MacArthur believes the man is like God: Paganism has entered the Church P/9

                                                       Read Part One HERE

In this post I will compare a statement from Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle with statements from Pastor/Author John MacArthur.

Aristotle has said the following:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.

John MacArthur has said the following:

..... Men are in authority and women are in submission in general.

A man is the highest manifestation of God on earth.... Man is the king of the earth... And I don't mean generic man; I mean sexually male man. Man is sovereign in the world. He is the delegated authority and majesty of God.

My Comment:

From the above statements we can learn that Pastor/Author John MacArthur's thinking is very like that of the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle when discussing the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that John MacArthur was very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God when it is related to that particular subject which in turn will have influenced and still influences the Reformed Church.

 

Read Part Ten HERE

Grudem believes women want to take over: Paganism has entered the Church P/8

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will compare a statement from Pagan Greek Philospher Aristotle with a statement from Professor Wayne A. Grudem.

Aristotle has said the following:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.

Way A. Grudem has said the following:

In Genesis 3:16c God said to the woman,
"Your desire shall be for your husband."
The word "desire" here, which God gave as a punishment, is not a sexual desire, but an agressive and hostile desire to compete for leadership and to resist Adam's leadership.

In Genesis 3:16d God said to the woman,
"And he shall rule over you."
Adam is going to rule over Eve, but to rule by virtue that he is stronger. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve had a relationship that was beautiful, harmonious, loving and kind, and yet there was a leadership role that Adam had that Eve did not have. Eve was supporting and helping that leadership role.

 My comment:

From the above statements we can learn that Professor Wayne A. Grudem's thinking is very like that of the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle when discussing the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that Wayne A. Grudem was very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God when it is related to that particular subject which in turn will have influenced the view of many believers who follow his teachings.

 

Read Part Nine HERE

Piper believes God created men to be in charge: Paganism entered the Church P/7

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will compare a statement from the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle with a statement from Bible College Chancellor John Piper.

Aristotle has said the following:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.


John Piper has said the following:

Before sin entered the world God ordained and fitted Adam to be a loving, caring, strong leader for his wife Eve. And before sin entered God ordained Eve to be a partner who supports that leadership and helps carry it through.

The two arguments for not permitting a woman to have authority over men are:

1. The order of creation (man first, women second) implies a unique leadership role for the man.
2. The neglect of the divine pattern leads to transgression.


My comment:

From the above statements we can learn that Reformed Pastor John Piper's thinking is very like that of the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle when discussing the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that John Piper is very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God when it is related to that particular subject, which in turn will have influenced the view of the Reformed Church on the role of men and women.

 

Read Part Eight HERE

Rice believes women must know their place: Paganism has entered the Church P/6

                                                      Read Part One HERE
 

In this post I will compare a statement from the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle with a statement from the Southern Baptist Evangelist John R. Rice.

Aristotle has said the following:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.

John R. Rice has said the following:

God made Adam First. Eve was made second as his helpmeet subject to him. For that reason, says Paul, women are not to teach men in the church, are not to be chief officers in the church nor to have authority over men. For women to take such authority is not properly and naturally theirs. From the creation I Timothy 2:11-15 says, women are to take the place of subjection, because they were not created to have authority over men to teach men.

My Comment:

From the above statements we can learn that the Southtern Baptist Evangelist John R. Rice's thinking was very like that of the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle when discussing the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that John R. Rice was very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God when it is related to that particular subject, which in turn would have influenced the view of the Southern Baptist Church on the role of men and women.

 

Read Part Seven HERE

Calvin believes God made the woman eternally inferior: Paganism entered the Church P/5

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will compare a statement from the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle with a statement from the Protestant Reformer John Calvin

Aristotle has said the following:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.

John Calvin has said the following:

In I Timothy 2:11-15 Paul assigns two reasons why women ought to be subject to men; because not only did God enact this law at the beginning, but He also inflicted it as a punishment on the woman.

Now Moses shows that the woman was created afterwards in order that she should render obedience to him. Since, therefore, God did not create two chiefs of equal power, but added to the man an inferior aid, the apostle justly reminds us of that order of creation in which the eternal and inviolable appointment of God is strikingly displayed.

My Comment:

From the above statements we can learn that Protestant Reformer John Calvin's thinking was very like that of the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle when discussing the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that John Calvin was very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God when it is related to that particular subject, which in turn would have influenced the view of the Protestant Church on the roles of men and women.

Read Part Six HERE

Luther believes God selected the man to rule the woman: Paganism has entered the Church P/4

                                                       Read Part One HERE

In this post I will compare a statement from the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle with a statement from Protestant Reformed Martin Luther.

