Photo: @LysaTerKeurst and @GlennonDoyle on Instagram
In the past 12 months the online Christian lady-blogging world has gotten two huge shocks related to the marriages of those who were much followed and hailed on our sphere of influence. Just this week, Lysa TerKeurst of Proverbs 31 Ministries announced that she would be pursuing divorce from her husband of 24 years, Art TerKeurst after his “repeated” infidelity and substance abuse. Despite her attempts at forgiveness and intensive counseling, Art found himself unable to choose his marriage over this new woman. And last year, on the eve of publishing a book that was 100% ABOUT saving her marriage and CHOOSING her husband despite his infidelity, Glennon Doyle Melton (now Doyle) of Momastery fame announced that she decided to divorce him anyway. (The book was still a best-seller, natch.) Later, Doyle revealed that the reason she decided to divorce her husband was because when she met soccer star Abby Wambach, “I actually felt the words There she is. This was just an absolute recognizing of the person I was supposed to be with forever.” She told Elle Magazine that instead of choosing the marriage she had fought so hard to save, she decided to go through the process to “risk every single thing in your life to have the one thing you’ve always wanted.”
Shudder.
My friends, I do not fault TerKeurst for seeking a divorce. And her ministry is one I respect with all my heart and will continue to follow. If Doyle was going to pursue divorce, I believe she had Biblical grounds after her husband’s own repeated infidelity…but the way the reconciliation, the book, the divorce, and her whirlwind subsequent marriage to Wambach took place makes it seem…well, press-worthy for one thing, Though I have HUGE respect for Doyle’s fundraising and humanitarian work, I don’t look to her for Christian wisdom.
But that’s not my point. AT ALL.
