Biblical Womanhood

 This post is inspired by today's post at Bare Marriage.

They are sharing their Biblical Womanhood Merch and giving Bible references to where these stories are found. So many women don't know the stories of Bible Women because those Bible Women mess up the doctrine of Biblical Womanhood that Piper and like want to peddle.

Bare Marriage lists a bunch of important Bible Women like Pricilla, Deborah, Huldah and Esther and point out where their stories are. And I appreciate them doing so today. In addition, I think I might buy some of their Biblical Womanhood mugs to give to friends.

Anyway, another Biblical Woman or Biblical Womanhood Ideal that I like is the Proverbs woman. Teachings on this portion of scripture has been mishandled by men who fear her. Instead of recognizing that she was a business owner/landowner/farmer/entrepreneur/philanthropist etc. these male teachers reduce the chapter about her down to making sure she keeps her house clean and cares for her children. Or, they use the chapter to shame women for not measuring up to their definitions of a few particulars mentioned.

I once heard a preacher on the radio going through Proverbs 31 and every time he dealt with a verse concerning how strong, independent, and capable this woman was, he had to add something like, now don't forget, she was submitted to her husband like instructed in Ephesians 5.

After a few minutes of him making sure the women in his congregation knew how important submitting to their husbands' was per Eph. 5, I finally said out loud. "Now I'm confused. Are you preaching on Proverbs 31 or on Ephesians 5? Because it seems to me, that you are way more concerned about Eph. 5 than anything God has to say about women in the Proverbs."

Looking back on that day, I've come to the conclusion that the preacher was afraid of the powerful image of the Proverbs Woman. And out of fear that the women in his congregation might get all uppity, he had to beat them back down with Eph. 5.

So, as I consider going to the website to buy those Biblical Womanhood mugs for friends and family, I also think to myself, "Be Powerful like the Proverbs Woman."

Womanhood Confusion and 12 Step Recovery

Just call me the blog link junction this month.

All I seem able to do is link other people's blog posts. And I'm okay with that. I hope you are too, and I hope any new visitors will be as delighted over some of the things I'm finding in the blogsphere.

The two I have today aren't as related as the title of this post makes them look. I'm not linking a 12 step recovery for Womanhood Confusion, I just have two unrelated posts that, for women, might have a bit of a connection, but I leave that for the individual to decide.

Certain sectors of American Evangelicalism seem to be over wrought and wringing their hands concerning "Gender Confusion". As a result, Herculean measures are being taken to heal our generation of this horrid monster of Gender Confusion. Unfortunately, these Herculean measures are only confusing the issue far worse than what it was to begin with because, apparently, American Evangelicals are the most confused on what Womanhood is of any other group on the face of the planet.

Karen, over at "That Mom" discusses some of the mixed and confusing messages coming out of the American Evangelical Gender Confusion Hand Wringing Fest:
http://www.thatmom.com/2012/01/25/purity-balls-christian-princess-syndrome-and-mom-haircuts-evangelicalisms-mixed-messages-for-women/

On a different note, Cindy, over at Under Much Grace, is very concerned about the damage that is being done to all people by many of the excesses going on in American Evangelicalism of which Womanhood Confusion is only one. Cindy is all about healing and being truly set free in Jesus Christ. It is good that Cindy put up:

Finding Healing Through the Twelve Steps: Recovery from the Emotional Wounds of Childhood (and from Spiritual Abuse)

http://undermuchgrace.blogspot.com/2012/01/finding-healing-through-twelve-steps.html

Neither of these ladies are in my blog role yet. Both ladies belong there. Better yet, I'm toying with the idea of making a links page here. I really don't mind being a link junction. I believe in the Wisdom of as Iron sharpens Iron so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17 NAS).

The Single Story and The False Balance

Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.
Proverbs 20:10 Differing weights and differing measures. Both of them are abominable to the Lord.

The fact of the matter is this, the Single Story, by it's very nature, is off-balanced. It over focuses on one aspect or a few aspects of a matter, any matter, while ignoring all the rest. Having such tunnel vision on anything can do nothing else but create a great imbalance.

This is what Patriarchy and the pushers of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood do when they reduce all things having to do with gender down to their Single Story.

It is a form of Phariseeism and is unjust.
I've written on Phariseeism and the false balance before. It includes a link to an excellent article on Cindy K.'s Under Much Grace blog that is well worth reading.
http://frombitterwaterstosweet.blogspot.com/2010/07/phariseeism-and-false-balance.html