The New Jezebel

I wanted to make this post by Dr. Stephan R. Crosby available to those who haven't seen it yet:

The New Jezebel - "You're Just Wounded"

Sophia's Blog

My friend, Sophia, is blogging about her recovery from being a member of Mars Hill.
I've added her blog to my list.
Today's post is on parenting and how she wants her child to not be needlessly burdened with sin.
She blogs about it here:
Rethinking Parenting

And here is a video I want to dedicate to Sophia and her children:
God's Ways are not Our Ways

God Calls for Both Masculine and Feminine Leadership

Unfortunately, that should be a no-brainer. But it's not. There are men out there who are so enamored with their own masculinity and the masculinity of other men that there fall into deep deception and think more highly of themselves and their gender than they ought to. There are men who distrust and even hate the feminine so much that no amount of the feminine can exist in either God or the positions of authority. Though they work tirelessly to prove their bias and search the scriptures for proof texts that back them up, the truth of the matter is that you cannot read the Bible honestly and come to the conclusions that they have come to.

Here is my friend, Marg's, post on the matter:

Edited: Marg's site had been hacked so I have removed the link.
If and when I get the all clear from Marg, I'll put the link back in.

Edited further: I've got the all clear from Marg. Everything is cleaned up and ready to go. So again, here is her blog post:
Paul's Masculine and Feminine Leadership

Promise Keepers, the Shepherding Movement, and Sowing to the Wind

For those who are unaware of the Shepherding Movement here is a brief definition of it:

The Shepherding Movement


The article that I linked to in my previous post connects Promise Keepers, a 1990s organization, to the Shepherding Movement of the 70s and early 80s.

These principles and structure, which are similar to the shepherding/discipleship model of the Word of God, would take years to implement and introduce a highly disciplined group. Most men drawn to Promise Keepers have probably never heard of shepherding/discipleship (which, in 1995, was still not widely known even within the evangelical community) and may be deeply offended if they experience the degree of manipulation and control (to which they may be "submitting" themselves and their families) that has occurred in many shepherding/disciple situations.

Taken from this link:
Christian Soldiers for Theocracy under the heading "Something Like Punching You Lights Out".

And a Promise Keeper spokes person used similar language back in the 90s that Mark Driscoll uses today.
"All of our success here is contingent upon men taking part in small groups when they return home," Promise Keepers spokesman Steve Chavis told Christianity Today. Less elegantly, Dave Wardell, the national coordinator for local leaders, explains, "I can go home and maybe still be the same guy after a conference. But if I have another guy calling up, holding me accountable, asking, `How are you treating your wife? Are you still cheating on your income taxes? Are you looking at your secretaries with lust?' it makes a difference. I don't think a woman would get in my face, go toe to toe with a guy, whereas a guy could tell me, `I don't like it. And if you don't listen to me, I'll punch your lights out.' Something like that."
(Also taken from article linked above also under the heading "Something Like Punching Your Lights Out".)

And here is Mark Driscoll using that similar language which he thinks it brilliant:

"I Break Their Nose."

Folks, the Shepherding Movement is not dead. It just changed it's name, existed in Promise Keepers and is now alive and well in many places, including Mars Hill.

Promise Keepers Hurt My Marriage

When my husband had the opportunity to go to Promise Keepers over fifteen years ago, I sent him with my blessing not knowing what they were filling his head with.

I am a woman that likes men. I like fellowshipping with them. I want them to be encouraged and strengthened and to grow in confidence in who they are. And that is what I thought Promise Keepers was. I was wrong.

My husband and I got along fairly well before Promise Keepers. But after he came back, issues we never had before began to crop up. When we got into disagreements, all of the sudden he started playing the "You aren't being submissive" card. For a long time I had no clue of the connection between his trip to Promise Keepers and this new tactic in arguments.

Now, many years later, I'm seeing that connection. I'm sorry I ever sent him to Promise Keepers. Instead of being a place of blessing they pretended to be, it was a den of thieves. They stole the heart of my loving man and turned him into a "I'm the one that wears the pants in this family" kind of guy.

So what did they teach my man back in the 90s that set him backwards in his walk with the Lord? Lots of bad things.

Here's what Tony Evens told him:
“The first thing you do is sit down with your wife and say something like this: `Honey, I've made a terrible mistake. I've given you my role. I gave up leading this family, and I forced you to take my place. Now I must reclaim this role.' Don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. I'm not suggesting that you ask for your role back. I'm urging you to take it back.” He went on to say, “If you simply ask for it back, your wife is likely to refuse...Unfortunately, there can be no compromise here.” 


I wouldn't be surprised if the great comp leaders of today all went to Promise Keepers meetings. Leaders like Driscoll, Piper, Wilson, Baucham, Grudem Challis, etc.
I'm sure they went to those meetings or read those books. Because they are saying the same things and hurting countless other marriages.

Thanks for nothing, Promise Keepers.

For more on what was wrong with Promise Keepers, search the web or follow these links:
http://www.publiceye.org/eyes/promkeep.html

http://www.publiceye.org/ifas/fw/9609/promise.html

Mars Worship at Mars Hill and Elsewhere

I've mentioned Baal worship before which Lewis (at the Commandments of Men) calls the worship of the culture. Another has referred to this idolizing of manhood as the worship of Mars. And yet another has called this manning up/gladiator cancer, Jupiter worship, not unlike the Roman games at the Coliseum that where fought to honor Jupiter.

