Misogyny in the Lord's Church

There is a misconception out there that we in the Lord's church believe, teach, and practice misogyny in our worship.  Not only does this greatly hurt me personally, it is totally false.  I believe that both women and men are completely equal in all ways and are both created in the image of the Almighty.  My grandmother was the most godly woman I have ever met.  She never led in public worship in any shape, form, or fashion in her nearly 85 years of life here on this earth; yet she was far better than I, as a preacher, could ever dream of being!  My fiance, Staci, is also a much better person and follower of Christ than I ever hope to be.  I am surrounded by so many godly and wonderful women. 

However, the Bible is clear on the role of men and women in worship:

¹¹ Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve; ¹⁴ and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (1 Timothy 2:11-14, English Standard Version)

³³ For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, ³⁴ the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. ³⁵ If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. (1 Corinthians 14:33-35, English Standard Version)

With that being said, do I like what Scripture teaches in regards to this subject? No, I don't like it.  Would I have done it differently had I been in charge? Probably.  Could some women do better than some men if they were to preach? No doubt.  My grandmother could've done much more for the kingdom in a leadership position than I ever can.  My fiance Staci, would be a much better preacher and teacher than I am.  But, it does not matter what I like or don't like, or what I agree or disagree with.  God laid out his plan, gave his commands, and I'm going to do my best to be completely obedient regardless of my own personal feelings.  God's commands supercede my feelings.  Unfortunately, it seems like many people have forgotten this fact.

Further, my grandmother's life of love, kindness, and servitude to Christ was far more valuable than anything that will ever come from the pulpit.  She led in other ways: Ladies' Day, Ladies' Classes, etc.  Just because God assigned women a different role in worship does not mean they are inferior to men in any way whatsoever.  Children have a special bond with their mother in a way they will never have with their father because their mother carried them for nine months.  As a father, I'll never be able to have that maternal bond with my kids.  I would love to bond with my kids at that level.  Does the fact that God gave women the ability to bear children and not men mean that men are inferior to women? Not at all, he just assigned us different roles!

Finally, Paul elaborates in 1 Timothy 2 on the reason why God assigned different roles for men and women in the church:

¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve; ¹⁴ and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

It's not some ancient culture's misogynistic conception of deity that designed worship order in this way.  It is the simple fact that: (a) Adam was formed first (and then God saw that is was not good that he should be alone, and he formed Eve [Genesis 2:18]) and (b) Eve was deceived by the serpent to partake of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, whereas Adam was not.

Women and men are completely and unequivocally equal.  Women are of utmost importance and value. I hope I have cleared this matter up.  May God bless you all. 

For further reading on this subject, I highly recommend Wes McAdams' wonderful article over at RadicallyChristian.com: "I'm Tired of People Demeaning Women in the Church."

You Don't Know Your Bible

…And neither do I.  Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “know” in this manner: “to apprehend clearly and with certainty” (emp. mine). But don’t tell that to 17-year-old Jonathan.  He would’ve had you to believe he was a top-notch biblical scholar.  I look back at those times and I laugh.  I knew so little, yet I boasted so greatly.  School peers would discuss religion and I would interject in a matter-of-fact manner with a know-it-all attitude.  The thought of my arrogance disgusts me.  Fast forward nearly 8 years, a bachelor’s degree in Bible, 3 years of ministry experience later, and I still know very little about the Word of God.

However, I’m not alone.  You are all in the same boat as I am.  The English Bible has 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses, and 807,361 words.¹  There is not a single person alive who knows (or can know) every single thing there is to know about the Bible.  Why do I bring this up? Simple: to believe you truly know the Bible is arrogant.  I’m sure everyone of you have encountered a preacher who thinks they have the final authority on biblical interpretation, and that anyone who disagrees with them is inferior. 

Am I arguing that all people have equal knowledge of the Bible? No, I am not meaning to imply that at all.  Am I arguing that it is impossible to be a student of the Word and have great familiarity with it? Absolutely not!  What I am arguing is that we must avoid having an arrogant and boastful attitude about how much we “know” the Bible, because then it becomes a matter of our personal ego.  What I am advocating is humility as we study the Word and grow as servants of Christ.  Both Testaments make frequent reference to an arrogant of proud spirit:

Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3)

As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:16)

Let us all avoid boasting in our biblical knowledge, and with humility spend more time in the Scripture. There more I study and learn from the greatest of all books, the more I realize how little I know.

____________________________

¹  The Open Bible: New American Standard. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1977. p. 1227.

Death Is The End

Ask the majority of scientists, scholars, and doctors and you will receive a resounding affirmation that death is the end and resurrection is impossible.  Human beings unfortunately have not changed much in 2,000 years.  Apparently this same false teaching was spreading through some in the Corinthian church.  The Apostle Paul devotes the entirety of 1 Corinthians 15 to this topic. 

He reminds his readers of the gospel that he had preached to them (and that we in the 21st century have heard as well).  It is by this gospel that we are being saved, and it is to this gospel that we are to stay true (v. 2).  The next argument employed appeals to human reason:

1.     If there is no such thing as resurrection of the dead, then Jesus Christ can’t have been raised (v. 13)

2.     If Jesus Christ hasn’t been raised, we are all (past, present, and future) wasting our time (v. 14)

3.     If Jesus Christ hasn’t been raised, we are all still just as dead in sin as before his crucifixion (v. 17)

4.     If Jesus Christ hasn’t been raised, then once you’re dead you’re dead, and we are to be pitied even more than the rest of mankind (vv. 18-19)

Fortunately, Christ has conquered the grave!  We’ve all lost loved ones in our lives.  I recently lost my grandmother.  Death takes us all for a time.  Think about that: you, your mother, your father, your siblings, your friends, everyone that you have ever known, will know or come into contact with at any point in your life will die at some point.  If Christ had not been resurrected, this would be a great cause of mourning. 

Paul reminds us that Christ indeed has been resurrected.  One of my favorite verses in all of scripture is when he loosely quotes Hosea 13:14 and personifies death:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, ESV)

Death may take us for a time, but thanks to the resurrection of Christ, one day all who are in Christ will rise up in victory.  Death has no power, no weapon against those in Christ.  If you are not in Christ, what are you waiting for?

If God Is Not Important

Image courtesy: Google Images

At times, it is difficult to prioritize our lives and focus on what is truly important amidst the chaos of our daily lives.  However, God has provided us with all of the information we need in His word to put our life in order. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 the Apostle Paul writes, “as we look not to things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”  We shouldn’t put temporary things ahead of eternal things.  

 

Fortunately, God tells his people what the eternal things are that should be at the top of their priorities.  The Hebrews writer states in Hebrews 12:1-2, 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We need to examine our priorities on a regular basis.  If sports, television, money, a job, school, or anything else takes precedence over the cross of Christ then we need to adjust what we place value on in this life. 

Happy Birthday Mamaw!

Today has always been a special day for me.  Today is my grandmother’s birthday.  She passed from this life on January 23, and so today is especially difficult.   As humans, there are so many things that we simply do not understand.  We do not understand why loved ones pass, little ones suffer, and terrorism exists, among many other things.  It is not uncommon for humankind to wonder why these things are so. 

Scholars and theologians have debated this for many, many years.  The prophet Isaiah writes in 55:8-9, 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

That says it all.  We cannot ever fully understand God because he is so superior to ourselves.  Don’t get me wrong, there are many things that we can understand, but there are also things that we will never fully understand while here on earth.  It is for this reason that faith is so very important!

My faith has been challenged (and strengthened) this past month.  My grandmother was the most godly woman I've ever met and I hope to honor her today.