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Originally Posted by Leslie  Since there is disagreement amongst serious Bible scholars, it seems cruel to impose, with Piper, the most restrictive of the interpretations as if the issue were, indeed, crystal clear.... Is there not some middle ground, some room to discuss the various ethical principles that bear on any particular case? |
I think you have some excellent points, Leslie. And I think our exegesis and hermeneutics need to be consistent with the fact that the gospel is redemptive.
One of the hardest points in Piper's position is the notion that, if you have entered into a second marriage when you shouldn't have (and I didn't see any exceptions other than death of the first spouse), then you should repent of that, yet still be faithful to your current spouse.
I remember, years ago, dialoging with a guy on a Christian BBS sponsored by a publishing house out of Nashville, who was so strict on this that he actually said that it would not be Biblical for him to divorce and remarry if his wife committed adultery on him, but that if he killed her after such adultery, it would be OK to remarry. God could forgive the murder, but not the remarriage after adultery, somehow.
Go figure!