Aristotle has said the following:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.

Martin Luther has said the following:

God Himself has so ordained that the man was created first - first in time and first in authority. Because of God's work, Adam is approved as superior to Eve, because he had the right of primogeniture. Not only has God's wisdom ordained this, there was more wisdom and courage in Adam. Paul has thus proven that by divine and human right Adam is the master of the woman (I Timothy 2:11-15).

My comment"

From the above statements we can learn that the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther's thinking was very like that of the pagan Greek philosopher Aristotle when discussing the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that Martin Luther was very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God when it is related to that particular subject, which in turn would have influenced the view of the Protestant Church on the roles of men and women.

As for as the issue of primogeniture is concerned, that issue is specifically related to two brothers in a family when, usually, the first born brother would receive the birth right. It does, therefore, not apply to the first man and the first woman.

 

Read Part Five HERE

Augustine believes the woman's sole function is to bear children: Paganism has entered the Church P/3

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will compare a statement from the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle with a statement from Roman Catholic Church Father Augustine.

Aristotle has said the following:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.

Augustine has said the following:

When the woman is assigned as a helpmate, a function pertaining to her alone, she is not in the image of God.
I cannot think of any reason for a woman being made a man's helper, if we dismiss the reason of procreation.

My comment

From the above statements we can learn that the Roman Catholic Church Father Augustine's thinking was very like that of the pagan Greek philosopher Aristotle when discussing the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that Augustine was very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God as it is related to that particular subject, which in turn would have influenced the view of the Roman Catholic Church on the roles of men and women.

 

Read Part Four HERE

Crysostom believes the woman's role is of little importance: Paganism has entered the Church P/2

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will compare a statement from the pagan Greek philosopher Aristotle with a statement from Roman Catholic Church Father John Crysostom.

Aristotle has said the following:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.

John Crysostom has said the following:

God maintained the order of each sex dividing the business of human life in two parts and assigned the more necessary and beneficial aspects to the man and the least important, more inferior matters to the woman.

My comment:

From the above statements we can learn that Roman Catholic Church Father John Crysostom's thinking was very like that of the pagan Greek philosopher Aristotle when discussing the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that John Crysostom was very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God when it is related to that particular subject, which in turn would have influenced the view of the Roman Catholic Church on the roles of men and women.

Read Part Three HERE

Aquinas believes men are wiser than women:Paganism has entered the Church P/1

In the next few posts I will compare a statement from the pagan Greek philosopher Aristotle with a statement of one of the religious leaders I have posted statements from.

In this post I will compare one of Aristotle's statements with a statement of Roman Catholic Church father Thomas Aquinas.

Aristotle has said:

The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled.

 
Thomas Aquinas has said:

Good order would have been lacking by the human family if some were not governed by others wiser than themselves. So by such subjection woman is naturally subject to man, because in man the discretion of reason predominates.

My comment:

From the above statements we can learn that the Roman Catholic Church Father Thomas Aquinas' thinking was very like that of the pagan Greek philosopher Aristotle when discussing the subject of the roles of men and women. It is very obvious, therefore, that Thomas Aquinas was very influenced by past cultures in his understanding of the word of God when it is related to that subject, which in turn would have influenced the view of the Roman Catholic Church on the roles of men and women.

 

Read Part Two HERE

Aristotle believes women lack the proper form: Equal, BUT P/13

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on the Greek Philosopher Artistotle who lived during the period 384 B.C. - 322 B.C.

He has made the following statements:

"The male is by nature superior and the female inferior, and the one rules and the other is ruled."

"The male is the proper form and the female is a mutilated male or a deformed male."

Plato believes women show courage when they obey: Equal, BUT P/12

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on the Greek Philosopher Plato. He lived between 429 B.C. - 348 B.C.

He has made the following statements:

"The one gender is far superior to the other in every sphere."

"The courage of a man is shown in commanding, of a woman in obeying."

 

Read Part Thirteen HERE

Devout Jewish men are grateful they are not females: Equal, BUT P/11

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on devout Jewish men.

Throughout the centuries Orthodox Jewish men have made the following statements:

"Rather should the words of the Torah be burned than entrusted to a woman."

"Whoever teaches his daughter is like the one who teaches her obscenity."

"A daily prayer is:
I thank God that I am not born a Gentile. I thank God that I am not born a slave. I thank God that I am not born a woman."

 

Read Part Twelve HERE

Thomas Aquinas believes something went wrong when God formed the first woman: Equal, BUT P/10

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Roman Catholic Church Father Thomas Aquinas. He lived from 1225 - 1274.

He has made the following statements:

"The female is a misbegotten male."

