Women must not be allowed to govern: Biblical Manhood and Womanhood P/2

                                                       Read Part One HERE

In this post I will compare Professor Wayne A. Grudem's lists of 83 church activities with a list of activities the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth about as inspired by the Holy Spirit. This list can be found in I Corinthians 12:4-8

Professor Wayne A. Grudem has said the following:

Scripture teaches some restriction on the roles women may fill in the Church. Generally these restrictions fall into three areas:

1. Governing authority.
2. Bible teaching.
3. Public recognition or visibility.

There are three lists of activities:
In List 1, I proceed from areas of greater governing authority to areas of lesser authority.
in List 2, I proceed from areas of greater public recognition and visibility to areas of lesser visibility.
In List 3 , I proceed from greater public recognition and visibility to areas of lesser visibility.

My Comment:

The job descriptions mentioned in these three lists comprise of a total of 83 positions in the church in order to establish which functions are acceptable to women and which functions are not acceptable to women.

We will now compare these lists of church activities with a list of church activities the Apostle Paul wrote about in I Corinthians 12:4-8 as inspired by the Holy Spirit

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.

The above list of spiritual gifts does not specifically mention that any of these gifts may not be acceptable to women because, apparently, the Holy Spirit, does not make a distinction between male and female believers when giving out His gifts.

In my next post I will compare Professor's Wayne A. Grudem's lists of 83 church activities with another list compiled by the Apostle Paul as inspired by the Holy Spirit, which can be found in I Corinthians 12:28

 

Read Part Three HERE

Women have been given three lists: Biblical Manhood and Womanhood P/1

In this post I will begin to address some issues related to the book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, edited  by John Piper and Wayne A. Grudem

Both men have been involved in the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Professor Wayne A. Grudem has produced three lists of church activities totalling 83 positions in order to establish which functions are acceptable to women and which functions are not acceptable to women, at least according to him.

The reason he believes that certain positions in the church are not acceptable to women is because, according to him, Scripture tells us that there are some kinds of governing and teaching roles that are inappropriate for women.

My Comment:

Scripture does not have three lists comprising of 83 church activities in order to establish which functions are acceptable to women and which functions are not acceptable to women. The reason is that the Holy Spirit has never inspired any of the authors of the Scriptures to write such lists. The Holy Spirit did inspire the Apostle Paul to write four lists but they have not been given to exclude either men or women from functioning in any way in the church. On the contrary, they have been given to encourage all believers, be they male of female, to function in the church in accordance with their God-given gifts.

In the next posts we will look at these lists, one by one, and compare them with the three lists of Professor Wayne A. Grudem.

 

Read Part Two HERE

Religious Leaders have not taught the Truth: World Religions P/4

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In recent posts I have shared statements from other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam and compared them with statements from well known Religious Leaders of today as well as of the past as they relate to the roles of men and women.

From these posts we have learned that the views of Religious Leaders on the roles of men and women is not that much different compared to the views on the roles of men and woman as taught in other religions.

From earlier posts we have learned that, likewise, the views of Religious Leaders on the roles of men and women is not that much different compared to the view of the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle.

From the above statements we could come to the conclusion that Christianity has not really made a great deal of difference in this world, at least not as far as the roles of men and women is concerned, even though Jesus has said that He had come to set us free....

 OR we could come to the conclusion that Religious Leaders past and present have not and do not preach the gospel as the Lord intended for it to be preached, at least as their gospel message relates to the roles of men and women.

Islam versus Christianity: World Religions P/3

                                                     Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Islam, which has greatly influenced the cultures in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi- Arabia to name a few.

The 34th verse of the fourth chapter of the Quran states the following: Men are in charge of women because Allah has made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend their property for the support of women. 

The primary duty of a woman is to obey her husband, not to rebel against him, in things that please Allah and are in accordance with Islamic law.

My Comment:

The above statements are very similar to those of Religious Leaders of today as well as of the past such as

Pastor John MacArthur who has said the following:

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

Evangelist Jon R. Rice who 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 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.

Protestant Reformer John Calvin who has said the following:

In Genesis 2:18 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 he man an inferior aid, in 1 Timothy 2:13 the apostle justly reminds us of that order of creation in which the eternal and inviolable appointment of God is strikingly displayed.

My Comment:

Sadly Pastor John MacArthur's as well as Evangelist John R. Rice's as well as Protestant Reformer John Calvin's understanding of the roles of men and women is more in line with Islam than with the Scriptures. Unfortunately, their views are still very influential in the Church today, which means that many believers, unknowingly, are being taught principles more in line with Islam rather than Biblical Christianity, at least as far as the roles of men and women is concerned.

