Ship Wreck Really Loves Voddie

Two months ago, a comment was left on the 2012 post, Voddie Baucham Is Sexist, by Ship Wreck. Ship Wreck sounds like a little Reformer who is fit to be tied. This Reformer is angry with me concerning my assessment of Voddie. I find the comment hilarious. Ship Wreck makes the most outlandish assumptions possible.

Ship Wreck assumes that I "as a female" am single with no intention of getting married or having kids.
That's funny. Because I've been married for over 30 years and have had four children, all grown now.

Ship Wreck assumes that I have had at least one abortion and have slept with at least ten men.
Wow, Ship Wreck. Way off. I've only ever slept with one man. Didn't sleep with him until after we were married. And I've had zero abortions.

Ship Wreck assumes that I am on birth control, like that is evil or something.
Sorry, Ship Wreck. Don't need birth control. Ever heard of menopause?

Ship Wreck assumes that my parents are divorced and I was never disciplined.
Well, Shippy. I gotta tell ya. I lost my father two years ago. If he were still alive, he and my mother would be celebrating their 60 year anniversary in August. Also, my dad was one of those fathers that told me that spanking me was going to hurt him more than me. I fully believed him because I was very much a daddy's girl. I miss him a great deal. There is nothing you can say that will diminish him in my eyes or in the eyes of God whom he served. The board of directors for the home for pregnant girls seeking to avoid abortions (that he once served on) would agree.

Ship Wreck assumes that I'm addicted to something. If coffee counts, then Shippy is correct on at least this one.

Ship Wreck assumes that I suffer from anxiety, depression, or ADD.
Well, as far as I know, I don't. But in my job, I do work with young people suffering these things. I work closely with them to help them overcome so they can grow up to live fulfilling lives. I prefer to work with people to help them overcome such obstacles. Shippy wants to accuse people of having these maladies and uses such accusation as bludgeoning weapons against people that disagree with Voddie. Nice, Shippy. Perhaps now you might understand why I have no respect for your comment and little respect for you. However, I'm not going to lower myself to your way-less-than-Christlike level because Jesus does love you no matter how misguided you are in trying to serve Him.

Then Ship Wreck instructs me to read the book of Ephesians in one sitting, which I have done before. I probably will again, sometime. But it isn't coming up right away in my scheduled Bible reading time. Right now I am in John, Romans, Psalms, and Isaiah. There is a lot of Bible to read and a lot of context to get. Context is key.

Speaking of Ephesians, I have, on more that one occasion, instructed women to read this book. But I have told them to go ahead and skip the part where Paul addresses the Aristotle Household Code. Not because that part is wrong. It is right as rain. Paul does an amazing job turning that old code on it's head using the grace and love of God. But Paul's response to Aristotle's Household Code has been misunderstood, misinterpreted, and used as a bludgeoning tool against women by abusive husbands and pastors for hundreds of years causing bitterness and severe PTSD.

As mentioned in the previous post, I am heart-sick over all the bitterness caused by the errant teachings of men like Voddie. I've said it before. I will say it again. Voddie is sexist and interprets the Bible in a way that raises men and fathers up as idols and oppresses women and mothers down to doormats making both ineffective and unable to produce spiritual fruit.

Ship Wreck is in agreement with Voddie. Ship Wreck is wrong on all assumptions concerning me (except about coffee). Ship Wreck and Voddie have a broken and bitter understanding of scripture that leads to shipwrecked faith. May God lead them out of the darkness that has defiled and devastated countless lives.

Scapegoating Women Part II

I was looking up some stuff on Voddie Baucham on Cindy's Under Much Grace Blog and stumble on this post again. Since some of my newer readers may have missed it, I thought I'd post a link to it.

Complementarianism, Scapegoats, and some stuff about a fountain

Voddie really gets my goat sometimes.

He really got my goat last year for this reason (again, for new readers)

Voddie Baucham is Sexist.

Okay, lets just go ahead and say it out loud. He is a misogynist.

Voddie Baucham Forcing His Way into Power

Voddie Baucham plays fast and loose with the scriptures in order to seize power in the Kingdom of heaven. He manipulates scripture in order to secure power over his wife and daughters and whatever part of God's Kingdom that he can get his hands on.