"Females are inherently subordinate to males and this subjection existed as part of the created order even before sin. Their subordination is for their own benefit and good."

"The essential value of her creation is for the generation of the species."

"Good order would have been lacking in the human family if some were not governed by others wiser than themselves. So by such a subjection woman is naturally subject to man, because in man the discretion of reason predominates."

Read Part Eleven HERE

John Chrysostom believes women are not fit to evangelise: Equal, BUT P/9

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on the Roman Catholic Church Father John Chrysostom who lived from 346 A.D. - 407 A.D.

John Chrysostom has said the following:

"Woman taught once and ruined all (Genesis 3:6)."

"Our life is customarily organised into two spheres: public affairs and private matters, both of which were determined by God. To the woman is assigned the presidency of the household for God maintained the order of each sex dividing the business of human life into two parts and assigned the more necessary and beneficial aspects to the man and the less important, inferior matters to the woman."

"To preside over the church or to undertake the care of souls is so exalted, all women fail to qualify."

 

Read Part Ten HERE

Augustine believes women's sole purpose is to have children: Equal, BUT P/8

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Roman Catholic Church Father Augustine. He lived from 354 A.D. - 430 A.D.

Augustine has said the following:

"The woman together with the man is the image of God, so that the whole substance is one image. But when she is assigned as helpmate, a function that pertains to her alone, she is not in the image of God, but as far as the man is concerned, he is by himself alone the image of God, just as fully and completely as when he and the woman are joined together into one."

He has, furthermore, said:

"If it were not the case that the woman was created to be a man's helper specifically for the production of children, then why would she have been created as "helper" (Genesis 2:18)? I cannot think of any reason for a woman being made a man's helper, if we dismiss the reason of procreation."

 

Read Part Nine HERE

Martin Luther believes that women's salvation is in having children: Equal, BUT P/7

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther. He lived from 1483 - 1546.

His comments on 1 Timothy 2:11 15 are as follows

"Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness."

"A woman must be completely silent in the public assembly of the church because she should remain a hearer and not become a teacher. She should refrain from teaching, from praying in public. She has the command to speak at home. This passage makes a woman subject. It takes from her all public office and authority."

"She is not allowed to teach."

"Paul does not entrust the ministry of the Word to her."

"To have authority."

"She ought not to take over for herself the heritage which belongs to a man."

"For Adam came first."

"God has ordained that the principal role belongs to the man. Adam was first. Therefore, the greater authority lies in the man rather than in the woman. Secondly this situation stands not only because of what God intended but also from the history of Adam and Eve."

"And Adam was not deceived."

"God Himself has so ordained that that man be created first - first in time and first in authority. Because of God's work, Adam is approved as superior to Eve, because he had the right of primogeniture. Not only has God's wisdom ordained this, there was more wisdom and courage in Adam. Paul thus has proven that by divine and human right Adam is the master of the woman."

"But the woman was deceived and became a transgressor."

"Paul has written quite carefully how Satan treated the fearless person (Adam) and attacked the weak one, just as he does does today."

"There are three arguments here:

Adam was formed first,
He was not deceived.
It was not he but the woman who brought on transgression."

"Paul used the argument which we have in Genesis 3:16
"Because you have done this, you will be under the man.
In punishment for your sin and transgression you must be subject to the man and suffer the pains of childbirth."
Thus that ordinance of God continues to stand as a memorial of that transgression which by her fault entered the world."

"She shall be saved in child bearing."

"It is a very great comfort that a woman can be saved by bearing children. That is, she has an honourable and salutary status in life if she keeps busy having children. We ought to recommend this passage to them. She is described as "saved" not for freedom, for license, but for bearing and rearing children."

 

Read Part Eight HERE

John Calvin believes it is all the woman's fault: Equal, But P/6

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on the Protestant Reformer John Calvin. He lived from 1509 - 1564. 

His comment on 1 Timothy 2:11-15 is as follows:

"Let a woman learn in silence with all subjection."

"Let a woman learn in quietness. Paul first bids them to learn quietly; for quietness means silence, that they may not take it upon them to speak in public. This he immediately explains more clearly, by forbidding them to teach."

"But I suffer not a woman to teach."

"Not that Paul takes from them the charge of instruction their family, but only excludes them from the office of teaching, which God has committed to men only."

"Paul adds - what is closely allied to the office of teaching -"

  "and not to assume authority over the man."

