It's Not Christmas, But...

I have to share this one. If for no other reason, so I can find it again when I need it. You know, like, around Christmas, to share with friends and family.

This post was written by Wade Burleson and shared on his blog. It is a sad story with a hopeful end.

Fannie and Henry Longfellow

I like the stories behind poems and songs.

C.S.Lewis and the Dangers of Pornograpy

I was searching Wade Burleson's blog for a different reason and bumped into this:

"Imaginary women are always accessible, always subservient, [give] no call for sacrifice or adjustment, and can be endowed with erotic and psychological attractions which no real woman can rival. Among these shadow brides, the viewer is always adored, always the perfect lover; no demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification ever made on his vanity.  In the end imaginary women become the medium through which he increasingly adores himself. The main work of life is to come out of ourselves, out of the little dark prison of selfishness we are born in, to know God in the center of our being and from that place to offer ourselves for the sake of others. All things are to be avoided which retard this process. The danger of pornography is of coming to love the prison of self."
 ~ C.S. Lewis


Link to original post: Lewis & Porn

Why the Need for a Boss?

On the heels of my "Who's the Boss?" post, TWW has a post concerning this question.
Comps are quite convinced that mutual submission is either wrong or impossible or rebellion or something. I seem to remember that there is a post on the the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood site entitled, "The Myth of Mutual Submission". Yep. they are pretty much against.

Wade Burleson did a guest post on TWW last night that addresses the thought of Mutual Submission in Marriage. It is not nearly as 'Mythical' as CBMW would like you to believe.

Here is a link to that post:

Complementarianism verses Mutual Submission in Marriage.

John MacArthur's Unfriendly Fire

Yup, it's a firestorm. Yup, it's getting pretty ugly.

Nope, I don't want to get too involved except to say a thing or two and leave a couple links.

First off, those who have been with me, like, forever, know that back in the day when Driscoll was ranting and raving and raping The Song of Songs mostly unchallenged, I appreciated MacArthur's voice in the wilderness, calling Driscoll on his misused and abuse of Scripture.

I still appreciate what he has done.

But now, John MacArthur is ranting and raving and shooting off his mouth and pen with his book and conference called Strange Fire attacking Charismatics.

And apparently Driscoll crashed MacArthur's party.

My biggest impulse is to back up and let the elephants trample each other while I figure out how to serve God to the best of my ability in my small corner of the world far and away from these mad men. And I think that is just what I'll do.

But first I'll link a few things here of those taking on MacArthur's unchristian, unfriendly fire.

Wenatchee the Hatchet has a lot to say about some of this stuff (this is just a link to his blog, not any one post because he has several today).

Wade Burleson does a wonderful job addressing this in his usual level headed manner.

And Wartburg Watch, as always, will keep us updated.

So, for those of you who care to pursue this, I've linked these to get you started.

Oh that God would deliver us from the curse of celebrity pastors.

(Edited November 22, 2013 to add a link from WTH concerning the Open Letter to Mark Driscoll I mentioned in the comments below.)

Resolution Writing. Persuasive but Wrong, III

Page 14 of The Resolution for Men has this paragraph.

"If your wife has been calling the shots in the family and has had her hands on the wheel, then very likely it's because you have not. Regardless of what she does, God has intentionally placed you in the driver's seat and wants you to lead. You need her deeply; but leading is your God-ordained responsibility."
(emphasis theirs)

On page 13 it says, "God's Word commands husbands and fathers to lovingly lead their homes."
(emphasis mine)

Really?
God's word commands husbands to lead their wives?

I'm amazed at how much some men assume what God has commanded, what God intended, and what God has ordained with so little biblical support. Anyone who has been around this argument has, I'm sure, heard this challenge. "Please give me chapter and verse where God commands men to lead their wives/families."

No one had been able to produce that verse. They somehow think that the words of Paul to Ephesian wives concerning submission contains that command to men. The problem is, Paul (and God) are not talking to men there. When Paul talks to men, he uses a four letter word that starts with "L". But it's not "lead". It's "love". Yet this is all it takes for them to jump to the conclusion of God's intention, what God has ordained, and what God has commanded. It is quite a leap. It is a leap these men make with great vigor and enthusiasm, as though they speak the very oracles of God.

