Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 53 minutes ago
Are Focus on the Family's multi-day Hope Restored Marriage Intensives truly miraculous? That’s what their president says. But where's the evidence?
1. "No," say many people who’ve attended. It didn’t fix their marriage. (See below for 3 first-person stories. 10:00)
2. IMPORTANT: Hope Restored suggests you may want to seek other ALTERNATIVES TO THEIR OWN PROGRAM if there is current substance addiction, physical or emotional abuse, or adultery, or an emotional affair. This isn't a legal disclaimer, and even though it's unethical to do therapy with couples where these serious problems exist, Hope Restored will do it anyway. More on this here: lifesavingdivorce.com/hoperestoredfix-2
3. Hope Restored refuses to offer any scientific studies as evidence for their “miracle” claims. Yet the Code of Ethics at American Association of Christian Counseling requires they follow rigorous guidelines and make certain data available. They don't do this.
4. Ethics problems with marketing. Does their program meet the American Association of Christian Counselors’ Code of Ethics 1-820 and 1-890? They appear to be skating on thin ice. Link to the Code of Ethics: https://is.gd/VMeidq
FIRST PERSON STORIES from past participants of this $4,000-$6,000 marriage intensive:
10:00 - Story 1: Patricia, who attended 3 marriage intensives in Branson, MO, run by this team. She finally had to divorce to save her life and sanity.
19:05 - Story 2: Infidelity. Woman who traveled to the Michigan to get help for her serially adulterous husband, only to be told they couldn’t handle infidelity
40:55 - Story 3: Abuse. Woman who was being abused and this program didn't fix the situation.
20:22 - 5 Problems with ETHICS AND SAFETY ISSUES: They never admit that ABUSE is worse than divorce for parents and children.
Tell me your story about attending a Hope Restored marriage intensive or any other multi-day marriage program. This anonymous questionnaire includes places to freely share your insights. https://forms.gle/ejz1fBAtCDcUf4397
SOURCES
1 in 4 highly religious couples have experienced abuse in their current relationship – https://is.gd/On6pHz
Divorce saves lives (Harvard journal article) - https://is.gd/p5a01i
Focus on the Family doesn’t condone divorce for abuse, even for violent abuse – https://is.gd/0ikzHC
Jim Daly, president of FOTF, wants to make divorce harder to get, which would endanger abuse victims even more than they already are - https://is.gd/oeA3i3
Focus on the Family’s policy on divorce is more stringent than Jesus' is - https://is.gd/ouO2yH
My $200 offer to the first person who can find where FOTF (USA) tells abuse victims it might be safer for them to leave and divorce. See details. - https://is.gd/PoEfM2
8-in-10 kids of divorce turns out fine. And if their parents' divorce was for serious reasons, they are likely to place high value on marriage. Details: https://is.gd/wHk5eA
Family research has found that ABUSE is up to 10 times worse for children than DIVORCE – https://is.gd/ZdDgwo
Hope Restored’s inaccurate claims about children and divorce - https://is.gd/Woi6C9
FOTF’s inaccurate claims about kids and divorce: https://is.gd/lwGThF
FOTF doesn’t want you to know that divorce saves lives - https://is.gd/noXO3f
ABOUT
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and researcher. Since 1998, she has worked in churches in the Los Angeles area. She helps heartbroken people find strength, courage, and healing. For more than 25 years she has worked with Christian women and men going through difficult, life-saving divorces, listening with compassion to those who have suffered from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, addicted partners, and emotional abuse.
Herself the survivor of a toxic marriage, she walked through her own lifesaving divorce and was a single mother for many years. Today she is happily remarried. She is a graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in Bible and Christian Education.
For more information:
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lifesavingdivorce.bsky.social
Facebook facebook.com/lifesavingdivorce
Instagram instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
You Tube youtube.com/@lifesavingdivorce
Twitter twitter.com/GGBaskerville
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for serious reasons: a pattern of sexual immorality, physical abuse, chronic emotional abuse, domestic violence, felony behavior, life-destroying addictions, or abandonment/neglect.