"For the very reason, why they are forbidden to teach, is, that it is not permitted by their condition. They are subject, and to teach implies the rank of power and authority. Yet it may be thought that there is no great force in this argument; because even prophets and teachers are subjects to kings and other magistrates.I reply, there is no absurdity in the same person commanding and likewise obeying, when viewed in different relations. But this does not apply to the woman, who by nature (that is by the ordinary law of God) is formed to obey; for the government of women has always been regarded by all wise persons as a monstrous thing; and, therefore, so to speak, it will be a mingling of heaven and earth, if women usurp the right to teach. Accordingly, he bids them be "quiet," that is, keep within their own rank."

"For Adam was first created."

"Paul assigns two reasons why women ought to be subject to men; because not only did God enact this law at the beginning, but He also inflicted it as a punishment on the women (Genesis 3:16). Paul, accordingly shows that, although, mankind had stood in their first and original uprightness, the true order of nature, which proceeded from the command of God, bears that women shall be subject. Nor is this inconsistent with the fact, that Adam, by falling from his first dignity, deprived himself of his authority, for in the ruins, which followed sin, there still linger some remains of the divine blessings, and it was not proper that woman, by her own fault, should make her condition better than before."

"Now Moses, shows that the woman was created afterwards, in order that she should be at hand to render obedience to him (Genesis 2:21). Since, therefore, God did not create two chiefs of equal power, but added to the man an inferior aid, the apostle justly reminds us of that order of creation in which the eternal and inviolable appointment of God is strikingly displayed."

"And Adam was not deceived...."

"Paul alluded to the punishment inflicted on the woman"

"Because thou hast obeyed the voice of the serpent, thou shall be subject to the authority of thy husband, and thy desire shall be to him (Genesis 3:16)."

"Because the woman had given fatal advice (Genesis 3:6), it was right that she should learn she was under the power and will of another; and because she had drawn her husband aside from the command of God, it was right that she should be deprived of all liberty and placed under a yoke. Besides, the apostle does not rest his argument entirely or absolutely on the cause of the transgression but founds it on the sentence which was pronounced by God."

"Nevertheless, she shall be saved in childbearing."

"Whatever hypocrites or wise men of the world may think,  God is better pleased with a woman who considers the condition God has assigned to her as a calling and submits to it, not refusing to bear the distaste of (cooking) food, the illness, the difficulty, or rather the fearful anguish associated with childbirth or anything else that is her duty - God is better pleased with her than if she were to make some great display of heroic virtues and refuse to accept the vocation given her by God."

 

Read Part Seven HERE

John R. Rice's daughhter believes any husband is like God: Equal, BUT P/5

Read Part One HERE

Here is my second post on Dr John R. Rice. He and his wife were the parents of six daughters.

One of their daughters was named Jimmie Elizabeth. She has made the following comment:

"Women are more often led into spiritual error than men. That is the reason God commanded her not to usurp authority over man, so she can be protected by him, from false doctrine.... The Scriptures says a woman must ignore her feelings about the will of God and do what her husband says. She is to obey her husband as if he were God Himself. She can be as certain of God's will, when her husband speaks, as if God had spoken from heaven."

Dr John Rice has written the book; "Bobbed hair, bossy wives and women preachers."

Molly T. Marshall, has written the following in relation to the above book.

"Ï was a Master of Divinity Student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1973 to 1975. As regularly occurred with women students, I had been admitted to the School of Religious Education. Yet, I enrolled in all M.Div. courses because I had some burning theological questions."

"I then had to talk my way into the School of Theology with the Dean of the RE School. He was not easy to persuade; however he approved the transfer. I was one of only a handful of women, even though in the early '70s mainly seminaries were beginning to welcome many women."

"One day I was in the library looking for resources to assist in my quest to learn about what the Bible really teaches about the role of women in ministry. I stumbled across a nefarious concoction of an over-achieving fundamentalist, John R. Rice. I was incensed at the title: Bobbed hair, Bossy Wives and Women Preachers. Of course, I had experienced gender discrimination all my life as a Southern Baptist - at my home church, in college, in churches I had served as youth minister - but the sheer contempt of this book startled me."

"In his book Rice asked three questions:
1. Is is a sin for women to cut their hair? Answer: Yes.
2. Must a wife be subject to, obedient to her husband, ruled by him? The Answer: Yes.
3. Does God ever call or consent for women to be preachers, pastors or evangelists? The Answer: No."

"So where do we find ourselves now less than 75 years since the re-printing of Rice's signature volume? It depends upon which Baptist pathway you have followed, of course, yet the patriarchal bias of national and ecclesial culture remains deeply entrenched."

"We continue to hear new forms of Rice's arguments, clothed now in the dress of the "dignity of women." We hear the male projections of how an attractive female pastor would simply be a distraction in the pulpit; how an ungainly pregnancy would be awkward when doing sacramental things like baptising; how women's voices do not sound authoritative etc etc."

