The Permanency of Marriage takes the reader sequentially through the Bible explaining what the Bible says about marriage and its duration. This book explores the common, and not so common, arguments for divorce and the Biblical response to each.
Berner grew up in the 1950s and 60s. Before and during that time period, marriage was for life. Divorce was openly condemned and brought severe consequences from the church and from society. In the 1960s as his pastors and teachers changed their position from divorce is wrong to God allows divorce for specific situations, questions arose. If God's character never changes, how can divorce go from wrong to right? If God's counsel never changes, how can divorce go from wrong to acceptable? If God's Word never changes, how can divorce go from wrong to beneficial? The Permanency of Marriage addresses these questions.
Berner's desire for answers was furthered when the issue of divorce and remarriage surfaced in the life of a very close personal friend. Later, this issue surfaced in his immediate family. With his own marriage approaching, his need to know was immensely personal. When his wife obtained her divorce, finding God's answers became a necessity! Berner had to know exactly what God expected of him regardless of what family, friends, religious leaders, and literature said. His book provides answers to these questions.
As he studied for answers to the above questions, Berner noticed those advocating for divorce and for divorce and remarriage used the same chapters and verses, with slight differences, to support their position. Those advocating no divorce and no remarriage used a set collection of chapters and verses to defend their position. Both groups ignored verses that did not fit their predetermined belief and behavior. The Permanency of Marriage deals with the chapters and verses used by both groups. And it deals with chapters and verses ignored by both groups.
Berner also noticed, with almost no exceptions, books, articles, sermons, interviews, etc. on divorce and remarriage deliberately avoid discussing the consequences of both divorce and remarriage - consequences on the husband/wife, on the children, and on society in general. The Permanency of Marriage includes this topic.
The Permanency of Marriage includes discussion on the causes of divorce; past and present research on divorce and remarriage; quotes from early church leaders (time of Christ to 500 AD); topics such as innocent party, before salvation, consider them dead; and other issues and topics that impact the duration of marriage and the rightness or wrongness of divorce and remarriage.
Berner states he cannot claim with certainty that his book exhausts everything God says on this topic.
He further states his book is a study, not an entertaining read. He asks for everyone to read every reference for themselves. Each biblical reference is discussed in detail as it relates to marriage and as it relates to divorce. Therefore, there will be content repetition. All bolding, underlining, and italics are his unless otherwise noted. All verses are from the King James Bible unless otherwise noted.
The Permanency of Marriage is Berner's attempt to understand how divorce went from forbidden, 1960s, to God-approved in the 1970s and 80s. Berner holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in religious and secular education. For 39 years he wrote educational material and taught in religious and corporate settings.
