“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Matthew 19:4-9 (NIV)
The legal profession is not short on traps for the unwary. It creates pitfalls and labyrinths within the day-to-day struggle to not only zealously advocate for one’s client, but to also remain faithful to the moral underpinnings developed by our worldviews in the face of cultural pressure to conform. As Christian lawyers, these commitments, compelled by love, keep us restrained from the addiction of compromise, not because of its inherent desirability, but because of its inherent ease. We tether ourselves to the cross in an effort to become a living-breathing sacrifice, to illuminate the path for those walking in darkness and to help the glory of God be magnified in our lives through the legal profession. During this process, Christians face a host of issues that create undeniable conflicts. One issue is in the arena of divorce litigation. The question of whether a Christian can be a divorce lawyer is full of theological and legal implications. A believer’s purpose is to master the nuances of these dilemmas and conduct himself in a worthy manner. See Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; Philippians 1:27.
The Christian Legal Society is honored to host this Lunch Series on the topic of the Bible and Divorce. Professor Anthony S. Mulford was gracious enough to offer his time and advice on the means of reconciling the biblical model of marriage/divorce and the legal responsibility we have to our clients. The tension is real! It is important that students begin to wrestle with these dilemmas early in order to better prepare themselves for the eventual conflicts. By doing this, we allow the truth of scripture to shape our lives instead of allowing our lives to shape the truth of scripture.
LINK TO VIDEO HERE
CLS is here as a resource for Christian student-lawyers dealing with the struggle of the legal profession. For more information please visit our website at http://www.christianlegalsociety.org/or if you're a Regent student at http://www.regent.edu/acad/schlaw/student_life/studentorgs/cls/home.cfm.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to email Anton Sorkin (antosor@mail.regent.edu).