"The unwavering accent on the submission of women results in a tacit understanding of fundamental inequality between male and female. Rice argued that as God is to Christ, so is the man to the woman. This not only underscores the eternal subordination of women but is heretical in Trinitarian construction."

"I have engaged an old text, yet its arguments are still around. The fear of strong women remains a toxic part of Baptist culture and the wider social landscape. We still have much work to do. It is time to sharpen our hermeneutical skills and forthrightly  confront the lingering misogyny among those of Rice's ilk. He has many kin."

 

Read Part Six HERE

John R.Rice believes women are an easy target for the devil: Equal, BUT P/4

Read Part One HERE
                                                     

In this post and in the next post I will focus on Dr John R. Rice, an Baptist Evangelist who lived from 1895 - 1980.

He has said the following:

"God made Adam first. Eve was made second and as his helpmeet subject to him. For that reason, says Paul, women are not to teach men in the church, are not to be chief officers in the church nor to have authority over men. For women to take such authority is not properly and naturally theirs. From the creation, 1 Timothy 2:11-15 says, women are to take the place of subjection, because they were not created to have authority over men to teach men."

"And again Paul says that the weakness of a woman and her aptness to be misled is shown because Ädam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." Satan found he could deceive Ever easier that he could deceive Adam. God made women after such a  fashion that she should be a comfortable and obedient helpmeet, a mate who would fit in to his will and plans, So, in the nature of the case, women are not as well fitted for executive authority. If women are more easily led, they are not as good leaders. Every pastor knows that women are easier to enlist in good work. But careful observers must admit that women are also easier led into false doctrines and into errors of various kinds. But the argument here in 1 Timothy 2:14 is that Satan was able to deceive Eve when he could not deceive Adam and that this is evidence that women should not be placed in authority in churches and in Christian work. If he could deceive Eve easier in the Garden of Eden, he could deceive women easier now. This means that women leaders are more likely to lead into heresy in doctrine and unscriptural practice than men. Women are not fitted to teach men or usurp authority over men, says 1 Timothy 2:14. But also, in 1 Timothy 2:15, God has a special duty and privilege for women in childbearing. If they submit themselves to God's plan in humility and meekness , then they shall be rescued and preserved, when pangs of childbirth are come upon them. Many godly women have found sweet comfort and ease and help in the time when they go down into the valley of the shadows to bring forth a child for the Lord, receiving help from God because they were willing to take a woman's place in submission."

 

Read Part Five HERE

John Piper believes a husband should be allowed to hit his wife at least for one night: Equal, BUT Part/3

 

 

             

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on the view of John Piper, Chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

He has made the following statements

"So when God created man and woman He made us the way we are - with the differences of manhood and womanhood - so that we would be suited for these complementary roles (and for other complementarity outside marriage) In this drama man was meant to play the role of Christ, and the woman was meant to play the role of his Bride the Church."

"These differences are not the result of sin.... Before sin even entered the world God ordained and fitted Adam to be a loving, caring, strong leader for his wife Eve. And before sin entered the world God ordained and fitted Eve to be a partner who supports and honours that leadership and helps carry it through."

John Piper has stated the following on the role of women as pastors/leaders in churches based on his understanding of I Timothy 2:13,14

"The two arguments for not permitting a woman to have authority over men are:
1. The order of creation (man first, woman second) implies a unique leadership role for man.
2. The neglect of this divine pattern leads to transgression."

"Therefore, Paul's prohibition of women exercising an authoritative teaching office in the church has abiding validity today, because it is based not on culturally relative conditions but on the order of creation and the lessons that come from repudiation of that order."

John Piper's response to the question "What should a wife's submission to her husband look like if he is an abuser?" is as follows:

"If the abusing husband is simply hurting her, then she should endure verbal abuse for a season and endure perhaps being smacked one night before seeking help from the church."

 

Read Part Four HERE

Professor Wayne A.Grudem says women are in danger of losing God's blessing: Equal, BUT P/2

                                                     

                                                     

                                                      

                                                     

                                                       

                                             http://ministryto-silencedwomen.com         Read Part One HERE

 In this post I will focus on the view of Professor Wayne A. Grudem. He is research professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, Arizona, USA.

He has made the following statements:

"Eve was created for Adam, not Adam for Eve. Genesis 2:18 God says, "It is not for the for the man to be alone; I will make a helper fit for him." So God is making Eve as a helper fit for him."

"In Genesis 3:16c God says to the woman, ".....Your desire shall be for your husband...." The word "desire" here, which God gave as a punishment, is not a sexual desire, but is an aggressive and hostile desire to compete for leadership and to resist Adam's leadership."

