tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44214207038031497262024-03-13T19:43:37.443-07:00From Bitter Waters to SweetMara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.comBlogger633125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-62827849176804501032024-03-02T07:00:00.000-08:002024-03-02T07:00:00.143-08:00Do NOT Quote Driscoll on Social Media, Part 2<p>So, here is the outline the I made in order to explain to my work friend why Driscoll should not be shared on her Facebook. I started way back with my relationship with The Song of Solomon in order for her to see why I found Driscoll's take on The Songs to be so wrong, ungodly, and unholy.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">*****</p><p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">I was born again in 1982 through the charismatic renewal that was happening at the time. It hit many of the mainline denominations including Catholics and Lutherans.</span></p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">We sang two songs that came from The Song of Solomon (hitherto referred to as The Songs) which established for me a connection to the long tradition of reading The Songs as Allegorical in nature of our relationship with God. The two songs were "We Will Rejoice in You and Be Glad" and "His Banner Over Me Is Love."</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">My family moved onto another church that was <a href="https://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2021/08/" target="_blank">pastored by a Narcissist</a> (though we didn't know it at that time. that word was not even used yet.) I won't get into this particular thing even though it is relevant to the story. But it was there that I met and married my husband (1987) and we were given the book "The Act of Marriage" by Tim and Beverly LaHaye. This book used The Songs as a physical guided to married sex. So this established the use of the Songs in this manner in a way that greatly overshadowed my previous/limited exposure to the allegorical side of the book.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Fast forward to the mid 90s. There was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit happening at a missionary organization in (name removed to guard my anonymity). During one of the sessions a frail, skinny, redheaded, young woman was in deep worship. She was responding to the intense outpouring by saying several things including, "We enrapture your heart, oh God," several times. As I stood to the side listening to her, my internal dialogue went something like this: "That's very nice sounding. But my Bible doesn't say that about us/me." But later when I looked it up in The Songs, it was there. And my next conclusion was that it might be in The Songs but that doesn't mean it should absolutely be taken allegorically like the redhead was doing. It was then that I felt impressed by God to start meditating on The Songs. But I resisted thinking that The Songs were just too racy for this small town girl. However, God shut up the whole Bible to me, even the parts that could prompt the greatest worship within me. Reading the Bible became like reading a phone book. The only scripture that I read during that time of resistance, the only Bible verse that sparked anything thing inside of me was Psalms 2:12 Kiss the Son, that He may not be angry and you perish on the way...</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">So I relented and began reading and meditating on The Songs. And what a blessing it was. It was an antidote and emotional protection from the shallow and self-serving love that I was receiving from my husband. It was also a healing balm for a previous and devastating rejection from a family of origin member.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">I spent a decade meditating on The Songs and decided to look on-line to see if anyone else was getting so much healing from this book in the mid 2000s. This is when I stumbled upon the outrage and controversy caused by a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8sNVDyW-ws" target="_blank">message preached by Mark Driscoll in Scotland.</a> The sermon was something about "The Good Bits" from The Songs. He was preaching an overly sexualized and, I would say, even pornified version so the Book. But the part that enraged people and felt like pig's blood in the Holy of Holies to me was when he told the women in that congregation than Jesus commanded them to get on their knees and service their husbands orally. It was a hard slap in my face for someone to take a healing book and use it to invade the privacy of the bedroom and command women to do an act that some women might find distasteful. Pun intended.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">I got involved in on-line discussions concerning this and how far out in left-field Driscoll had taken his teaching on sex in the Bible. In these conversations, <a href="https://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2012/01/voices-of-experience.html" target="_blank">Driscoll apologists would show up,</a> be rude and obnoxious, challenge us, call us prudes, and said we were squeamish over what the Bible "clearly teaches". They would also point out how smart and well read Driscoll was and that we were just jealous of his amazing teaching and preaching. One fellow, who was more polite than the others, agreed that the Scotland sermon was over the top. But he insisted that Driscoll was a great teacher and handled the book more graciously in his "Peasant Princess" sermon series. He linked to an episode of the series and challenged me to go see for myself. I went ahead and watched it. And while it was more toned down than the "Shock Jock Preacher" antics he engaged in Scotland, I was still dismayed by what he did to the Book.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Without getting into all the gory details, I'll point out a few major issues with his handling of the book. First off, he mocks, scorns, and ridicules the long standing tradition of looking at the Songs as an allegory of our relationship with God. Then, he seeks and "finds" symbolism of explicit sex acts under every rock and tree in the book. He also takes this poetic book, <a href="https://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2009/07/manipulating-scripture-for-personal.html" target="_blank">written mostly from a female point of view </a>and about what made her feel loved and safe and morphs it into a pornified male-centric monstrosity mostly concerned with what a husband is owed from his wife in the bedroom. People who have left Driscoll's church had many complaints. One particular complaint was that Driscoll was trying to force women into a tiny submissive box everywhere but the bedroom. And in the bedroom, he was trying to force women into their husband's personal porn stars and nymphomaniacs, complete with stripteases and pole dancing. </span><div>[I stopped at this moment to let my friend know that I actually didn't care if people had stripteases and pole dancing in their bedrooms. That was their business. My concern was with Driscoll making up commands concerning sex acts and deciding certain symbolisms in The Songs simply <i>had</i> to be about stripteases when this was highly unlikely.)<br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">I wondered how this man was declared one of the top 50 pastors in the United States. So I took a closer look. Turns out that, besides <a href="https://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2012/02/driscoll-uses-bible-as-sock-puppet.html" target="_blank">using the Bible as a sock puppet that always agrees with him,</a> he also has issues with rage, bullying, and fostering a cult-like atmosphere at his church, Mars Hill, in Seattle. While I was watching him and researching about him, he was <a href="https://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2013/10/real-plagiarism-in-real-marriage.html" target="_blank">credibly accused of plagiarism </a>and of <a href="https://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2014/03/driscoll-fake-best-selling-author.html" target="_blank">buying a spot on the New York</a> Times Best Sellers list.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">When his elders in Seattle tried to hold Driscoll accountable for his bullying, raging, and misappropriating church funds, he fled Seattle and went to Phoenix and <a href="https://julieroys.com/mark-driscolls-safe-space-how-embattled-pastor-built-a-new-church-became-an-online-influencer/" target="_blank">started a new church there where he is in charge and answers to no one.</a> No elders to get in the way of doing whatever he wants. He continues to "pastor" and "teach' and is hustling hard to be a huge, Christian online Influencer.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">As you can see, I am unhappy with Driscoll, his history, and what he continues to do. However, abusers are gonna abuse and grifters are gonna grift. I am way more upset with the men who have propped Driscoll up, past and present, and have given him a platform. Christians, especially Christian "leaders", are woefully lacking in wisdom and discernment. Many Christian leaders may also be as lacking in integrity as Driscoll. They just aren't as blatant about it as he is. But God's sheep are paying dearly for the neglect of true pastors and shepherds..</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><div><p style="text-align: center;">*****</p><p>So this is what I told my friend at work. And if you have been watching Driscoll as long as I have, you know that I haven't listed half of his blatant misogyny and sins.</p><div>Twitter is all abuzz with talk of <a href="https://julieroys.com/exclusive-open-letter-to-mike-bickle-from-alleged-victim-tammy-woods/" target="_blank">Mike Bickle of IHOP fame,</a> and what a flaming Narcissist he is. There are also portions of Twitter (yes, I know it is X now. It just looks better typed out as Twitter) taking on Doug Wilson. There are too many Narcissists in the pulpit. And it's not going to change unless the rank and file step up and scream "ENOUGH!" and take their tithes and offerings elsewhere.