Saturday, April 25, 2020
Saturday, September 8, 2018
The Treasure of a Woman
We search, we try hard, we seek. We feel overworked and overwhelmed. Life is exhausting, but it shouldn't be defeating.
Each woman possesses a treasure, but few unlock the chest it's contained in. This is not about a quick or temporary fix. It's real. It's lasting. it can be yours. Just watch out for pirates.
We can find this buried treasure of beauty within ourselves by knowing
1. Where to dig
2. What to look for
3. Protecting ourselves against pirates.
What are the three words any woman wants to hear?
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL
We as women love affirmation and encouragement. If I asked you to look at a photo of yourself at a young age what would you tell yourself?
Would you tell her all the things you say when you look in the mirror?
a. You're too fat
b. You're ugly
c. You're stupid
d. You can't do anything right
What would you tell this girl?
You would hug her and tell her that she IS beautiful, that she CAN do anything she sets her mind to
Phil $:13
For I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me (NLT) Nothing is impossible when we turn to God.
You would also tell this girl that God created her.
Isaiah 44:2 says "This is the word of the Lord your Maker who formed you from the womb. Not only has he created you, He has created you in His own image! Gen 1:27 " God created man in his own image; He created him in the image of God;
Ladies, God does not make mistakes! If we don't like our image what are we saying about God? Honestly, how many of us are at peace with our image? Can you look in the mirror and like what you see?
I used to avoid looking in the mirror as much as possible, I was a person who didn't like having her picture taken. What changed my thoughts? It was when I looked at the pictures of my beautiful girls and realized how much they looked at me and how beautiful they are. How can I tell them that they are beautiful if I keep rejecting the fact that God created me in His image? What am I teaching my girls? Am I teaching them to do the same?
Worldly Beauty - Where not to look.
So what defines beauty?
According to Webster's Dictionary beautiful is defined as having qualities of beauty: exciting, aesthetic pleasure.
We can look around us every day and see this, it is in advertising, magazines and on television, social media and billboards.
The world would love to tell us
How we should act
What to wear
and How to look.
Let's face it everywhere we look, whether online or in person at stores we are bombarded with anti-wrinkle products, hair products and showing us the clothing we SHOULD be wearing. This leaves us wanting more and making us feel we are not good enough. The world is self-serving and prideful. The world wants us to believe it's all about ME. We see women being obsessed bt a self-image that fits the world's view; pushing them to a never-ending" pursuit on an elusive goal that leads them to a breaking point. They are robbed of the true joy of being the woman God created them to be. They eventually suffer from low self-esteem because they can't keep up with the world's expectations.
The Bible tells us not to conform to the world
RRomans 12:1-2 "Therefore , brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God."
We are to alter our thinking, by meditating on God's word and "renewing" our minds. We can do this by constantly being in the Word, reading our Bibles.
Biblical or Godly Beauty Where Should We Look
How does the Bible look at beauty?
1 Peter 3:3 says " Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.
Peter certainly said a mouthful here. If we investigate the culture of the time, a husband's wealth was defined by how elaborate their wives hair was, braiding gold and jewels into their hair and displaying how expensive their clothing was. Basically, the women were "one-upping" each other. Keeping up with the Jones's so to speak. Now, this doesn't mean that we can't wear jewelry or get our hair done oe Wear nice clothes, God wants us to look after ourselves and have a tidy appearance. Just do everything in moderation! At times we tend to substitute external things for the right behavior or attitude. What Peter wants us to focus on is our inward character as he points out in the following verse: 1 Peter 3:4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious to God.
What is this gentle and quiet spirit?
Gentle means not isnsestent one's own rights' or not pushy, not selfishly assertive, not demanding one's own way.
Matthew Henry says "the finest ornament of Christian women is a meek and quiet spirit, a tractable easy temper of mind, void of passion, pride and immoderate anger, discovering itself in a quiet obliging behavior toward their husbands and families."
Look at Sari/ Sarah, in Gen 12, she followed Abraham into the desert, was taken into the haram of Pharoah all without any complaint!
scripture says a woman that has an internal heart attitude of meekness or gentleness and a quiet spirit has a beauty that is imperishable.
It's a beauty that will never fade away.
It's a beauty that you don't have to go through all kinds of cosmetic surgery or makeup routines to preserve. It's something that gets sweeter and richer and more beautiful as you age.
A woman who is gentle understands at the deepest level God is in control. She doesn't have to be anxious about her circumstances because she knows God loves her. She has the incorruptible, never fading beauty that beautifies the soul, that is, the graces and virtues of God's Holy Spirit.
The Hidden Gems
Gal 5:22 "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law against these things" NLT
What are the hidden gems of Galatians 5:22? Diamonds in the rough are geodes, just a normal looking rock until you break it open... inside is the real beauty of the rock!
You are defined by your cut, color, carat, and clarity... you are the diamond in the making, and that requires time, heat and pressure. God uses the time, heat and pressures of life to refine us and shape us. Every little trouble, every hard day, every irritable person we deal with is a refining process for us.
