True Woman | True Woman Videos: "We're all feminists"

I stumbled across this video today and think it's a great perspective on feminism. Enjoy!
True Woman | True Woman Videos: "We're all feminists"

Defined By God, Not Culture

The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood posted a neat article on their blog yesterday as they looked back over the Time stories that came out last month on the state of women today. The blog post is an encouraging reminder that we need to define ourselves according to Jesus and not culture.

Have a read: http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/More-on-the-State-of-the-American-Woman.

My Response to 'A Woman's Place in Christianity' #3

Ok, here we go ... on to #3 (3 of 10). (If you're just tuning in for the first time, check out my previous posts about 'A Woman's Place in Christianity' and then read my response to Cline's post below):

• A True View of Womanhood
• My Response to 'A Woman's Place in Christianity' #1
• My Response to 'A Woman's Place in Christianity' #2
  

Response #3, Cline's quote from Ambrose:

Ambrose (339-97): "Adam was deceived by Eve, not Eve by Adam... it is right that he whom that woman induced to sin should assume the role of guide lest he fall again through feminine instability."

Ok, I believe that there is some truth to Ambrose's quote here, but again, when used out of context, like Cline has done, it does depict a negative view of Christian womanhood rather than the biblical reality of womanhood. So, when we look at Ambrose's quote, we see a few things:

1. Adam was deceived by Eve, but Eve was deceived as well -- all originating from the deception of the serpent.
2. Ambrose infers that the role of guide, or helper as I've referred to it before, is given to Eve as a consequence to Eve's "deception" or because of her sin. But in actuality, we see in Genesis 2:18 that God designed this role for Eve and every other woman even before the Fall; making the role of helper a beautiful calling, not a consequence or punishment. (Follow the "helper" link above to learn more about being a helper.)
   
3. And while the words "feminine instability" probably drive our blood pressure up several pulses, we do have the tendency to become unstable when we're not living life as God has called us. "Feminine instability" is probably an over generalized term here, but in the case of Eve, when she chose to disregard Adam, follow her curiosity and take control, she did become unstable and gave Satan a foothold, which lead both she and Adam to sin for the first time. So, as women who are prone to desire control and to 'devour' our husbands instead of love and support them, we have to be on our toes and in prayer consistently to flee from our sinful desires and not carry ourselves and our husbands into sin and destruction.

My Response to 'A Woman's Place in Christianity' #2

If you're just tuning in for the first time, check out my previous posts about 'A Woman's Place in Christianity' and then read my response to Cline's post with us:

• A True View of Womanhood
• My Response to 'A Woman's Place in Christianity' #1

Response #2
In Austin Cline's post, 'A Woman's Place in Christianity', he used 10 quotes from historic "Christian" figures and authorities to prove that Christianity promotes a negative view of womanhood. In his post, Cline uses a quote from Tertullian as the 2nd of 10 to 'prove' this point:

Tertullian (160?-220?): "Woman is a temple built over a sewer, the gateway to the devil. Woman, you are the devil's doorway. You led astray one whom the devil would not dare attack directly. It was your fault that the Son of God had to die; you should always go in mourning and rags."

I, however, believe that this quote from Tertullian only paints a portion of the picture here (whether that was his intent or not ... we'd have to see the original text in full context). Some of you may be surprised that I'm even giving the quote this credit, but I believe that Proverbs is very clear about the power that women have to lead people astray when we pursue folly over wisdom, and in those instances it's probably appropriate to paint such vivid images as "a temple built over a sewer" and "the gateway to the devil." Proverbs 5:3-6 says this (this is one of many examples I could use):

For the lips of an adultress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.

Now, when we first read this, it can be very easy to skip right over these verses because we would never consider ourselves an adultress, and for the most part, I hope that's true. But, if we read past the label that this woman is given and into her actions, I don't believe that we're too far off at times. How many times have we used crafty, coy words to get our way ... to talk our way around something ... to ultimately lead someone astray without even realizing it. We're sinful beings, I don't doubt that we haven't done this! If it's for our own gain, for our best interest, I'm sure that it's happened. But we know deep down that the life of folly is not the path to true life. There is hope and a woman's only fate is not destined to that of "a temple over a sewer." Jesus offers us new life and that's the part that is left out of Cline's argument! He forgot to read Romans! Romans 6: 22-23 says this:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is true for both men and women, and this is far from life of folly ... and from a life as a fake temple over a sewer, but the real deal, thanks to the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16)! If Jesus lives in us, we have his Holy Spirit shining through us to resonate the beauty of Christ, not the rankness of sewage. But we have to be cautious not to give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27) and to not lose sight of the grace we have in Christ Jesus.