</div></div></div>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-56059695036257985122024-02-28T07:00:00.000-08:002024-02-28T07:00:00.145-08:00Do NOT Quote Driscoll on Social Media part 1<p> As mentioned in my 2/24/24 post, I was triggered by a friend who put a Mark Driscoll quote up on her Facebook. I knew that she did it not have a clue about Driscoll being an over-the-top abusive grifter. If she knew this, she would have never put up the quote. Because we are co-workers and interact at work, I let her know that when we had time, I would explain why Driscoll is not a good person. Since work has been insanely busy lately, I felt like I should create a streamlined and abbreviated timeline for her and I wrote it down so I wouldn't ramble, get sidetracked on the many, many stupid tangents that make up Driscoll's reprehensible history.</p><p>As I revisited my history with both The Song of Solomon and Driscoll's rape of the book, I realized two things. One thing was this: It was therapeutic for me to give this testimony out loud and in person to an understanding sister in Christ who then promptly deleted her Driscoll quote. When she looked at it again, she saw that a cousin of hers had commented under the quote saying that she would never follow this guy (Driscoll).</p><p>The second was a reminder to me that, while I still meditate semi-consistently on The Songs due to their healing properties, I haven't really dived in and immersed myself in the book for a long time. Deep and immersive meditation in The Songs, besides being healing, also brings me closer to the heart and nature of God, something I've been a bit distant from. So now, I'm spending more quality time with the book along with my regular (or irregular) scripture reading and am better for it.</p><p>And then, over the weekend, something else happened. I saw a tweet from someone.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpNqyAP5i1iIbuW8bxMrnXZtLhqmuiqhwIV79187mR-ib0j006Hd7Rmr-JRyMi6Xd-PoWbhbJPxGdDEfXMr-8i_4TvRHyIHSvPlVIDFKyvBGTYPY2R7JWKbWYqa8cWPkyETyl8VyMxHJ90pnvAHZTg6o1f8pkQRnQXR86ZifSunzeV-t344zCECeCKfKs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpNqyAP5i1iIbuW8bxMrnXZtLhqmuiqhwIV79187mR-ib0j006Hd7Rmr-JRyMi6Xd-PoWbhbJPxGdDEfXMr-8i_4TvRHyIHSvPlVIDFKyvBGTYPY2R7JWKbWYqa8cWPkyETyl8VyMxHJ90pnvAHZTg6o1f8pkQRnQXR86ZifSunzeV-t344zCECeCKfKs" width="306" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>And this made a whole lot of sense. They (Christian Leaders) made a podcast about it. But now they are done. They did their due diligence. What more do we want from them?</p><p>Well, I guess it was the grass roots movement that brought him down. So, I suppose it will take grassroots resistance to keep reminding people why Driscoll has disqualified himself as a pastor or any kind of church leader both in the past and in this present.</p><p>I did my grassroots job with my friend and so did my friend's cousin.</p><p>Where the hell are the supposed Christian leaders crying out against Driscoll. I guess they are too busy protecting their own kingdoms to give a flying flip about the Kingdom of God.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-34869308523951671502024-02-24T06:39:00.000-08:002024-02-24T06:39:17.587-08:00The "Taking God's Name in Vain" Diversion<p> A few Sundays ago, I was at church. The pastor was away and ended up being away one Sunday longer than he planned. So the children's pastor was presenting with the help of her children's church, They were talking about the Ten Commandments at one point and was asking the adult congregation what each one meant. When they came to what "Taking God's Name in Vain" meant, I raised my hand. She called on me and I said it means, "Saying that God said something when God had not actually said it." She was taken aback and responded, "Oh, that's good."</p><p>Why was she taken aback and responded thus? Well, I believe that it is because it has been beaten into our heads from the pulpit that the actual meaning of "Don't take God's name in vain" means don't use God's name as an expletive or swear word. I think most preachers, teachers, and authors do this innocently enough because they don't know any better. But I am sure that some preachers, teachers, and authors teach this on purpose to distract from the real meaning of the command. They want to make sure that this is what people think when, "Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy GOD in vain" comes up. They want people to think that this is referring to Joe Blow who hit his thumb with a hammer and is JCing and GDing all over his garage holding his injured digit. These unscrupulous preachers don't want people to realize that the greater sin of taking God's name in vain is saying that God agrees with them on some wonky doctrine, opinion, or idea that they claim is "biblical".</p><p>That Sunday mornings presentation along with the <a href="https://baremarriage.com/2024/02/podcast-problems-lies-women-believe-nancy-demoss-wolgemuth/" target="_blank">Bare Marriage's podcast on "The Problems With Lies Women Believe"</a> put together with a quote a friend put on Facebook from Mark Driscoll has made me think again about this diversionary tactic concerning taking God's Name in vain.</p><p>First, let's look at the Bare Marriage podcast on Nancy DeMoss Wolgemoth's book concerning what Nancy refers to as lies women believe. Sheila and her guests come to the conclusion that it is Nancy who believes lies about God's attitude towards women and marriage. They did not go so far as to say that Nancy was using God's name in vain to convince women that God agrees with Nancy. But that's where my mind went. Does Nancy take God's name in vain when she wrongly uses scripture to warp God's love and nature against His daughters? When she uses the Bible to support her beliefs in a false narrative that the Bible does not actually support is she breaking that commandment? If she truly believes her lies to be true, is she then not held accountable for supporting her lies about God? I don't know. She may use these lies against herself just as much as against other women. So this is between her and her Lord. He loves her. She is in His hands.</p><p>Now let's turn to what, in my view, is closer to taking God's name in vain. It is something Mark Driscoll said back in 2007.</p><p>The only reason I'm thinking of this now is because a friend and co-worker recently put a Mark Driscoll quote up on Facebook. It was very triggering for me to see this sold-out-for-Jesus, Celebrate Recovery Christian quote Driscoll. In order to help her understand why Driscoll is not a good person to quote, I laid out for her an abbreviated list of reasons in chronological order (that I may post later on this blog). Going through that list of things, I dealt again with the 2007 quote from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8sNVDyW-ws" target="_blank">Mark Driscoll's infamous sermon in Scotland</a> where he claimed that Jesus commanded women to sexually service their husbands in a certain way. He was taking God's name in vain, issuing as command to women something that God never commanded. The bad part of that sermon is also mentioned in the <a href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/" target="_blank">Rise and Fall of Mars Hill</a> episode entitled <a href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/mars-hill-mark-driscoll-podcast-things-we-do-women.html" target="_blank">The Things We Do To Women</a>.at the 34 minute mark.</p><p>People were appalled at what Mark said in that sermon. But it never came up that he was taking God's name in vain. It never came up that when Mark told those women in Scotland that Jesus commanded them to service their husbands that he was breaking one of the Ten Commandments. And I don't know why people are so squeamish about calling out this sin and naming it for what it is.</p><p>I guess I'm just tired of Christians getting all up in arms about people using God's Name in Vain when they don't actually realize that preachers do it all the time, passing off their own opinion or interpretation as the very oracles of God.</p><p>So why am I so ready to say that Driscoll uses God's name in vain over Nancy DeMoss. Well, it has to do with what each gets out of their lies. Nancy's lies hurt herself along with other women. Driscoll's lies are all about propping himself up, serving him, and putting women down. He also labels his opinion of Bible interpretation as a literal "Command" from Jesus. So, yes, I would not be surprised if the judgement against Driscoll would be stronger.</p><p>But long and short, they both hurt women and lie about Who God is and how He feels about His daughters. I would not want to be in either one of their shoes come Judgement Day.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-52343667771065803282024-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:002024-01-12T06:00:00.138-08:00Let Women Tell Their Stories part 4<p>As my memory goes backwards in time to the ways my husband expected me to do everything while he gets the benefit, I think of something that happened while I was a stay at home mom, homeschool mom, and a pastor's wife.</p><p>That's right. Early on in our relationship, my husband pastored. Another situation where I did most of the work concerning Sunday mornings. I might get into that later, but I have another story to tell about that time</p><p>Because we rented a building on Sunday Mornings, we held our Wednesday night Bible study at our house. Since the husband had another job besides pastoring, it was up to me to whip the house into shape for Bible Study that night while also homeschooling and caring for four children.</p><p>After time, my older sons started hanging around a group of friends and we opened out home to a Thursday night youth group where we showed a movie, gave them popcorn and soda then discussed the movie afterwards. There was a lot of cleaning up after that.