"According to Genesis 3:16d  God says to the woman, "And he shall rule over you." Adam is going to rule over Eve, but to rule by virtue that he is stronger. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve had a relationship that was beautiful, harmonious, loving and kind, and yet there was a leadership role that Adam had that Eve did not have. Eve was supporting and helping that leadership role."

Professor Grudem has furthermore stated:

"I think that a women who serves as a pastor, preaching to both men and women, is disobeying the word of God. There are always negative consequences to that. First, there will be an erosion of trust in the Bible, and obedience to the Bible, generally in the congregation, because the methods of interpretation used to justify what she is doing often involves misinterpretation of Scripture or eroding of the authority of Scripture."

"Also, there will be an erosion of male leadership in the family because of the modeling of female leadership in the pastorate will be reflected in a lessening of male leadership in the home. There will be a resulting increase in gender confusion among boys and girls growing up in the church. I think also that anyone who lives in a pattern of constant disobedience to the word of God-  if a woman does this, she is opening herself up to the danger of withdrawal of God's hand of protection and blessing on her life."

 

Read Part Three HERE

John MacArthur says women are equal but not really: Equal, BUT P/1

http://ministryto-silencedwomen.com

I will begin a series of posts sharing with you the view of influential men on the role of men and women throughout history starting with well-known Pastor and Author John MacArthur, Pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, USA.

He has stated the following:

Even though there is a spiritual equality, and even though there is an essential quality, that is in terms of essence of person hood, there is a difference in roles that God has divinely assigned to men and women. And God is careful to maintain this difference and this distinction both in the church and in the home, and in society in general.

And I believe that we need to abide by these principles. We do not conceive of women as anything less then men; quite the contrary. Women are, in every sense, equal to men. In every sense, there is equality there, EXCEPT in the area of assignment of a role or duty within the framework of society.

And I feel too, that when we put women in responsibilities, or when women usurp responsibilities meant for men, they thus misuse their divine design and forfeit the use of their highest capacity.

But what we must maintain in this is that there is equality but difference in the assignment which God has given to a man and a woman. Each is vitally important. Authority can't function without submission and submission can't function without authority. They are mutually dependent.

Now such a doctrine as this doctrine of authority and submission - men are in authority and women are in submission in general - is not a confining thing for women, but rather is designed by God to accommodate the makeup of women, which God Himself has created.

A man is the highest manifestation of God in the earth. Why? Because man has been given divine dominion. Man has been given divine dominion in the world. In Genesis 1:26 we read, "And God said,"Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, and let THEM rule over the fist of the sea, of the fowl of the air, the cattle, over all the earth, over every creepy thing that creeps upon the earth. So God man in His own image; in the image of God He created him. Male and female He created THEM.

Now God created man initially to rule over everything in this world. He gave him dominion. Man is king of the earth. Throughout the history of mankind, men have ruled the world. They have run the governments; they have run the businesses; they have run the economics; they have run the social aspects. Men have the been the ones in charge because God originally invested within them dominion. Man then becomes - And I don't mean generic man; I mean sexually male man, just the maleness of man - that man from the sexual viewpoint has been given the dominion of God. Man is sovereign in the world. He is the delegated authority and majesty of God.

 

Read Part Two HERE

Abuse: SBC P/8

                                                            Read Part One HERE

I have been sharing a number of posts with you on the subject of abuse in the Southern Baptist churches in the US. From these posts you have learned that abuse has been taken place for a number of years.

Southern Baptists still cling to the traditional belief that God is the author of an authoritative male headship in ministry and marriage. They believe that women must be under the authority of male pastors in churches and wives must be under the authority of husbands in families as we can see from the following statements:

"On Ordination and the Role of Women in Ministry.
Women are excluded from pastoral functions and leadership roles entailing ordination in order to preserve a submission God requires because the man was first in creation and the woman was first in the Edenic Fall (I Timothy 2:13ff.)"

And

"A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ."

Do you believe that this system of patriarchy opens the door for abuse of women? Please feel free to write a comment. You can do so by clicking on the link at the bottom of your email that leads to my blog Praying and Prophesying.

In my next posts I will share with you the views of influential men on the role of men and women throughout the centuries.

Abuse: SBC P/7

                                                            Read Part One HERE

Here is my second post on Paige Patterson.

Patterson has attracted interest because of his stance on the role of women in church and his opposition to ordaining women as ministers. According to Patterson, "the highest and noblest calling of God" for women is that of "mother and grandmother." Additionally, Patterson's interpretation of the Bible includes "an assignment from God, in this case that a woman not be involved in a teaching or ruling capacity over men."