Diamonds are beautiful and are the hardest known naturally occurring mineral. However, what most of us like best about the mineral is the way it sparkles. When we are the Christian women God intended us to be, we can sparkle and shine. Diamonds don't start out beautiful, they are formed deep in the earth. It's just like when we come to Christ for salvation. We come from deep within sin. Ask any jeweler and they will tell you that one of the characteristics of a diamond is clarity. This is whether there is the presence of any impurities or inclusions in the diamond. As a Christian, others may not see our impurities or our sins because it may not be visible with the naked eye, but we must remember that for us to really sparkle for Christ we must allow Him to reflect through us.
There is another precious gem, the pearl. God takes a grain of sand and changes it into a pearl. Peals come from oysters, what God does is he places the sand in the oyster and the sand becomes an irritant to the oyster. The oyster than forms a protective coating around the sand and the pearl is formed. God works the same way to build our characters into a beautiful precious gem! And, we are more precious than any pearl.
Inside of us are some very precious gems: love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In Galatians 5:19-21, we see the carnal, worldly attributes of human nature: " When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these".NLT
We must believe in Jesus, that He died and rose again to take our sins away, to have the indwelling of the Holdy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit within us that produces the fruit we need for living a life that reflects these precious gems in our life.
Gentleness characterizes godly women.
When Peter speaks specifically to women about the need for gentleness, exhorting us to have "gentle and quiet spirits", he is warning women particularly against seeking beauty in outward appearance. Gentleness for women means trusting God for the things in life that can lead to fear, including the fear that comes with the comparison. When our outward appearance, whether physical beauty or social behaviors. begins to consume our thoughts, we are trusting in ourselves to produce attraction, friendship, respect an approval.
In God's sight, the woman who trusts Him fully and rests in Him is full of precious gems and is eternally beautiful!
Yare a chosen and valuable treasure!
You are valuable to God
we
Col. 3:12 says "We are God's chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience". Just like God creates the pearls, diamonds and makes them precious gems we are even more valuable to God. He has chosen us from the beginning, He knew us before we were formed. God loves us, He has chosen us to bring out those hidden treasures to those around us, to be outfitted and adorned with the precious gems of compassion and kindness. That means we truly care about everyone, we show them the love and mercy that God shows us. Like the clear and sparkling diamond, we are reflection our savior and all His glory for everyone to see.
we are to be humble, not thinking ourselves better than the next person.
You are a diamond in the making, and that requires, time, heat and pressure...God will use the trials, blessings, joys, and sadness of life to refine us and shape us into a precious gem.
Satan's Liehe
Remember those pirates I mentioned? The pirates are the lies we believe. Paul put it this way "When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power". Satan is the ruler of this world and he would love nothing more than to make us feel unworthy and unloved.
How many times have you lost your temper?
Your self-control?
Your patience?
It's an ongoing process, isn't it? Thankfully we have the love of our heavenly Father that keeps us on track. If we keep in His word every day, and pray, (prayer is a very strong weapon against our enemy) we can defeat our foe.
The Bible tells you the war has already been won, yet some days you simply feel undone. The struggle is real! The enemy of your soul wants you to feel out of control, overwhelmed, outwitted and under-resourced. When you listen to the lies the enemy, he tries to weave those lies into your marriage, your finances, your relationships, and your health. Through this, Satan can wreak havoc, steal your joy, kill your hope. Satan's claim is not to just dull, but to destroy the power of God in your life.
We've all fallen and been banged up by life, we are all broken and flawed. But, we are still "precious gems" and incredibly valuable because God designed and created us. On every page, every chapter, and in every book of His Word, God tells you He loves you. Like a diamond, reflect His light into a dark world in need of a Savior. The love of God is bigger than your brokenness. It's stronger than your past regrets and deeper than any failure or fear you may feel.
Let Him love you the way you are.
Your life may not be perfect, but like the pearl, His love will coat over the irritating sands of life and make a beautiful pearl in your heart. Remember, it is His love that makes you a lovely precious gem in His sight.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
International Women's Day
Three years ago I was in the Republic of Georgia (the country, not the state) and I was fortunate to be able to hear my mentor Dorthy Kelly Patterson speak. What is it I remember most about that?
Romans 12:11New Living Translation (NLT)
11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
So... basically that day I learned that I should serve the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and might. Never give up serving Him.
God gave us (women) a huge role in life. To raise our children and be a helper to our husbands. This is serving Him, there is nothing wrong with it, and we should be happy in it. Of course God will give us seasons to use our gifts, whether it be hospitality, teaching or even bringing in some income to help our spouse. The main thought is to be happy in who we are in Christ.
To me that is a daughter to the King, a help meet to my husband, a mother, a daughter and a sister. Wonderfully made.
It is so sad that the world and media is trying to tell us otherwise.
Eph 6:7
Monday, January 11, 2016
Book Review on "The Peaceful Wife"
There are many books published on how to gave a good marriage. Marriage is giving selflessly to your partner and giving respect. God has given men and women devined roles in marriage and the Bible clearly gives us the Godhead; that is God, husband, wife and child. In this culture we live in it gives us a distorted view of marriage, women seem to precieve that they are to take the lead in marriage, have high paying jobs, and forgetting their roles at home.
April Cassidy claims that she is a type "A" personality. She was one od rhose women who did things her way, and was the dominant leader of the marriage. What she found out was that by doing this she was taking the leadership role away from her husband and hurting her mariage.
This is a book written about her experience in learning to submit biblically to her husband, and she is sharing what she has learned from this experience.
