Devout or Disobedient? The Divorce Stories of Two NFL Quarterbacks

There are two very prominent names in the world of sports who have recently been in the news lately. They are in the news not because of their athletic achievements, they are in the news as two “devote Christians” who have divorced, or are about to divorce their wives. One has already divorced his wife and "remarried" another, and the other one is in the process of divorcing his wife with the hopes to remarry another. There is something that needs to be clarified, and quickly. “Devout Christian husbands” do not divorce their wives, and they surely would never remarry another.

The problem with both these men is obvious since a husband is never to divorce his wife. (1Cor 7:11) If this is not disturbing, it should be that “self-professing” Christian media outlets such The Christian Post and Charisma Magazine are promoting these men as “Devout Christians.” 

The first man is the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson who married his covenant wife Ashton Meem in 2012 and then divorced her in 2014. It is still very unclear as to why the divorce occurred, and other than rumors, God certainly knows the truth. Russell Wilson makes the claim to be a Christian and is very open about his Christian faith. In March of this year, Wilson married pop singer Ciara. What is significant of Ciara is that she is not a believer. Paul makes it clear that believers should not yoke with unbelievers (2 Cor 6:14), much less marry one after a divorce of a covenant spouse. It should be noted that both Russell Wilson and Ciara publicly agreed that they would not have pre-marital sex before their marriage. I guess this is significant to the public since it was very evident that Ciara fornicated with her ex-fiancé before meeting Wilson.

In a recent article by the Pentecostal website CharismaNews, Wilson is referenced as asking the people in a church (Rock Church in San Diego) to pray for his “commitment” and that God told him that he needed to lead Ciara.

“Speaking at Rock Church in San Diego shortly after the couple confirmed they were dating, Wilson said God spoke to him about Ciara, saying, “I need you to lead her.’”

“He asked for prayers to help them honor the commitment they'd made to God.”

I have a hard time believing God asked Wilson to “lead” a woman knowing that he is disobedient to God in his divorce of his covenant wife, Ashton Meem. Even if Ashton committed adultery in their marriage, the Lord gives no command for Wilson to divorce his wife. (1 Cor 7:11) In fact, God commands that a man is not to divorce his wife, and if he does, and then marries another, he commits adultery. (Mt 5:32; 19:9; Mk 10:11,12 and Luke 16:18) Not only that, if Ashton remarried another man, Wilson is guilty of her adultery against him as well.
It is no surprise that the editors of the CharismaNews are so focused on the piety of Russell Wilson, while they ignore the clear elephant in the room…divorce and remarriage. The title of the article is, “Russell Wilson Accused of ‘Brainwashing’ Wife with Christian Lifestyle” and comes in response to a secular article by Celeb Dirty Laundry, “Ciara Now A Stepford Wife:Brainwashed By Russell Wilson?” What is interesting about the secular article is that the writer questions the “faith” of Ciara who has been thoroughly yoked with a secular lifestyle. The question is whether her “faith” is real, and that it is a matter of time before we see the real Ciara...

“The singer is no longer in contact with some of her closest friends, including Kim Kardashian and isn’t provocatively dancing and giving fans lap dances during her performances like she used to. Ciara might have made a lot of changes to help please her husband Russell Wilson, but will it take long for the cracks to show in the façade before she goes back to her old habits?”

What is not in question is the divorce and remarriage of Russell Wilson. This is because secular society has no problem with divorce and remarriage as this is very common in the entertainment industry. Instead of there being a stark contrast of worldview when it comes to divorce and remarriage, it is quite clear that CharismaNews and Celeb Dirty Laundry are on the same page. In fact, CharismaNews believes Russell Wilson is a “devout Christain” and Celeb Dirty Laundry is only questioning the faith of Ciara and is counting the days when she resorts to her old ways. If these "Christian" websites would treat marriage as the Lord sees marriage, Ciara would not be civily married to Russell Wilson.

I want to be very clear that the Holy Spirit does call people out of darkness through the power of the Gospel, and that He may be working in great ways to transform Ciara in to a child of God. If this is the case, then eventually she will see the complete picture of her “marriage” to Russell Wilson. This is also the case with Wilson. The Holy Spirit will work in way for him to see that his divorce from Aston Meem is not the actions of a “devout Christian”, but one who is disobedient to the covenant vow he made before the Lord.

The second man in the news is Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III (RG3). The Christian Post titles their article, “Devout Christian Robert Griffin lll Filing Divorce of Wife of Three Years”. According to this news source, RG3 is in the “process” of filing for divorce, thus is still in marriage with Rebecca Liddcoat. According to this source, RG3 is the one who initiated the divorce since his infatuation with Grete Sadeiko and that his wife was in the process of standing for her marriage. Regardless, what gives RG3 the right to call himself a Christian while having an adulterous affair while still in covenant with his wife? How can he look in the mirror and call himself a Christian when he is in direct disobedience to his wife of covenant? 

The praise of his fellow athletes is astounding. If it were not sad that these news media sites praise this man, it appears that he is getting much support from his teammates. Even his mom tells us what a "devout" man of God this man appears to be. It is not surprising that both men are extremely wealthy through their athletic achievements, and that the bottom line is that "happiness" and "prosperity" trump the need to be obedient to a covenant vow.
What should sicken every believer is the fact that these professing Christian news websites would blaspheme the name of Christ by associating these two men as “devout”. Regardless if Christian Post was making a point, they never should have associated RG3 and "devout" based on the fruits he is bearing now.  Professional athletes have a great influence on society to the point that many worship these men above the Lord Jesus Christ. That alone should give us pause and cause us to shudder.

Marriage must be a holy union that depicts the love of Christ for His bride, and news site like this have turned the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. They have disregarded the clear teaching on marriage and have embraced the world's view of marriage. Instead of rebuking these men so as to save their souls, they have glorified their lives and associated divorce and remarriage to one who are devout. God help them.

In conclusion, it is very apparent that the gap is getting wider in the deconstruction of marriage when professing Christian news sites glorify the heinous actions of men who disregard their vows of covenant to appease their flesh. This is really no mystery as it is most likely that the editors and writers of these sites are most likely associated in some way with divorce and remarriage. The good news is that there is hope for all associated with these sad stories.

The Lord Jesus Christ came in grace and truth, and should the Holy Spirit convict all parties involved, we would see these men repent of their actions and restore the marriage of covenant. We would see woman who will honor the vows of marriage by refraining from getting involved with men who are married. We would see a Christian news site that condemns these actions in such a way to urge such men of such action to repent of their sins and remain faithful to their wives of covenant. We would see more and more Christian couples fighting for the truth of one-flesh marriage covenant and standing up for the truth and remaining a witness that marriage is one man and one woman for LIFE! In doing so, we would see the representation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Eph 5:31,32 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

In Christ's love,

Neil