Crazy Christians in Early Christianity July 30, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, Christians
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In a July 30, 2010 post, Andreas Kluth of The Hannibal Blog wrote about competitive Christians during Early Christianity who went to, what some would consider, extremes in their search for “spiritual excellence.”
Kluth states,
“The Roman emperor Constantine … caused a counterintuitive problem for early Christians.
By converting to Christianity and making it the official religion of the Roman Empire in about 313 AD, Constantine made it impossible for early Christians to be either confessors or martyrs.
- To be a confessor meant to acknowledge openly to the Roman bureaucracy that you were a Christian. This carried the risk of martyrdom.
- To be a martyr then meant actually going through with the process and dying for your faith.
…these were the two main ways in which early Christians competed for religious kudos — and those Christians were (are?) a competitive bunch. Both confessing and martyrdom constituted a sort of second baptism and suggested spiritual excellence.”
Kluth states that being martyred “was surprisingly difficult.” He states that “historians have recovered trial transcripts” that demonstrate “how eager the Roman administrators were to accommodate Christians.” He provides examples of how the Roman authorities tried to accommodate Christians. He says, “But when the Roman Empire officially became Christian, this form of Christian achievement came to a complete and screeching halt.”
Kluth provides information derived from Philip Daileader’s work on the Early Middle Ages. He provides the example of Anthony of Egypt who, after trying to get himself martyred in Alexandria and having failed, went into “the desert to live as a hermit.” “He ate nothing, slept little, did everything to punish the human senses.” Kluth states that Anthony’s deeds made him famous after Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, wrote a book about Anthony titled Life of Saint Anthony.
Kluth states,
“The result was a competitive free-for-all, as Christians tried to one-up each other in search of spiritual kudos.
- The Grazers, for example, ate only grass and shoots and chained themselves up as barnyard animals.
- The Holy Fools behaved as though they were insane, or tried to be insane. The most famous of them once paraded into the women’s bathhouse and disrobed, at which point the women, suspecting that he might be less foolish than he pretended, beat and ejected him.
- The Stylites lived on top of pillars (Greek stylos) or poles.
…
The most famous Stylite, named Simeon … and also sainted before long, lived on top of his pole for some 40 years … People sent food up to him via ladders and pulleys and presumably received and disposed of Simeon’s detritus by the same method.
Simeon became a tourist spectacle. Crowds watched from below as he performed painful exercises.”
Kluth concludes, “what were these early Christians up to? Were their stunts not huge ego trips?”
In my opinion, Kluth was very kind to describe these early Christians as “competitive.” I, on the other hand, call them crazy. I can say that, not only because I’m a Christian, but because I have walked down their path before. I will exaggerate my experience to avoid completely embarrassing myself.
Crazy Christians are “enthusiastic” Christians who want to compete with other “enthusiastic” Christians. They do things like try to speak in tongues when they don’t have the gift of tongues. They say “hallelujah,” “praise the Lord!” and “Amen” every chance they get because they want others to hear them say it. They say that they feel the Holy Spirit moving in them when it’s probably just what they ate last night.
I will now mention those Christians who like to handle snakes because of what they read in Mark 16, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17-18.) I think these people know the letter of what is written but miss the spirit of what is written.
When the average Christian lays their hands on someone with a cold, the person with the cold just passes it on to the Christian. When the average Christian drinks even soda, it’s bad for their health. I wouldn’t recommend drinking deadly poison. The average Christian is probably afraid of snakes and wouldn’t even go near one, let alone pick one up with their hands. When the average Christian wants to speak in a new tongue, what do they do? They take a language class. And when the average Christian wants to drive out demons, they go to school to become a psychologist, not an exorcist.
Yes, I’m making fun of Christians. Mark 16:17-18 does not show the power of Christians to do the things mentioned. It shows the power of God to do those things mentioned. But some people want to turn the power of God into a hobby, into a show to put on for others to see. “Watch me do this. Isn’t it cool that I can speak in tongues?”
Kluth’s post should show us Christians what it’s like to “enthusiastically” compete with other Christians to show how excellent a Christian we really are. We should also take away from Kluth’s post the lesson that we should also watch how we compete on less crazy levels. Do we compete for spots as ushers? Do we compete for the spot of youth leader? Do we compete with our fellow brothers and sisters for the sake of competition?
Let’s not forget that no matter how much we may want the honored places in church, no matter how much we may want the honored places in the kingdom of heaven, it is not up to us. It is up to the Father. “Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.’” (Matthew 20:23.)
I leave you with these verses:
“This is what the LORD says:
‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,’
declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24.)
Matthew5sixteen.
The archetypes of men July 30, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, masculinity, men, role
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In an April 10, 2008 post, Anakin Niceguy of Biblical Manhood wrote about the “six prominent paradigms” that “society has come up with” in response to “the supposed identity crises men are facing.” In discussing one of the paradigms, Anakin Niceguy references an article by Brandon O’Brien of Christianity Today. O’Brien’s article discusses “What the new masculinity movement gets right and wrong.”
