A pastor at Saddleback Church in California is creating waves after he made comments on the church’s website stating that domestic violence in a marriage is not biblical grounds for divorce. According to Tom Holladay, who is a teaching pastor at the megachurch founded by Rick Warren, the Bible only addresses two scenarios where divorce is acceptable: abandonment and a physical affair.

“I wish there were a third in Scripture having been involved as a pastor with situations of abuse,” Holladay said in an audio clip posted on Saddleback Church’s Web site. “There is something in me that wishes there were a Bible verse that says, ‘If they abuse you in this-and-such kind of way, then you have a right to leave them.’”

Instead Holladay believes the couple should separate, undergo counseling, and work toward mending the marriage. He stressed, however, that no where in the Bible does it say “you should put up with abuse.”

Holladay’s statements caught the attention of Baptist blogger Danni Moss, an abuse survivor who uses a pseudonym to give anonymity to her children, family, and former in-laws.  She said the commentary “expresses a distinct lack of understanding about the nature, heart, and spiritual roots of abuse. I think he believes he is doing right and doesn’t realize his ignorance or how much he is hurting people, so this is offered without personal judgment. But I also believe categorically that it is dangerous.”

Thoughts?