Impact of divorce and in-laws : a challenge in pastoral care in the pentecosal and charismatic churches

Abstract

In the 21st century the question of “divorce” is one of the highest challenges that faces the Pentecostal/Charismatic in South Africa and mostly in local assemblies. In the beginning God had intended marrige from the beginning that couples should be joined together until separated by death. This according to the Bible Verse “Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split what God has joined together” (Matthew 19:6). This study was prompted by the researcher’s observation of the challenge or need for a wholistic intervention in Pastoral Care in the Pentecostal/Charismatic churches posed by the questions of marriage and divorce and the challenges related to the role of in-laws in the tensions and contradictions of married life in this religious tradition. The rate of divorce among the Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians couples is alaming high that the church pastoral must be ome actively involved to reduce the alarming problem. Marriage in the African communities is often a communal affair; this study proceeds from the assumption that in-laws are involved in the initial stages of negotiations, but are often left out as the processes unfold, especially in matters relating to divorce. A qualitative approach to the study was deemed appropriate; interviews were conducted in which participants were encouraged to tell their own stories (Wimberley and Gerkin). As the narratives unfolded, it was clear that in-laws were not the only ones affected by situations of divorce. Thus, the study also introduced literary sources to validate the assumptions on the psychological and emotional implications of marriages gone bad for all stake holders, especially children. As children oscillate between the maternal and paternal worlds of their parents, more questions arise regarding how in-laws contribute positively or negatively to their emotional and psychological development (Chapters 5 & 6) in the short and long term.