Okay, back to what's wrong with pages 11-13 of the book The Resolution for Men.
As mentioned, they start with a fictional story that is supposed to illustrate an eternal truth, the story of a guy falling asleep at the wheel, the chaos it causes, and the inability for his wife to be a true help meet, at least being able to hold it together until he's awake enough to do what (they think) he's supposed to be doing all the time.
I want to look at this short, inadequate story again.
First off...
Marriage is (or should be) a long trip.
I don't know about you all, but my family takes long road trips. And guess what. One person doesn't do all the driving all the time. We all take turns. This allows people to rest up for their next turn at the wheel.
What The Resolution Guys [TRG] seem to be saying is that the only person qualified to drive/lead is the husband/father. That when he gets tired, that's too darn bad. He's just going to have to suck it up, with no help from his helpmeet and stay awake 24/7.
Now, I understand that this is not what TRG are trying to say. But in essence, this is what they ARE saying. They are saying that only men can lead. If a woman interferes, even by default, it not only doesn't help, it has the potential to make things far worse. And (by God's design according to TRG)the woman can never, ever be in the driver's seat, no matter how long the trip will be. And as we had said before, marriage should be a long trip.
TRG are setting up an either/or, "All or Nothing" as the only possibility for marriage. EITHER the husband is in charge OR the wife is in charge (by default of otherwise). They can not be in agreement and take turns driving, sharing the burden and responsibility. Not according to TRG. According to TRG, Almighty God has placed the man in the driver's seat, never to be relieved when he's tired, never, ever learning how to trust the helpmeet God made for him to take the wheel for one leg of the trip so he can get some much needed shut-eye. The husband/father is denied any Sabbath Rest because he's too busy having the dickens scared out of him over whether or not he is properly leading his family or whether they are headed for disaster because he's fallen asleep from shear exhaustion.
I realize TRG don't mean to be saying this. But they are.
They are saying that the only cure for exhausted wives is for them to dump everything onto their husbands so that their husbands can be overburdened and exhausted instead. They can't share the load. The husband can't come in and take on some/half/a lot of the responsibility and authority. He has to come in and TAKE IT ALL. All or nothing. That kind of thinking can kill a person and can kill a marriage.
And yet, this is what TRG claim that God commands men to do. God commands this of all husbands/fathers. There is no meeting half way, no meeting 40/60 even. It's all or nothing because TRG have made in it into that.
And here I go again, over ten paragraphs. So much for keeping things brief. I think I'll stop here and give a little more homework for those who like that sort of thing.
The Single Story and Structure
You Have Heard It Said Today
In which we look at a familiar "All or Nothing" view of marriage that is common today.
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2 comments:
This is so good. I remember the day my husband gave his final presentation to get his graphic design degree. He'd been up half the night before, so when the presentation was over at noon, there was a question of what we were doing for lunch. I took one look at the poor man and could see that the last thing he needed or wanted was to have to make a decision-- any decision at all. So I took charge and said, "Here's what we're doing for lunch, ok"? The question that then arises is, was I being a "help suited to him" or not? If I'd insisted that he had to take charge at that moment, what kind of help would I have been?
Imposing a rigid hierarchical structure such that he always has to be in the lead,undermines the very texts complementarians are striving to live by.
An excellent, first hand, real-life story that debunks the "God has placed men in the driver's seat, NOT the woman, ever" teaching.
This teaching is neither biblical nor practical. Thanks for chiming in.
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