Conservatives Face Divorce Crisis

A new essay from R. Albert Mohler Jr., a prominent conservative Christian, warns evangelicals that high divorce rates among their ranks detracts from the credibility of their arguments against marriage equality.

According to Politics Daily, Mohler published the essay, "Divorce -- The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience," on his website on September 29. Mohler is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

"The real scandal," Mohler writes, "is the fact that evangelical Protestants divorce at rates at least as high as the rest of the public. Needless to say, this creates a significant credibility crisis when evangelicals then rise to speak in defense of marriage."

Politics Daily reports that the essay follows the publication of findings this spring by Mark A. Smith, a political science professor at the University of Washington. Smith found that 43% of evangelical Protestants divorce, a rate higher than almost any other religious group and greater than the national average of 38%.

"Indeed," reports Politics Daily, "the problem of Christian divorce is growing larger as the evangelical profile against gay marriage gets higher."