All in all the book is good, I found it repetitive at times, but it does give some good examples on how to get a shaky marriage back on track. If I were to rate the book I would give it 2 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free from the publisher. http://www.kregel.com I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
The Lion Comic Book Hero Bible
-
Product InformationISBN: 9780745956176
Pages: 192
Publication date: 10-27-2015
Format: Hardback
Imprint: Lion BooksThe Lion Comic Book Hero Bible
A stunning new comic book version of the Bible now given the superhero treatment by the team behind The Lion Graphic Bible and The Manga Bible
The story of the Bible is a unique tale of origins and cosmic powers; of the ageless battle between good and evil; of human potential and human treachery; and of a Messiah--a savior for the world. This is indeed the stuff that graphic novels are made of. Superheroes are the biggest comic genre of all, with many heroes having their origins in biblical characterization and imagery. This is the first Bible retelling to engage with and challenge the superhero genre.
-
Product InformationISBN: 9780745956176
Pages: 192
Publication date: 10-27-2015
Format: Hardback
Imprint: Lion BooksThe Lion Comic Book Hero Bible
A stunning new comic book version of the Bible now given the superhero treatment by the team behind The Lion Graphic Bible and The Manga Bible
The story of the Bible is a unique tale of origins and cosmic powers; of the ageless battle between good and evil; of human potential and human treachery; and of a Messiah--a savior for the world. This is indeed the stuff that graphic novels are made of. Superheroes are the biggest comic genre of all, with many heroes having their origins in biblical characterization and imagery. This is the first Bible retelling to engage with and challenge the superhero genre.
This is an interesting new version of the Bible, the authors have taken people from the Bible, and have presented them in a super hero style. you 2ill be introduced to people like Faith Man, The Runner (Jonah), my favorite, Dreadlocks, (Samson), Rainman (Noah) and there are many more that make up the Bible.
This is a very unique format, that will interest kids of all ages. I feel it could be used to lead some into reading their Bibles more, after sparking their interests in this unique style. I would use this in a Sunday School setting, to help teach some lessons, giving a great new twist on the lessons, or even at home for a different type of devotion time.
The
story of the Bible is a unique tale of origins and cosmic powers; of
the ageless battle between good and evil; of human potential and human
treachery; and of a Messiah--a savior for the world. This is indeed the
stuff that graphic novels are made of. Superheroes are the biggest comic
genre of all, with many heroes having their origins in biblical
characterization and imagery. This is the first Bible retelling to
engage with and challenge the superhero genre.
- See more at:
http://www.kregel.com/siku-richard-thomas/the-lion-comic-book-hero-bible-2/#sthash.nEl7yaJU.dpuf
I received this
book free from the publisher. Kregel.com I was not required to write a positive
review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am
disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16
CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and
Testimonials in Advertising.”Read an Excerpt
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Children of the Day
Stay tuned for more excitment.
Beth Moore's New Study
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Proverbs 31 Woman
So who is this Proverbs 31 woman? We strive to be like her, and get down on ourselves when we can't. In the next few postings, I would like to examine this woman and many of the other women in the Bible.
Everyone thinks that they cannot become this "perfect"
woman, when in fact if you stop and think about it, we can in fact accomplish this role.
Lets look at the 10 virtues of this woman:
1. Faith - A Virtuous Woman serves God with all of her heart, mind, and soul. She seeks His will for her life and follows His ways. (Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 31: 29 – 31, Matthew 22: 37, John 14: 15, Psalm 119: 15)
This is the easy one, all we need to do is love God and devote ourselves to Him
This is the easy one, all we need to do is love God and devote ourselves to Him
2. Marriage – A Virtuous Woman respects her husband. She does him good all the days of her life. She is trustworthy and a helpmeet. (Proverbs 31: 11- 12, Proverbs 31: 23, Proverbs 31: 28, 1 Peter 3, Ephesians 5, Genesis2: 18)
This one is a bit harder isn't it? Respect our husbands? YES! We put them above ourselves and love them as we love Christ.
This one is a bit harder isn't it? Respect our husbands? YES! We put them above ourselves and love them as we love Christ.
3. Mothering - A Virtuous Woman teaches her children the ways of her Father in heaven. her children with the love of Christ, disciplines them with care and wisdom, and trains them in the way they should go. (Proverbs 31: 28, Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 22: 6, Deuteronomy 6, Luke 18: 16)
4. Health – A Virtuous Woman cares for her body. She prepares healthy food for her family. (Proverbs 31: 14 – 15, Proverbs 31: 17, 1 Corinthians 6: 19, Genesis 1: 29, Daniel 1, Leviticus 11)
5. Service - A Virtuous Woman serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbors with a gentle and loving spirit. She is charitable. (Proverbs 31: 12, Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20, 1 Corinthians 13: 13)
6. Finances - A Virtuous Woman seeks her husband’s approval before making purchases and spends money wisely. She is careful to purchase quality items which her family needs. (Proverbs 31: 14, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 18, 1 Timothy 6: 10, Ephesians 5: 23, Deuteronomy 14: 22, Numbers 18: 26)
7. Industry – A Virtuous Woman works willingly with her hands. She sings praises to God and does not grumble while completing her tasks. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 24, Proverbs 31: 31, Philippians 2: 14)
8. Homemaking – A Virtuous Woman is a homemaker. She creates an inviting atmosphere of warmth and love for her family and guests. She uses hospitality to minister to those around her. (Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20 – 22, Proverbs 31: 27, Titus 2: 5, 1 Peter 4: 9, Hebrews 13: 2)
9. Time - A Virtuous Woman uses her time wisely. She works diligently to complete her daily tasks. She does not spend time dwelling on those things that do not please the Lord. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 19, Proverbs 31: 27, Ecclesiastes 3, Proverbs 16: 9, Philippians 4:8 )
This is another one we must watch out for Ladies!
