It’s often claimed that the divorce rate inside the church is just as high (or higher) as it is outside it. I’d like to offer some additional information.
First, I’m not convinced that the church should have a lower divorce rate than the rest of culture. Do not misunderstand me. Divorce is devastating – something that those who have been through one are usually quick to admit. I’m not celebrating a marriage breaking apart, I am simply noting that if the church is a hospital – i.e. a place where hurting people can go to get help – then it makes sense that there would be many there who are hurting from divorce (as well as from drug and alcohol problems, unemployment, domestic violence, etc.).
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Second, the actual findings say something different than is often implied. When we compare the divorce rate of all those who claim to be Christians with those who are religiously unaffiliated, we find that those inside the church divorce slightly less often. But, when we compare the divorce rate of those who not only claim to be Christians but who also are involved in a church, we see that those who are involved in church divorce significantly less often than the general population.
And I have also heard – but have no study to cite – that those couples who pray together daily divorce at a much lower rate.
For more on this, see Bradley Wright’s Christians are Hate-filled Hypocrites… and Other Lies You’ve Been Told (Bethany House, 2010), 132-135.