Patterson has compared female submissiveness to submissiveness to a police officer. Although the police officer and Patterson would be equal before God, "He is above me," Patterson wrote. Just as "God gave him an assignment that affects me and made him a minister of God to correct my evil ways," so he believed women should submit to men."

Patterson has never recommended or prescribed divorce. Instead he has recommended temporary separation in cases of extreme spousal abuse.

In 2000 Patterson's advise to an abused woman was for her to pray every night for her husband after he had gone to sleep even though that may well cause her to be abused more. This was indeed the case with this woman for she came to church the next Sunday with two black eyes. Patterson decided that was ok, since, in her case, her husband came to church to say he was sorry for what he had done....

Patterson has suggested the following in a sermon in 2013
 "Women who have a problem in their home should not bring the case to a judge because it could get in the way of that judge becoming a Christian. Settle it within the church of God. And if you suffer for it, and if you were misused and if you were abused, and if you are not represented properly, it's ok. You can trust it to God who judges justly."

He then prayed, "Lord, may we make up our minds that we won't take our troubles to the press, we won't take our troubles to the government, we won't take our troubles anywhere except to the people of God and beyond that to the Lord Jesus."

 

My Comment

Dr Patterson's suggestions are unbiblical and put women in danger of extreme harm. They should be avoided.

 

Read Part Eight HERE

Abuse: SBC P/6

                                                            Read Part One HERE

Here is my fifth post on abuse in Southern Baptist churches in the US. In this post as well as in the next post I want to focus on Paige Patterson, a very influential man in the Southern Baptist world.

The ex-president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Forth Worth, Paige Patterson, has formally denied allegations in a federal lawsuit filed by a former student who says Patterson and others threatened and intimidated her when she reported being raped on campus in 2015.

Among other things, the former student, identified only as Jane Roe, alleges that during meetings Patterson violated her privacy and failed to ensure her safety by disclosing information about her complaint directly to her attacker. She also claims in her lawsuit that Patterson intimidated and humiliated her by asking for intimate details about the alleged rapes. Patterson also allegedly told Roe that the rape was a "good thing" because "the right man would not care if she was a virgin or not," and disclosed the abuses to seminary faculty without her consent, according to the suit.

In his formal answer, Patterson categorically denied the allegations, and claimed he lacked "knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth or falsity of these allegations."

Patterson is nationally known as a Southern Baptist leader and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. But he was removed as the school president by the seminary's board of trustees in 2018 after the trustees found problems with his handling of complaints made by several women, including Roe's.

 

Read Part Seven HERE

Abuse: SBC P/5

                                                            Read Part One HERE

Here is my fourth post on abuse in Southern Baptist churches in the US and beyond.


George Thomas Wade Jr. had been spreading the gospel as a missionary on African training farms and in bush villages for six years when His Southern Baptist supervisors learned a horrifying secret: The supposedly devout man of God was molesting his own daughter.

A supervisor met once privately with the girl, who was attending boarding school in Johannesburg, and later consulted leaders based 7,500 miles away at Richmond, Va., headquarters of what is now called the International Mission Board.

Wade promised to stop, the supervisor said. His daughter said she was told to forgive Wade and was sworn to secrecy. No one told Wade's wife, also a missionary, what he had done, courts records show.

His daughter was never again asked about the abuse, which continued, even after she attempted suicide at 15.
"I felt stupid for having told anything to anybody," she later testified. "The concern was for my father..... It didn't matter what happened to me."

 

Read Part Six HERE

Abuse: SBC P/4

                                                            Read Part One Here

Here is my third post on abuse in Southern Baptist churches in the US.

Doug Meyers was suspected of preying on children at a church in Alabama - but he went to work at Southern Baptist churches in Florida before police arrested him.

Timothy Reddin was convicted of possessing child pornography, yet he was able to serve as pastor of a Baptist church in Arkansas.

Charles Adcock faced 29 counts of sexually assaulting a 14 year-old girl in Alabama. Then he volunteered as a worship pastor at a Baptist church in Texas.

The sordid background of these Southern Baptist ministers did not stop them from finding new jobs at churches and working in positions of trust. They are among at least 35 Southern Baptist pastors, youth ministers and volunteers who were convicted of sex crimes or accused of sexual misconduct but still were allowed to work at churches during the past two decades, an investigation by the San Antonio Express-News and the Houston Chronicle reveals.

 

Read Part Five HERE

Abuse: SBC P/3

                                                            Read Part One HERE

Here is my second post on abuse in one of the Southern Baptist Churches in the US.