This is another one we must watch out for Ladies!
10. Beauty – A Virtuous Woman is a woman of worth and beauty. She has the inner beauty that only comes from Christ. She uses her creativity and sense of style to create beauty in her life and the lives of her loved ones. (Proverbs 31: 10Proverbs 31: 21 – 22, Proverbs 31: 24 -25, Isaiah 61: 10, 1 Timothy 2: 9, 1 Peter 3: 1 – 6)
We must put the world behind us and God before us, and show the world what the Proverbs 31 woman looks like!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Emma's Mirror Image Memories
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| Her favorite Stuffed Animals |
You can visit her blog at:Mirror Image Memories
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| Her Little Brother |
Saturday, April 6, 2013
What is Submission?
Today, one of the most difficult concepts in God’s Word is biblical submission. The word submission is not limited to wives alone. For example, Christians are to submit themselves to each other (Ephesians 5:21), to government (Romans 13:1), and unto God (James 4:7). This is a frequent concept in the Bible. Self-sacrifice is required in each circumstance. Submission is never glossed over to be seen as easy or always convenient. Instead, it is viewed as service unto God.
The Greek word for submission is hupotasso, “to subordinate…put under…” God exhorts women to voluntarily follow their husband’s leadership (Ephesians 5:22, 1 Peter 3:1). A woman is actively doing this-- choosing to put herself under leadership, choosing to be subordinate in a circumstance or relationship. This is not forced upon her by the recipient.
A wife shows submission unto her husband when she allows him to take leadership in the relationship. His position as leader is biblical (1 Corinthians 11:3). Abraham’s wife, Sarah, is an example of a woman following her husband’s lead (1 Peter 3:6). Sarah has never been confused with being a woman who was a frail doormat. Peter notes that she was not afraid in life. Submission should not be confused with a person being weak.
Women are not commanded to submit to their husband’s because God insures that men will be just or loving. When a woman submits unto her husband, she is actually submitting unto God (Ephesians 5:22). A woman therefore does not submit because her husband deserves it in his own merit- she submits because she knows it is pleasing to her Lord. There will be times when a woman needs to submit, and her husband does not deserve it from a human perspective. But by divine right, God set the man as leader and a woman can trust that God is good. She can also know that nothing escapes God’s notice, and a wicked man will be held accountable for his actions.
When a wife submits to her husband, she does not try to take leadership from him. From the beginning of time, woman has tried to take leadership from the man- and man has often gladly given it away (Genesis 3). Some scholars believe that Genesis 3:16 refers to Eve’s new sin drive to override her husband’s headship, which has continued down the line of women. Women use many tactics to try taking control of leadership, including nagging, deception, and manipulation. This always results in sin and often, sorrowful consequences (Genesis 27). When a woman resorts to these tactics, she is trying to usurp God’s good design of relationship roles. A submissive wife must first learn to trust God’s goodness and His sovereignty.
However, a submissive wife is not relegated to idly sitting by while her husband makes all the family decisions. In a healthy marriage, husband and wife work as a team. When a decision cannot be jointly agreed upon, the leader makes it, knowing he is responsible foremost unto God for that decision. In these circumstances or in a decision that the husband must make alone, a submissive wife is not overstepping her boundaries by offering counsel. She must learn to do it in a way that shows respect for his God-given position as head of the family. A submissive woman also offers abundant encouragement, understanding that making decisions is a heavy responsibility on a man’s shoulders.
Some women are not satisfied with this. They want to be in charge. But realistically, marriage cannot work this way. Unity requires relational structure. We see this pattern in other relationships. But submission is never a sign of value. Jesus submitted to the will of His Father (Matthew 26:39). It would be heresy to say that Jesus is of lesser value than the Father. They are One, and Jesus cannot be of lesser value. His submission had nothing to do with His value—it had to do with God-ordained structure. It is the same with husband and wife.
Submission takes humility. It also takes a lot of prayer and relying on the Holy Spirit. But so does Godly leadership. Women can look unto Jesus as an example, and reflect His love and Self-sacrifice as they lovingly choose to submit unto the husband God has placed in their life.
The word submission has been misused and abused in our culture. Most think of “slavery” and a woman becoming a “doormat” when the word is used. It is easy to allow culture to change the meaning of a term. Culture views submission as a weaker person allowing a stronger person to use them, a person of lesser value giving up his rights to someone of greater value. This is not what the Bible means when referring to submission. Sinners often twist and pervert the term, but that does not change the biblical concept of submission.
