Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
A call to return to a biblical fatherhood (patriarchy).
I am reading a wonderful book by Phillip Lancaster called which talks about a return to biblical fatherhood, and how this can positively impact the family, and society at large. While I know that this idea rubs a great many the wrong way, God did set up an order of things in the garden. While man was given a task (subdue the garden and rule over it), woman was also given a role (to be his helper). Woman was to be submissive to the headship God granted man.
The problem we have in our current culture is that we mistake headship (i.e. authority) has something to do with quality or the value of a human being. And being in the society in which we now live in, this is generally true. But the reality is that man was called to a position of authority simply because God wanted it that way. Insofar as value is concerned, the New Testament states it correctly: all are equal in the sight of God. (Col. 3:11) But authority is not a measure of greater value.
Just like in the real world, authority is sometimes given to those who may not be the best qualified to wield it. Likewise, sometimes authority is removed from those who are less qualified in order to best accomplish a task. Authority, or headship, is simply a chain of command, and a chain of culpability.
God has ordained this chain of command in the family: God, Christ, husband, wife, family-at-large. Does this mean that a wife is a lesser being than a husband? Of course not! But a woman was not created to lead, to make decisions, to steer the course of the family. That is not to say that they can't make decisions, or lead, or steer the course. But they weren't created to do so. That was given to the husband, not because he is the best for the job by reason of his value, but because men were created to be task-oriented, to get the job done. Women were created to fill a supporting role, because they are much better at doing that than men.
Headship doesn't mean better, any more than submission means inferior. It just is a way to get things done in the most efficient way.
The problem we have in our current culture is that we mistake headship (i.e. authority) has something to do with quality or the value of a human being. And being in the society in which we now live in, this is generally true. But the reality is that man was called to a position of authority simply because God wanted it that way. Insofar as value is concerned, the New Testament states it correctly: all are equal in the sight of God. (Col. 3:11) But authority is not a measure of greater value.
Just like in the real world, authority is sometimes given to those who may not be the best qualified to wield it. Likewise, sometimes authority is removed from those who are less qualified in order to best accomplish a task. Authority, or headship, is simply a chain of command, and a chain of culpability.
God has ordained this chain of command in the family: God, Christ, husband, wife, family-at-large. Does this mean that a wife is a lesser being than a husband? Of course not! But a woman was not created to lead, to make decisions, to steer the course of the family. That is not to say that they can't make decisions, or lead, or steer the course. But they weren't created to do so. That was given to the husband, not because he is the best for the job by reason of his value, but because men were created to be task-oriented, to get the job done. Women were created to fill a supporting role, because they are much better at doing that than men.
Headship doesn't mean better, any more than submission means inferior. It just is a way to get things done in the most efficient way.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Dr. King would be ashamed
As I reflect upon where we are at now in our country, and how we got here, I cannot help but hearing in my head a quote from the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from his "I Have A Dream" speech.
And there is something about this portion of the speech that keeps niggling me in the back of my mind. It's that last part before the exclamation, "I have a dream today!"
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I look at our last election, in 2008, and I begin to understand what the problem is. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
And then I realize what it is! This President was elected in a way that would make the late Dr. King weep. We have here a President who was elected because of the color of his skin, and not the content of his character! I imagine that Dr. King would feel very upset about the myriads of people, black, white, latino, jew, or otherwise who listed the only reason they voted for Barack Hussein Obama was because he was a black man! What a devestating blow to the civil rights movement to have the first black man elected to be President who was elected because of the color of his skin, and not his character.
Now, fortunately, I believe that those who voted for this reason are learning why Dr. King wanted us to live where character was above all other considerations, because any man without character is not fit to hold the office of POTUS. And skin color is no substitute for sound principles, firm beliefs, and the courage to carry out what you believe, even if it is immediately seen as unpopular.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
And there is something about this portion of the speech that keeps niggling me in the back of my mind. It's that last part before the exclamation, "I have a dream today!"
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I look at our last election, in 2008, and I begin to understand what the problem is. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
And then I realize what it is! This President was elected in a way that would make the late Dr. King weep. We have here a President who was elected because of the color of his skin, and not the content of his character! I imagine that Dr. King would feel very upset about the myriads of people, black, white, latino, jew, or otherwise who listed the only reason they voted for Barack Hussein Obama was because he was a black man! What a devestating blow to the civil rights movement to have the first black man elected to be President who was elected because of the color of his skin, and not his character.
Now, fortunately, I believe that those who voted for this reason are learning why Dr. King wanted us to live where character was above all other considerations, because any man without character is not fit to hold the office of POTUS. And skin color is no substitute for sound principles, firm beliefs, and the courage to carry out what you believe, even if it is immediately seen as unpopular.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
A Four Letter Mind
I've been thinking this for quite a while, and I'm going to put it into words now.
I ride the bus to work every day, because my job pays for it, and I hear and see people on the bus every day. I have a message for the young people of America. Every time a single "four-letter word" comes out of your mouth, regardless of the intelligence you have, gives the appearance, however wrong it might be, that you are incapable of communication higher than those words. The second one of these words are interjected in the most civilized and thought-provoking discussion, it immediately causes the conversation to lose all credibility.
Now that I think of it, even when adults (especially those of the "Hollywood Elite") interject them, idiocy is all that I can think. These words are the words of cavemen, Neanderthals, drunks, idiots, and other such low intelligence persons. They have absolutely no place in intelligent conversation. These words have no place even in the human vocabulary!
Ok, all this to say, when I hear you say any of the "four-letter words" (some of which have more and some which fewer letters, I hope you already know this), know that I instantly think you are one step more stupid than you were when I first heard you.
I ride the bus to work every day, because my job pays for it, and I hear and see people on the bus every day. I have a message for the young people of America. Every time a single "four-letter word" comes out of your mouth, regardless of the intelligence you have, gives the appearance, however wrong it might be, that you are incapable of communication higher than those words. The second one of these words are interjected in the most civilized and thought-provoking discussion, it immediately causes the conversation to lose all credibility.
Now that I think of it, even when adults (especially those of the "Hollywood Elite") interject them, idiocy is all that I can think. These words are the words of cavemen, Neanderthals, drunks, idiots, and other such low intelligence persons. They have absolutely no place in intelligent conversation. These words have no place even in the human vocabulary!
Ok, all this to say, when I hear you say any of the "four-letter words" (some of which have more and some which fewer letters, I hope you already know this), know that I instantly think you are one step more stupid than you were when I first heard you.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Education System in America is Failing Us!
This from an OP/ED piece in an undisclosed San Francisco newspaper.God help us! And this person probably votes!
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