Gender

Saturday Sampler: September 30 — October 6

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Symetry Sampler

If you want to read something truly exquisite, go to The End Time to read Elizabeth Prata’s essay,The wind blows. It gives a beautiful illustration of the way the Holy Spirit works with believers.

Of course I love 14 Women of the Reformation That You Probably Never Knew About by Justin Holcomb for Core Christianity. Actually, you’ve probably heard about some of them (particularly Katherina von Bora), but most of them may surprise you. All of them, however, offer encouragement as we see how God used them to advance His kingdom.

Writing for Crossway Articles, Julie Melilli lists 10 Things You Should Know about Discipling People with Special Needs.

I Am Woman…I Don’t Have To Roar, declares Jillian McNeely in her post for Biblical Woman this week. You might take a look at how she handles 1 Peter 3:7. Christian women definitely need this perspective as egalitarian ideas increasingly infiltrate evangelical churches.

Are you single and wondering what to look for in a husband? SlimJim, a pastor who blogs at The Domain for Truth, counsels, Singles, Court Someone Who Loves God. His advice includes a reason that Christians seldom consider.

In an article for Ligonier, Michael Horton discusses the Two Planks of Sola Scriptura by drawing from the writings of Martin Luther. Before you dismiss this piece as  just another history lesson, consider the possibly that it could actually provide insight into the reasons we must stand for the sufficiency of Scripture.

Leslie A of Growing 4 Life takes a penetrating look at The Issues Behind the Issues. You’ll appreciate her straightforward candor and commitment to Biblical truth.

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Saturday Sampler: September 23 — September 29

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Birds Sampler

In her guest post for Biblical Counseling for Women, Svea Goertzen muses about a One Hit Wonder — The Impact of a Single Song to demonstrate how someone, even in the depths of suffering, can rejoice in the Gospel.

Visit Growing 4 Life to read Leslie A’s thoughts on “Wordless” Christianity. You’ll see why spending time in God’s Word is so vital to spiritual development.

I’m including Steven Kozar’s The Gigantic Problem Beneath the Really Big Problem a week late because I didn’t see it until this week. But I can’t emphasize strongly enough how crucial his point is in developing discernment through sound doctrine! Kozar’s blog, Messed Up Church, appears on the Pirate Christian Media website.

Unafraid  to write on a difficult topic, Elizabeth Prata of The End Time writes What about hell? I didn’t want to read it any more than you do, but willfully ignoring the reality of eternal damnation has eternal ramifications.

Elizabeth continues confronting us with unpopular truth with When Women Pastor. She stands against today’s cultural climate in favor of Biblical gender roles. She also draws an interesting connection between women as pastors and the rise of Pentecostal churches.

Since we get a double dose of Elizabeth Prata this week, why not also have a double dose of Leslie A? Her piece, What Determines Truth for You?, challenges us to continually examine our hearts.

Personally, I’m not a fan of tattoos. But neither am I a fan of misusing Scripture to support my distaste for them. Peter Krol’s post in Knowable Word, Context Matters: Your Body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit, provides excellent guidance on using 1 Corinthians 6:19 appropriately. So I’ll enjoy my cheesecake while those of you with tattoos enjoy them. Deal?

John Ellis, writing for adayinhiscourt (his personal blog), ruminates on #BelieveWomen Versus the Presumption of Innocence. His empathy for accusers and the accused alike encourages us to think Biblically instead of rushing to judgment.

What’s Behind the Social Justice Gospel-ers? Colin Eakin answers that question in his riveting essay for Pyromaniacs. His assessment couldn’t be more accurate! Ladies, I beg you to read this one.

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Let’s Keep Jesus As Our Gospel Focus

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Glory Of The CrossFew people seriously believe that either misogyny or racism have any place in the Christian church. While God established different roles for men and women (as I’ve discussed numerous times on this blog), He never gives us reason to consider one gender to be superior to the other. Similarly, He doesn’t advocate that His people make racial or ethnic distinctions among ourselves.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. ~~Galatians 3:23-29 (ESV)

In Christ, Christians of both genders and all ethnic backgrounds find unity. And our unity in Him demands Continue reading →

Masculinity Isn’t Toxic. Femininity Isn’t Toxic. But Feminism? Now THAT’S Toxic!

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Redhead 03I didn’t include Michelle Lesley’s outstanding blog post, Toxic (Evangelical) Femininity, in last week’s Saturday Sampler because I wanted to draw special attention to it. Yeah, it’s that significant!

Michelle wasn’t so much concerned about the world’s latest kick of blaming everything on “toxic masculinity.” The world rejects all God’s standards anyway, so we needn’t be surprised at the growing rejection of male leadership that God established from creation. Rather, she focused on the feminist attitudes that have been slithering into the church.

Sadly, Michelle correctly analyzed the situation. I say sadly because the growing feminist influence in evangelical churches highlights the increasing compromise with the world that Continue reading →

Now I Understand Why Reading Sojourner’s Magazine Made Me Feel Slimy

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Snail

Not long after I graduated from  college in 1977, one of my pastors started teaching Adult Sunday School classes on world hunger and social justice. Several of us fell under his influence, equating socialist politics with Christianity. We justified this equation by pointing to Acts 2:44-45  as a proof-text  supporting our “radical discipleship.”

