My name is Robert Waters and I look forward to studying the Bible with brother Thrasher regarding the question, "Who may marry?"
I am happily married to my first and only wife. We have two grown children, Angela and David, both of whom are Christians. I have credits from five colleges, and received a BS degree in Agriculture Education from Arkansas State University in 1979. I spent five years preaching the gospel and then, in 1985, I took a job with USDA's Farm Service Agency, where I continue to be employed as a County Executive Director for two counties. In addition to my work as a government employee I preach the gospel regularly at a congregation near Huntsville , Arkansas . It is in the Forum community on Hwy 23 North, approximately 8 miles from Huntsville . I have a unique web site called Total Health (www.TotalHealth.bz) through which I endeavor to teach people how to be more healthy, especially in a spiritual way. I came up with the idea to start a new list where people could express their views on controversial subjects without being intimidated, insulted and slandered etc. With the help of David Cambridge, things came together and the list was called Focus On Truth, a Yahoo groups list, which now has over 200 members.
I have engaged in several written debates on various subjects, but most have been on divorce and remarriage (MDR). As a full time preacher I was unable to objectively study MDR, but after becoming secularly employed I was no longer concerned about being maligned and cast out by brethren who are determined to maintain tradition. During the time that I was a "full time" preacher I never wrote on the subject of MDR nor did I preach a sermon on it. This was because I had not given the matter ample study and was not confident I had the truth. Frankly, the traditional position, which is what I had been taught, just did not seem to have the support from the scriptures and I seriously wondered God could punish persons innocent of marital wrong doing to a life of celibacy because they made a wrong choice for a marriage partner and were divorced.
I was introduced to Olen Hick's view (which has a lot of truth), which I defended on internet discussion lists, but was later introduced to a view that denies that Jesus changed the Law (which He promised He would not to before the cross) yet accepts what Jesus said in the "MDR" texts. I believe the view I now hold is much simpler and easier to defend than Hick's. Since the truth is what I seek I will carefully consider what brother Thrasher has to say about the view I now hold on MDR.
Brotherly,
Robert Waters
robertwaters@yahoo.com