Troy and Jessica Thompson

Now we're going to push my luck and bump against the limits of some folk's web filter settings...

A few more last questions: were you and your wife homeschooled? What percentage of students there are? Can the reason for the high divorce rate be attributed to, like Bethel, the fact that they restrict single co-eds living together which leads to students "marrying early so they can have sex and live together"...

My wife and I were not homeschooled, but we were raised in rather conservative private schools. I would suppose that you find a larger number of home-schooled students at BJU than most public colleges; so far as a percentage, I'm uncertain. Bob Jones' support of home schooling is unquestioned, and their curriculum is quite popular among conservative home schools.

And this mythical high divorce rate has yet to be explained to me. First of all, no one cites real statistics; it's all conjecture. I have seen no real divorce rate statistics which categorize based on religious grounds focussed on one school; and I don't see any particular tendency toward divorce amongst my BJU peers. In fact, of those whom I know through family, friends, work, and church, the LOWEST divorce rate is amongst BJU graduates. All my personal observations of marriages amongst BJU graduates indicate that it's a greater indicator of a successful marriage.

Also consider this: many who divorce (and I'm talking on the whole, not just in Christian circles) are likely to divorce multiple times. I'd be interested to see how the stats are skewed based solely on that tendency. Of the divorcees I know, the great majority have been divorced multiple times. I'm wondering if we'd find that the divorce rate amongst those who have divorced once is 80%+...

Now, as for non-co-habitation (just created a new word...) causing "the shotgun marriage effect"... that's the first I've heard that one! I would venture that those who are willing to wait until marriage are more likely to have a higher regard for commitment in general, making divorce less likely.