Also, according to them, men are commanded to lead and therefore women are not to lead. They are not supposed to be calling the shots, ever. And if they are, that's because men are disobeying God's commands. This is crazy when there is plenty of evidence in the Bible of women leading and God blessing them for it. These women leaders are held up as shining examples of biblical womanhood. But groups that support male-only leadership sweep those examples of biblical womanhood under the rug. They either ignore their example or worse, undercut it and call it a curse (even though God never says this.)

You see, someone reading here might think that I'm opposed to men leading. I'm not. I'm opposed to it being an exclusively male 'gifting'. Good leadership is needed, in homes, in churches. The problem is with how you define leadership and with who is allowed to lead.

I could go on about this, and stumble about trying to make my point on what God and the Bible really teach about leadership as opposed to what The Resolution Guys (TRG) claim. But I've been busy lately and am in need of short-cuts. So I'll leave it to Wade Burleson who has done a wonderful, scholarly teaching on what Christian leadership really is. When you have 27 minutes and 45 seconds, give Pastor Wades sermon a view. You won't regret it.

Only Servants and No Masters

(I hope this video goes viral)

Exposing the Masculinist Cult Overtaking Christianity

Or better put, revealing the error that has propagated this horrible masculinist cult that has been taking the Kindgom of Heaven by force.

Wade does a good job of this on his blog in this post:

Artemis and the End of Us: Evangelical Errors Regarding Women

Thanks, Wade. I need to get your blog on my role/roll.

Another Good One from Wade

He introduces us to Mary who works with people to overcome sexual abuse.

Stop Cursing the Darkness and Start Turning on Lights

(There is a link to contact Mary and get information on a sex abuse suvivor workshop in the Texarkana area in September. I'm sure those wishing to host such a thing in their area could contact Mary and get info.)

Woman Preacher in the Bible

I just love it when Wade Burleson write a blog post on these issues.

It Honors Christ and Is Biblical for a Woman to Teach a Man

Always Remember the Victim

Abuse comes. As Christians, we cannot prevent it. But our response as Christians, can make all the difference in the world.

John Piper's response to tragedy is, in itself, tragic. All he can point to is that God rules and we drool. I can't argue with this fact. But his message is of no use to anyone. He could take a lesson from Wade Burleson who wrote a compassionate, open letter on his blog to a little girl who was sexually exploited by a man in Christian leadership.

Here is a link to what this letter has meant to the family of the abused little girl:
Tom White, Abuse, VOM, and the Power of the Internet

John Piper, if you are listening, and I'm sure you aren't but I have to say this anyway, please learn a lesson from Wade Burleson. You should be able to learn from him. He's a man and he's even a Calvinist. Please take note of what to do in crisis because you have shown so far that you have no clue.

Wade Says It So Much Nicer Than I Can

I've said variations of this for some time. You don't heal men by reducing women. You don't raise up men by put down women, etc. But in case anyone needs to hear another variation of this I'll link Wade version, because it is much nicer than mine. (Wade's post is actually a memo to Mars Hill.)

The Suppression of Church Women Is Not the Cure For the Feminization of Church Men

Infecting Ephesians 5

Women in Ministry is in my blog roll. It has been for a long time. Cheryl, the blog owner, has been busy a lot, so her blog rests dormant for periods of time. But she still posts from time to time. Whatever Cheryl writes is good. But I particularly like today's blog post, "Ephesians Five Infected with the Mindset of the World."

So, if it has been a while since you've been to Cheryl's blog, or if you have never been over there, today is a good day to go see what she has to offer.

http://strivetoenter.com/wim/2012/01/08/eph-5-infected/

(I have CBMW and Driscoll in my tags because Cheryl touches on them.)

Edited to add another blog post from Wade Burleson. He's not in my blog roll yet, but he should be: http://www.wadeburleson.org/2012/01/new-testament-equality-leads-to-healthy.html)