</p><p>Then some time after that, the husband decide that he wanted to invite people over for supper on Friday Night.</p><p>That finally broke me. I explained to him that I was already maxed out and that I couldn't possibly host another thing. Homeschooling was already suffering because of all the extra burden I was carrying.</p><p>He fought me on this a little bit, but I wouldn't budge on this one.</p><p>Shortly after this, at a family gathering, his sister came to me and started lecturing me on the importance of being hospitable. She was gently trying to point out to me about how Biblical this was and that I needed to step up and be more hospitable.</p><p>This blindsided me, and I did not have a good response to her. Looking back on it a little later, I realized that the husband complained to her about how unreasonable I was about not letting him invite people over on Friday nights.</p><p>If I had not been blindsided I would have asked her if the husband had bothered to mention that I was already opening my home two nights a week. And I would have asked why those two nights did not count as being Biblically Hospitable. But, alas, I did not have my wits about me enough to make my case. I just shrugged her off. I knew I was already overextended. I didn't have it in me to lay things out for her. I was too exhausted..</p><p>And there were no teachings out there that I was exposed to about mental load and distribution of household labor. Just teachings on wives submit and respect and be oh so careful about ever telling him "no."</p><p>All I knew was that in order to support my husband's ministry and make him look good, I had to lay my life and sanity down and be his mother/servant/savior, making all things work for him.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-2113205064900290022024-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:002024-01-05T13:31:34.995-08:00Let Women Tell Their Stories part 3<p>As I relay my story of my ex forcing me into a mother/servant/savior mode over the years, I seem to be going backwards in time.</p><p>Early in our marriage, I was able to stay home and homeschool our children. I also did all the housework and household chores including mowing.</p><p>But then there came a point where I had to go back to work. And when I went to work, it became completely impossible to keep up with the continual mess making by Captain Chaos and his rambunctious offspring. So I had to pick and chose what was important to me as far as cleaning was concerned. There were some things that I just had to let go. There wasn't enough time in the day.</p><p>We went along this way for a few years. Then suddenly, one day, my husband decided to be mad at me about that state of the house and started yelling at me about it. One of the things he said was that I was a "terrible homemaker." </p><p>And with this intended insult, I had a clearer understanding of his insanely unrealistic expectations.</p><p>Proverbs 26:2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying. so a curse without cause does not rest.</p><p>It was impossible for me to feel insulted or shamed by his remark. What was clear was that he had no clue what a homemaker even was. Instead of defending myself, I explained to him that the day I went back to work fulltime was the day I stopped being a homemaker.</p><p>But he wasn't having it. I was a wife and mother. I lived in a house. Therefore that made me a homemaker. Thus he was demanding that I be his mother/servant/savior.</p><p>But neither was I having it. There was no way on God's green earth that I was going to let him get by with misusing that word without a fight. Because he was a volatile man, I carefully chose my battles. And this battle was very much chosen. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You either have a homemaker you support or a fellow breadwinner you partner with.</p><p>He showed that he couldn't partner with me. He could only be demanding, demeaning, and incapable of understanding basic time constraints. In other words, he can only understand life in terms of <i>his needs</i> and whether or not I was meeting them to his satisfaction.</p><p>One time, I was trying to go back to school to get a new degree in my field and this really put a cramp in his style. Even though he initially agreed to me going to school, when it took away time from me taking care of him he started to really complain. One of my responses was, "I need for you to not be so helpless." This just made him angrier and he yelled louder.</p><p>I learned a long time ago that I wasn't allowed to have needs. And because I was low-maintenance anyway, I could live that narrative for a little while. But it was not a healthy or sustainable narrative for either of us. I was never designed to be his mother/servant/savior.</p><p>Edited to add this link: Narcissists use <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj56f00OxYc" target="_blank">WEAPONIZED INCOMPETENCE</a></p><p>She just posted this today which I thought was fitting. I didn't have the phrase to use then. I only saw it as helplessness.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-22214497463933116142024-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:002024-01-02T08:00:00.129-08:00A Late Link about "The Rise and Fall..."<p>Taking a short break from my "Let Women Tell Their Stories" Series. </p><p>Somehow, back in 2021, amidst all the "Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" mishmash, I missed an article calling out a misunderstanding that Cosper has concerning victims of religious hierarchal abuse.</p><p>But in an effort to be kind to myself and my own healing, that was the year my divorce was finalized. In addition, I had a whole host of other things going on.</p><p>Anyway, there is an article in the Baptist News Global concerning Cosper's interview with Josh Harris and how he and Christianity Today "<span style="background-color: white; color: #383d40; font-family: "PT Serif", serif; font-size: 16.8px;">used its conversation with Harris to further push a false narrative about the hurting people conservative evangelicals have abused.</span>"</p><p>Sorry if you have seen this. But I haven't until just recently. And I want it be able to find this article quickly so I'm linking it here:</p><p><a href="https://baptistnews.com/article/i-lived-in-the-culture-of-the-rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill-and-theres-one-part-of-the-story-thats-wrong/" target="_blank">I lived in the culture of 'The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill' and there's one part of the story that's wrong.</a></p><p>Now, hopefully I can finish my series "Let Women Tell Their Stories" where I'm telling the story of how my ex used me and made me his mother/servant/savior.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-39709919314883245542023-12-29T10:32:00.000-08:002023-12-29T10:32:10.895-08:00Let Women Tell Their Stories part 2<p> I thought about going in and editing last week's post to add this little snippet. But I didn't want to make that post any longer than it already was.</p><p>Also. Just writing that much out last week has opened a floodgate of more ways the ex expected me to hold things together to make him look good without him having to lift a finger. Since I can't afford therapy right now, perhaps I can offload some of the damage he did to me here and work through the different ways he used me.</p><p>The one I want to address today is not really about me, so much, but rather illustrates how the ex sought and found another woman to use to hold things together.</p><p>Anyway, if you read part 1 of this series, you would have found out about the girlfriend that the ex asked me to leave because of. Well, the following year the ex hosted Christmas for our grown children with the help of his girlfriend. My children were still mad at him and her and decided that they weren't going to even acknowledge her existence at the house I used to share with my ex.</p><p>But I did something right in raising my daughter. She saw the girlfriend hiding in the kitchen doing the dishes. And she saw that she was being used by the ex just like I was. So she went in and made conversation with her out of empathy. </p><p>I had made peace a long time ago concerning whatever females my ex decided to carry on with. They didn't know what he was or what they were getting themselves into. Initially, he can present pretty well. And they probably believed his lies that I was an awful person. </p><p>Needless to say, the ex's relationship with that girlfriend didn't last long. And he has had many other girlfriends since then, including a long distance relationship with a female from Russia.</p><p>He still truly believes that his "soulmate" is out there somewhere waiting for him.</p><p>I saw the following quote on the internet somewhere. It said:</p><p>"I'm not sure what a soulmate is. But I'm pretty sure that it isn't someone who sucks your soul right out of you."</p><p>And I have to agree. The ex says and truly believes he is searching for a soulmate. But what he's really looking for is a mother/workhorse/savior/porn star. That's what he thinks a soulmate is.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-36287262541987221202023-12-23T11:20:00.000-08:002023-12-30T06:21:14.820-08:00"Let Women Tell Their Stories" And Col. 1:17<p> The title of the post is a quote from Ngina's blog post<a href="https://intentionaltoday.com/can-wives-save-their-husbands/" target="_blank"> "Do Pastors Ask Women To Be Saviors and Mothers of Their Husbands?"</a></p><p>Originally she posted on Instagram: "<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "Courier 10 Pitch", Courier, monospace; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.34px;">Culture and Christianity often ask women to be moms and saviors of their husbands.</span>" She said this amidst a few other things.