Book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback or eBook: amzn.to/3CCBsnr AUDIOBOOK: amzn.to/4f52Mh4
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Are Focus on the Family's multi-day Hope Restored Marriage Intensives truly miraculous? That’s what their president says. But where's the evidence?
1. "No," say many people who’ve attended. It didn’t fix their marriage. (See below for 3 first-person stories. 10:00)
2. IMPORTANT: Hope Restored suggests you may want to seek other ALTERNATIVES TO THEIR OWN PROGRAM if there is current substance addiction, physical or emotional abuse, or adultery, or an emotional affair. This isn't a legal disclaimer, and even though it's unethical to do therapy with couples where these serious problems exist, Hope Restored will do it anyway. More on this here: lifesavingdivorce.com/hoperestoredfix-2
3. Hope Restored refuses to offer any scientific studies as evidence for their “miracle” claims. Yet the Code of Ethics at American Association of Christian Counseling requires they follow rigorous guidelines and make certain data available. They don't do this.
4. Ethics problems with marketing. Does their program meet the American Association of Christian Counselors’ Code of Ethics 1-820 and 1-890? They appear to be skating on thin ice. Link to the Code of Ethics: https://is.gd/VMeidq
FIRST PERSON STORIES from past participants of this $4,000-$6,000 marriage intensive:
10:00 - Story 1: Patricia, who attended 3 marriage intensives in Branson, MO, run by this team. She finally had to divorce to save her life and sanity.
19:05 - Story 2: Infidelity. Woman who traveled to the Michigan to get help for her serially adulterous husband, only to be told they couldn’t handle infidelity
40:55 - Story 3: Abuse. Woman who was being abused and this program didn't fix the situation.
20:22 - 5 Problems with ETHICS AND SAFETY ISSUES: They never admit that ABUSE is worse than divorce for parents and children.
Tell me your story about attending a Hope Restored marriage intensive or any other multi-day marriage program. This anonymous questionnaire includes places to freely share your insights. https://forms.gle/ejz1fBAtCDcUf4397
SOURCES
1 in 4 highly religious couples have experienced abuse in their current relationship – https://is.gd/On6pHz
Divorce saves lives (Harvard journal article) - https://is.gd/p5a01i
Focus on the Family doesn’t condone divorce for abuse, even for violent abuse – https://is.gd/0ikzHC
Jim Daly, president of FOTF, wants to make divorce harder to get, which would endanger abuse victims even more than they already are - https://is.gd/oeA3i3
Focus on the Family’s policy on divorce is more stringent than Jesus' is - https://is.gd/ouO2yH
My $200 offer to the first person who can find where FOTF (USA) tells abuse victims it might be safer for them to leave and divorce. See details. - https://is.gd/PoEfM2
8-in-10 kids of divorce turns out fine. And if their parents' divorce was for serious reasons, they are likely to place high value on marriage. Details: https://is.gd/wHk5eA
Family research has found that ABUSE is up to 10 times worse for children than DIVORCE – https://is.gd/ZdDgwo
Hope Restored’s inaccurate claims about children and divorce - https://is.gd/Woi6C9
FOTF’s inaccurate claims about kids and divorce: https://is.gd/lwGThF
FOTF doesn’t want you to know that divorce saves lives - https://is.gd/noXO3f
ABOUT
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and researcher. Since 1998, she has worked in churches in the Los Angeles area. She helps heartbroken people find strength, courage, and healing. For more than 25 years she has worked with Christian women and men going through difficult, life-saving divorces, listening with compassion to those who have suffered from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, addicted partners, and emotional abuse.
Herself the survivor of a toxic marriage, she walked through her own lifesaving divorce and was a single mother for many years. Today she is happily remarried. She is a graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in Bible and Christian Education.
For more information:
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lifesavingdivorce.bsky.social
Facebook facebook.com/lifesavingdivorce
Instagram instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
You Tube youtube.com/@lifesavingdivorce
Twitter twitter.com/GGBaskerville
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for serious reasons: a pattern of sexual immorality, physical abuse, chronic emotional abuse, domestic violence, felony behavior, life-destroying addictions, or abandonment/neglect.
Book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback or eBook: amzn.to/3CCBsnr AUDIOBOOK: amzn.to/4f52Mh4
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
