on the campus of Biola University and Talbot Seminary. I searched all three floors of that excellent resource seeking the opinions of others. However, I wanted my conclusions to be based on God’s Doctrine, His divine revelation, and not the opinions of men. So I dug deeper into the Word of God.
During the months of research, I struggled with what I was seeing and was having difficulty drawing conclusions. At a point in time, after struggling to understand the opinions of men and the Word of God, I realized that my struggle was accepting God-breathed Scripture through the lens of sound hermeneutical principles. I had to let go of my preconceived ideas and many of the opinions of men.
You will see from Dr. Ellison’s notations that he had questions regarding some of my conclusions. Still, he did not dispute them. He knew as I knew, that my study and research would not end with this final product. And it has not. I have continued to revisit the subject time and again in order to apply what God’s Word says about the topic of marriage and divorce. The church in general has moved on with all sides of the debate settling into their respective corners, satisfied with their opinions. By the grace of God, I have been given the time and opportunity to become more settled in my conclusions and especially what is of foremost importance and what will remain as the judgment of men under the sun.
This final product was one giant step in my walk with the Lord. I trust it will raise questions and lead you, the reader, to draw more clearly your conclusions regarding the subject of divorce and church leadership.
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[i] Divorce and Church Leadership
[ii] Let's Talk About Doctrine - Dr. Jerry Back (drjerryback.com).