May 29, 2000

Stanley says he's divorced
___ATLANTA (ABP)--Former Southern Baptist Convention President Charles Stanley stunned the congregation of First Baptist Church in Atlanta May 21 by announcing he and his wife of 44 years have divorced.
___Church members stood and applauded following an announcement that Stanley, 67, would stay on as pastor, according to a report May 23 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
___Lingering marital problems have haunted Stanley's ministry for years.
___Stanley, who became pastor of the church in 1972, has been separated from his wife, Anna, since 1992. She first filed for divorce in 1993. Some church members said Stanley should step down because of the congregation's unwritten policy of not allowing divorced men to serve as deacons or ministers.
___Stanley refused to resign, arguing that separation isn't the same as divorce. He said in 1995, however, he would leave the church immediately should the divorce ever become final.

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