Anakin Niceguy states, “The paradigms listed probably do not exhaust the notions people have about manhood, but understanding them is essential to discerning the difference between those expectations of men that are biblical and those that are worldly.”
Anakin Niceguy presents the male paradigms of the “Playboy,” the “Feminist,” the “Nice Guy,” the “Family-First” man, the “Masculine Christianity” man and the “Misogynist.”
In regards to the “Playboy,” Anakin Niceguy states, “Under this paradigm, a man’s raison d’etre is to accumulate a large amount of toys and sleep with as many beautiful women as possible. The problem is that a man begins to see his worth in terms of the fun he is able to have and his failure in terms of what he think he is ‘missing out’ on. Sooner or later, we are left with miserable human beings enslaved to an endless quest for the ever elusive thrill to trump all other thrills.
…In the end, it’s all sinful and it betrays men.”
In regards to the “Feminist,” Anakin Niceguy states, “The Feminist Paradigm promises men freedom from restrictive sex roles and expectations, but in reality, it delivers one of the most restrictive and demeaning roles of all to men–the whipping boy. We are supposed to believe that no matter what happens, women always have it worse, that women are basically innocent, and that men are guilty. We are supposed to believe that feminism merely wants equality for both sexes.
The problem is that feminism wants equality for the sexes the way communism wanted equality for workers.
…Religious feminism is not much better. All it can offer is a tortured exegesis of certain uncomfortable passages (1 Tim. 2:11-15; 1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Cor. 11:3) in an attempt to explain away what God has clearly ordained for women.”
In regards to the “Nice Guy,” Anakin Niceguy states, “He has accepted the trek of college, work, marriage, children, work, and retirement as the measure of his worth. He really believes if he works hard enough he will get the pay raise and win the heart of the girl next door. Popular culture, parents, the community, etc. tell him he must jump through certain hoops if he wants to be ‘successful’ or ‘loved’. He dutifully complies. He doesn’t think too much about the forces unleashed in society that add to the probability of his failure and humiliation. He is all too trusting and doesn’t engage in enough healthy skepticism of the status quo.”
In regards to the “Family-First” man, Anakin Niceguy states, “In a milder forms, it is the prevailing spirit of suburban churches where bible studies go hand-in-hand with double lattes, SUVs, white picket fences, L.L. Bean and Pottery Barn Catalogs, voting Republican, etc. In it more extreme forms, it manifests itself in the Marriage Mandate Movement or the Full Quiver Movement.
…The expectation seems to be that a man must work hard in a dehumanizing office environment, be the primary breadwinner in the household, have at least two children (but preferably three or more), buy lots of consumer goods, and not question his religious leaders and the corporatist welfare/warfare state for which they might be shilling.
…Family-firsterism also seems to have the following notions about gender roles: If any thing goes wrong in a man’s relationship with women, it is his fault. He is a depraved human being who receives sanctification through the sacrament of marriage (a mystical union with a precious, fragile, female human being for whose choices he must take complete responsibility).
…A particular subset of the Family-First Paradigm merits attention–the Neo-Traditionalists. They exclaim that women have a right to be successful and stand toe-to-toe with men in traditional spheres of male influence (political, economic, and cultural). Yet, when it comes to shouldering the burdens of responsibility men have traditionally borne, neo-traditionalists are all too willing to fall back on earlier sex roles. The result is that women have choices but men only responsibilities.”
In regards to the “Masculine Christianity” man, Anakin Niceguy states, “Some have called men to renounce a ‘feminized,’ ‘nice guy’ approach to Christianity and instead embrace the supposedly ‘manly’ aspects of biblical manhood (a ‘new masculinity movement’ if you will). It’s a call for men to be Bible-believin’ bad boys–Christian tough guys who take charge.”
Anakin Niceguy quotes Brandon O’Brien, as mentioned above, where O’Brien writes concerning the “new masculinity movement,” “Imposing qualities we consider masculine on an image of Jesus we consider feminine does not solve the problem. It only gives us a new problem–another culturally shaped Jesus, only masculine this time …
In the end, the biblical image of Jesus presents a far more radical role model than Jesus the dude. Jesus was gritty, honest, and fearless. Yet his strength was not displayed in his willingness to punch evildoers in the mouth, but in his suffering at the hands of the wicked for their good. Where such strength is found–whether in a man or a woman, a latte-sipping sissy or a muscled mason–there is godly strength.”
In regards to the “Misogynist,” Anakin Niceguy states, “In response to the mistreatment men have experienced, some men have become so embittered that they have assumed a hostile stance towards women.
…there are truly men who have a dehumanizing attitude towards the opposite sex. It is a danger that any man angered by anti-male sexism needs to avoid.
