In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent USA Today article exploring the current divorce rates in the United States. The stats seem to vary based on state, religious affiliation, race, sexual orientation, occupation… even the number of times that someone has been married. They also noted that divorce rates tend to peak around the 5th year of marriage, and then again around the 15th to 20th year of marriage. Dr. White weighs in on why people get divorced.
Dr. White noted that a big shift happens in people's mindset when the romance fades and reality sets in. This was actually an installment of a series that he gave at Mecklenburg Community Church called “Marriage Mentoring.” You can find that entire series HERE. Another factor that can play a big role surrounds marking the dawn of the 30s. Another series that you may be interested in looking at is called “Seasons of Life,” and in particular the installment called “30s - The Age of Second Thoughts.” A final series that Dr. White delivered at Meck and which he mentioned in today's episode is called “The Lies We Believe About Marriage.” You can find that series HERE.
Finally, Dr. White wrote a blog about how couples cohabiting before marriage can actually increase the rate of divorce, and why this is something that the church needs to teach on more often. Be sure to read “The Importance of Knowing Why and Casting Vision.”
For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.