</p><p>A man responded and said "<em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.34px;">“Nowhere in Christianity are women taught to be saviors or mothers to their husband. Secondly, dysfunctional behaviors is a human problem, not a gender problem. Both men and women bring dysfunctional traits to a marriage.”</em>"</p><p>The above linked post is in response to his comment on Instagram. She says a lot of good things in that post and I encourage you to read the entire thing. But her main point is that women are called upon by society and the church to continually go the extra mile without rest while giving the man a pass to be a big, self-centered baby. Not her words. Just my paraphrase.</p><p>So, anyway, I am now going to tell a very abbreviated version of my story. I'm leaving out a lot of details, so if something doesn't make sense, ask. I can elaborate.</p><p>I divorced the man-child back in February of 2021. We had both agreed that the marriage was unsustainable. But we had also agreed that, just like I was with him through the deaths of his parents, we would hold off on the divorce until I got my mother situated in a way where she didn't need as much care from me. He couldn't hold out. He asked me to leave because he had a girlfriend he wanted to go public with in the small town where we lived (he had been unfaithful with many different women for years,) They felt they couldn't go public as long as I was still hanging around. The girlfriend had a reputable business in town and didn't want to be considered a home wrecker. If I could have spoken to her, I would have assured her that the man-child aka "Captain Chaos" wrecked our home years ago.</p><p>Anyway, I digress. I finally was able to get my mother moved to an assisted living and that very week, I found an apartment and moved out. Suddenly, my life became a whole lot easier. The ex was a walking mess maker. When he cooked, he usually dirtied every dish in the house. If I cleared a flat surface like a counter or table top, he would clutter it up again instantaneously when he was home. If he was at work or sleeping, I could enjoy that clear space until he got home or woke up. He was always wanting to do things then left the clean up for me. Like camping. He dumped everything on the living room floor when we got back and never touched it again. He would want to do an Octoberfest on some land we own. But once the partying was done, he didn't lift a finger to clean up, letting trash blow around all winter if I didn't go do something about it.</p><p>If I ever complained about the messes he made he would accuse me of "raining on his parade." My only response was, "Well at least you get a parade because I sure don't." But I wish I had a response that I heard later from a friend who was in a similar situation. She said that in her previous marriage, she felt like the person who followed the parade with a pooper scooper to clean up all the trash and horse crap.</p><p>Anyway, recently it got back to me the my ex was claiming that our divorce was traumatic <i>for him</i>. I was incredulous. He was the one who told me to move out. He was the one who was chronically unfaithful. So how did this divorce traumatize him?</p><p>But then I realized, I was no longer there to clean up after him and the house he lives in is in terrible shape. I held everything together when I lived there. When I left, it fell apart. Completely</p><p>So here is how he demanded that I be his savior/servant/mother. This verse speaks of Jesus Christ.</p><p>Colossians 1:17 <span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">He </span><span class="footnote" data-fn="#fen-NASB-29470b" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NASB-29470b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white; display: inline; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; top: auto; vertical-align: text-top;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A16-17&version=NASB#fen-NASB-29470b" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; min-width: 0px; vertical-align: text-top;" title="See footnote b">b</a>]</span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">is before all things, and in Him all things </span><span class="footnote" data-fn="#fen-NASB-29470c" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NASB-29470c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white; display: inline; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; top: auto; vertical-align: text-top;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A16-17&version=NASB#fen-NASB-29470c" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; min-width: 0px; vertical-align: text-top;" title="See footnote c">c</a>]</span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">hold together.</span></p><p>The ex was the first part of the verse. He made sure he was the most important person in all things. But the second part of the verse was all me. I held everything together. When I left, it fell apart and he had to live with the consequences of his entitled, self-centered, inconsiderate mess making. And he found it to be traumatizing.</p><p>What the heck did he think living with him was like for me? He never thought twice about what he was doing to me. It was all about him. And the church agreed with him. They said over and over again that if I just submitted enough and respected him enough, that would save the marriage.</p><p>Because for a long time, that is all the church cared about. Saving marriages. If it was destroying someone in the marriage, that didn't matter a hill of beans. Glad this is starting to change. But it's taking way too long. And it's way too late for me.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-33653175557618170722023-12-02T11:56:00.000-08:002023-12-02T11:56:48.021-08:00No Quarter November Numbskull<p> Stupid title. I know. But I'll get to the reason for it later.</p><p>The main reason for this post is to link a secular article about Wilson's No Quarter November Fiasco.</p><p><a href="https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/12/evangelical-church-doug-wilson-idaho-culture-war-no-quarter-november.html?s=09" target="_blank">That Moscow Mood: How much culture war is too much, for American Evangelicals?</a></p><p>Linking the above because I found that it summarized the crazy events on Twitter/X that dogged Wilson's No Quarter November antics this year.</p><p><a href="https://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">WenatcheTheHatchet</a> was the first to draw my attention to the fact that Driscoll was influenced by Doug Wilson early on. And I can really see that. If I knew where to find that post, I'd link it. May go back and do this eventually.</p><p>Anyway, why did I use the term "Numbskull" to describe Wilson? Because it starts with an "N" like No and November. Numbskull means stupid or foolish person. Wilson is not stupid. He is very intelligent. However, Wilson is not wise. He is quite foolish, and not in a good way. He is foolish in his words and thoughts and in the way he causes "The Little Ones to Stumble". He is foolish because he is oblivious to the millstone that he has been attaching to his own neck over that last few decades of his life.</p><p>It is true that I am angry with him for his abuses and for covering up the abuses of other privileged white men. But more than that, I pity him for his foolishness and misunderstanding of the heart of God for His children.</p><p><br /></p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-74855506209139436602023-11-24T11:39:00.000-08:002023-11-24T11:39:21.093-08:00The Downward Spiral to a Wife Spanking Cult<p> There's a lot going on in the Twitterverse, or X.</p><p>Doug Wilson is in a negative spotlight, again. No surprise.</p><p>But, anyway as I'm watching this unfold, I came across a link to these two Podcasts from a woman who escaped from a wife spanking/domestic discipline cult. I am listening to Part 1.</p><p><a href="https://alittlebitculty.com/episode/shiny-happy-wife-tia-levings-on-christian-fundamentalism-part-1" target="_blank">Shiny Happy Wife: Tia Levings on Christian Fundamentalism (Part 1)</a></p><p><a href="https://alittlebitculty.com/episode/shiny-happy-wife-tia-levings-on-christian-fundamentalism-part-2" target="_blank">Shiny Happy Wife: Tia Levings on Christian Fundamentalism (Part 2)</a></p><p>I'm leaving this here so I can refer back to these.</p><p>Also, this Podcast channel has a lot of other cool things to look at and I'll be able to get back there through this post.</p><p><a href="https://alittlebitculty.com/" target="_blank">A Little Bit Culty.</a></p><p>I hope Doug Wilson is exposed for what he is. He's awful and Evangelicals need to stop taking him seriously.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-12678277535056256342023-10-03T11:07:00.000-07:002023-10-03T11:07:52.845-07:00Abusers Are Going to Abuse<p> Narcissist are going to<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhILcuoVhgE" target="_blank"> love bomb</a> to build their kingdoms then <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oik4IsgQ4uk" target="_blank">devalue and discard</a> the people they have used when their usefulness is deemed over.</p><p>Mark Driscoll is a Narcissist, a User, and Abuser. And he's not going to stop. He's just going to make a safe place for himself so that he can continue to build his kingdom and stoke his ego.</p><p><a href="https://julieroys.com/mark-driscolls-safe-space-how-embattled-pastor-built-a-new-church-became-an-online-influencer/" target="_blank">Mark Driscoll's Safe Space: How the Embattled Pastor Built a New Church and Became an Online Influencer</a></p><p>I don't want to wish him ill. I just want him to stop using and hurting people. Is that asking for too much?</p><p>There are <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2021/08/narcissistic-pastors.html" target="_blank">too many narcissistic pastors</a> in places of influence and <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2021/08/narcissistic-pastors-2.html" target="_blank">Driscoll is one of the worst</a>.