First, submission is actually a voluntary action by the wife. Wives are commanded by the Lord to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22, 1 Peter 3:1). This is a commandment from the Lord. However, there is nowhere in Scripture in which husbands command their wives to submit. A wife chooses to follow her husband’s leadership. Slaves, on the other hand, choose nothing. Their decisions are chosen by their master. When a woman submits to her husband, she is actually submitting to the Lord. It is an act of worship and love for her Savior, not as one of a weakened slave.
Second, a woman is not bound to submit to everything a husband desires. When a husband desires his wife to “go along” with something that is unbiblical, she is bound to obey the Lord instead. Peter and John made this clear in front of the High Priest, Council, and Senate of Israel after being released from prison (Acts 5:17-42). When they were commanded to not speak the name of Jesus anymore, they responded, “We must obey God rather than men,” (v.29). They were being asked to do something contradictory to Jesus’ words (Matthew 28:18-20). They were not bound to obey this request.
An unbelieving husband may ask his Christian wife to stop attending church. She is not bound to obey in this circumstance. Her higher allegiance is to the Lord, and community among believers is biblical. Some women are pressured to allow pornography into the marriage relationship. However, pornography is paper adultery-- a woman is not bound to submit to his sinful request. Slaves are bound to any desire of their master; a wife is not bound to desires that reach outside of biblical obedience, and therefore she is not slave to her husband.
The question may be raised as to why a husband does not have to submit to his wife? If men and women are created equal in the image of God, and are therefore of equal value, why then is only the woman commanded to submit?
It should not be concluded that a man is free to do anything he chooses. He is to submit unto God, and to a certain extent, the authority of the church (1 Corinthians 11:3, Matthew 18:15-17). A man is held to a high obedience standard. He is not only to submit unto God, but also lead his wife in a self-sacrificing manner (Ephesians 5:25). Not every husband does this, but a wife can know that her submission “as unto the Lord”—as obedience to God—has eternal significance and will be a testimony of the Gospel to her husband (1 Peter 3:1-2).
God has created a relational structure in which the husband is the head (leader) of the wife (1 Corinthians 11:3). This has nothing to do with value, for husband and wife are created in the image of God and they are both co-heirs of the Gospel. But if there is a leader, there must be a follower. This relationship of husband as the leader and wife as the follower is actually a portrait of Christ and His bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:25-32). When a woman voluntarily submits, she points to that portrait, bringing glory to God.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Influence of Postmodernism:Feminism
The Influence of Postmodernism:Feminism
by Steve Golden, AiG–U.S.
March 13, 2013
Abstract
Does history hold a bias against women? Members of the radical feminist movement seem to think so. Radical feminism has had incredibly destructive effects on marriage and the family—and its influence has also been felt on the church. Evangelical feminism teaches an egalitarian view of marriage and roles in the church, to the point where passages that clearly teach male headship are reinterpreted, explained away, or ignored altogether. As a result, many men are abdicating or being forced out of their God-given roles as heads of their households and as leaders in the church. The negative effects of this kind of postmodern thinking have led to serious attacks on the authority of God’s Word.
Introduction
Where does true freedom come from? Is it found in the casting off of God-given roles and responsibilities in pursuit of supposedly higher ideals? That seems to be the conclusion of feminism. The radical feminist movement has caused incredible damage to marriage and the family in our culture. Like other prominent postmodern ideas of our day, feminism professes to be about “liberation.” It looks to liberate women from the supposed “shackles” of being wives and mothers. Furthermore, feminism rests on the assumption that men have written history and that patriarchal societies have made choices in such a way as to subordinate and exclude women.
It is important to note that the word feminism in this series does not include most of what is commonly known as “women’s suffrage,” or first-wave feminism. That is, this author is not challenging women’s right to vote or other opportunities afforded women during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, second-wave feminism, which began in the 1960s and ran until the 1990s, and third-wave feminism, which began in the 1990s, have both caused incredible damage to the institution of marriage, the family, and biblical gender roles.
Two prominent feminists, Sandra M. Gilbert, professor emerita of English at University of California–Davis, and Susan Gubar, professor emerita of English and women’s studies at Indiana University, made what is a common argument from feminists about male authority:
For if the author/father is owner of his text and of his reader’s attention, he is also, of course, owner/possessor of the subjects of his text, that is to say of those figures, scenes, and events—those brain children—he has both incarnated in black and white and “bound” in cloth or leather. Thus, because he is an author, a “man of letters” is simultaneously, like his divine counterpart, a father, a master or ruler, and an owner: the spiritual type of a patriarch, as we understand that term in Western society.1
Essentially, Gilbert and Gubar, and many others, argue that because of the masculine roots of even the word author and because of the patriarchal structure of many cultures, the voices of women have suffered or gone unheard. Other well-known feminists have claimed that women are seen as “Other” in society, as something feared by men. Such a mindset has done nothing to strengthen marriage and the family.
More recently, feminist scholars have realized the error of pitting men against women. But rather than embrace the biblical guidelines for marriage and leadership, these scholars have advocated a general wiping away of gender distinctions, thus removing the uniqueness inherent in being a woman or a man.
