Communist Husband Divorces Christian Wife

Chen and his wife, Lan, were committed Communist Party members in China. They both happily served their country, Chen with a military career and his wife as a journalist. Life changed when Lan confessed that she had become a Christian and was now dedicated to Jesus. When the Communist leaders found out, they gave her the option to serve the party or resign. If she remained a Christian she no longer could keep her job. ​“My wife chose to hold on to her faith and insisted on attending church meetings with her fellow believers,” said Chen. ​“I was adamant that she was making a terrible decision, and when she explained to me that we could actually make our lives better living as Christians, I told her that my life would be better without her in it.” To save face over Lan’s embarrassing decision to leave the Communist Party, Chen divorced her and left his family. He fully expected his wife to run out of money and desperately beg him to return. However, when Chen visited his family six months later there was no hostility from Lan or the children, and the house was well maintained with no sign of money problems. He could not deny the absolute peace and resilience he saw in their home. It was clear that Lan’s life had improved while his had changed for the worse. So he considered attending one of her gatherings to discover her secret, but his pride got in the way and prevented him from acting on the desire. Chen stubbornly waited a full 20 months before finally calling home in tears asking his wife to forgive him, take him back, and introduce him to Jesus. He returned home and on their knees, he and his wife prayed together, and he embraced his new life in Christ. God is faithful to hear his children’s prayers and is relentless in pursuing those who are resisting him.

Peter addresses the situation of an unbelieving husband in 1 Peter. It says: In the same way you wives be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives as they observe your pure and respectful behavior.

Chen was won over by his wife’s Godly attitude and her new life in Christ and now together they serve the Lord and live as devoted followers.