Like all good radicals, we protested nuclear power plants, boycotted subsidiaries of corporate conglomerates and mourned profusely when Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter. We firmly believed our liberal politics reflected Biblical values.

And we faithfully read Sojourner’s Magazine. I grabbed each issue the moment it hit my mailbox, eagerly flipping to the editorials by Jim Wallis. His writing always assured me that Jesus championed the poor and disenfranchised.

And yet, I always felt a certain discomfort with my so-called Christian socialism. Continue reading →

Saturday Sampler: July 8 — July 14

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July 1 2010 025Have you ever thought of Bible Study in terms of summer reading? Interesting concept, don’t you think? Leave it to Ryan Higginbottom of Knowable Word to inspire our summer devotional times with Bible Study: Fast and Slow.

We say it over and over, I know. Yet, as  Elizabeth Prata writes in The End Time, evangelical women (and some men) persist in declaring God Told Me! Once again, Elizabeth dismantles the error of direct revelation from God, hoping to convince more women to hear from God on His terms. As a bonus, she includes two 90-second videos; the Mike Abendroth video shouldn’t be missed!IMG_3852

Phil Johnson laments The Rise of Woker-Than-Thou Evangelicalism in Pyromaniacs. If he understands the “woke” phenomenon correctly (and I believe he does), we should be prayerfully concerned.

Who knew that attending a simple baseball game could result in a musing about the eternal ramifications of false teaching? John Chester of Parking Space 23 pulls off just such a feat with It’s Not Just Theology. If you’re someone who rolls her eyes at the mere thought of theology, Chester’s insights might offer you something worth considering.

As a former Charismatic, I well understand The Dangers of Emotionalism that Kelly Smith writes about in Whole Magazine.

Why Didn’t Paul Share His ‘Trip to Heaven’ Story? asks Mike Leake in Borrowed Light. This excellent examination of 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 refutes much of the mysticism that IMG_3889permeates evangelical churches.

Denny Burk writes Is temptation sinful? as an introduction to his new series examining homosexual desire. Can we really differentiate between the desire to sin and the actual sin itself. After reading this first article, I hope you’ll continue reading this series. The Scriptural principles apply to much more than homosexual sin.

I haven’t read Why Can’t We Be Friends by Aimee Byrd, but I’ve read enough of her blog posts on the topic to know that she’s basically objecting to the Pence Rule (Vice-President Pence won’t be alone with any woman other than his wife). In How Can We Be Friends? 4 Biblical and Practical Considerations for Co-Ed Christian Friendships, Michelle July 2012 Boston and Randolph 024Lesley offers an approach to the controversy that few people on either side have mentioned. Her thoughts show exceptional balance and understanding.

Three cheers for Tom Buck, whose guest post in Delivered By Grace encourages the Southern Baptist Convention in particular and Christian churches in general to Stop “Empowering” Woman and Start Equipping them to Biblically Lead. Pastor Buck really gets it right!

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Moving Beyond Beth Moore To The Real Problem

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Big Woman

Before you label me a hypocrite for having a blog that men obviously read, please look at the Mission Statement on my sidebar and/or If You’re A Man, Please Read This Page, which is prominently posted on my Menu. Throughout this blog you’ll find subtle, and also blatant, reminders that men should absolutely not be reading my blog. Unlike Beth Moore, I cannot comfortably violate Scripture.

I remember reading that Beth Moore began her teaching career by leading a women’s Sunday School class. Over time, men began sitting in on her class, eventually causing the class to develop into a teaching program open to men as well as women. Since then, while insisting that her passion is women’s ministry, she’s been quite comfortable teaching mixed audiences and even preaching at Passion City Church.

Perhaps, I told myself,  Moore really didn’t mean to teach men any more than I do. My willingness to give her the benefit of the doubt never was all that strong, but it completely flew out the window when her post, A Letter to my Brothers, appeared this past May.

This letter betrays her desire to minister exactly as men do. To her, gender roles signify misogyny. In essence, she’s stomping her high heels in a temper tantrum, demanding to play with the boys.

Egalitarianism is an element of the recent “woke” movement coursing throughout evangelicalism (including the Southern Baptist Convention and Reformed churches). Beth Moore has been “woke” lately, giving her liberty to roar against “injustices” women apparently endure.

For decades, Beth Moore has assured her followers that God speaks directly to her. She hasn’t yet claimed to hear from Him on this particular issue. Yet. But even if she never makes such a claim, her reputation for receiving extrabiblical revelation from God lends enormous credibility to her cries for social justice.

I began this series examining the problems with Beth Moore’s ministry firstly because I’d seldom offered a good demonstration that I understand why she poses a danger to Christian women. Now that I have established my working knowledge of her errors, I feel better equipped to critique her support of the “woke” movement. And, based on her history of disobedience to Scripture’s prohibition regarding women teaching and/or preaching to men, I strongly suspect that she will have a devastating influence that leads women to embrace this movement.

Beth Moore has inserted herself into something that distracts people from the Gospel. We must mourn that someone so popular would help lead people into a theology that divides the Body of Christ under the guise of unifying it.

So from here, I want to move on from discussing her in favor of addressing the egalitarian aspect of the “woke” movement that she espouses. Hopefully we’ll learn how proper gender roles adorn the Gospel.

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