SOS Synopsis; Day 3!

Saturday morning’s keynote session was presented by Mr. Kevin Swanson, in which he spoke on The Sufficiency of Scripture for your Educational Decisions. I have listened to Mr. Swanson on his radio program (Generations Radio), but had never actually seen him speak. I’m here to tell you that he is an excellent speaker and a thrill to watch! He is extremely passionate about the topics he chooses to speak on and his body language reflects that. His message essentially defended biblical home education, but instead of turning to Deuteronomy 6 or Ephesians 5, Mr. Swanson took us to the book of Proverbs; a book dedicated to education.


Mr. Swanson set the table by demonstrating that in the book of Proverbs, and in many other places throughout Scripture, our wise God has given us principles for education. But Proverbs is unusual in that it is a book of the Bible devoted entirely to the study of wisdom and how one can, by God’s grace, attain it. Sadly, however, government schools and even most Christian schools and colleges do not teach wisdom from the book of Proverbs, nor do they teach the most fundamental truth of education: Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”


If the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, then what is the fear of the LORD? As Mr. Swanson put it, “Fear of God is knowing there is a God who created everything; He is a God to be worshipped. He is a God who can give and take away, and a God who brings everlasting torment.” Amongst these, Mr. Swanson mentioned several other characteristics of our God that proclaim that He is a God to be feared. He then paused and spoke directly to all science teachers in the room (public, private, home school, and college). Getting down on his knees as he spoke, Mr. Swanson declared, “You have not taught science until you get down on your knees and say, ‘Worship the God who did this!’”


He continued speaking directly to the public school teachers in the room saying that if they are not teaching the fear of the LORD by teaching their students every day that God is the one who has made everything, from the complex structure of DNA to the frog being dissected in the lab, then they are under the judgment of God for not teaching the fear of the LORD! Teaching the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. “You must teach your students how to shake,” Mr. Swanson said. In other words, students should every day be so overcome by the power and fear of God that they shake in fear and wonder!


Mr. Swanson added that this is one of the major problems with our seminaries; God is not real to our seminary students; He is confined to papers and tests. Instead of teaching them the fear of the LORD, we teach them rhetoric. “If we are going to teach them rhetoric,” Mr. Swanson said, “then we must teach it with meekness and fear.” This is one of the principle problems I have with seminary. Though there are notable exceptions, most students go to seminary so they can learn how to become the next Joel Osteen; they don’t go to learn what it truly means to fear the LORD. They go in order that they might learn the newest techniques to being successful pastors by the world’s standard.


But this applies to more than rhetoric and theology. Every single subject must lead back the mystery and power of God, and that (praise God) we will never be able to fully understand Him! Whether it’s government school, private school, home school, or college, “They must be on their faces by the end of the lesson, worshipping a God that they cannot fully understand!” Mr. Swanson also noted, “Unless you have taught a child the fear of God, you have not taught the Gospel,” much less true academics. “We have got to fear Him if we are to love Him.”


When we think of reasons why the Christian faith is dying in the western world, we usually credit it to poor ministry outreach, or the decline in good moral behavior. However, Mr. Swanson rightly said, “The faith is dying in the western world because of education.” According to Mr. Swanson, this has primarily happened through men such as Thomas Aquinas teaching dualism (there should be a separation from the fear of God and the academic or philosophical). Consequently, this is why we have a massive lack of Christians in our social spheres. Parents spend their lives and money preparing their children for a successful career in the futile city of men instead of the everlasting city of God. Instead of concentrating our children’s education around secular men, “give them church history and the best Christian literature you can find.”


By the end of his session, Mr. Swanson was down on his hands and knees; that’s just how passionate he is about the responsibility parents have in giving their children a distinctly Christian education! Unfortunately, so many Christian parents today don’t see this as something they are required to give their children; the consequences of the rejection of this obligation are evident.


I also attended two breakout sessions Saturday: Paul Washer’s The Sufficiency of Scripture for Evangelizing the Nations, and Doug Phillips’ The Sufficiency of Scripture for Culture and Aesthetics. Choosing my favorite of the two was very challenging, but I had to conclude that Paul Washer's message was the most meaningful to me.