…Some men say women are “only good for one thing.” Others say women all share the same amoral nature. Still others claim that women need to be demoted to second-class citizens or be coerced into submission. Finally, there are those who express elation at the suffering of women. No Christian men who takes the teachings of Christ seriously can embrace these kind of attitudes.
…religious men need to heed the admonishment of the Apostle Paul to ‘be angry and yet do not sin’ (Eph. 4:26, NASB).”
Anakin Niceguy concludes, “the six paradigms of manhood listed above are unsatisfactory in providing a framework for men to discern what biblical manhood is. They all ultimately fail to meet the most important test all of all: conforming to God’s will as revealed in his Word. Religious men need an alternative to the aforementioned choices.”
It is good to put into words the observations that we see in society regarding the archetypes that men choose. But as Anakin Niceguy stated, some of these archetypes fail to conform to God’s will.
As someone who has been quick to follow the ideals of others, I know the emotional high one gets from being able to identify with a larger group. It is tempting to behave in a certain way to gain the rewards that society has for those who behave in that way. But the Bible says that when I acted like that, I was like an infant, “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14.)
As we know or should know, society’s standards for men and women change with time. Society’s standards do not make for a good foundation to base your life upon. All I can do is recommend the use of the Bible as a guide that can be used to examine your behavior. I don’t know if the Bible has any particular archetype available for us. Perhaps rather it has a set of quality ingredients that can be combined into any number of recipes that would be pleasing to God. Just make sure that the ingredients you use come from God’s grocery store and not society’s grocery store.
I leave you with this verse: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29.)
Matthew5sixteen.
A Christian, Men’s Rights Activist’s Complaint July 29, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, injustice, marriage, men, women
2 comments
In a May 5, 2006 post, “The Editor” of Faith and Society wrote a long complaint to answer the often asked question of “Why Men Aren’t Stepping Up (Like Sheep to the Slaughter)” to marriage. Terry of Breathing Grace, A Life In Bloom wrote a post on her blog in a sort of response. Terry’s post takes “a good, hard, honest look at the type of wife” some women behave as in their marriages. I would recommend reading Terry’s post for a woman’s perspective on behavior that a wife should try to avoid having in a marriage.
“The Editor” starts with a quote from Elisabeth Elliot, “Everywhere my husband and I go we meet lovely Christian women, beautifully dressed, deeply spiritual, thoroughly feminine–and single. They long for marriage and children. But what is it with the men? Are they blind to feminine pulchritude, deaf to God’s call, numb to natural desire? . . . Where are the holy men of God willing to shoulder the full responsibility of manhood, to take the risks and make the sacrifices of courting and winning a wife, marrying her and fathering children in obedience to the command to be fruitful? While the Church has been blessed by men willing to remain single for the sake of the Kingdom (and I do not regard lightly such men who are seriously called), isn’t it obvious that God calls most men to marriage? By not marrying, those whom He calls are disobeying Him, and thus are denying the women He meant for them to marry the privileges of being wife and mother.”
“The Editor” responds to Elisabeth Elliot, saying, “…This is a serious charge for someone to be making against religious men.” “The Editor” goes on to state his disagreement with Elliot’s statement, “First of all, and most importantly, the idea that God mandates most people to marry (pronuptialism) is a blatantly unscriptural idea.
…Secondly, I do not believe the doctrine of pronuptialism is a harmless doctrine. I think it has the potential for making a shipwreck of people’s faith.”
“The Editor” states, “For one thing, imagine a young soul being told he has no control over his sexual desires and therefore he has to marry (a notion based on a popular misreading of 1 Corinthians 7:2, 7:8-9). The problem is that he hasn’t won the obligatory popularity contest with the opposite sex. He remains single and frustrated. He gets angry at God because he assumes his Creator has given him an appetite that he can neither check nor lawfully sate. Robbed of any confidence he might have in controlling himself, he reasons, ‘I can’t help my feelings therefore I am going to do something illicit.’
Then there is another young man who looks at the onerous burden of marriage, all of the obligatory social expectations, the fallout from failed unions, etc. and shies away from matrimony. But here come the religious leaders to point their fingers at this young man and shame him for his choices. So, he gets bitter and drops out of church, or he ill-advisedly enters into marriage out of obligation to a social custom (not because he has any substantive feelings for his wife). The seeds of an unhappy marriage are thus sown.”
“The Editor” says, “God created marriage as a gift, not as a requirement … Thus, it can be said that marriage was made for man but not man for marriage.” And he says, “The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, not a physical one. We are not under the Old Covenant of Israel anymore, therefore God’s kingdom is not preserved by family lineage (Matthew 3:9; Luke 8:20-21; Luke 12:51-53). That is, the kingdom increases by sharing the Gospel (Matthew 27:19; Romans 1:16-17; James 1:18), not by making babies and filling padded pews with third-generation parishioners.”
