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Question 6

Bercot highlights that most modern divorces are filed by wives (including his observations from thousands of title-law cases) and criticizes churches for treating “single moms” as spiritual widows while assuming fathers “dump their wives and children”—how should a church pursue truth and justice in divorce situations without falling into stereotypes, sentimentality, or automatic suspicion of one side?

Another way to ask: How can a church seek truth and fairness in divorce cases without assuming the man is always guilty or the woman is always the victim?

Direct Answer Bercot’s point suggests the church must stop operating on default narratives and instead face reality honestly, treating divorce as serious sin with real victims on both sides. Pursuing truth and justice means refusing sentimental categories (“martyrs” vs. “dumpers”) and having the courage to address divorce as an “evil fruit.”

Support from Transcript:

He cites statistics: in the U.S., “67% to 75%… are filed by females”; in England, “70%… filed by wives.”
From his work: after reading “several thousand divorce cases,” he observed “easily 9 out of 10… initiated by the wives” among property owners.
He critiques church assumptions: pastors berate fathers who “dump their wives and children,” while treating “single moms as martyrs… spiritual widows,” “when typically it was they who divorced their husbands.”
He insists, “Divorce is not a victimless sin,” and says the sin is not different when husbands take children either.
He laments: “very few churches have the courage to speak out against this evil fruit of divorce.”

Discussion Follow-ups What kinds of questions should a church ask to get at truth in a specific case? How can a church grieve with those who lost children or family without automatically assigning innocence?

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