And to touch on the last part of this quote, "It was your fault [Eve/woman] that the Son of God had to die; you should always go in mourning and rags." This part is untrue. No where in scripture does it say that "woman caused the Fall."But I think that we can infer that it was a 3-tiered problem: 1) The serpent, 2) Eve, and 3) Adam. God reprimands all three in Genesis 3. The serpent was deceptive. Eve stepped out of her bounds, left Adam, took control and was 'convinced' to eat the forbidden fruit. And Adam, in his apathy, just sat back, didn't ask any questions or speak the truth that he knew and ate the fruit that Eve gave to him. Adam failed too because he did not carry out the role God created for him, to "rule over ... every living creature that moves on the ground," including Eve. He just sat back, twiddled his thumbs and allowed her to succumb to her desire to control.

Thus, although it would be easy for me to say, "this statement is not true because I just simply don't want to be blamed for the Fall" and stuck in mourning and in rags my entire life, I know that I can confidently say that this is not true because scripture says that it is not true in Genesis.

My Response to 'A Woman's Place in Christianity' #1

A few weeks ago, (sorry, life's been busy), I posted a link and my reactions to an atheist's view of Christian womanhood, based on Christian history. And while I don't believe that all of these quotes are wrong -- when they are not taken out of context and used to communicate a false image of godly womanhood -- some of them do represent a misunderstanding of scripture and God's call for women (at least in this context ... I'm not sure where these quotes were taken from ... if you have any background knowledge about this information please feel free to share). I know that this happens all the time, and when people use information out of context or information other than scripture and God-honoring references that point back to scripture to summarize 'Christianity's view of women,' you're always going to find a negative and untrue picture. So, in effort to point this argument back to scripture and "redeem" this negative view of Christianity, I am going to attempt to communicate the biblical truth that these quotes miss, even though the author and original commentators of this article will never read it. (The article was written back in 2005.)

(The quotes that were referenced in A Woman's Place in Christianity are italicized.)

Here's 1 of 10 (this may take some time):

Clement of Alexandria (150?-215?): "Every woman should be filled with shame by the thought that she is a woman." This is NOT true!

1. Women were created by God and in His image: Genesis 1:27 says, "... God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Thus, regardless of cultural influence, no woman should feel ashamed for being what God created her to be because 1) God created her, and 2) He created her in His own image, so there is NOTHING for her to be ashamed about! As I've mentioned in previous posts, since God created male and female in his image, each being represents the male and female qualities of God, and without woman, we wouldn't be able to experience that side of God!
2. God said that ALL that He created was GOOD: In Genesis 1:31, on the evening of the sixth day, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." This refers to 'woman' too and thus God sees woman as something good, not something of shame.
3. God praises women: Proverbs 31:29-30 says, "'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." This account is far from shameful, the psalmist says that there are many noble women, but the woman in this passage surpasses them all -- not because of her outward beauty but because of her fear of the Lord -- and for that she is to be praised NOT put to shame!
4. Women are of great worth to God: You may remember from 1 Peter 3:4 that we should have "unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" and it is through that demeanor and heart that Peter says women are of "great worth in God's sight." This is by no means a conditional sort of love, but if we obey God and do as He calls us to do, God can use us in incredible ways and that's of great worth for Him and His kingdom.

A True View of Womanhood?

I was browsing through About.com for an unrelated topic to godly womanhood and discovered this interesting article: A Woman's Place in Christianity, written by an atheist. I feel like I reference a counterrevolution to feminism/societal views of womanhood periodically but I rarely have cut and dry examples of what we're up against. This article is a prime example ... take a look at the comments at the end of it as well.

I can see how the quotes that are mentioned could tick people off and portray a negative view of Christianity and how it depicts womanhood (regardless if these quotes were wrong or just taken out of context) ... it definitely fires me up, heck even the best of us do that though at times, but that's why we can't put our hope in man but in God, the holy creator of the universe! Because of our sinful nature (believers or not), unfortunately we will always have the capacity to lead people astray because we can get caught up projecting our own "righteousness" and not the work of Jesus' grace and renewal in our hearts. We can only lead people to the Lord and trust that he's going to redeem their view of creation.

I would love to hear your comments about this and hopefully put together a 'counter' (on this blog since the article that I reference was written in 2005) to this article referencing where scripture does call womanhood a godly and blessed calling!

Godly Womanhood is INTENSE!