</p><p>I found out from reading the article linked above that there is a closed forum where Driscoll's victims from both Mars Hill in Seattle and Trinity in Scottsdale meet, share their stories and support one another.</p><p>From the linked article:</p><p>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #54595f; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Former members of both churches have formed a private online forum to share their stories and support one another. They gather and discuss regularly on a locked Facebook group called “The Sound and Valley Connect,” named after the Puget Sound area that was home to Mars Hill and the Trinity’s location in the Arizona valley."</span></p><p>This is Mark Driscoll's legacy. These are the multitude of sacrifices that have been made and continue to be made on the altar of Driscoll's massive ego.</p><p>I've said it before many times. And will continue to say it for as long as it takes.</p><p>This man is NOT a pastor. This man is NOT a Bible teacher. He plays at teaching the Bible with great, fleshly charisma and pizzazz. But whatever he "teaches", it must prop up HIS massive ego.</p><p>No, Driscoll doesn't teach God's Word. <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2012/02/driscoll-uses-bible-as-sock-puppet.html" target="_blank">He uses the Bible as a sock puppet that always agrees with him.</a></p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-40756334457271257822023-08-18T17:36:00.003-07:002023-08-18T17:36:38.220-07:00Driscoll's Delusional. Thinks He's Elijah<p> I wanted to title this post, "Driscoll is selling War again" as a sort of part two or companion post to my <br /><a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2023/01/driscoll-is-selling-sex-again.html" target="_blank">"Driscoll is selling Sex again" </a>post. But it just wasn't as explosive sounding as, "Driscoll is Delusional."</p><p>Because Driscoll works so hard to be so explosive, controversial, and cutting edge, I went for the more bombastic title in honor of the bombastic and attention-seeking drama queen who is the subject of this post.</p><p>First off, I guess selling sex didn't work out for Driscoll as well as he had hoped. Book sales for his "Real Romance" book must not be anywhere near what his old "Peasant Princess" series was back in the good old days of Mars Hill. If they were, then perhaps Driscoll wouldn't be so quick to <a href="https://julieroys.com/mark-driscoll-charlie-kirk-woke-beta-male-pastors/" target="_blank">try to sell war.</a> He might not have jumped into trying to be a god of war, declaring himself to be Elijah, and saying he's a weapon if his "Real Romance" had done better in book sales. And his Real Romance book might have done better <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2023/01/driscoll-trying-to-define-reality.html" target="_blank">if Driscoll actually knew what 'real' meant.</a> (No Driscoll, your thoughts and opinions are not real while everyone who disagrees with you is fake. You are not the standard for reality. You are so delusional that it is getting comical. Yes, I said it. You are becoming a big joke.)</p><p>How I wish that Driscoll could have a real encounter with Elijah and find out how far out of touch he is with reality and how far out of touch with the Bible he is. He might find that he has more in common with the prophets of Baal than he'd like. He might find out that he has more in common with the controlling spirit in Jezebel than with the Holy Ghost working through Elijah.</p><p>Poor delusional man. And poor deceived, delusional people who are following him off the rails of the crazy train.</p><p>Maybe he'll make a few bucks selling his shtick. Maybe not.</p><p><br /></p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-58794751848716923532023-07-05T04:00:00.001-07:002023-07-05T04:00:00.137-07:00Deconstructing from the Sin of Patriarchy<p> The title above is a shortened version of what I wanted to have.</p><p>I wanted the title to be more along the lines of this. "The Evangelical Church needs to deconstruct itself away from its sin of Patriarchy before it completely dies. Because the Evangelical leaders have already made themselves quite irrelevant by clinging to this idol that they worship in vain."</p><p>Someone: "That's a bold move, Cotton, calling patriarchy a sin."</p><p>Me: "It's not nearly as bold now as it used to be. Now Evangelical Patriarchy is being exposed on many fronts for the sham it is and how it has lied to everyone including itself."</p><p>I've been deconstructing from the Evangelical's claim that Patriarchy is biblical for years and will link two posts about the two main lies (of many) that it has told it's women.</p><p>Lie number one id from June 2011: <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-heard-it-said-once.html" target="_blank">"I Heard It Said Once"</a></p><p>Lie number two is from September 2015: <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-patriarchs-second-lie-to-women.html" target="_blank">"The Patriarchs' Second Lie to Women"</a></p><p>Those familiar with my blog and the above two links won't need to follow them.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">But I've said all of this to lead up to a way more important link.</span></b> It is a discussion of how patriarchy works and how it truly hates women. The treatment of Beth Moore is used as evidence for the rotten fruit of patriarchy.</p><p><a href="https://laurarbnsn.substack.com/p/misogyny-the-sbc-and-beth-moore" target="_blank">"Misogyny, the SBC, and Beth Moore"</a></p><p>Along with this link, I'll make another link to my friend, Cindy Kunsman. She will continue her exposure of a Bruce Ware's message eventually. But for now, she is enjoying a much needed respite as she meditates on how the leaders of the toxic patriarchy movement are passing away.</p><p><a href="https://undermuchgrace.blogspot.com/2023/07/a-pause-for-respite-and-recollection.html" target="_blank">A Pause for Respite and Recollection</a></p><p>She was one who paid dearly for speaking out against men like Ware back in the day. Now, others are taking on the fight. But there are more of them and there is more support for them. Though people like <a href="https://baremarriage.com/2022/08/podcast-how-have-the-authors-we-critiqued-responded-to-the-great-sex-rescue/" target="_blank">Sheila Gregoire</a> have also suffered, she has more support and there is more momentum carrying her and her message beyond some isolated area of the internet.</p><p>Patriarchy, your mountain top alter will soon be made low. And the women and children you thrusted down into the valley of abuse shall be raised up.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-68213339765853129952023-06-17T11:23:00.001-07:002023-06-17T11:23:59.212-07:00The Connection Between Shiny Happy People (SHP) and CBMW, Danvers, and the SBC<p> I am so excited that my long time blogging friend is starting a new series on her blog.</p><p>She is like me, She used to blog like gangbusters back in the day. But more recently her posts have been few and far between.</p><p>As I mentioned in my previous post, I was not triggered by SHP like a lot of my internet friends. I was never really influenced by Gothard or the IBLP. I was more involved with raising the alarm concerning Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Bruce Ware, Paige Patterson and the like who were pushing such horrible and misogynistic doctrine and causing such doctrine to become more mainstream.</p><p>And in those days, I was so glad that I had friends like Cindy Kunsman showing the links between Gothard/Quiverfull and CBMW, the Southern Baptists, and other things that were making me mad.</p><p>Anyway, SHP has affected Cindy deeply which she talks about here:</p><p><a href="https://undermuchgrace.blogspot.com/2023/06/concerning-shiny-happy-people-two-weeks.html" target="_blank">Concerning Shiny Happy People Two Weeks Later</a></p><p>She is now processing through the triggers, emotions and the deep personal cost she experienced for speaking out against Bruce Ware and Russel Moore. SHP has shown a bit of a spotlight on these terrible doctrines that are troubling the church and she, like so many of us, doesn't want the church to think it was just limited to Gothard and the IBLP</p><p><a href="https://undermuchgrace.blogspot.com/2023/06/following-bruce-wares-primrose-path-to.html" target="_blank">Following Bruce Ware's Primrose Path to Domestic Violence (Part 1: Ideas that fed those Shiny Happy People)</a></p><p>Cindy is good at what she does. Please go read what she had to say.</p><p><br /></p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-69785638081002470082023-06-04T09:09:00.005-07:002023-06-04T12:15:34.816-07:00Shiny Happy People Aftercare Resources<p> Yes, I watched it.</p><p>No, it was not triggering to me. I managed to avoid most of the crap that came from Gothard and the IBLP/ATI propaganda. I put them in the category of <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2012/07/wilson-fell-over-cuckoos-edge.html" target="_blank">Doug Wilson, so far over the cuckoo's edge,</a> I just couldn't get bogged down in their B.S.</p><p>Also, I never watched the Duggars on TV. Couldn't stand the idea of it. Plus, I was also more laser focused on Driscoll*, Piper, TGC, and others like that at the time who were also troubling the Church with their aberrant doctrine and teaching points.</p><p><b>But, I know that there are many, many people who have been or are going to be severely triggered </b>by Amazon's number one tv show. So for them, I'll link a resource page:</p><p><a href="https://www.wildernesstowild.com/community/public/posts/291399-resources-to-help-you-process-shinyhappypeople" target="_blank">Aftercare resources</a></p><p><br /></p><p>*For those who come here for <b>Driscoll stuff,</b> I've been meaning to get to this. I even started a post about it but could never get back to finish it. So I'm going to just link these two things here. Do with them as you like.