“The Editor” continues with a section explaining “Why Men Aren’t Stepping Up (Like Sheep to the Slaughter)” to marriage. I will attempt to summarize the important points of this argument.
The arguments concern “money,” “arrogance about sex roles,” being “shallow,” “sex,” the blaming of men and “women behaving badly.”
In regards to “money,” “The Editor” says, “It takes money to raise a family…” And he criticizes the expectations of those who believe that it is the norm to have a traditional sized family while maintaining a comfortable lifestyle.
In regards to “arrogance about sex roles,” “The Editor” criticizes the idea that men always must take on the role of the provider. He states, “I wonder what happens when a man gets a disability and his wife has to care for him. Does he cease being a man since he is no longer physically strong? What about mental strength? I guess a college-educated woman has to pass up a man with a high school education, even though he’s wonderful in every other way.”
“The Editor” provides and criticizes a quote from Willard Harley, “a popular author among many Evangelicals [who] describes the type of man that women supposedly find ‘irresistible.’” The quote from Willard Harley, “He assumes the responsibility to house, feed, and clothe the family. If his income is insufficient to provide essential support, he resolves the problem by upgrading his skills to increase his salary. He does not work long hours, keeping himself from his wife and family, but is able to provide necessary support by working a forty to forty-five-hour week. While he encourages his wife to pursue a career, he does not depend on her salary for family living expenses.” “The Editor” states that people don’t want women to live as they did in the past with the limited opportunities and sacrifices that were common, but these same people still want men to follow the old rules of chivalry. “The Editor” calls this “neo-traditionalism” and he also calls it a double standard.
“The Editor” states that some people’s “views on ‘Biblical manhood’ and romantic relationships are … unrealistic and demeaning…
…In your marriages, you expect some sort of Superman who will make all of the hard decisions for you, read your mind, and somehow arrive at the choices you would pick. He will be emotionally strong, never have any fears, doubts, uncertainties, vulnerabilities, weakness, or (gasp) needs. The husband you want is not human. Indeed, I wonder why so many marriages in the Evangelical community end in divorce.”
I will mostly skip the argument on being “shallow.” It basically compares the shallowness of men and women in terms of what each gender finds attractive and unattractive in the other gender.
I will also mostly skip the argument on “sex.” It basically is suspicious of the motives of some women who want a family, arguing that they do it simply to better themselves in the eyes of others and not out of genuine love for their family. It also criticizes people who say men are not able to control their sexual desires, arguing that men do have the ability to control their sexual desires. It argues that men should not be goaded into getting married through fear and intimidation.
In regards to the blaming of men, “The Editor” has some strong words to say. I will highlight them because I believe they hold some relevance. He states, “…We have Promise Keepers to keep men on the straight and narrow, but where are the football stadiums full of women promising to be better wives and mothers? Are you women so infallible? Are you so untainted from the ungodliness in this culture?
Men have beaten down too much. We are told that we are insensitive; then we are told we are being too wimpy. We are too told that we need to be industrious and ambitious; then we are old that we work too much and don’t pay enough attention to our families. We were shamed for our desires for women; and now we are shamed for not desiring women.
…Why do religious pundits push this nonsense?”
I will also mostly skip the “women behaving badly” argument. It basically criticizes the unbalanced nature of divorce. It argues that Christian women are no save haven for men who wish to avoid these unbalances.
“The Editor” concludes, saying, “As long as everything is going well in their little world, they don’t care about what’s going on in ours. If these women are not willing to listen to our concerns before we marry them, they are probably not willing to do so afterwards.”
What is my opinion on all of this? I believe that “The Editor” makes some valid points. I would have voiced my opinions more diplomatically than he did in his post. Once again, I recommend that people also read Terry’s post, referenced at the beginning, to balance the Faith and Society post with something from a woman’s perspective.
I try to view the Faith and Society post as what I think it is, a complaint. “The Editor” views the suffering of men at the hands of society as being unjust. I suggest considering objectively what “The Editor” has to say and doing your own research on this matter. Don’t let mere opinions sway your thinking, but let facts form your judgement.
I leave you with this verse: “I pour out my complaint before him;
before him I tell my trouble.” (Psalm 142:2.)
Matthew5sixteen.
Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent” July 29, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, guilty, injustice, innocent, rape
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In a July 29, 2010 post, Laura Wood and Jesse Powell of The Thinking Housewife wrote about a controversial statement that was made in a post by Paul Elam on A Voice for Men.
The statement is controversial enough that I will need to summarize it. Paul Elam basically is suggesting that in the situation that a person finds themselves on a jury, and it concerns a particular type of crime, the person on the jury should vote not guilty no matter what the evidence suggests the truth may be. Paul Elam states that it is better for the guilty to go free than for another innocent person to be unjustly imprisoned.