He is guilty of this:
Matthew 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence [is forcibly entered], and violent men take it by force [seize it for themselves].

And this:
Jeremiah 8:8 How can you say, 'we are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us'?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribe has made it into a lie.

To see this fact laid out before you, check out:
Does Baucham Embrace Marriage as a Sacrament, or is it Just Another Rhetorical Trick

Though Voddie accuses others of playing fast and loose with the scriptures, the fact of the matter is, he is the one doing so and causing great damage and destruction in the Kingdom of Heaven as he grabs for more and more power.

Ignoring the Best Bits from the Song of Solomon

I get the most amazing hits here.
The two biggest concern Grace Driscoll. One is "Grace Driscoll Affair" and the other is "Grace Driscoll Abuse". I also get hits concerning Baal Worship, Doug Wilson or Voddie Bauchman being Misogynists, stripping women, anal issues (gee. I wonder why.) etc.


Recently I finally got the hit "sex a study of the good bits from Song of Solomon".
That title has always bothered me. The contents of the message that goes by that title are so disturbing they have been the focus of many a blog including my own tiny blog and the great John MacArthur's blog.


Getting this hit has stirred up my ire, again, concerning this title. The good bits from the Song of Solomon? The good bits according to whom? A porn addict trying to clean up and make acceptable that which is sold in porn magazines? A sex crazed dog sniffing at the behind of his b----? (sorry b---- is the actual term used for female dogs in the breeding industry.)

You see, the good bits that Mark Driscoll picked out for his infamous message in Scotland, besides being blatantly misinterpreted, are all about pornographic sex and forcing wives into engaging in it. Every other message that Mark Driscoll teaches concerning the Song of Solomon ignores the over all theme of the book. Driscoll is so hyper-focused on getting as much pornographic sex out of Grace (and as much money from everybody else) as he can that he ignores what the book is actually about.

One of the great themes of the Song of Solomon is completely ignored by Driscoll. That theme is the progression of a woman from the state of being oppressed to the state of being empowered.

It is highly understandable that Driscoll would completely ignore the best part of the Song of Solomon if it is about empowering a woman, any woman, since Driscoll is all about raising men up and putting women down into the little boxes that he wants women to say in. (Bonus feature: Here's one of the little boxes that he wants the Song of Solomon to stay in.)

I have an old post that deals with the first and last of the Song of Solomon.
But to lay it out briefly, here are the first and last verses which show, in chapter one, her slave status and her oppression by her 'brothers' (kind of like the supposed 'brothers' in the church who do all they can to put women down) and chapter 8 where she is in charge of her own vineyard and is the boss over those who take care of it for her (plus, she is free to do with it's fruit as she pleases and she chooses to give a portion to her husband and lover who helped her in her progress from slave to queen.)


Song of Songs 1:5 I am black but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon.

Vs 6 Do not stare at me because I am swarthy (dark), For the sun had burned me. My mother's sons were angry with me; They made me caretaker of the vineyard, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.

Song of Songs 8:11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he entrusted the vineyard to caretakers; Each one was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.

Vs 12 My very own vineyard is at my disposal; The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon, And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.

For more detail on these verses, read my commentary on these verses here: First and Last Overview, SoS

And here is a middle verse to add to this:

Song of Solomon 6

10 ‘Who is this that grows like the dawn,

As beautiful as the full moon,

As pure as the sun,

As awesome as an army with banners?’

¹¹ 11 “I went down to the orchard of nut trees

To see the blossoms of the valley,

To see whether the vine had budded

Or the pomegranates had bloomed.

¹² 12 “Before I was aware, my soul set me

Over the chariots of my noble people.”

Verse 10 are the words of the 'chorus' speaking about the beloved, the female in this love story. She is becoming strong and awesome. Verses 11 and 12 are the words of the beloved. Verse 12, specifically speaks of her surprise at how she has been strengthened in her inner man (soul) so that now she is set over chariots. This could be either figuratively and/or literally. Figuratively it would just imply that she has been strengthened. Literally, it would imply, due to her marriage to the King, she has authority that she is only now becoming aware of.

