1991 March/April issue Part 2

Women: The Road Ahead

That was the theme of Time's special issue last fall. There were pictures of women with babies in prison, an inconsolable “crack” baby with a tangle of tubes connected to machines, crying his little heart out, a mother charged with a felony: delivery of drugs to her newborn child, women in politics “sharing real rather than cosmetic power,” a veiled Muslim woman, ten tough-minded women who “create individual rules for success,” e.g. a police chief, a bishop, a rock climber, a baseball club owner, a rap artist, a fashion tycoon, an Indian chief and others (not much femininity showed in their pictures). There were single mothers, lesbian mothers, divorced mothers, working (outside the home) mothers. There was a twelve-year-old who fixes supper for her sisters when Mom works late and there was a man who is a house husband. But there was not one picture of a father and mother and their children. Not one.

1990 November/December issue Part 3

Men, Women and Biblical Equality. Part 3

   Men have disobeyed by misusing their authority, and women have disobeyed by refusing it. We are not therefore at liberty to drain the word headship of its oblivious hierarchical meaning. Let’s be careful not to overlook the all-important word as: “Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church” (Eph 5:22, 23). In what sense is Christ the head of the church? It’s a physical metaphor Paul is using. Is it not the head of the human body the part from which all other parts take orders? Yes, iv’e read pages and pages of arguments about that Greek word Kephale. Some would insist that it means only source, and carries no thought of authority. But I insist that metaphors are metaphors and they mean more, not less, than the mere words could mean in another context. One wonders if these humourless, nearsighted, nit-picking, theological pendants have ever read a book in their lives!

1990 November/December issue Part 2

Men, Women, and Biblical Equality. Part 2

   Most of what the MWBE’s advertisements say I think most Christians would accept. It is what they have chosen not to say that disturbs me deeply. The section on Community deals with the Holy Spirit's coming on both men and women; both have spiritual gifts. True enough, but were there not certain restrictions (for both men and women) placed on the use of these gifts? Is there no such thing as church order which manifests a church hierarchy?

1990 November/December issue Part 1

Men, Women, and Biblical Equality. Part 1

   A few months ago a double-paged advertisement with the above heading appeared in Christian magazine, containing a statement drawn up by seven Christian leaders, and signed by (if I counted correctly) 164 others. It appeared to be a direct rebuttal to The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood which was formed several years ago.

1990 January/February issue Part 5

"Inclusive" language

In many churches today, the hymns, prayers, and Scriptures are revised to make the language "inclusive." This means that whenever the generic word man is used it is deleted or replaced by a word like person, people, others, men and women, etc. A line of the grand old hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy"-"Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see" had been revised to read, "though the sinful human eye," which of course is a Manichean (see below) heresy. It stops me cold every time we sing it. And at Harvard University professors demand the use of "non-sexist" language such as (i'm not making this up) the "freshperson" class. It is mere ignorance of the meaning of generic which produces this outrageous mutilation of our glorious language, or is it a far more insidious and calculating determination to alter our vision of the nature god created when He designed man and woman? My brother Tom Howard explained his objection to "inclusive" language. Here's part of what he said:

"I use the traditional word 'men' because i am not a Manichean (a Persian system of belief which held that the soul is good and the body evil). The ancient edifice of language judges us, not we it. I am not prepared to leach away the almost sacramental solidity of words by expunging the rich and protohistoric 'men' and 'women' in favor of the eviscerate 'persons.' Remember, the word 'man' somehow bespeaks all of us mortals and sinners; and the word 'woman' bespeaks us as we receive  the approaches of the Divine. You and i must accept the mystery of our gender, and wear it with dignity and grace."

1989 July/August issue Part 3

But i have a graduate degree

A woman was asked to speak to the women students of a seminary about job opportunities for those with seminary degrees. She writes, "I talked to them first principally about being, doing and going as God wills (not who i am but whose am i). Then i listed both traditional and creative ways to fulfill needs in the Kingdom of God. Three feminists were offended especially that i should mention a nanny among the 70+ jobs. But Aristolte was a 'nanny' to Alexander the Great! These women had bought into the values of the world and were ready to figth for their ten years of executive computer programming. They said my talk had 'put the down more than any man's.'"

1989 July/August issue Part 2

What's a nice girl like you...

