Can a divorced and remarried person join the Anglican Church?

?

 

I assume that you mean in the US, with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), which I could probably speak toward. The specifics of your reception will depend on your local rector, because ACNA has had a lengthy process of reorganization after a very bloody battle with the Episcopal Church. Discipline is still very lax, and in many places you may not even be asked about your personal history.

However, in terms of doctrine, can one be divorced and remarried without sin? The answer to that would be no. When the ACNA House of Bishops was formed with consecrations of bishops, some priests were divorced, and they were not allowed to become bishops, for instance.

If this situation is about you, I would say start going to church, keep on the down low while you figure out your spiritual and personal life, acknowledge your sin (just as I will acknowledge mine), etc. Beg God for the gift of repentance, and walk with the Lord. I have seen it proven a hundred times that people who completely throw themselves upon the Lord have never walked away incomplete, or dissatisfied. We walk by faith, not by sight. But you've got to walk first, which means you've got to be a part of the public community of the faithful, and embrace doing pious works, and thoughts, in private life. Sometimes it's necessary to start doing holy things, before one necessarily feels all that holy.

 

Yes it is about me. The priest at the Anglican Church I attend when I can said I have a scriptural reason of divorce but I am not actually a member as I am still a Methodist

 

I'm not at all sure we are supposed to ever feel all that holy. We are called to be holy, without which no one will see The Lord, but feel holy? I'm not sure even Jesus Christ himself actually felt holy. Matt.19:17. Heb.12:14.

 

Have the priest at the parish you want to join review the relevant portion of the diocesan Canons with you. He probably needs the review as much as you need the information.

 

Then he probably will let you become a member. Since you have what he deems to be a scriptural reason, I doubt there's any barrier.

I will add, though, that in my view official membership is more a matter of being able to vote for vestry members and suchlike. Being a member of the body of Christ and of God's family is to be found in the heart, not on a parish membership roll. I mean, it's good to be a member but not high on my personal priority list.

 

Yes, they can. I do not know if any specific Anglican church or diocese has specific policies on this. In the C of E, the church to which I belong, we have the complication of being the Established Church. Therefore, parish incumbents are in law marriage registrars. The C of E leaves it to the conscience of individual priests as to whether they will officiate at the marriage of divorced persons. There are priests who will not officiate when one or both of the parties are divorced but will grant them a blessing after a civil marriage ceremony (which I find rather contradictory). In general, I do not think you would have a problem in the C of E.

 

I moved from England to Illinois and met and married my wife, an American, we attend an ACNA mission, my wife was never baptized but had been married before. We had to ask our Bishops permission and produce a divorce document and my wife was baptized and confirmed into the church before we could marry. Our Bishop was brilliant, Bishop Morales, we even had the marriage service from the BCP 1662 as close as it was possible.
We were as a dioceses using Common worship which I’m not a fan of.

I understand it might be slightly different in other dioceses but here in Springfield in the Diocese of Quincy it was quite straight forward.

 

Well since this old thread has been bumped up I guess I shoudl update on what the priest said. I had a scriptural reason for divorce. So yeah he was fine with my dating and marry again. The Bishop will usually grant a second marriage. From what I have read this is done out of God's mercy and grace for his people. Kinda like the EO's position. I don't think 3rd marriages are all that common but that is just from what I have read.

 

What source from the Bible was justified for allowing a marriage to be dissolved?

 

Nothing like asking him a very personal question in a low-key manner, LOL. Maybe we should just come right out with it. "So, what did your first wife do, anyway?"

 

He said her behavior fell under abandonment that Paul talked about. I don't mind talking about it. He said that physical and mental abuse also fall under abandonment. I had her admitting in writing about her hitting me. I had her emotional mental abuse documented in her own writing. (pro tip never put anything in writing you don't want read back to you, especially online. )

 

She near killed me with it all

 

The question posed by the thread is 'Can a divorced and remarried person join the Anglican Church?'

The answer has to be clearly yes. If they are an unbaptised person, this would be through baptism and in due course confirmation, or if they were baptised in another tradition, generally by reception (most probably with a Bishop in attendance).

In the case of remarriage, I see value in it being a little harder than a first marriage, from the pastoral perspective, that we continue to support the principle of the lifelong union, and that we need to help our people have some self awareness, but not so much as some sort of integration and quasi legal investigation, and certainly not to the idea of dissolving marriages as if they didn't happen or where somehow sacramentally deficient.

 

Oh. Wow.

As Proverbs 21:9 says, it's better to live alone in the corner of a small attic
than with a brawling woman in a large house.

If you'll forgive the levity, this reminds me of a joke.
Bartender: "Won't your wife hit the roof when you come in so late tonight?"
Customer: "I sure hope so. 'Cuz last time, she put a bullet through my hat!"

 

I am not asking him for any personal details. For one, I am not at all interested. I was asking him to cite where in the Bible he says it justifies divorce.

 

I can't copy and paste on my work computer. But there is a statement put out by the Anglican Mission in North America or such that lays it all out. But he used the scripture where Paul talks about desertion and how my case is viewed as desertion so it is scripturally ok for me to be divorced.

 

I have just noticed it says that you are a Methodist. Therefore, I am not sure why you are concerned what Anglican churches may think about divorce.

 

When I joined the forums I was a Methodist. My church is now Legacy Anglican Church. We are part of the ACNA.

 

I was on my way out of Methodism when I joined and was already attending Legacy Anglican. At the time when I joined that was the best way to ascribe my religious affiliation