</p><p>Wenatchee the Hatchet has an interesting look at a recent <a href="https://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2023/05/mark-driscolls-jokes-on-parallels.html" target="_blank">Tweet from Driscoll comparing menopause to demonic possession. </a></p><p>Which isn't strange since Driscoll links women pretty close to Satan. He has many examples like what Wenatchee lists in his post linked above.</p><p>Also, here is a quote from another source where Driscoll <a href="https://julieroys.com/driscoll-demand-loyalty-divides-daughter-in-laws-family/" target="_blank">calls women who don't fit into his doctrine on womanhood Satan. </a>It is under the subheading Family Division.</p><p>You could call these last two links off-topic, if you like. But I don't think so. It all stems from the same issue of celebrity preachers building up kingdoms for themselves and using God's name in vain to do so. These cult leaders are very controlling, ,manipulative, and often hate women.</p><p><b>Edited to add </b>Recovering Grace's page on the topic of Shiny Happy People.</p><p><a href="https://www.recoveringgrace.org/2023/05/seen-shiny-happy-people/" target="_blank">Seen "Shiny Happy People"?</a></p><p>Hopefully more people will find healing.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-60676625739097490502023-05-18T10:25:00.005-07:002023-05-18T10:25:34.653-07:00Final Word on Josh Butler's Beautiful Union Debacle<p> Well, actually, there will never be a final word because Josh Butler is doubling down and determined to FORCE people to accept and understand his idiocracy.</p><p>But, I have really enjoyed the Substack series by Laura Robinson on the matter. Here is the latest from her series, words after her brilliant conclusion:</p><p><a href="https://laurarbnsn.substack.com/p/what-if-its-just-bad-beautiful-union?r=1vejz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&fbclid=IwAR0VYV5t9VyTgmfAJuKd6D72LIsxPJCs8NoHYso-gf-dF4hILkvZtYPOzd4" target="_blank">What If It's Just Bad? Beautiful Union Part Forever, It Will Never Stop</a></p><p>This is something I will probably refer back to because Reformer men don't understand what they have done to themselves and the church by sidelining women, insulting them, and never being willing to hear their voices if their voices are not fawning over how brilliant Reformer men are.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-28231972800330048142023-04-27T11:24:00.001-07:002023-04-27T15:21:47.454-07:00The ESV Is Not a Good Translation<p> I've said it here before. I'll say it again. The ESV translation of the Bible is dishonest and it has an agenda that opposes the work of God.</p><p>It was made to support Complementarianism and Patriarchy. It was made to take away power from women in the Church and give it to men alone.</p><p>Here is a YouTube video going into it further:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsBxa0HoHz4" target="_blank">3 Problems with the ESV</a></p><p>Edited to add:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUiDnwRQb7E" target="_blank">Why I'm Not Using the ESV Anymore (The Good, The Sketchy, and the Gnarly)</a></p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-25651908647241938182023-04-11T10:48:00.007-07:002023-04-11T10:48:38.930-07:00Pearls Before Swine<p> The author of this bit below posted it on Facebook and said to feel free to share. I'm not sure this is what she means. But I'm going to share it here for now and give her the proper credit. If she asks me to take it down, I will. Sharing because I so relate. Sharing because I feel that this is similar to my <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-parable-of-talents-revisited.html" target="_blank">"The Parable of the Talents Revisited"</a> post from earlier this month. (The link on her name goes to her Facebook page.)</p><p>*****</p><p>"Clutching Her Pearls: The painful preservation of God's good gifts" by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.congleton" target="_blank">Rebecca Congleton</a></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Torn to pieces. It may sound marginally melodramatic, but that metaphor, used by Jesus to illustrate the immense cost of offering what is most valuable to those who are unable to appreciate its importance, so poignantly describes the deep and dangerous wound, too often left in the hearts of Christian women. Those who passionately and courageously pursue a calling or openly pour out their gifts in a culture or environment where those callings and gifts are perceived as either less-than the ones proffered by men, or inappropriately sought by a woman, are very likely to have their souls trampled and their worth torn apart.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I was 28 years old, when I found myself co-leading worship with my new husband at a storefront church of fewer than 30 people in a small Indiana town. Joe was (and is) my second husband. My first marriage had ended after years of physical and sexual abuse, which culminated in my ex-husband’s arrest for stalking, voyeurism, and residential entry; crimes which were carried out against our young neighbor. It was only after his arrest that I felt the freedom to file for divorce. Though I had disclosed many incidents of abuse to my former pastor and his wife, I had always been encouraged to stay, pray, and submit. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">A year later, having been liberated from constant peril and violence, rebuilding my life, recovering from trauma, safe and so very happy in my union with Joe, and leading worship in a new fellowship, I felt the healing winds of the unwavering love of Christ blowing powerfully through my heart, disturbing the well-anchored roots of shame and fear. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I felt like Mary, pouring out her priceless bottle of perfume. I had held onto my gift, my voice, my song, for so many years, knowing Christ had placed it in me for the purpose of worship, but always questioning how I could ever stand on a platform and fearlessly lift my voice, when I felt worthless, when my own husband could not love or care for me? </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">On the other side of that dark season, I finally felt free. I finally felt whole. It was time to step into my calling. The pastor who planted our brand new church, which was affiliated with a well-known global association of churches, recognized that calling and wanted to nurture it, and nurture it he did, until a devastating cancer diagnosis forced him to suddenly step aside. A week later, we welcomed a new pastor, and soon thereafter, I was informed, following a meeting between the new pastor and my husband—which I wasn’t invited to attend—I would no longer be on the worship team.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The reason provided to me for this change in leadership was vague and not related to my gender, but I knew immediately that was the heart of it, and I felt utterly destroyed, “torn apart”. I wept. I wept harder than the first time my ex-husband had sexually assaulted me. I wept from a different place. I wept from the very center of my being, the place where my devotion, my intimacy with Christ lives and grows. I wept as I felt those roots of shame and worthlessness begin to form once again. I had poured out my perfume. I had brought my precious pearls, so painstakingly guarded and treasured during years of abuse, and they had been carelessly rejected. There is no pain like the pain of having your purpose trampled underfoot. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Joe’s heart was broken too. He declined our pastor’s proposal that he continue to lead without me beside him. Holding me in his arms, as I cried, he said “How could I? How could I possibly do that, knowing you are hurting like this?”</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">For months we faithfully continued to attend services at our church. Most Sundays I cried through the entire worship set, now led by two brothers, ages 15 and 16. I lifted my hands in surrender and refused to allow the agony of this loss to create distance between my heart and God’s. I wasn’t just broken, I was angry. I was confused. I wasn’t even invited into a conversation about why I had been “sat down”. I would silently pray the same prayer over and over again. “Why can’t I be used the way I know you want to use me? I don’t understand. Just help me understand.”</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I wish my experience was the exception and not the rule, but my heart has been grieved over and over, as I’ve heard and observed similarly painful experiences by women who want nothing more than to live out their callings in honor of Christ. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">A friend in South Carolina wrote to me, recently, on social media, describing how she was treated as a young woman in bible college. When she was just a freshman, a professor accosted her in front of his entire department for closing his office door behind her, when she met with him to discuss a paper, treating her as though her very presence in his office was an indiscretion, because she was female. She was also denied the opportunity to pursue Pastoral Studies and wasn’t provided with a mentor to answer her theological questions, because all the mentors were men. Now, years later, having been subjected to bullying by a male pastor at a church where she was a counselor, she is not currently in active ministry. This intelligent, kind, creative, God-loving individual with so much to offer the Body of Christ works in a secular field and is thriving, but how might her story have been different if the men who claimed to follow Christ had treated her as an equal? </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">My husband and I spent a few years traveling as full-time music missionaries, and we eventually relocated. Now, living in the deep south, hardly a week goes by when I don’t witness the oppression of women within the faith community. Male headship and authority are so deeply ingrained here, to openly think differently is to welcome disdain, admonishment, and even severe correction. Still, I know it is not the heart of Christ. When Mary brought her perfumed oil and knelt at his feet, he honored her. He recognized not only the value of what she poured out, but her worth as an image bearer of God. While the religious elite stood by in shock and judgment, insisting her most valuable asset was not being utilized appropriately, Jesus allowed her to use her hair, one of the most culturally significant features of her womanhood, to wipe her tears from his feet. Can you imagine anything more intimate and easily misunderstood? Yet he did not push her away or rebuke her. Her gender, her femininity was not a threat to him. Her motives were not questioned by him, because she was female. He valued her gift, because he knew what it cost her, and be assured the cost was much higher than simply the price of the oil.