Paul Washer really challenged the modern method of reaching the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said, “We seem to care more about making culturally sensitive churches than making Biblically sensitive Churches.” Time after time, I’ve heard missionaries talk about planting churches that are “culturally sensitive.” However, we are not instructed to plant culturally sensitive churches, but Biblical New Testament churches. It doesn’t matter whether we are in America or Brazil, the churches we plant around the world must adhere to the principles laid out in Scripture. As Paul Washer noted, we should not care for the dictates of culture; rather we should only care about God’s dictates and what He has instructed us to do in His Word. As Kevin Swanson commented earlier about seminary, so many prospective missionaries go to seminaries and colleges simply so they can learn new methodologies and how they can adapt and relate to the culture they are going to. Yet this should not be our goal in attending seminary; our goal should be to understand and apply Scripture.

Mr. Washer’s first point:

1) The Scripture is Sufficient to command you to goThe great commission is not an option for believers. Then why do we go?
a. For the glory of GodNot necessarily for the great need in a particular area, but for God.
b. For the sake of the electMr. Washer expounded, “You do not love or glorify God if you do not love people...When we go to spread the gospel we are going to rescue families.”
c. We go for the true conversion of the souls of men and the establishment of biblical churches and families.


As Mr. Washer so well stated, “We are to go out with the gospel of Christ, not with a desire to see people make puny decisions, but to see true Biblical churches.” Mr. Washer gave an example at this point of missionaries going to preach the message of salvation and having hundreds of decisions for Christ. As a result, he plants a church, but the next Sunday there are only a few people who even bother to attend the worship service. It’s because there was no true conversion. If we go to plant churches, we must be willing to be patient, for it could take a lifetime to establish a Biblical church and Biblically functioning families.


Mr. Washer then proceeded to explain the importance of the Holy Spirit’s work, saying that a man who is going to preach the gospel must constantly be praying for the outpourings of the Holy Spirit. For apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we are unable to effectively communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Mr. Washer pointed to the Apostles, noting that even though they had walked and talked with Christ and had seen him resurrected, they still had no power to present the gospel until the Holy Spirit came.

2) We go thoroughly, thus eliminating romanticismWe must not be so dedicated to our ministry that we forget our wives and children; they must be our first priority.
3) We go preaching and teaching
4) We must go prayingMany men are known for their preaching and teaching, but few are known for being great preachers and having a stellar prayer lives. We must be men of prayer.
5) We go caring and loving“In the church, in the new covenant, love is not something, it is everything.” We are to love the most filthy, wretched person alive.


As with the Semper Reformanda Conference, Voddie Baucham was the final keynote speaker of the conference, “batting cleanup.” Scott Brown introduced Dr. Baucham as a man who loves expository preaching and does it well, and I couldn’t agree more! In this message, Dr. Baucham preached through Titus 2:1-6 and Titus 1:5-9, speaking on The Sufficiency of Scripture in the Disciple – Making Ministry of the Church and Home.


The message was very similar to one I heard him preach at the Semper Reformanda conference in October, but many new points were made. First of all, Dr. Baucham gave us an example of a three legged stool, the three legs being:

1) Godly, mature men and women in the church
2) Godly, manly elders
3) Godly, biblically functioning homes.
“If any of these are taken away,” Dr. Baucham said, “Discipleship is greatly hindered.”
He then walked us through Titus chapter two, noting that in verse two the text explicitly says “Older men are to be.” The verb “be” makes it clear that we are talking about older men who are godly and constantly growing in the Lord. This is a man who is yielded to the Spirit and is living the sanctified life.


Dr. Baucham expounded on each one of the qualities listed in Titus 2 for both men and women. When he got to the end he said, “Titus 2 is not a model for women’s Bible Study. Because a women’s Bible Study is an older woman standing in front of other women and teaching them. That’s not in the text.” The kind of instruction spoken of in Titus 2 is relational instruction, which older woman should give younger woman through the process of mentorship, not formal instruction.