There are more verses like this in The Song of Solomon that point to this great theme. But anyone learning about "the good bits" according to Driscoll will never see them. The last thing he wants is for any woman to be in charge of her own vineyard. Driscoll wants to keep women in Songs 1:6, under the thumb of her brother/husband (and ultimately Driscoll, himself, another false brother) and unable to take care of her own gifts and callings.

So, yeah. Driscoll's study of the good bits of The Song of Solomon is really a study in how he can strip women of dignity and turn them into their husbands' personal sex slaves for Jesus. It is deplorable and perhaps even taking God's name in vain declaring that Jesus commands women to do things Jesus has never said or even thought to say.

Worshiping the Idol of Family

Hi, I'm a wife and mother of four. I love being a mother. My children are the delight of my life and they keep me going like nothing else can.

However...

I know that there is far more to me than being a wife and mother. And, those extra little things that make me 'me', that make me an even better mom, including those things that are not deemed 'feminine' enough for patriarchal groups headed by the likes of Voddie Baucham, Doug Wilson, John Piper, or Mark Driscoll.

As much as I love my family and the idea of family and community, I understand that an inordinate affection for things, raising those things to the level of godhood, is wrong, approaching idolatrous.

This is what many groups are doing with family and manhood and womanhood and parenting.
The Wartburg Watch has an excellent piece concerning "Family Integrated Churches" that can be referred back to in order to see just how big and far reaching these ideas are and see the library of reading that is available to push their well-meaning yet somewhat-off version of the gospel:

Household of Faith Fellowship of Churches - An Overview

Promise Keepers Hurt My Marriage

When my husband had the opportunity to go to Promise Keepers over fifteen years ago, I sent him with my blessing not knowing what they were filling his head with.

I am a woman that likes men. I like fellowshipping with them. I want them to be encouraged and strengthened and to grow in confidence in who they are. And that is what I thought Promise Keepers was. I was wrong.

My husband and I got along fairly well before Promise Keepers. But after he came back, issues we never had before began to crop up. When we got into disagreements, all of the sudden he started playing the "You aren't being submissive" card. For a long time I had no clue of the connection between his trip to Promise Keepers and this new tactic in arguments.

Now, many years later, I'm seeing that connection. I'm sorry I ever sent him to Promise Keepers. Instead of being a place of blessing they pretended to be, it was a den of thieves. They stole the heart of my loving man and turned him into a "I'm the one that wears the pants in this family" kind of guy.

So what did they teach my man back in the 90s that set him backwards in his walk with the Lord? Lots of bad things.

Here's what Tony Evens told him:
“The first thing you do is sit down with your wife and say something like this: `Honey, I've made a terrible mistake. I've given you my role. I gave up leading this family, and I forced you to take my place. Now I must reclaim this role.' Don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. I'm not suggesting that you ask for your role back. I'm urging you to take it back.” He went on to say, “If you simply ask for it back, your wife is likely to refuse...Unfortunately, there can be no compromise here.” 


I wouldn't be surprised if the great comp leaders of today all went to Promise Keepers meetings. Leaders like Driscoll, Piper, Wilson, Baucham, Grudem Challis, etc.
I'm sure they went to those meetings or read those books. Because they are saying the same things and hurting countless other marriages.

Thanks for nothing, Promise Keepers.

For more on what was wrong with Promise Keepers, search the web or follow these links:
http://www.publiceye.org/eyes/promkeep.html

http://www.publiceye.org/ifas/fw/9609/promise.html

Voddie Baucham is Sexist

And I bring this up now for a reason far more personal than urinating men who can't seem to hit the inside of a toilet in the women's bathroom during a conference listening to Voddie Baucham vilify feminists and pretty much all women. (Whew, what a long sentence. I hope you can make heads and tails of it. If not, perhaps this blog post can help you Complementarian Men Symbolically Urinate on Women)

It is far more personal to me than even the story at the above link, and I will explain why.

Voddie Baucham is speaking at the Iron Sharpens Iron men's conference in Springfield, Illinois. And guess what? Men in my church are going to that conference on March 24th. My desire to leave my church just keeps increasing.