David Noebel, founder of Summit Ministries, sums up well the devastating effects of radical feminism on society as a whole:
For radical feminists, the ultimate goal became women’s equality with men, which means, among other things, total sexual freedom. To bring this about, the strategic theory proclaimed children a burden and marriage a form of slavery, counterproductive to a woman’s self-fulfillment. Abortion was declared a political right and women’s only means for sexual equality with men—since men can engage in sexual intercourse without the consequences of bearing children, women must have the same freedom and political right.2
The effects of feminism run deep—and the church has not been immune. While the church has not embraced feminist ideals as quickly as the rest of the culture, feminism has not been without an influence on the Christian community. This ideology has even changed the way many in the church view Scripture. While many feminists in the secular world characterize the Bible as oppressive to women, many evangelical feminists (i.e., professing Christians who believe feminist ideals are compatible with Scripture) claim that the passages on male headship are simply misunderstood.
As the feminist movement and feminist theory have risen in prominence, its influence on the church can be seen more clearly. The evangelical feminist movement, which will be the subject of this article, has led to confusion and a loss of biblical authority in some areas of thinking in many churches.
Thanks to evangelical feminism, passages of Scripture on male headship in marriage are reinterpreted, explained away, or ignored altogether, and men are abdicating or being forced out of their God-given roles as heads of their households. Many churches have chosen to relegate Scripture that teaches that it is men who are to reside in leadership over the church to a place of “cultural” relevance—teachings that are outdated today because society has somehow reached a state of enlightenment. The negative effects of this kind of postmodern thinking have led to serious attacks on the authority of Scripture and have weakened the relationships and structures in the church and in Christian families as a whole.
Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Authority
As with the other postmodern ideas this series has explored, feminist theory operates primarily on assumptions and personal agenda. Tremper Longman, professor of biblical studies at Westmont College, and Peter Enns, formerly the senior fellow of biblical studies at BioLogos—both of whom do not hold to a literal reading of Genesis—explain feminist interpretation of Scripture:
By its very nature, feminist interpretation is pluralistic; that is, there are no right or wrong readings. Hence, feminist critics may advocate different and often contradictory readings of the same text. Further, the starting point of feminist interpretation of the Bible is not the biblical text in its own right but rather the concerns of feminism.3
Does this sound familiar? The starting point is not Scripture, and “there are no right or wrong readings.” In other words, what drives feminist criticism is personal agenda. Longman and Enns outline what that agenda is:
Recognizing that in the history of civilization women have been marginalized and denied access to positions of authority and influence, feminist scholars seek to expose the strategies by which men have either justified their control over women or encouraged female complicity in their own subordination. In the particular case of the Bible, there is abundant evidence to show that the Bible was produced mainly by men for men.3
Indeed, many in the feminist camp believe that history itself is inherently biased against women. Just as the Bible was supposedly written “by men for men,” so was history supposedly written by men to benefit men.
While there is some truth to the idea that history as we know it contains a certain amount of bias (after all, no one is truly without a bias), it does not logically follow that we can know nothing about history because of a historian’s bias. When reading an American history textbook, does the author’s bias prevent us from trusting that names, dates, and places are correct? Likely not, unless there is reasonable evidence that the author either does not know what he is talking about or is intentionally distorting facts to push an agenda. Such are the pitfalls of anything written by biased, sinful, fallible humans. With the Word of God, we can be sure that no such pitfalls are there, as the words are the words of God Himself, who is truth and who created maleand female. Nonetheless, the historical bias idea has filtered into the interpretations of many Christian leaders and Bible scholars, manifesting itself in a variety of forms.
One notable example concerns the use of masculine pronouns to describe God.4 Paul R. Smith, an openly homosexual pastor, earned his master’s degree in theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and now pastors Broadway Church in Kansas City, Missouri. In his book Is It Okay to Call God “Mother”? Smith argues that the predominantly male pronouns used for God in Scripture are not the result of divine inspiration, but rather the result of “cultural influences.” He writes, “If we can recognize cultural influence in the early church practice of addressing one another with a holy kiss, why should we not also recognize cultural influence in the New Testament practice of addressing God with almost exclusively masculine imagery?”5 In other words, Scripture’s use of masculine pronouns and mostly masculine imagery to describe God can be chalked up to male authors who wrote what was culturally popular—male descriptions of God. This idea is, of course, in direct conflict with 2 Timothy 3:16–17, which tells us that all Scripture is breathed out by God.
Smith and others intentionally integrate feminine pronouns and language in reference to God the Father and God the Son. A movement began some years ago to replace masculine pronoun use for God in Scripture with feminine pronouns. Some denominations even embraced referring to God as “mother.” Randy Stinson, a dean at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and senior fellow with the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, noted that the United Methodist Hymnal’s supplement, The Faith We Sing (2000), “includes songs that address God as ‘Strong Mother’ and ‘Mothering God.’ In this same hymnal, not only are there songs referring to God as mother, but there is one song referring to the earth as mother.”6 In other words, not only do the hymns sing of God as mother, but they interchangeably refer to Godand Earth as “mother.”
While it is clear from Scripture that God is Spirit (John 4:24) and is therefore beyond the confines of physical gender, what is also clear is that Scripture intentionally avoids referring to God as “mother” in the same way that it refers to Him as “father,” “king,” and so on. As Wayne Grudem, a professor at Phoenix Seminary and an outspoken critic of evangelical feminism, rightfully notes, “we should not name God with names that the Bible never uses and actually avoids using. God’s name is valued and highly protected in Scripture.”7
The trouble with these anti-masculine language arguments is that they rely on the idea that the Bible must remain “culturally relevant.” But this line of thinking not only questions biblical authority—it has a tendency to dismiss it altogether. Like the new historicism (see part 4 of this series, The Influence of Postmodernism, Part 4: New Historicism), the above arguments make culture the authority over Scripture, rather than God.