Notice also that older men, older women, and younger women all have a list of characteristics they are to exemplify. When we get to young men, there is no list. Dr. Baucham holds the view that Titus chapter one provides the list for men when it speaks of qualifications for elders. There are three reasons why he believes this:

1) ‘Cause there’s no list in chapter two.
2) Elders are commanded to be examples to the flock.
· You can’t be an example to the flock and live by a separate list. In order to be examples, elders must live by the same principles as the rest of the body.
3) There is nothing in Titus 1 that we would be willing to give up for our own sons!


As Dr. Baucham put it, “Everything a man is required to do from the pulpit, he is first required to do in the home.” The office of elder requires a man’s man. As elder, you are a shepherd to the flock of Jesus Christ and as Dr. Baucham so well stated, “Shepherds were tough dudes! You don’t think so? How about you go fight a wolf with a stick!”


“Where can I find an example of such man?” some of you may ask; look no farther than Jesus Christ Himself. In our world today, through art and visual media, we depict Christ as being a glossy, pale, white, fragile human being, but Jesus was a man’s man.

What followed was one of the most stirring, stunning depictions of Jesus I have ever heard put to words! With great infatuation, Dr. Baucham described the real Jesus, and though I didn’t get every word, and though I won’t come close to telling it as Dr. Baucham did, just know that your Jesus is a MAN!

· He conquered sin
· He conquered death
· He conquered the grave
· He’s a warrior who will one day return to this earth on a white horse, with fire in his eyes, and a sword at His thigh
· He walked around with calloused hands and feet
· He chased people out of the temple with a whip
· He overturned tables


I don’t know about you, but my Jesus is someone I would plunge into the depths of the earth after! He is a REAL MAN! When Dr. Baucham offered this description, it was presented with so much zeal and love that it made my heart long to be in Christ’s presence! This is our model for Biblical manhood; let’s strive every day to be more like Him, recognizing all along that without Him we never will be!


I hope you have enjoyed this diminutive synopsis of the conference. Though it was brief, I trust you have been able to acquire some taste of the fantastic teaching we were blessed to have received over last weekend.

Sola Scriptura!

Josh

SOS Synopsis; Day 2!

As I walked through the doors the next morning, one of the first things I heard from Dr. Voddie Baucham was, “It is Biblically indefensible to send your kids to government schools.” Both public education and the church have so indoctrinated us into feminism. How so? It’s not necessarily because we have weak men who won’t stand up and accept their god-given roles as leaders, as much as it is women usurping the man’s role; feminism was born while men were being men. This happened because women were sick and tired of the male functioning in his god-given role as the leader, so they overtook education, knowing that if they could indoctrinate the minds of young people across this land into a feminist mind set, accomplishing their agenda of role equality would be that much easier. Now, this isn’t the only reason we shouldn’t send our kids to government schools, but as Dr. Baucham pointed out this has feminized our men and trained our women to be men who just so happen to be biologically capable of having babies.

Unfortunately, the church has and is doing the same thing. Much of the modern church today is allowing women to assume leadership roles in the church, which biblically they are not qualified to assume, thus feminizing the church, its ministries, and its men.

The premise of Dr. Baucham’s keynote session was that the Scripture is sufficient to define manhood and womanhood. Feminism has taken a deadly toll on both our men and women in a number of ways:

· Masculanized Girls
· Feminized Boys
· Delayed/Confused Marriages
· Plummeting Birth Rates
· Abortion
a. Feminism’s goal is egalitarianism. Thus, its goal is to eliminate ALL differences between men and women (i.e. women should not be having babies if they want egalitarianism).
· Gender Confusion
· An Epidemic of Unprotected Women
· Normalization of Single Parent Homes
· The Acceptance of Homosexuality

Sadly, each one of the above epidemics is being accepted by people like you and I because of our indoctrination into feminism. So, what is the result?