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">It has taken me until the age of 41 to fully understand the harm done by complementarian theology, not just to the women whose giftings are rejected, but to the whole of the Body of Christ, when fifty percent of us are relegated to smiling, cake-baking, baby-birthing, “helpers” and nothing more.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Joe and I received a late night knock on our front door from that Indiana pastor, several months after I was dismissed from leadership, a knock which was followed by a sincere apology and a reinstatement—after he had discussed whether women should be permitted to lead worship with the California-based founder of our fellowship of churches, who affirmed it was an acceptable role for women—but the damage had been done. We stepped back into our position, leading a gathering of roughly thirty people in worship, every Sunday, for the next couple years, but never with the same confidence, never with the same blissful feeling of being right where we belonged. I was once again “clutching my pearls”, aware I was not in a safe place to fully walk in the calling placed on my life.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I’m so thankful to say, after a long journey serving and struggling within complementarian churches, Joe and I are now part of the worship team at a thriving egalitarian church, where we live in Augusta, GA. One of the first things the Worship Pastor said specifically to me, after our audition, was “Rebecca, I see leadership in you,” and those six words may have been the most healing words a Pastor has ever spoken to me. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Clutch your pearls, if you must. Stash your expensive oil away from the eyes of earthly-minded men, but seek out Jesus. Look for him where he may be found, and there at his feet you will discover a safe place to pour out the most valuable substance you possess, the very life and breath he has given you. It is never a waste to offer them there, and you can trust that he will never chastise you or turn you away. He will never trample your beautiful soul beneath his beautiful feet.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">*****</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you, Rebecca, for putting so eloquently what many of us feel.</div></div>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-84811220941567692682023-04-05T11:59:00.009-07:002023-04-05T16:28:39.890-07:00Escaping Doug Wilson<p> This is another post that is just about keeping track of links.</p><p>I've recently been made aware of Abra Miller who was a member of Doug Wilson's branch of, so called, Christianity. But she has escaped. And I want to keep track of her and link two things to go back to and look at more closely later.</p><p>This is a YouTube interview with an Atheist (though Abra maintains belief in God):</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N48ZuAuQuuI" target="_blank">Christ Church Rampant: Where Patriarchy, Grooming, Gaslighting, and Shunning Thrive</a></p><p>And this is Abra's personal blog:</p><p><a href="https://gloryaskew.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Glory Askew</a></p><p>I like knowing about those who have escaped and live to tell.</p><p>Edited to add other things showcasing how awful and unbiblical Doug Wilson is.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Qiqk1-IGM" target="_blank">What's Wrong with Doug Wilson</a></p><p><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7ezwx/inside-the-church-that-preaches-wives-need-to-be-led-with-a-firm-hand" target="_blank">Inside the Church That Preaches "Wives need to be led with a firm hand"</a></p><p>This guy just needs to go away.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-47546984565203730932023-04-03T09:32:00.005-07:002023-04-04T08:24:27.768-07:00The Parable of the Talents Revisited.<p> The Parable of the Talents used to bother me. That is, until I meditated on it and gained further understanding.</p><p>But this blog post is not about my understanding of the parable. I may or may not present that here at a later date.</p><p>Rather this is about someone telling the parable from a different perspective, one that I feel is needed in this day and age. It is concerning how the church treats women and their talents.</p><p>I want to leave the link for it here. Perhaps I will have the opportunity to explore its ins and outs. Perhaps not. More importantly, I'm putting it here so that I can find it again when I want it. I have reasons.</p><p>Anyway, here is the link:</p><p><a href="https://bethfelkerjones.substack.com/p/sort-of-like-the-parable-of-the-talents" target="_blank">Sort of Like the Parable of the Talents</a></p><p>God knows our weaknesses. He also knows the things that oppose His glory within us as women. How I wish that there were more Proverbs Men who supported and encouraged Proverbs Women, rather than all the leaders, teachers, pastors, husbands who kick the legs out from under their women and then complain about the weaknesses of women.</p><p>Edited to add two more links that I just want to have within easy reach</p><p><a href="https://medium.com/@rebekahmui/complementarian-sexual-asymmetry-why-denny-burk-doesnt-like-the-great-sex-rescue-d593cc1921f1" target="_blank">Rebekah Mui's response to Denny Burk</a></p><p><a href="https://baremarriage.com/2023/03/complementarian-sexual-asymmetry-can-sex-be-mutually-pleasurable/" target="_blank">Sheila Gregoire's commentary on Rebekah's words.</a></p><p>I like them both.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-56702609583200050102023-03-19T14:12:00.000-07:002023-03-19T14:12:19.011-07:00A Pornified Brain Assaulting The Songs, Again.<p> I finished <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Biblical-Porn-Affect-Driscolls-Evangelical/dp/0822371537" target="_blank">Biblical Porn</a> the other day. It's been out since 2018 but I felt no need to read it because ol' pornified brain Driscoll has been reduced to a lying little disgraced 'pastor'* in a suburb of Phoenix.</p><p>(*pastor? really? ah, no, not really. pastors care for the flock. driscoll just uses people and throws them away when they are no longer useful to him.)</p><p>But things have changed because Driscoll is at it again, assaulting a beautiful Book of Poetry in the Bible, manipulating and twisting it beyond breaking point. Then taking the twisted and broken version of that Book and using it to create a porn and rape culture in his present church. Because of this I felt the need to read the above linked book that <a href="https://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wenatchee the Hatchet</a> considers to be the best book dealing with the train wreak of Driscoll at Mars Hill in Seattle.</p><p>Driscoll first unleashed his his porn heavy interpretation of the Song of Songs back in 2007 or 2008 in the form of his "Peasant Princess" series. He also gave a sermon in Scotland called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8sNVDyW-ws" target="_blank">"Sex, a study of the good bits from the Song of Solomon"</a> that he has since tried to scrub because it was so wrong, un-Christian and repulsive. Listen at your own risk.</p><p>Well, a month ago, he has recycled his porn song into a book he calls "Real Romance". Unfortunately, Driscoll believes that his perception of the world, life, sex, and marriage is the only "Real" perception. All other perceptions that don't line up, lockstep, with his are, I don't know, fake? lacking? Not Driscoll centric?</p><p>Well, I waited for a while for people to do reviews on the book since I certainly don't want to read it. I'm still getting over watching the first part of just one of his Peasant Princess videos. Now, every time I read that portion of the Songs, I remember that unfortunate and video series and how it has so muddied the waters for so many people.</p><p>I know many of the people harmed by Driscoll in Seattle have no desire to review "Real Romance" and I totally get it. If I regret watching one part of one Peasant Princess video, I can only imagine what people who were immersed in his Peasant Princess/Real Marriage crap feel about ever looking at it.</p><p>Well, anyway, because of all the above, I decided to link a guest series written by Wenatchee the Hatchet concerning his view on how Driscoll mishandled The Songs back in 2011. I'm doing this as a public service for anyone who has been assaulted by Driscoll's porn meditations through his newest book and would like to see a thoughtful response from someone who had been a member of his church back in Seattle.