Foundations: No.74 Spring 2018

Book Reviews

God’s Divorce

Colin Hamer, Faithbuilders, 2017, 156pp, £10.99

Although hardly commented on by most, one feature of the recent royal wedding between the couple we now know as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was the fact that one of the parties was divorced. As far as Archbishop Justin Welby is concerned, it was “not a problem”. Since 2002 the Church of England has been willing to marry divorced persons in certain circumstances. For others, divorce and remarriage is almost always wrong.

Readers of this journal may recall our review of the original PhD by Dr Colin Hamer (Marital Imagery in the Bible, Foundations 71, Autumn 2016). This popularised edition with reader-friendly cover seeks to simplify things even further and to add some practical applications. These are very helpful and some may want to begin here, although it is only fair to follow the careful exegesis.

What has been published already has proved controversial in some quarters, but Dr Hamer’s arguments remain worth considering. The carefully thought out theology found here is not seeking easy answers but biblical ones and for that reason alone can be commended. Do check out this or the fuller work and give the arguments a fair trial.

Gary Brady
Pastor, Childs Hill Baptist Church, London

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