This is a case of someone suggesting that one party does what is wrong because the other party has been doing what is wrong. I know the temptation to get revenge, I have given into it, myself, when I was younger. When you are tempted with this, remember, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19.)
It is true that there have been reports of innocent people going to jail or having their lives ruined because of false accusers. But this does not mean that it becomes acceptable to allow everyone, even the guilty, to go free because of the existence of false accusations. Especially considering that there have been recent reports of false accusers receiving prison sentences for their false accusations.
I have to be honest, I am not surprised by what Paul Elam says. I worry often that the injustices that some of us men have faced will turn all of us into bitter and angry individuals who will end up losing our very selves. It is something that I will need to pray about.
I leave you with these verses:
“Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”—
peoples will curse him and nations denounce him.” (Proverbs 24:24.)
And, “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the LORD detests them both.” (Proverbs 17:15.)
Matthew5sixteen.
The PMV Bible: Pro-Marriage Version July 28, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, marriage, single
5 comments
In a February 18, 2006 post, “The Editor” of Faith and Society wrote about how some Evangelical leaders and pundits talk about how it is a sin to delay marriage. “The Editor” wonders how these Evangelical leaders could come up with such an idea in the face of scriptures that are contrary to their message. “The Editor” jokingly comes to the conclusion that these Evangelical leaders must be using a different Bible version. “The Editor” jokingly says they are using the fictional Pro-Marriage Version (PMV).
“The Editor” compares a sample of verses from the King James Version with the Pro-Marriage Version. The following represent a selection of those comparisons.
Genesis 1:27-28
(KJV): So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish and the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
(PMV): So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them. Then it was commanded you, having been said to you, dear reader, “Keep multiplying, whether the earth is full or not.”
Genesis 2:18
(KJV): And the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.”
(PMV): And then it was said, “Not only is it bad for Adam to be alone, but it is bad for other men to be alone, too! Women are made for all of them.” And, lo it was reckoned that all women are God’s gift to men, or at least many act like they are.
Genesis 2:24
(KJV): Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.
(PMV): Therefore let us move beyond mere explanations for why a man seeks out a woman. Let’s go on to say that all men must do this. It so decreed! End of discussion.
Proverbs 18:22
(KJV): Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor from the Lord.
(PMV): Only those who findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor from the Lord. Every else lives the desperate life of a sad loser. Ignore other passages in Proverbs about contentious women, women who make their husbands ashamed, and hateful women who get married. Of course, one wonders about a woman who seeketh a husband. What does she findeth? “A meal ticket,” sayeth an ornery, old man. May someone maketh the old man shut up.
Proverbs 19:14
(KJV): Houses and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord.
(PMV): House and riches are what you get when you become a Dad, and a prudent wife is from the Lord. So what are you waiting for? You’re commanded to enjoy the Good Life! Oh, by the way, peanuts and wheat are also from the Lord, so you better partake of these blessings whether you have allergies or not! Why? Because if it is good and if it is from the Lord, you are commanded to partake of it! You are not allowed to question the basis of our interpretation! We find your lack of faith disturbing! By the way, ignore other passages in Proverbs about contentious women, women who make their husbands ashamed, and hateful women who get married.
Ecclesiastes 9:9
(KJV): Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity …
(PMV): Live with a wife, joyfully or not, all of the days of the life of thy vanity …
1 Corinthians 7:7
(KJV): For I wish that all men were even as I myself, but every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
(PMV): For I wish that a few oddballs could be as I myself, but as for others who are like myself, they may not have the wonderful Gift of Singleness. Only a mysterious, select few have the vaunted Gift of Singleness. Now how can a Christian be simultaneously single and not yet have the Gift of Singleness is beyond me. I guess that if you are currently blessed with singleness and yet, don’t have the wonderful Gift of Singleness, then the singleness you are experiencing is a clever illusion. Therefore, you must stop being single because you really are not having the gift, even though it appears that you are. Enough! My head hurts. Don’t bother me with hard questions, you silly Corinthians!
“The Editor” also provides a selection of verses from the KJV that would suggest that marriage is less than perfect.
Proverbs 12:4
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
Proverbs 21:9
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
Proverbs 30:21-23
For three things the earth is disquieted and for four it cannot bear: for a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; for an odious woman when she is married; and a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
1 Corinthians 7:36-38
But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
“The Editor” concludes, “it looks like God has given some people a genuine choice in the matter and He doesn’t seem think His sovereignty has been compromised by human beings exercising free will.
…Now let me say something in particular to any religious men that may be reading this. The idea that God wants most men to get married cannot be proven from the Scriptures. Someone might say that marriage is the norm in the Bible. Folks, agriculture is a norm in the Bible, too.”
I have to say that I find this situation amusing. I probably say this because I have not yet been clubbed over the head with the “get married” stick by those Evangelical leaders who wish to promote a pro-marriage agenda.