Well, I don't know which title is more accurate. All I know it that these men who claim to worship Christ have no idea who He is. They have built up an idol of what they want Him to be and part of that idol includes hyper masculinity.

For more information check out this:
Masculine Christianity - On Display in all its 'Glory'

Manhood worship, by whatever name you choose, is alive and well in the American church to day.

Always Remember the Victim

Abuse comes. As Christians, we cannot prevent it. But our response as Christians, can make all the difference in the world.

John Piper's response to tragedy is, in itself, tragic. All he can point to is that God rules and we drool. I can't argue with this fact. But his message is of no use to anyone. He could take a lesson from Wade Burleson who wrote a compassionate, open letter on his blog to a little girl who was sexually exploited by a man in Christian leadership.

Here is a link to what this letter has meant to the family of the abused little girl:
Tom White, Abuse, VOM, and the Power of the Internet

John Piper, if you are listening, and I'm sure you aren't but I have to say this anyway, please learn a lesson from Wade Burleson. You should be able to learn from him. He's a man and he's even a Calvinist. Please take note of what to do in crisis because you have shown so far that you have no clue.

Lynne Explains TULIP

Lynne from Australia left comments on The Wartburg Watch concerning Calvinism that I want to preserve here for myself and whatever posterity that is interested in it.
She starts off by responding to Jedidiah who asked about what reformed doctrine was:

"Jedidiah, like most code words, “Reformed Theology” has a special meaning. (Otherwise it would just be protestant theology, since all forms of Protestantism have their roots in the Reformation. No, Reformed in these circles refers specifically to Calvinism, and fairly “high” Calvinism at that, i.e. a form of Calvinism that puts a strong emphasis on God’s sovereignty as His most important attribute (as a non-Calvinist I would say it was His love). It is very important to them that nothing in any way should limit God’s absolute rule, so they believe strongly in predestination and that salvation is 100% of God and 0% of man’s free will. Hence the acronym TULIP commonly used to summarise this position:

T–total depravity (man in his wickedness cannot save himself
U — unconditional election (God chooses who He wants to save on a completely arbitrary basis)
L — limited atonement (Jesus only died for the ones that God has chosen to be saved)
I — irresistible grace (when God chooses to save you, you’re saved — you have no power to refuse
P — perseverance of the saints (you can’t be un-saved, once you’re in you’re in)

hope that helps, I’ve tried to be fair,"

Then later she talks about her history with Calvinism:

"I spent 20 years in a Calvinist church (Presbyterian Church of Australia) Mostly I encountered ‘soft’ Calvinists, who were very nuanced in their application of these principles. The internet Calvinistas tend to be a different breed — much fiercer and less nuanced, and much more likely to take the sovereignty of God all the way to a reductio ad absurdum (i.e. take the trajectory as far as they can push it, no matter how silly their end point is. Very sad.Soft Calvinists tend to be human and compassionate, hard Calvinists are very scary.

Having said all this, the point where I finally broke with Calvinism was when I went to the funeral of a new born baby, and the whole sermon was on the perfection of God’s ways, without a word of comfort for the grieving parents. That, for me, was the beginning of a massive rethink, and basically turning away from over-systematised theology."

I like her views and her insight. And I think that I'm also repelled by the "over-systematised" aspect of Calvinism theology.

BJU, Tina Anderson, and Glee, Oh My!

Bob Jones University used to have Tina Anderson's pastor was on its board of Trustees until a senior with a conscious and a strong sense of justice* took up the cause to get the man off the board. To read more and watch a video go to:

BJU Senior Expelled for Watching Glee

(*Christopher Peterman has a strong sense of justice. Bob Jones University seems to lack even a decent sense of justice. Mamas don't let your children grow up to go to Bob Jones!)

Put Away Childish Things

I Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; When I became a man, I did away with childish things.

The Toddler Property Rights that I posted on Monday display a childish, even infantile, mentality. Toddlers are going through the 'adolescence' between infancy and childhood. They are old enough to express their demanding, self-centered infantile mind but not quite mature enough to learn basic things like "sharing" and "empathy" and respecting another's "boundaries". It is a stage that children go through that is natural and expected.

But an adult behaving according to the Toddler Property Rights is not natural or expected. It is unacceptable and shows the adult to be childish and in no condition to have authority or responsibility.

The opposite of the Toddler Property Rights is found a few verses above I Corinthians 13:11.

Verses 4-7 goes like this: Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek it's own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

You just can't get more opposite of the Toddler Property Rights. Anyone wanting to obey the law of love and yet hold onto the toddler property rights mentality are sorry out of luck because "it does not seek it's own" pretty much does away with any idea that person has a right to take something away from another person.

Looking at it another way, thieves live by Toddler Property Rights law #3: "If I can take it away from you, it's mine." But God's law, even in the Old Testament states: "Thou shalt not steal." So what is a thief to do if he wants to grow up and stop being a toddler? He must put away childish things.

Ephesians 4:28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

In other words, rather than taking, consuming, and hurting others with his childish self in mind, a thief needs to learn to be a producer, giver, blesser. And in this way, the thief changes his way and no longer imitates the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but begins to imitate God who is a Producer, Giver, and Blesser.

So, in essence, putting away childish things is rejecting selfish, hurtful, worldly, and satanic reasoning and taking on, or accepting giving, creating, blessing, and godly reasoning.

Simple to explain. Much harder to bring into practice. At least that's what I observe because I see a lot of Christians, including those in leadership, who still embrace the Toddler Property Rights mentality.