</p><p><a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2011/10/introducing-wenatchee-hatchet.html" target="_blank">Introducing Wenatchee the Hatchet (WTH)</a></p><p><a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2011/10/wth-on-driscolls-sos-intro-pt-1.html" target="_blank">WTH on Driscoll's SoS Intro and Part 1</a></p><p><a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2011/10/wth-on-driscolls-sos-parts-2-3.html" target="_blank">WTH on Driscoll's SoS Parts 2 and 3</a></p><p><a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2011/10/wth-on-driscolls-sos-part-4a.html" target="_blank">WTH on Driscoll's SoS Part 4a</a></p><p><a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2011/10/wth-on-driscolls-sos-part-4b.html" target="_blank">WTH on Driscoll's SoS Part 4b</a></p><p>Hopefully, someday, Driscoll will stop troubling the Church with his warped ideas on men, women, and sex. But I'm not holding my breath.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-71654923198278754682023-03-07T16:12:00.004-08:002023-03-07T16:12:56.662-08:00A Couple More Important Thoughts on TGC Doctrine Problem<p> I really like this one from someone I've never read before or even heard of, Beth Felker Jones:</p><p><a href="https://bethfelkerjones.substack.com/p/protestant-bodies-protestant-bedrooms" target="_blank">Protestant bodies, Protestant bedrooms</a></p><p>This next one is from Scot McKnight. I have heard of him before, but not read much from him:</p><p><a href="https://scotmcknight.substack.com/p/social-media-speaks" target="_blank">Social Media Speaks</a></p><p>Then of course there is some coverage by Julie Roys reporting team:</p><p><a href="https://julieroys.com/tgc-issues-apology-retracts-article-comparing-sex-salvation/" target="_blank">TGC Issues an Apology</a></p><p>Finally, The Wartburg Watch had a bit on it:</p><p><a href="https://thewartburgwatch.com/2023/03/06/the-controversy-over-josh-butlers-book-beautiful-union-rightly-embarrasses-tgcs-the-tim-keller-center-for-cultural-apologeticthe-gospel-coalition-editorial-staff-and-various-theobros-and-the/" target="_blank">The Controversy Over Josh Butler</a></p><p>I may add more to this link page. Or not. We'll see.</p><p><br /></p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-15871391432471239982023-03-04T08:44:00.001-08:002023-03-04T08:44:58.060-08:00TGC Echo Chamber<p> Unless you live under a rock, you most likely have heard about the ridiculous goings on at The Gospel Coalition, the Keller Centre, and Multnomah Publishing.</p><p>If, indeed, someone comes here not knowing, I will link three places to go for more information</p><p>Bare Marriage had a good post with lots of links to other opinions: <a href="https://baremarriage.com/2023/03/joshua-butler-beautiful-union-gospel-coalition-sex-article/" target="_blank">My V@gina Is Not My "Most Holy Place"</a>: A Response to the Gospel Coalition.</p><p>Under Much Grace comes in with an overview of the history that has led up to this crazy outcome: <a href="https://undermuchgrace.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-spermeneutics-of-spread-your-legs.html" target="_blank">The Spermeneutics of Spread Your Legs Theology</a></p><p>And I'll add Biblical Personhood's for good measure simple because I miss her voice in the blogsphere as she doesn't publish as much as she used.to and she had such good insight. (Hi, Retha, I see you!): <a href="https://biblicalpersonhood.wordpress.com/2023/03/04/the-gospel-coalition-seemingly-endorses-phallic-worship-and-inadvertently-makes-the-case-for-woman-elders/" target="_blank">The Gospel Coalition seemingly Endorses Phallic Worship</a> -- And Inadvertently Makes the Case for Women Elders.</p><p>Poor Joshua Butler. He really stepped into it, didn't he? And TGC?</p><p>This is what happens when a bunch of men refuse to acknowledge the wisdom and concerns of women for years on end. This is what happens when they keep talking to each other about things they don't fully understand. They get weirder and weirder with no wise feminine input or push back. They get emboldened in their error. And out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.</p><p>Concerning the Proverbs Woman:</p><p>Proverbs 31:26 <span style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;">She</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;">opens her mouth in wisdom,</span></p><span class="text Prov-31-26" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">And the <span class="footnote" data-fn="#fen-NASB-17311q" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NASB-17311q" title="See footnote q">q</a>]" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; top: auto; vertical-align: text-top;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+31&version=NASB#fen-NASB-17311q" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; min-width: 0px; vertical-align: text-top;" title="See footnote q">q</a>]</span>teaching of kindness is on her tongue.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Prov-31-27" id="en-NASB-17312" style="background-color: white; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"></span><p>Too bad TGC and other Complementarianas fight so hard to shut women up and beat them down with twisted Bible verses. Too bad they judged women to be foolish and unwise. By doing this, they have shot themselves in the foot. They had told everyone that women are lesser parts of the Body of Christ. As a result women were ignored, used, abused and dismissed. And this has blown up in their faces.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-87516262865936239642023-03-02T13:20:00.004-08:002023-03-02T15:37:01.638-08:00Mark Driscoll & Biblical Porn<p> I'm reading a book highly recommended to me by my internet friend <a href="http://WenatcheeTheHatchet." target="_blank">WenatcheeTheHatchet.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Biblical-Porn-Affect-Driscolls-Evangelical/dp/0822371537" target="_blank">It is called Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor, and Pastor Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire</a></p><p>I am about halfway through. I knew things were bad and that Driscoll was doing terrible things to people up in Seattle while he dominated his church. But I didn't know how bad.</p><p>Wenatchee has a review of the Biblical Porn book that he did back in 2018 that he says is nsfw:</p><p><a href="https://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2018/06/prelude-and-review-of-jessica-johnsons.html" target="_blank">Prelude and Review of Jessica Johnson's Biblical Porn</a></p><p>NSFW? He ain't kidding.</p><p>Why am I reading this now and why am I bringing it up now? Well, <a href="http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2023/01/driscoll-is-selling-sex-again.html" target="_blank">I mentioned before </a>that Driscoll has recycled his old Peasant Princess series on the Song of Solomon and written a book called "Real Romance" that he had published last month on Valentine's Day.</p><p>So far, there are still no reviews for it on Amazon, which I find surprising. Surely someone somewhere has read the book and has an opinion. I've put a few feelers out to see if anyone has said anything. But so far nothing.</p><p>I guess the bottom line for me, the reason this bothers me, is because he's still out their throwing pig feces on the Best of Songs in the Bible, making it all about how he can coerce his wife and all Christian women into becoming strippers, porn stars, prostitutes for their husbands and saying that God agrees with him. He uses God's Word to promote a rape culture and tries to make people believe that God approves of his abusive teachings.</p><p>I might not care if I hadn't spent an entire decade before I ever heard of Mark Driscoll, meditating on the healing aspects of The Songs. Within this Best of All Songs there is healing for those of us who have been abused and coerced by narcissistic husbands.</p><p>But this Narcissist from Seattle who has moved to Phoenix has used it to abuse his wife and all Christian women within ear shot. This bully of a man who thinks he speaks for God has used it to pimp out Christian women in order to build his own kingdom on sand. Please see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNK5O3K4jJU" target="_blank">Kyle Howard's YouTube video</a> on the topic.</p><p>Well, I guess I'll continue to read this book suggested by my internet friend Wenatchee<a href="http://WenatcheeTheHatchet.">.</a> <a href="https://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2023/01/jennifer-mckinneys-mark-driscoll-mars.html" target="_blank">He would know</a> a lot concerning Driscoll since he used to go to his church. He was actually able to supply the author of the book I linked above with more damning evidence against Driscoll. And he was able to watch, in person, as Driscoll committed a hostile take over of Mars Hill then swerve the poor, unsuspecting congregation into terrible error, making it a hotbed of rape culture and other abuses.</p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421420703803149726.post-4753102570240462952023-02-20T09:44:00.000-08:002023-02-20T09:44:06.524-08:00Bumping an Old, Lost Post Up<p> Actually, I'm not going to bump it up. I'm just going to link to it somewhere below.</p><p>I wrote this post back towards the end of 2010 because I was caught between two women with very strong opinions that seemed to contradict.</p><p>Since I valued the temporary internet friendship of both women at the time, I felt the deep need to reconcile the two opinions and make a bridge between them. They both commented and seemed to appreciate the clarification my post brought.</p><p>It is concerning whether forgiving an oppressor is a biblical response or a fawning response <a href="https://theartofhealing.com.au/2021/09/fight-flight-freeze-fawn-examining-the-4-trauma-responses/" target="_blank">(Of the Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn Trauma Response).</a></p><p>I came to the conclusion that actual, biblical forgiveness best comes from a place of Strength and Safety, hence the title of the post:</p><p><a href="https://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2010/12/strength-and-safety.html" target="_blank">Strength and Safety.</a></p><p><br /></p>Mara Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16385458933795539928noreply@blogger.com0