1. Marriage Patterns that do not portray the relationship between Christ and His church
a. Jesus valued marriage so much that He compared it to His own relationship to the church. Thus, if we begin to redefine the roles men and women are to play in the church and family, we are perverting and redefining the gospel!
2. Parenting practices that do not train boys to be masculine and girls to be feminine.
3. Homosexual tendencies and increasing attempts to justify homosexual alliances.
4. Patterns of unbiblical female leadership in the church that reflect and promote the confusion over the true meaning of manhood and womanhood.
a. Dr. Baucham paused at this point and said something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. He explained how we make exegetical mistakes by saying that women should be able to assume leadership positions in the church if they feel called or if they have particular gifts for a certain leadership position. He said, “People say, ‘if a woman has passion and gifts, she should exercise those gifts and override Scripture!’” To which Dr. Baucham’s response was, “What if I have a passion and a gift for polygamy?! Does that, somehow, make it Biblical?”

Then what do we do? Do we just sit around and suck our thumb and reflect on the bliss of the good ole days when men were men and women were women? Dr. Baucham provides an answer to that question by evaluating the life of Adam prior to the fall.

1. Adam had a commitment to God-Honoring work (Genesis 2:15)
a. Yes, in the most perfect pristine environment God said that man must work. The fall simply made the work laborious, and though Eve was Adam’s suitable helper, we are given no indication in scripture that she labored with him.
2. Adam had a commitment to the law of God
3. Adam had a commitment to the family
a. A young man ought to grow up committed to his family of origin. Only when he “leaves and cleaves,” does he set his own vision.

Dr. Baucham closed his message with this statement as he walked off the stage, “Remember, I don’t write the mail, I just deliver it; if you’ve got a problem, take it up with the author.”


I went to several breakout sessions that day, but the one that stuck out to me the most was Geoffrey Botkins’, Applying the Sufficiency of Scripture in the Botkin Family. Mr. Botkin began by asking a simple question, “What happened to the American family?” His answer was one I fully expected; fathers ceased applying and entrusting the Scripture to their families. As a result, the family lost its cultural authority. That’s the American family, but why do most Christian families fail to apply Scripture in and to the family?

1. Most humanistic traditions of men separate Scripture from the family.

And so, the application becomes unnecessary.

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish writing down his second point before it was gone, but he essentially stressed the great need for us to obey the Scriptures. Mr. Botkin said that he tells his sons often, “You open the Bible and find something to obey.” Continuing, “There can be no life without revelation and obedience...The only rule for faith and practice is Scripture, nor can there be Christian civilization without it.”

So, how should Scripture be applied to the family?

1. As the primary imperative
2. As a stewardship of vast custodial powers
3. As the discharge of sacred duty of the dominion mission, guarding the most mature responsibility of marriage – Proverbs 13:13, Micah 6:7-8, Genesis 18:19, Luke 1:16-17
Mr. Botkin then pointed to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and said that Scripture is sufficient for doctrine. As Christians, we are to be legally minded in how we live out our lives, because Scripture is to be applied in every area of life:

· Orthodoxy
· Sovereignty and dominion
· Theonomy/law/freedom
· Jurisdictional Analysis
· Providence and belief
· Antithesis and the battles of our day
· Presupposition apologetics
· Patriarchy
a. A patriarch has influential children; a dynasty that lasts a long time through obedience (or delight) in his commandments – Psalm 112:1-3.

Mr. Joe Morecraft was our first keynote speaker on Friday evening. Mr. Morecraft’s session was entitled, Is the Sufficiency of Scripture a Biblical Doctrine? “It is unbiblical,” Mr. Morecraft said “to say that Scripture is all we have and all we need.” Now, I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I squirmed in my seat at this statement because this was my honest view of the sufficiency of Scripture. However, what followed put my uneasiness to rest. If our view is that Scripture is all we have and all we need, then we forget the good Christian books and pastors. In other words, if we believe Scripture is all we have and all we need, we discard all other outside sources, including pastors and books and in autonomy proclaim, “All I need is me, my Bible and the Spirit! That’s it!”

