Religion: Presbyterian Divorces

Presbyterian rule has held that only desertion and adultery are legitimate grounds for divorce. In this Presbyterians have been more liberal than most Christian denominations. Most admit only adultery as a divorce cause. A Presbyterian minister might properly marry a divorce only if the person were the innocent derelict of desertion or the innocent cheat of adultery. And, because the minister has had free discretion to judge marital innocence, amiable pew-holders occasionally have tried to strain his goodwill.

Dr. James Palmer, long associate rector at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan and now a professor in the exceedingly orthodox Biblical Seminary in Manhattan, put the preacher’s temptation into blunt words last week: “I could have become rich if I had married all the divorced persons who wanted to be wed. At the Fifth Avenue Church there were hundreds of divorced couples who presented themselves for marriage. Some came to see me; others telephoned. Not a small number were wealthy and, though they never, in my experience, actually offered extraordinary fees for the performance of the service without any preliminary questions, it was understood that they would pay well for this consideration.”

Although Dr. Palmer, no hider under bushels, might have highlighted his experiences, it is true that pastors dislike refusing the marriage services. In their behalf Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin, urbane and diplomatic president of Union Theological Seminary, last week presented a resolution to the Presbytery of New York:

“. . . WHEREAS the Presbyterian Church, recognizing the civil status of marriage, does not presume to declare null any marriage which the state deems legal, yet insists that Christians in this, as in all other things, must be ruled by the higher law of Christ, and

“WHEREAS the Church allows the remarriage only of the innocent party in a divorce for adultery or for such willful desertion as can in no way way be remedied by the church or civil magistrate’ . . .

“WHEREAS the application of these principles to certain cases calls on a minister to interpret what is irremediable willful desertion and what is injustice to an innocent person who has been divorced for Scriptural reasons—interpretations not always easy to make, having regard both to his duty to maintain Christ’s ideal of marriage and to show Christian sympathy with those who have been the victim of tragic wrong.

“RESOLVED that the Presbytery appoint a committee of counsel to consist of two ministers and one ruling elder who is also a lawyer (said committee to be chosen so as to be easily accessible) and that Presbytery urge all its ministers when they are asked to remarry any divorced person concerning whose right to remarriage there appears to be the slightest question to bring all the papers and all relative information to this committee and to be guided by their judgment in acceding or refusing to perform the desired marriage.”

The Presbytery passed the resolution unanimously.