“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
Although they wouldn't dare say so, according to complementarian teaching, the above Galatians 5 list is for females, especially wives. There is a different list for men, especially husbands. That list would read: “But the fruit of the Spirit for husbands is leadership, authority, ruler of his household, spiritual priesthood, police of his wife and children, judge, jury, and prison warden of his wife and children, this is God's law.”
How do I come to this conclusion? Complementarian teachers urge husbands to TAKE AUTHORITY OVER their wives (caps for emphasis). A speaker for the Promise Keepers tells husbands to TAKE authority, to not wait until the wife gives him that authority. These teachers can talk about loving leadership all they want, but it is clear that is NOT what they mean. What they really mean is despotic authority. This becomes clear when supposedly loving men, like John Piper, advise wives to endure non-hitting abuse from their husbands “for a season.” And to “submit” as long as it is not “CLEARLY” sin, with the examples given being quite far out and unlikely for any Christian husband to suggest. Unloving behavior is clearly sin, but that isn't mentioned.
Just where is the Bible verse where husbands are commanded to take authority over their wives? Where are they commanded to make their homes into kingdoms where husbands are the lawmaker, police, jury, judge, jailer, and executioner? I find neither permission nor command for husbands to do anything but submit to their wives—more specifically, to love their wives as their own bodies and give themselves up for their wives.
In addition, if they are connected to the Vine, they should be producing the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. If this is not their fruit, they are not connected to the Vine.
In other words, demanding his own way, calling her derogatory names, using Bible verses to guilt her into obeying the him, teaching the children to disrespect their mother, using his larger size to intimidate her, threatening her, using any form of physical abuse, all are foreign fruit. And this is the kind of fruit complementarian teachers like John Piper and Bruce Ware have given husbands permission to produce.
How can shepherds of God's flock dare to permit production of foreign fruit? How DARE they ENCOURAGE production of foreign fruit??
Waneta Dawn is the author of "Behind the Hedge, A novel" See www.wanetadawn.com A Mennonite woman fights to save her family yet keep her faith.
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Wow, Waneta--you sure nailed that one!!!
ReplyDeleteIt appears to me that your scripture analysis is totally on target.
I agree totally that male domination is "foreign fruit." Jesus showed tremendous respect and love for the women who followed him. When you put it in the context of a Jewish male domination society, it's more than revolutionary!
My Great Grandmother didn't like some of the "woman submissive" stuff she was hearing in her late 90's (she lived to be almost 101) and asked my preacher father what was really going on---"and give me an honest answer!" was the end of her request.
Daddy told her, "Well, Mrs. Williams, most Jewish males considered their wife one of many possessions. If it came to choosing between a good donkey and a good wife, he might just choose the donkey and send the wife packing!"
She didn't think much of abusive men and she had been born before 1900!!
Thanks for the truth!
By the way, I have observed the wives of many large SBC church pastors as the couple "floated on clouds of glory" through the Convention Center.
Most of the wives were quite attractive and many had bleached blond hair along with that top end dress she wore. Behind their smiles was a sense of loneliness and distance. They seemed to consider themselves another asset to their famous and powerful husbands.
Dispite all his pontificating about "women must be submissive and never speak in church", old Paige Patterson--now President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and founder of Conservative Resurgence in the SBC--had a fascinating President's column while at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC--my alma mata.
It seems he had an old hound dog he loved to take into the President's Home and sit beside him on the fine furnishings and carpet. Mrs. Patterson invited that old dog out---and he complied with that request!
It seems, "Miss Dorothy," his wife was not quite as submissive as he wanted all wives to be!!!
Behind closed doors many wives of the "big boys" have more influence than their husbands ever want to admit. The supid listeners try to carry out a model which is talked, but not lived by men like Piper!!!
By observing carefully, I have found more "trophy wives" not being quite as submissive as their husbands pretend.
The wise Pastor realizes early on that, without women, his church would fall totally flat!!!
Another good one Waneta.
ReplyDeleteKeep them coming.
The body of Christ needs more light like this. We need more exposure of the evils of patriarchy and compism.
The false shepherds of this movement are prophesying falsely about the nature of God including His Holy Spirit.
The false prophets of this movement are setting up a false structure and stamping the word "Biblical" on it to make people think it's truth.
It is not Biblical. It is false and producing false fruit. Bad fruit. Toxic fruit. Fruit that doesn't bring life, but rather death.
Thinking about it more, they are eating forbidden fruit and encouraging others to eat along with them.
Too true. So wrong that it is this way, but true.
ReplyDeletePeace to you, SS