The Hollow Liturgy: Till Death Do Us Part

You would think that a body of believers obsessed with the unconditional love message would start to resemble the message, but this is not the case. Recently, Pat Robertson said that a person whose spouse is suffering from Alzheimers has the right to divorce and remarry because the person suffering from the disease is already dead. I do not even know where to begin with this. 

Christian voices from everywhere have denounced Robertson's remarks, but why? They say it is an assault on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is true, but what do they know of this? They take communion with those who have divorced and remarried. They go to the remarriage ceremonies. They are the ones that are divorced and remarried. It is a web of contradictions. The reason for the divorce with respect to Robertson's remarks is a more obvious, "of course you don't divorce" case. But all cases, whether obvious or not, have to do with conditional verses unconditional love. The fellowship loves to hear about the unconditional love Christ has for them, but then they fail to love unconditionally, even when they know that they are supposed to emulate Christ.

Most marriages, seem to me, to be predicated on conditions. The relationship is built on the fact that I will love you only if you stay exactly like you are now and make me feel like I feel now. Well what if years later that person becomes someone different and they do not make you feel the same. What then? Sayonara, I guess. See it's a conditional love. It's a love that says I will only love you if you make me feel a certain way or do a certain thing, which is really no love at all.

Additionally, Pat Robertson believes in healing. So what if that person becomes healed of the Alzheimers and their spouse is married to someone else? How does this show Christ to them?

And then you have the obvious, which I think Pat's co-host may have brought up - in sickness and in health. It does not apply to Alzheimers apparently.

A few weeks ago a friend told me about a co-worker whose wife shot him with a shotgun in his arm and chest during an argument. The lawyer and everyone around him said to divorce. My friend was asked by his co-worker what he should do. With the world and every principality of darkness against him, he responded with this:

"Jesus says that if you divorce your wife and marry someone else you commit adultery. And think about all the times that you have been faithless to Christ, yet he remains faithful to you."

So you know what his co-worker did? He decided not to press any charges, not to divorce his wife, and he took her home the very same day as the court hearing. THAT is love. THAT is what Christ has done for us. And THAT is being Christ to your spouse. Let me say this again. This guy was SHOT by his wife and he still said I love you anyway. Could you get a more similar picture of what Christ did for us?

Even when we were nailing Him to the cross, Jesus said "Forgive them Lord for they know not what they do."


This is my prayer. And it is my prayer that our myopic understanding of love would begin to expand and that the Holy Spirit would illuminate, strengthen and awaken the minds and hearts of a deaf, dumb, self-seeking, cowardice and adulterous generation.