From what I’ve read, I think this pro-marriage agenda exists simply to please certain constituencies within the pews and within society. There are those who want marriage to happen not for the sake of the husband and wife but for their own sakes. They may want more children in the pews. They may want there to be a next generation of believers to fill the coffers. They may want more taxpayers in the next generation. They may want more consumers and workers for the economy.
Marriage is difficult. Bad stuff happens in marriages. Bad stuff happens outside of marriages, too, but we’re talking specifically about marriage for now. Marriage should not be looked at with rose colored glasses. It should not be viewed as a state of Nirvana. When bad stuff happens, it does not only happen to bad people. It also happens to good people.
Pushing marriage is like telling someone at a party to enjoy the punch from the punch bowl, not knowing that the punch has been spiked since the pusher last drank from the punch bowl. Marriage has changed. Our perception of marriage also needs to change to be more realistic.
If we want marriage to work, we have to make drastic changes to the current nature of marriage. We have to take a long look at the causes of divorce. We have to consider the pain and sorrow that people go through in divorce. We have to address these concerns before we can morally tell someone that they should get married.
Before you hit someone with the marriage stick, think about it carefully. Otherwise, they may hit you back with reality. And trust me, reality hurts.
I leave you with this verse: “But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.” (1 Corinthians 7:28.)
Matthew5sixteen.
External Christians: Happy on the outside, miserable on the inside July 28, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christian, Christianity, false gospel, miserable, misery
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In a July 27, 2010 post, Graham of Critical Point wrote about Christians who display their Christianity on the outside but who lament of their loneliness and despair on the inside.
Graham states, “I’m always fascinated by the contradictions between those who profess rapture over Jesus and the actual statements that come out of their mouths. They are fond of informing us that Jesus is their friend, that they love Jesus, that without Jesus there is no life, that life is meaningless without Jesus, that they walk with Jesus everyday and they proudly display their ‘I ♥ Jesus’ badges on their facebook profile. But then they tell you how lonely they are, that they are “dying”, that they hate their life and make open and hidden requests for reassurances that people still like them!”
Graham references a TIME article that discusses how even Mother Teresa had her moments of doubt concerning her faith.
Graham states, “Part of the problem is that distorted forms of Christianity have ‘bigged up’ the rewards expected from devotion. When the initial euphoria of finding a new set of beliefs and a new club has worn off, the believer is faced with the realisation that it is no longer about them. They are indeed sinners – worthless people who are nothing compared to their notion of God. And when the false Christian (prosperity gospel) notions of success, happiness and security do not materialise they are faced with the realities of suffering, emptiness and the smallness of our lives. Welcome to the real world.”
I find this topic very worthwhile to discuss. I, myself, have gone through this experience of feeling internal doubt and unease many times. I would often ask myself, “What am I doing wrong?” “What does God want me to do?” “Am I feeling this way because of all the sins in my life?” A lot of my time in doubt and misery occurred, ironically, during a phase of my life that I’ve come to call my “Bible thumper” phase.
When I was at the point in my life where I was the most self-righteous and “holier than thou,” was when I was probably furthest away from God on the inside. I didn’t feel any connection, even though I proudly proclaimed that I was, in a sense, connected to God. I went to church, I watched Christian movies, TV shows and televangelists, I spoke to others about God, I even talked about God in my homework and brought my Bible to school. But underneath it all, I was just one lonely, miserable individual.
Fortunately, it eventually got a little bit better. How did it get better, in my case, and in my case only? I dropped the act. I stopped trying to pretend to be a Christian. It wasn’t until a few years later when I looked back and realized that it was exactly what I was doing, pretending. I had just newly given my life to Jesus before I turned into a Bible thumping Christian, so I felt that I had to somehow repay Jesus and God for what he had done for me. I thought the way to repay Jesus and God was by “being” a good Christian. I just had no idea what that meant.
I believe that one of the biggest reasons why I acted like such an idiot was because of my exposure to preachers on television who had a very biased view of the Bible. Granted, I was a new Christian and did not know much about my Bible. But their teachings were so pervasive and so ingrained into my brain that I still believed what they said even as I began to learn more of what the Bible said.
The Bible may be the word of God, but apparently there are many ventriloquists out there who pretend to speak for God and send a message that clashes with the reality that we face everyday. Some may buy into that very message for a time, but when they come into contact with reality, they begin to experience the bitter aftertaste of the fruits that those preachers bear.
How do we feel better on the inside as Christians? Do we go message hunting from preacher to preacher until we find a message that our “itching ears want to hear?” (2 Timothy 4:3.) I don’t know. What I do know is that sometimes feeling miserable on the inside is an indication that the message we hear is clashing with the reality that God places on us. I’m not saying that we will never feel miserable for genuine reasons. There are times when the message is good but we feel miserable anyway.
Unfortunately, I can’t give any advice on how to find a good preacher. How can one tell in this day and age? The church with the most people? The church with the most money? The church that looks the most beautiful on the outside?