Over the last few days, I feel like being the godly woman that the Lord calls me to be is way too intense for me to handle. Hourly surrendering my thoughts and emotions to the Lord to make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), being a good listener so that I can love my husband well, manage our household, and care for and train our 10-month-old. The days have been so long lately! I'm sure that if I looked at any of these responsibilities at another time, I would say, "What's the big deal?" But right now, everything seems heavy. And when I'm realistic about it, it's because I'm seeking the Lord on the "what" of my role -- what am I suppose to be doing as a godly woman? -- and not the "how" of my role too -- how do I manage all of these responsibilities in a healthy manner!

I posted a week or so ago about how God was using me in a practical way to help my husband, and in that post I said, "This also shows me that being a helper requires a lot of study and intimate time with the Lord." So, in actuality I'm prophetic (not really), but I knew the solution to my problem before it even happened. But I've been so busy knocking out punch-list items for our house renovation (to ease the burden from my husband), that I haven't taken time out to sit myself down at Jesus' feet and allow his strength to carry me.

Matthew 11:28-30 says this:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

And although this verse may seem straightforward, I need to be careful that I don't overlook Jesus' commands for me here. He says, "COME to me," not sit back and wait. He says, "TAKE my yoke upon you and LEARN from me," not wait for it to be given to me (by accepting Christ's grace, He has already given his yoke to me ... I just need to reach out and take it!), and he says learn from me ... that means I need to immerse myself in scripture and diligently pray. How else am I going to learn? If we look back at the life of a disciple in Jesus' day, their diligence and study was anything but casual! In fact, in Greek, the word disciple means an adherent of a particular teacher, and it was the task of a disciple to learn, study, and pass along the sayings and teachings of the master.

When I stop for a moment and realize the contrast between the life that God calls me to live and the life that society deems acceptable and even successful, I can very easily see why that life looks so appealing to women: Do what's best for you. Do whatever you need to do to succeed; it's you're right! Do what feels good ... and the list goes on. That road seems like the easier of the two to travel on. But when I read scripture and see the joy that God gives when we live the life that He has called us to, I see true beauty and fulfillment there, and I believe that it's worth the discipline to get there! We see examples of this in Sarah's life (1 Peter 3:1-6) and in the woman in Proverbs 31 (Proverbs 31:28-31).

Why This Blog?

As I have been exploring biblical womanhood over the past 7 months, I recently came across a book by the name of "Biblical Womanhood in the Home" and after reading the preface, I was inspired to begin this blog. The point that intrigued me so much was how Nancy Leigh DeMoss suggests that the pursuit of biblical womanhood is a counterrevolution to feminism. She explains this as she comments on a 1990 issue of Time magazine that was entirely devoted to the subject of women, which lauded them chiefly for their success in their chosen vocations. Not that a vocation is a bad thing, but DeMoss mentions that the issue failed to highlight the "achievements" of women in the home and how that "role" didn't seem to be one that our culture glorifies due to the "superior challenge" of breaking the glass ceiling. You'll need to read the preface that I linked above to truly understand her point, but despite the freedoms that we have as women in the United States today due to the feminist movement, I believe it causes us to overlook the God-ordained roles and responsibilities the Lord has created us for. They may not be glamorous, glitzy or the same as those that the men in our lives have (God created us to carry out different roles), but if we pursue the work God has set out for us, He will be glorified and He says in Proverbs 31:28,29b that "Her children [will] arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her ..." and "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." (I hope to touch on our different roles throughout this blog.)

Here's what DeMoss has to say,

"As I pondered these things, I began to wonder what might happen in our day if even a small number of devoted, intentional women would begin to pray and believe God for a revolution of a different kind—a counterrevolution—within the evangelical world. What would happen if a “remnant” of women were willing to repent, to return to the authority of God’s Word, to embrace God’s priorities and purpose for their lives and homes, and to live out the beauty and the wonder of womanhood as God created it to be?"

I haven't read anything but the preface yet, so I can't recommend the book by any means (My husband just bought me the book for Mother's Day, so I'm sure that as I work through it, I will share my thoughts along the way), but I was intrigued by this idea, and as I begin this blog, I would love to explore DeMoss' idea of a counterrevolution, generate conversation about biblical womanhood and proclaim the truths about it in scripture.

Plus, as I've begun to explore what it means to be a godly woman, I feel like I have to dig through so many online resources to find examples of biblical womanhood lived out as scriptures says ... examples that are applicable to my life and not the Puritan woman ... and so it is my hope that through this blog, I will be able to share many of the resources I find and share the knowledge that I gain through my lifelong pursuit of becoming a godly woman.