Anyway, as proof of Voddie's blatant sexism and Bible twisting to control women I will link the transcript to a CNN 2008 interview. Voddie was concerned with Sarah Palin running for Vice president and thought that if she, or any other woman, ended up leading this country, this is a bad thing, and in fact, judgement from God against our Nation.

Link, here:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0809/09/cnr.06.html

Portion of transcript in question:

*****

PHILLIPS: Well wait a minute. What about the Old Testament and the prophet Deborah? She was a political leader, she was a wife, she was a mother. She was one of the biggest forces in the book of Genesis, so that is the gospel right there.

BAUCHAM: She certainly was, and the fact that something happened doesn't mean that it's normative for the church. In Isaiah Chapter 3, for example, one of the signs that a culture is under judgment is that women are in leadership in their nations. So Deborah was actually a sign that things were very bad in Israel. Not a norm for the church.

PHILLIPS: Margaret, I am curious to see what you think about this and what the reverend is saying.

FEINBERG: I think that that is a fair perspective, Voddie, but I think we also need to look at Ephesians 5, which describes -- it is saying that husbands are to lay down their lives for their wives, just as Jesus Christ laid down his life for the church. And in the same way, I think Todd has done an incredible job opening up the opportunity for Palin to use the gifts and the
talents and passions that she has been given in order to make a difference in her community and possibly in our nation and world on a significant political landscape and affect. PHILLIPS: Margaret, does the reverend sounding a little sexist, or is it just me?

FEINBERG: I would have to say the reverend is sounding a little questionable there. But in the sense that I believe that everyone, despite gender, has an opportunity to serve, to give and
to play a role in making a difference in their communities, in their churches and around the world.

PHILLIPS: Reverend, this could be an exciting time. This could break through. We are becoming progressive in so many ways. We're seeing a black man possibly winning the presidency, we're seeing a woman here that -- on the Republican ticket -- that's rousing up evangelicals, possibly to think twice about the woman's role in the church. This is fascinating times.

BAUCHAM: They are fascinating times. And they are also frightening times. When you see Margaret Feinberg use Ephesians Chapter 5, which clearly says that a husband is head of the wife, in order to justify somehow with this slight of hand that Palin's husband is laying down his life by allowing her to do that, No. 1 she is playing fast and loose with the text. And secondly, she is also ignoring the fact that Palin's responsibility as a wife and mother is governed by scripture, not by whether we feel it is progressive about our culture.

PHILLIPS: Margaret, final thought there?

FEINBERG: Well, Voddie, I believe that is a narrow interpretation and a boxy interpretation of the text, as well as the role of women who in today's working families -- many families in the United States need both the man and the wife in order to work outside of the home in order to support the family. And to put that kind of burden on the family, whereby a woman must stay at home, I just don't think that translates into many working class families today.

BAUCHAM: Well, my job is not to translate into working class families, my job is to be honest with the text. And the text says, in Titus Chapter 2, verse 5, the woman is to be to the keeper of her home. Now I will not violate the teaching of the text in order to somehow sound more appropriate for the culture. I am a herald of the truth of the gospel and my job is to teach the gospel according to what the authors have said, not according to what I think the culture wants to hear.

*****

Yep, there is no denying. Voddie is the one playing fast and loose with the scriptrue. He is also sexist boardering on misogynist. Sexist and misogynist men love to go listen to him and urinte their displeasure concerning women in women's bathrooms all over the floor and where ever else they want to show their displeasure like puppies who need a newspaper taken to their backsides. Unfortunately, men who don't lean in the direction of sexism can pick this up. And I fear that is what will happen to the men in my church. All I want to do right now is run for the hills and become a hermit, far away from men and their hatred of women and teaching other men to do likewise.

Jeremiah 9:2 Oh that I had in the desert

A wayfarers’ lodging place;
That I might leave my people
And go from them!
For all of them are adulterers,

An assembly of treacherous men.

[Voddie pulling out an obscure verse in Isaiah 3 and making it God's will for all time is nothing short of treacherous. It is no better than for me to pull a verse out of Psalm 116 that says that all men are liars and making that a case against all men for all time. We do not need such treachery in our pulpits, men who adulterate the word of God, making it line up with their own prejudices rather than rightly dividing it. People are bringing the arrogant Mark Driscoll down. They need to do the same with Voddie Baucham.]