heskyden wrote:
I think the point of the verses you quote is that Jesus is saying go and sin no more NOT go, and then justify your sin by distorting scripture passages.

I prefer to enjoy Mr. Francisco's music. My opinion concerning his divorce doesn't really matter.

As to divorce in general - people divorce - Christians divorce - yes, Scripture says that God hates divorce. Jesus said it was allowable under certain conditions, but it is never ideal. The marriage relationship best represents the relationship we as Christians have with the Son. It represents the intimacy, the sacrifical love, the faithfulness, that we know in Christ. So, any distortion of that hurts the picture that the world has of what a relationship in Christ should look like. Remember, types and shadows in the Old Testament - in the New Testament the redeemed are called the "bride of Christ."

Pastors have never handled the divorce issue well. It's a tough one to handle. No one handles it well, but a Christian deals with divorce like he/she deals with any sin. We confess it, and pray for forgiveness.

heskyden wrote:
Don Francisco has, indeed, made some fantastic records. Unfortunately, since those times, Don has also got divorced and now attempts to justify this action with some very dubious expositions of Scripture.

As to a divorce, who knows but he and his wife the reasons why. We live in a fallen world and we are a fallen people and even though God picks us up out of the muck of this life and plants our feet on the solid Rock, we are still prone to wander. As the song says, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it - Prone to leave the God I love." I would say as Jesus said when the woman was brought to Him having been caught in adultery, "Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone. And they dropped their stones, and walked away from the oldest to the youngest. And He said, 'Woman where are your accusers?' And she said, 'I have none.' Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.'"