Evangelical Feminism and Power
Like deconstruction and the new historicism, feminist theory is also concerned with power and how that relates to the binary oppositions Jacques Derrida (the founder of deconstruction)8 was concerned with. Indeed, the elements of deconstruction and the new historicism are present in feminist ideology, likely because Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and other prominent postmodernists who have influenced many academics over the years all held post-structuralist viewpoints in their work.
Post-structuralism was a term applied to many of the French philosophers who rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, including Derrida and Foucault. Their works shared some similar themes, including the idea that there is no fixed or intrinsic meanings in words and that binaries like male/female are nothing more than social constructs (i.e., an idea that has developed over time but cannot be ascertained from nature) meant to exercise power over people. These ideas are integral not only to feminist theory, but also to queer theory and gender studies.
Central to the power issue in evangelical feminism is biblical gender roles in marriage. The binary husband/wife is key here, because a feminist would see a social construction present in Scripture that makes the husband dominant and the wife oppressed. From the standpoint of a postmodernist, the biblical idea of male headship in the home is simply a power play.
There are two primary schools of thought in the debate over biblical gender roles: complementarian and egalitarian. In a basic sense, complementarians are those who agree that while men and women are equal before God in matters of salvation and human worth (Galatians 3:28), God has given men in the church a special authority to teach and lead, and He has given husbands in the home a special authority and responsibility to lead their families (Genesis 1–2;Ephesians 5:22–33).9
Egalitarians are those who believe that God has not necessarily set men apart as leaders, but has rather invited all people, men and women, to exercise equal authority in the church and home. This latter camp has embraced evangelical feminism in many ways, and the influence is apparent in how they read Scripture dealing with gender roles in the home and the church.
One of the most well-known proponents of the egalitarian view of Scripture is the organization Christians for Biblical Equality (C.B.E.). The organization’s president is Mimi Haddad, who earned a Ph.D. in historical theology from the University of Durham, England and who now teaches for multiple seminaries. The C.B.E. mission statement makes clear that they reject what the Bible has to say about gender roles:
CBE affirms and promotes the biblical truth that all believers—without regard to gender, ethnicity or class—must exercise their God-given gifts with equal authority and equal responsibility in church, home and world.10
Much of what Haddad and C.B.E. are promoting is not “biblical.” But by equivocating on the phrase biblical equality, C.B.E. creates a situation whereby those who dissent from an egalitarian reading of Scripture cannot voice their disagreement without seeming as though they reject “biblical equality.” This is yet another example of a postmodern language game—C.B.E. has redefined the terms so its definition will be more readily accepted by society, even though it no longer reflects what the Bible plainly says about equality.
In a move characteristic of many evangelical feminists, Haddad redefines the phrase male headship, writing that husbands are only given “cultural authority” and that the Apostle Paul’s only mention of authority is in 1 Corinthians 7:3–7, a passage about the sexual relationship of a husband and wife. She concludes, “for Paul, male headship is primarily about love, demonstrated by sacrifice and an abandonment of cultural authority.”11 The initial problem here is Haddad’s implication that authority and love cannot operate together in a marriage, that it is somehow not “biblical” for a husband to exercise authority in a godly manner over his family. Furthermore, her statement seems to imply that those who hold a complementarian view of marriage lack love and sacrifice, or at the very least are deficient in those areas because of authority. These are bold claims to make considering their lack of biblical support.
Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian, founder of Willow Creek Community Church and professor emeritus at Wheaton College, also has written for C.B.E. Bilezikian argues, “There is not a hint, not even a whisper about anything like a hierarchical order existing between man and woman in the creation account of Genesis.”12 This, despite that in the creation account, Adam is made first; he is tasked with naming the animals; he names Eve (Genesis 2:23); he is given the instructions regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; and his name is called when both he and Eve sinned. Additionally, God creates Eve to be Adam’s “helper” (Genesis 2:20). The pattern of male headship is clearly evident in the “very good” creation prior to the Fall.
Indeed, male headship is also taught in the New Testament, after the Fall. The Apostle Paul explains how the godly marriage relationship should look in Ephesians 5:
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her . . . So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. (Ephesians 5:22–25, 28)
Taken at face value, Paul seems to be teaching that husbands are to lead their wives, just as Christ leads the church.
But Bilezikian, like many who have been influenced by evangelical feminist thinking, argues that words such as head or helper in Scripture are misunderstood. Bilezikian says of headship, “Headis never given the meaning of authority, boss or leader. It describes the servant function of provider of life, growth and development.”13 In one sense, Bilezikian has it right—the husband absolutely should desire to aid his wife and children in their spiritual growth. In fact, Ephesians 5:28–33 commands husbands to love their wives as they love themselves and as Christ loved the church (i.e., to the point of being willing to die for her).