Young people have the crazy notion now days that the only way to really "get to know" somebody is to get intimate. That's what's important. No it isn't. What's important is what the person lives for and how much they'd be willing to risk for it. The following is reprinted from The Pilot, a Catholic weekly of the Aarchdiocese of Boston, March 31, 1989, with the premission of John Mallon:

1985 July/August issue Part 3

Child-Care

Business which is "old hat" in England is new and rapidly growing in America- the training of nannies, women whose profession is the care of other people's children. Most of the nannies are young, but it is of particular significance that many of them are middle-aged women who have left careers. They have had ample opportunity to find that the business world can be an awful bore, but, as one of them said, "Nothing is as interesting as babies." What a shame that the mothers of these children are out chasing money, freedom, power, a cosmopolitan lifestyle, or who-knows-what and missing out on the most demanding, consuming, rewarding, fulfilling, and certainly the most creative job in the world.

1985 May/June issue Part 1

What Kind Of Power do Women Want?

Today's women are the .victims of the second biggest con game in history. (The first was when the serpent persuaded Eve she needed to upgrade her lifestyle and become'like God')." So writes Mary Pride, in her new book The Way Home (Beyond Feminism-Back to Sanity). Mrs.Pride's credentials are awesome-she has a B.A. in electrical engineering, an M.A. in computer systems engineering, has studied theology, and is the mother of three children, whom she is teaching at home. Her conversion to Christianity from the religion [her word] of radical feminism brought a complete change in her perspective.

Not long ago I was asked to speak to a group of 150 pastors' wives. I found that 80 percent of them are working full-time. The consensus among Christians nowadays seems to be that careers for women are not only permissible but to be encouraged. Few are prepared to stand up to the pressures of society and reject the lifestyle of their neighbors.

But why should we? We shouldn't, unless there is a radically different pattern laid down for us in scripture. As disciples of Jesus we are bound by whatever his word tells us, and, although not many women pay much attention to them anymore, the New Testament pattern for women compromises at least eleven responsibilities:

1983 March/April issue Part 2

What do you mean by submission?

People are always asking me this. What is this business of “submission” you’re always talking about? We’re not really very comfortable with this. Seems kind of negative. Sounds as though women are not worth as much as men. Aren’t woman supposed to exercise their gifts? Can’t they even open their mouths?

I wouldn’t be very comfortable with that kind of submission either. As a matter of fact I’m not particularly comfortable with any kind, but since it was God’s idea and not mine, I had better come to terms with what the bible says about it and stop rejecting the whole thing just because it is so often misunderstood and wrongly defined. I came across a lucid example of what it means in 1 Chronicles 11:10:’of David’s heroes these were the chief, men who lent their full strength to his government and, with all Israel, joined in making him king.’ There it is. The recognition, first of all, of God-given authority. Recognizing it, accepting it, they then lent their full strength to it , and did everything in their power to make him-not them- King.

1982 Premier Issue Part 2

Contexts


A writer in the New Yorker some months ago analyzed television as "the context of non-context." Think about that one. The only context in which the words are coming at us from the tube is our living room or kitchen, which has nothing whatever to do with the speaker. The speakers backdrop is usually a TV studio, which we know is a mock up. So we are excused from evaluating what is said in terms of context. There is none.
In what context does a Christian live, move, act, think, decide? It must be the context of God's kingdom. We live either in that kingdom or we live in the world, taking out cues from the bible or from the media, setting our goals according what is going to matter forever or according to the quotation of the day.
Think in the context of the kingdom of God, about this recent incident in a public school classroom: The teacher asked the child what his mother did. There was only one child whose mother did not work outside the home.


Teacher: Oh, so what does your mother do?
Child: She-um, well you know, she does, um, stuff around the house.
Teacher: You mean she cooks and cleans? She irons clothes, makes beds?
Child: Yes
Teacher: So you could say, then, that you have a traditional mother, is that right? 
Child: Yes
Teacher: (with a long, searching look) And do you like that?


Consider the context from which the teacher's questions come from. It is not one which recognizes any divine design for the home, any glory in service, any joyful willingness to do humble work without thought of gain or appreciation. Consider the pressure put on a little child to question the only context his life has had, the context which has still now meant security, normalcy and happiness for him. He will be wondering if his mother is some sort of an oddity, his home not an ordinary one.
It is not for nothing that the classic page of the warfare of the Christian immediately follows Paul's specific instructions on human relationships: wives, submit; husbands, love; fathers do not goad your children to resentment. These are the areas of most vicious and relentless attack. The Christian home is a stronghold, and the enemy will never let up his attempts to undermine it or breach it's sanctity.
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God...." Ephesians 6:12-13.
Prayer is a powerful weapon. It is an indispensable weapon. It takes practice to wield it. It takes courage and time and spiritual energy.