We are so dependent upon our preachers to guide us when we are young Christians that it makes this situation very much more difficult. And how can we grow as Christians when there is no one to feed us? I guess we can only hope that God will see how we are all like sheep and then he will send us shepherds to guide us on our way to God.
I leave you with one of my favorite verses: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” (John 17:20.) When I was feeling depressed and alone, I read this verse and realized that Jesus actually prayed for me. This comforted me.
Matthew5sixteen.
But the LORD looks at the heart July 27, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, man, manhood, masculinity, men, role
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In a March 22, 2008 post, Anakin Niceguy of Biblical Manhood wrote about Albert Mohler’s article that asserted that Biblical masculinity and Biblical manhood are based on the “roles and responsibilities” of being a “father/protector/provider.”
Anakin Niceguy references 1 Timothy 5:8 and states that it is “not gender-specific.” The verse is as follows, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8.) You may check Strong’s numbers for that verse to see if it uses any gender-specific language. I suppose Anakin Niceguy references that verse to demonstrate that the responsibility to provide is not specific to men only but is meant for both men and women in Christ.
Albert Mohler’s post references an article by Mark Peters of the Boston Globe concerning “man” language. The highlight of Peters’ article is when he says, “How to act like a man is a humdinger of an issue if you are one. The late Steven L. Nock, a professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, said in an e-mail to me last year that it doesn’t take much for women to prove that they’re ‘real women’ in the widely accepted senses, but men are in a more slippery situation, especially with the role of father/protector/provider not considered as necessary or desirable as it once was. ‘[M]asculinity must be continuously earned and displayed. It is never won,’ Nock wrote. Without a traditional role to embrace, being a man requires constantly defining yourself in opposition to all things female: ‘No wonder things like man-purses attract attention.’”
Mohler states, “In a biblical perspective, manhood is defined in these roles and responsibilities. A man is defined in terms of who he is and what he does in obedience to God. A society that rejects or sidelines these roles and responsibilities — that does not honor fatherhood and hold it out as expectation — will sow seeds of disastrous confusion. The damage to our language is among the least of our problems.
While the Bible clearly honors men who forfeit the blessings of wife and children for the sake of the Gospel (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 7:7-9, 32-28), the history of the Christian church indicates that these represent a minority. The normative expectation is that a young man will mature to take on the role of ‘father/protector/provider’ that Peters correctly sees as ‘not considered as necessary or desirable as it once was’ within the secular culture. Those men who are faithfully living out these responsibilities are not likely to be too concerned about finding true masculinity. They are living it.”
This discussion is a difficult one. How do we define masculinity and manhood? Do those two things represent the quintessential nature of man? It falls to this verse to explain things for me, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7) How do men define a complete man? A whole man? Doesn’t God better define the nature of a man and what truly makes him complete?
I leave you with these verses:
“LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.” (Psalm 15.)
Matthew5sixteen.
He who loves his wife loves himself July 27, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, headship, marriage, men, role, women
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In a March 21, 2008 post, Anakin Niceguy of Biblical Manhood wrote about the “headship” or leadership of a husband in marriage. He references and critiques an article by Motte Brown of Boundless concerning the responsibility a husband has for the actions of his wife. For further reading, there is an article by Ray Ryland of Catholic.com concerning the leadership and responsibilities of a husband in marriage. Ryland’s article is a good reference for those who want to better understand the idea of headship in marriage.
Brown’s article is a short discussion of headship. He references an episode of the TV show “Lost,” where a wife cheats on her husband and her husband “recognized his culpability in his wife’s unfaithful act and forgave her.” Brown also quotes Douglas Wilson where he says, “When a couple comes for marriage counseling, my operating assumption is always that the man is completely responsible for the all the problems. Some may be inclined to react to this, but it is important to note that responsibility is not the same thing as guilt. If a woman has been unfaithful to her husband, of course she bears the guilt of her adultery. But at the same time, he is responsible for it.
… Husbands are responsible for their wives. They are the head of their wives as Christ is the head of the church. Taking a covenant oath to become a husband involves assuming responsibility for that home. This means that men, whether through tyranny or abdication, are responsible for any problems in the home.”
Anakin Niceguy believes that,
“The Headship Canard is a rank, theological error that is refuted by the Scriptures. Women are clearly at fault for their own sins. They must take responsibility for their actions and stop constantly blaming men when they get into a pickle. See the following scriptures …
Genesis 3:16 (see also 1 Timothy 2:14)
Ezekiel 18:19-20
Proverbs 14:1
Enough said.”
Ryland explains in his article, “Husbands and wives should ‘be subject to one another.’ The wife ‘subjects’ herself to her husband by accepting his role as head. That is, she cooperates with him in filling that role of service to her and the children. The husband, on the other hand, ‘subjects’ himself to his wife by accepting—and doing his best to fulfill—her needs for love and care, provision and order, day after day, so long as they both shall live. God intends that there should be mutual subjection of husbands and wives.”