Chad Foster, a former firefighter from Missouri, arrived in Texas soon after his divorce and with his 30th birthday fast approaching. He described himself as a fairly new Christian with a history of hard drinking.
He was hired and later ordained as a youth pastor by Houston's Second Baptist Church, one of the largest Southern Baptist congregations in the country.
"When I took the job," Foster later said, "I didn't know anything about it." Foster preached abstinence and urged teens to sign contracts to save themselves for marriage. But he soon targeted underage girls at the church's Cypress campus for intimate text messages and physical contact. His brief career as a youth pastor ended with guilty pleas to three counts of sexual assault of a child and two of online solicitation of a minor.
A 16-year-old girl with whom he illegally had sex testified at his sentencing. "I thought I really loved him," she said. "He's not the person I knew. I feel like he's a sick person. I think he's going to do it again if he's on probation. I have no doubt in my mind that he will."
There are many others like Foster. Scores of Southern Baptist youth pastors across the country, many with little oversight or formal training, used their church positions to groom and sexually abuse children in their flocks, an investigation by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News reveals.

 

Read Part Four HERE

Abuse: SBC P/2

                                                            
                                                             Read Part One Here

 Here is my first post of a story on abuse in one of the Southern Baptist Churches in the US.

Pastor Ruben Garcia was arrested nearly two years ago in Hays County, prosecuted on charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and prohibited by a judge from being alone with children.
But the preacher kept his job at the Southern Baptist Church.
Garcia, 60, sang hymns and taught kids about the Lord at Betania Baptist Church in Austin, a church so small that her Sunday services feel more like a family gathering.

In February 2016, a teenage girl told police in the Austin suburb of Buda, where Garcia lives that he sexually assaulted her multiple times in the summers of 2013 and 2014, records show. Police arrested Garcia in June 2017 and he was later released on bond.
Then Garcia continued serving as co-pastor of his church, where few members of the congregation questioned the appropriateness of their spiritual leader remaining in his post with sexual-assault charges pending against him.
Their support continued in 2018 after Garcia pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and avoided prison - but he was prohibited from being around children as part of the terms of his sentence.....

I will share a second story on abuse in one of the Southern Baptist Churches in the US in my next post.

 

Read Part Three HERE

 

Abuse: SBC P/1

Today, I will begin a series of posts addressing the abuse that has been taken place in Southern Baptist Churches (SBC) in the US and will give you examples of such abuse in churches.

Before giving you these examples, I will quote from a book "Let Her Be" by Charles O. Knowles in which he writes the following:

"In 2000 the SBC added the following to the Baptist Faith and Message: "While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture."

He writes as well:

"In 1998 the SBC added a section of the family to its confession of faith that included the statement: "A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ."

I will share a story on abuse that has taken place in my next post.

 

Read Part Two HERE

 

Further to my previous post in which I shared about abused women in Iran who have turned to Christ, I would like to share a story of one these women. Her name is Nargess.

Nargess is a driving instructor. While teaching the women to drive, she also teaches them about Jesus. Many have come to faith through her evangelism. Moreover, she recently had opportunity to take two driving students with her for further bible training outside of Iran. They have now all returned to Iran where they continue to witness.

Please remember Nargess in your prayers.

Please pray as well for Jo who is facing a challenging court date on 10 September.

Furthermore, Sue has asked for prayer for wisdom and strength in her job as teacher and assistant head of a primary school. She would very much like opportunities to share the gospel with colleagues.

Blessings,
Loes

Hi,

I hope this blog will serve as a way to encourage you by sharing stories, prayer requests etc.

My first story is of a group of Iranian women.

People in Iran  are broken and receptive to the gospel. The country is facing an economic crisis. Drug addiction and joblessness are rampant. But women are especially open to the gospel because so many of them are being abused.

In addition, Islam doesn't exactly offer hope of paradise for women (The Koran describes the afterlife as a place where men are given virgins for their enjoyment. And some of the hadiths, or collections of the sayings and actions of Muhammad describe heaven as a "slave market where there will be "no buy and sale, but.... If any man will wish to have sexual intercourse with a woman, he will do it at once.")

The women are coming to Christ in large numbers and making a huge difference, despite their low standing in the culture. Many of the converts are women who have shared the gospel with other women, seeking not merely to convert them, but also to disciple them.Others are coming to Christ through supernatural encounters with Jesus. One woman had sought to kill herself by hanging but, instead, blacked out, had a vision of Jesus rescuing her and then woke to find the copper cable she had used to hang herself laying perfectly straight on the floor.

I look forward to receiving a comment from you and please let me know what we can pray for you.

Blessings,
Loes