 

Read Part Four HERE

Hinduism versus Christianity: World Religions P/2

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Hinduism, which has greatly influenced the culture of India.

 Like all the major religions of the world, Hinduism is a predominantly male dominated religion. Women play a secondary role.

A woman's primary duty is to give birth to her husband's children and take care of them.

My Comment:

The above statements are very similar to those of Religious Leaders of today such as

Pastor John MacArthur who has said the following:

Men are in authority and women in submission in general.

A man is the highest manifestation of God on earth... Man is 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.

Seminary Chancellor John Piper who has said the following:

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

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

Sadly both Pastor John MacArthur's as well as Seminary Chancellor John Piper's understanding of the roles of men and women is more in line with Hinduism than with the Scriptures. Unfortunately, their views are very influential in the Church today, which means that many believers, unknowingly, are being taught principles more in line with Hinduism rather than Biblical Christianity, at least as far as the roles of men and women is concerned.

 

 Read Part Three HERE

Buddhism versus Christianity: World Religions P/1

In this post I will focus on Buddhism, which has greatly influenced the cultures in China and Myanmar.

The doctrine of Karma and Rebith, one of the fundamental tenets of Buddhism, has been interpreted to prove the inherent superiority of the male. According to the law of Karma, one's actions in the past will determine one's position of wealth, power, talent and even sex in future birth. One is reborn a woman because of one's bad Karma. Thus the subordination of women is given a religious sanction.


My Comment:

The above statement carries a measure of similarity to those of Regious leaders of the past as well as the present such as

Roman Catholic Church Father Thomas Aquinas who has said the following:

The female is a misbegotten male.

Pastor John MacArthur who has said the following:

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

A man is the highest manifestation of God on earth.... Man is 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.

Seminary Chancellor John Piper who has said the following:

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

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

Sadly Roman Catholic Church father Thomas Aquinas', Pastor John MacArthur's as well as Seminary Chancellor John Piper's understanding of the roles of men and woman is more in line with Buddhism than with the Scriptures. Unfortunately, the views of Pastor MacArthur and Chancellor Piper are very influential in the Church today, which means that many believers, unknowingly, are being taught principles more in line with Buddhism rather than Biblical Christianity, at least as far as the roles of men and women is concerned.

 

Read Part Two HERE

In this post I will focus on Confusianism, which has greatly influenced the cultures in countries such as Korea and China.

The school of thought represented by Confucius has strong contempt for women. It asserts male superiority and female inferiority and holds that women are subordinate to men.

His successor Mencius has said to women: "Do not disobey your husband because to look upon compliance as their correct course is the rule for women." 
This means that women must do as men say and must in no way act against the wishes of her husband.

My Comment:

The above statements are very similar to those of Religious leaders  of today such as

Pastor John MacArthur who 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 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.

Seminary Chancellor John Piper who has said the following:

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

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

Sadly both Pastor John MacArthur's as well as Seminary Chancellor John Piper's understanding of the roles of men and women is more in line with Confusianism than with the Scriptures.  Unfortunately, their views are very influential in the Church today, which means that many believers, unknowingly, are being taught principles more in line with Confusianism rather than Biblical Christianity, at least as far as the roles for men and women is concerned.

In this post I want to focus on a recent South Koren movie "Born 1982." This movie has caused quite a stir in that country's patriarchal and conservative society,  shaped by Confusianism mixed with Taoism and Buddhism.

The movie is about a woman who becomes a stay-at-home mother. Interestingly, the husband helps with the children and the household chores. Men, who have seen this movie consider it "a feminist fantasy."

In reality, women are not seen as individuals, only as mothers, wives or daughters-in-law. Married women are often not addressed by their names but only as "so-and-so's mother" or "so-and-so's wife."

Furthermore, Korean society teaches men through the education system and media that the perspectives of men are most important.

P.S. I my next post I will focus on Confusianism.

Pastors believe women must accept their God-ordained position: Paganism has entered the Church P/10

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In a series of recent posts I have compared a statement from Pagan Greek Philospher Aristotle with statements from leading religious figures, ranging from Roman Catholic Church Fathers to Protestant Reformers to present day Pastors/Authors.

The statement of the Pagan Greek Philosopher Aristotle was as follows:

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

 These posts have covered a period of many centuries. Yet one thing has become very clear: All these men, past and present, seem to have been influenced by past cultures in their view on the roles of men and women. This has caused them and still causes them to believe that women are inferior to men, if not in being, most certainly in function. Sadly their views have influenced the Church throughout the centuries to "keep women in their place" rather than allowing them to function in accordance with their God-given callings alongside men. My prayer is that through a thorough study of the word of God we may begin to recognise that God calls both men and women to serve alongside each other in accordance with their God-given giftings.