The comment section of Brown’s article was filled with discussion on the topic of who is responsible when a wife makes a mistake in a marriage. Some took the side that believes the husband should take responsibility for his wife’s mistakes, while others took the side that believes the wife should take responsibility for her own mistakes.
I believe there was confusion in the definition of terms such as “responsibility” and “guilt.” As well as misinterpretation of scriptural passages such as, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish…” (Ephesians 5:25-27.)
An individual responded with his interpretation of Ephesians 5:25-27, “Simple, husbands are to love their wives with the same kind love that caused Christ to lay down his life for the church, in order to sanctify them, having cleansed them, washing them with water and the word. The same kind of love that Christ showed us in doing all of this is the kind of love we are to display to our wives.”
I believe, jokingly, that this would be easier to talk about if Jesus was married and the Bible spoke about his marriage. But instead of an example, what we have are instructions. Instructions that Paul wrote concerning marriage and concerning husbands and wives. Unfortunately, instructions are often ignored. Who ever reads the instruction manual? And even when we do read the instructions, they are sometimes confusing to us or difficult for us to understand. We get frustrated when some of the instructions tell us to do something that we view as an inconvenience, as something that we don’t feel like doing. The only time when we actually begin to follow the instructions is when we make such a big mess doing things our own way that we finally begin to admit that the authors were right in their instructions.
I leave you with this verse: “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” (Ephesians 5:28.)
Matthew5sixteen.
I will make a helper suitable for him July 26, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, role, women
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In a July 26, 2010 post, Brian Haynes of Legacy Blog wrote about the meaning of a woman’s role as a helper to a man, as it is defined primarily in Genesis 2:18. He notifies us of the Hebrew word “ezer,” translated as helper in Genesis 2:18, and is found in 21 other locations in the Bible in some very interesting places.
Bibletools has a list of these words. I will highlight certain portions of the list using the NIV translation of the Bible.
Genesis 2:18, The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Exodus 18:4, and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
Deuteronomy 33:7, And this he said about Judah: “Hear, O LORD, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!”
Deuteronomy 33:29, Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD ? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.
Psalm 33:20, We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 70:5, Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
Psalm 89:19, Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: “I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people.
Psalm 115:9-11, O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. You who fear him, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield.
Psalm 121:1-2, I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8, Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 146:5, Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God…
As can be seen and verified, the word ezer, translated as help in most places, is used not only in reference to a woman’s role but also used as a reference to God’s relationship with us. It even says in Exodus 18:4 that God “was my helper.” And it says in Psalm 33:20 that God “is our help.”
This suggests that a woman’s role as a “helper” to a man should not be taken to mean “that women must stay home with the children,” but should reflect the full capabilities of a woman.
Haynes states that we should consider women as, “An equal creation of God who comes alongside, shoulder to shoulder, as an ally to help, protect, and support and to further. This understanding does not change the role of men as leaders but it does broaden the typical understanding of the biblical role of women.”
Haynes references Proverbs 31 as showing that a woman has the capacity to work outside the home and still be able to maintain the home. He also references Titus 2:5, which speaks of women being busy at home. But I believe Titus 2:5 is encouraging women to be productive, wherever they find themselves, not necessarily just at home.
I believe it is important to understand well what God meant when he said, “a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18.) Does it mean that a woman should be suitable in terms of what a man desires? Or rather, does it mean that a woman should be suitable in terms of what a man needs? And who truly knows what a man needs? “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8.)
I leave you with this verse: “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20.)
Matthew5sixteen.
A heart of mercy and a heart of sacrifice July 26, 2010
Posted by matthew5sixteen in Christianity.Tags: Christianity, forgiveness, mercy, sacrifice
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A friend of mine recently asked me to read the story of the “Prodigal Son,” in Luke 15. He asked me to think about which of the sons I wanted to be. I did some research on it and learned that the difference between the two brothers was the emotional condition of their hearts.
I found two studies on this passage. One study is from John MacArthur and the second study is from Ralph F. Wilson and is in two parts. Part 1 and Part 2.
The passage is in Luke 15,
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” (Luke 15:11-32.)
I would like to point out how the Prodigal Son’s brother was angry and resented how his years of service was seemingly left unrewarded while his brother, the Prodigal Son who wasted his inheritance, was greeted with great joy and a great celebration upon his repentance and return. The heart of the Prodigal Son’s brother could be considered as one of sacrifice. A heart that works even though there is no immediate reward.
The heart of the Prodigal Son could be considered one of mercy, because he has received mercy from his father. It is said, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36.) This indicates that those who receive mercy should show mercy.
To support my point, I would like to reference a parable in Matthew 18,
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35.)
Which heart should we choose to have?
I leave you with this verse:
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6.)
Matthew5sixteen.