In relation to Genesis and Eve’s role as Adam’s “helper,” Bilezikian writes, “In the language of the Old Testament, a ‘helper’ is one who rescues others in situations of need. This designation is often attributed to God as our rescuer. The word denotes not domesticity or subordination but competency and superior strength.”13 While Bilezikian’s claim may sound plausible, the textual evidence simply does not support it. What’s more, he has not leveled the field for men and women; he has sent it to a far extreme by implying that women are defined by “competency and superior strength.” There is no question that women are competent, strong individuals. Every marriage is made up of a team, a husband and wife who are both competent and strong in their own areas. That fact, however, does not negate what God’s Word has to say about who is charged with leading the family. Every “team” needs a leader, and Scripture clearly places the responsibility for leadership on the husband, both before and after the Fall.
The main concern in the husband/wife relationship for evangelical feminists (and feminism in general) is power. Radical feminism has done the work attaching enough negative connotations to the word submission that it is readily avoided in most circles, including Christian ones. But feminism’s view that there is no intrinsic meaning in words renders titles like “husband” and “wife” virtually meaningless, thereby making the redistribution of power in the home much easier. The influence of this idea that words cannot be taken at face value is reflected in the hermeneutic of scholars like those at C.B.E.
Where Does Evangelical Feminism Lead?
Most evangelical feminists would profess to believe in the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, setting them apart from many other forms of feminism. However, their method of interpreting and applying Scripture leaves something to be desired. What is at the heart of a reluctance or even outright refusal to refer to God as “he” and “father”? What drives the redefinition and dismissal of passages of Scripture that promote male headship in marriage and leadership in the church? Grudem concludes, “At the foundation of egalitarianism is a dislike and a rejection of anything uniquely masculine.”14
The poor state of marriage and the family today is an outworking of sin. With the Fall came a marring of relationships, and one of the consequences of the Curse in Genesis 3 is the wife’s temptation to usurp her husband’s authority as well as the husband’s temptation to exercise domineering, ungodly authority over his wife or his temptation to abdicate his role altogether. Radical feminism, evangelical feminism, and other branches of the theory that deny the authority of God’s Word are all attempts to justify actions that are not God’s ideal for men and women.
The world is quickly moving toward a complete rejection of gender differences, with perhaps the exception of superficial biological differences, in favor of a society of men and women who are simply sexual “beings” that are not to be distinguished by gender. And certainly one of the defining issues of this generation is the acceptance of homosexual behavior and same-sex “marriage.” (These will be discussed in the final two parts of this series.) As the secular culture accepts these ideas, churches that are not founded on the authority of God’s Word will undoubtedly not be far behind.
While evangelical feminists do not necessarily promote or condone the above views of gender and homosexual conduct (unlike many of their more radical counterparts), their hermeneutic ultimately leads to those conclusions. After all, if male headship or masculine language in Scripture can be attributed to cultural influences, why should prohibitions against homosexual behavior be treated any differently? And if there are truly no distinctions between men and women in passages on headship in the home and leadership in the church, why should there be gender distinctions in general? What does it mean to be distinctly masculine or distinctly feminine in the church, if the examples in Scripture are either reinterpreted or simply are not to be applied to specific genders? Indeed, pro-homosexual Bible scholars are already applying these methods of interpretation in an attempt to justify homosexual behavior.
The road to true freedom comes not from seeking validity through position or power in marriage or the church. True freedom comes by obedience to Christ, which means honoring God’s Word in every area, including biblical gender roles. Scholars like those at Christians for Biblical Equality, who argue for an egalitarian view of Scripture, may be well meaning and gifted individuals who love the Lord. But they are severely misguided in their teachings. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a responsibility to humbly correct error in the church, “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). That is what we at Answers in Genesis try to practice, and we urge you to do the same.
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Footnotes
- Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1979), p. 7. Back
- David Noebel, Understanding the Times (Manitou Springs, Colorado: Summit Press, 2006), p. 350. Back
- Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2008), s.v. “feminist interpretation.” Back (1) Back (2)
- Randy L. Stinson offers a thorough critique of the movement to replace masculine references to God with feminine ones in his article, “Our Mother Who Art in Heaven: A Brief Overview and Critique of Evangelical Feminists and the Use of Feminine God-Language,”Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 8, no. 2 (2003): 21–31. Back
- Paul R. Smith, Is It Okay to Call God “Mother”? Considering the Feminine Face of God(Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1993), p. 49. Back
- Randy Stinson, “Our Mother Who Art in Heaven . . . ”: 21–31. Back
- “Our Mission and History,” Christians for Biblical Equality, www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content/our-mission-and-history. Back
- The Influence of Postmodernism, Part 3: Deconstruction Back
- Wayne Grudem, Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah, 2004), p. 510. Back
- For a fuller look at the complementarian position on male headship, see Steve Golden, “Feedback: Is Male Headship a “Curse”?” Answers in Genesis, www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2012/08/31/feedback-male-headship-curse. Back
- Mimi Haddad, “What is Male Headship?” Christians for Biblical Equality, www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content/what-male-headship. Back
- Gilbert Bilezikian, “A Challenge for Proponents of Female Submission to Prove Their Case from the Bible,” Christians for Biblical Equality, www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content/challenge-proponents-female-submission-prove-their-case-bible. Back
- Gilbert Bilezikian, “I Believe in Male Headship,” Christians for Biblical Equality, www.cbeinternational.org/?q=content/i-believe-male-headship. Back (1) Back (2)
- Wayne Grudem, Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism? (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2006), p. 223. Back
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