Doctrine without Love is Dead...

At least that is my opinion.

Here is an interesting conversation going on over at Spiritual Sounding Board. Come join in if you like.

My Twitter Conversation with a Pastor about Doctrine and Truth

True Woman or Unladylike?

The True Womanhood Manifesto has been around for a while and I have always had trouble with it.
It bothers Pam Hogeweide as well. So she came up with another Manifesto. I like it much better.

Unladylike Manifesto

"You Have Heard It Said"

As we mentioned before, men have said all kinds of things about Jesus that simply weren't true.
People have also spoken things as divine truth that fell short of God's version of the truth.

In Matthew Chapter Five starting in verse twenty-one to the end of the chapter, Jesus starts dealing with what people say. Jesus lists six common sayings or understandings of correct behavior before God and then exposes how they fall short of how God really thinks.

If you have time, you can read the entire section, but for this post I thought we'd look at one in particular and show how history repeats itself.

One of the sayings is about divorce, which back then, only men could really do. And apparently it was very easy and a form of punishment when she didn't "obey" or "please" him as he thought fit.

Matthew 5:31 “It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; 32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

So if the wife burnt the biscuits one too many times because the baby was colicky, it was no big deal for the husband to send her away with no support.

And Neo-Patriarchy is following in this sinful practice and calling it God's will.

The following is to a link speaking about the Neo-Patriarch's way to deal with rebellious wives, wives who won't obey their husbands.
What they have to say falls under the category of, "You have heard it said." Just remember that Jesus said, only unchastity is grounds for a husband to divorce his wife. If she doesn't obey him or prop him up as the master/king of the house, this is not grounds for divorce, no matter how much Neo-Patriarchs want to make it all about who is the boss. Jesus makes it clear, Brian M. Schwertly does not, in any imaginable way, speak on behalf of God. He speaks on behalf of Patriarchs everywhere.
http://equalitycentral.com/forum/index.php?topic=1271.0

Strong Men, I.C.

Yep, you read it right. I.C. because I don't know his name. But he has a blog and I was made aware of it through Lewis's blog.

A certain fellow by the name of Spencer came to Lewis's blog one day, and was determined to set us all straight on the clear Biblical teaching of female subordination and the need for tactics for fathers to control their rebellious daughters.

I.C. wrote an open letter to Spencer on his own blog, and I'll tell ya. I.C.'s anger and indignation was not unlike Jesus going into the temple with a whip and chasing out the money changers. Jesus said that God's house was to be a house of prayer but men were making it a den of thieves.
This is what is going on in sections of Christianity. There a thieves who are stealing freedom from others. Jesus said that you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. But the thieves have exchanged the truth for a lie, labeled it 'biblical' and even called it 'clearly scriptural'. And the lie has brought deep bondage into the lives of women.

With the same zeal that Jesus drove out the money changers, I.C. set about to boldly confront a truth exchanger who is seduced by the lies of patriarchy.

The truth exchangers pretend to be brothers, and even in a sense may be Christian brothers. But they are very misled brothers like my sister-in-law's bio brother who didn't know how to be an actual brother. (May 9th post)

I.C.. along with Lewis, knows how to be a true brother, a defender of women against the thieves who are out to steal freedom in Jesus. It's exciting for me to see men who are strong and love women with the love of the Lord rather than with the love of gaining seats of honor for themselves.

You can read I.C.'s open response to Spencer here and take comfort in his zeal for our freedom.
http://incongruouscircumspection.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-open-response-to-spencer.html

No Yoke of Slavery for You

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Why did Christ set us free? For the sake of freedom.

Note, this is gender inclusive. This isn't just freedom for men, but for women also. There is no pink and blue freedom, different kinds of freedom for whatever gender you are.

This is radical, Spirit Wind freedom that we must continue to stand in and defend.

Paul warns them and us against subjecting ourselves to a yoke of slavery. He warns us against the teachings that say the works of the flesh earn us God's favor.

Yet there is much teaching about submitting and subjecting in the church today concerning women. Who is teaching it? Fearful men who are afraid of radically free women.

Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

But all preachers don't preach the truth. Some preachers preach the lie of patriarchy that sucks away freedom from people and makes them people of the Law rather that people of the Spirit Wind. Some preachers preach rigid roles and rules for individuals, legalism. And these preachers suck the life and wind right out of individuals.

No, Paul says to stand firm in our freedom and to not subject ourselves again to a yoke of slavery. We don't have to listen to those preachers any more. The truth in not in them.

John 8:36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.