Now, before you get too excited, Mr. Morecraft defined true sufficiency of Scripture as everything we need to live for God and worship Him. However, some things around worship (i.e. What time will we meet for church? Will we sit in a chair or will we stand?), are left to Christian prudence. Expounding, Mr. Morecraft made several other points about the Sufficiency of Scripture:

· The Bible is the divinely authoritative Word of God.
· It speaks to EVERYTHING.
a. It might not speak directly to a particular situation but its truth still speaks to that situation.
· EVERYTHING must subject itself to the Holy Spirit speaking in and through the Word of God.
· It is our only rule of faith and obedience.
· There is no room for additions or subtractions to its contents.
· It’s applicable to every situation in life.
· It provides us with a perfect gospel.
· It provides us with true and workable solutions.
· It provides us a complete system of law.
· It deals with ALL the practical issues of life.

Thus, Mr. Morecraft’s conclusion is this, “All a person needs is the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and God-ordained aids to understand Scripture.”

Last, our family had the pleasure of listening to Mr. Scott Brown address The Sufficiency of Scripture for Ministry to Youth. In one of his opening statements, Mr. Brown made a clarification about the NCFIC, “We are not rejecting ministry to youth, but we must do it in compliance with the Scriptures.” From here, Mr. Brown put up an excellent defense of the church’s role in ministry to youth:

1. Youth ministry is a well-developed theme in Scripture.
2. Scripture shows the consequences of neglect of youth ministry.
3. Ministry to youth must conform to Scriptural patterns and precepts.
a. i.e. AGE-INTEGRATION not age-segregation.
4. The family has the primary responsibility for ministry to youth
a. Under this point, Mr. Brown stated, with regard to biblical youth ministry, “Vibrant youth ministry is a vibrant marriage.” He supported this claim with Malicah 2:15.
b. In addition, Malicah 4:6 encourages fathers to turn their hearts to their children, and children to turn their hearts to their fathers. This should constitute a major part of youth ministry.
c. Family worship is a key element to ministry to youth.
5. The church has specific duties for ministry to youth.
6. The content of the instructions in ministry to youth is specified in Scripture.
7. Generational faithfulness is emphasized in biblical ministry to youth.

That doesn’t do Mr. Brown justice, but it is a summary of his biblical defense for ministry to youth. However, from this point, Mr. Brown moved into phase two: Characteristics of Modern Youth Ministry.

1. This invention has significant financial resources dedicated to it.
2. Significant personnel are allocated to sustain it.
3. Major cottage industries have grown up around it.
4. Church leaders set aside the comments of God for church and family life in order to grow it.

What are the effects of this movement?

1. Fathers are eliminated from it.
2. Worldly practices were used to popularize it.
3. Cultural fragmentation is used to unify it.
4. Evangelistic impotence is the result.

Hence, here are some necessary questions we must ask:

1. Is it Biblical? – No
2. Did the philosophy originate from godly or worldly philosophy
a. It came from educational revolutionaries (Mann, Dewy, Rousseau, Hall etc...)
3. Does it produce good fruit?
a. Youth ministry is a weed that has gained root in the church so that when you pull on it you pull on everything else in the church.

As you can see, the first point above says that it is not biblical. Why? Let me let Mr. Brown help you. Unfortunately, I missed several of his points because my pen was moving so quickly ;-) but I was able to get the majority of them:

1. No evidence that this practice ever did exist.
2. Not commanded by God.
3. It is a methodological contradiction to clearly defined biblical principles.
4. It is contrary to the ministry and patterns of Christ.
5. It is Contrary to discipleship principles found in Proverbs 13:20.
6. It involves the creation of church officers not ordained by God.
7. Turns children’s hearts away from fathers and to the peers and youth ministers.
8. Divisive to the church by creating generational division and multiple churches instead of a unified body.
9. It inhibits the discipleship process.

This was the best exhortation on the church’s role in ministry to youth I believe I have ever heard! Mr. Brown wrapped this bad boy up with a statement that stuck with me, “The philosophy of modern youth ministry is indisputably unbiblical in its pattern, unchristian in its authority, and destructive in its impact.”

As always, getting to hear these guys live is so much better! No amount of note taking can ever fully demonstrate just how truly awesome these men are! At the very least, I hope it is giving you just a taste of how powerful this conference was. If you have the time, take the journey over to Mr. Phillips blog and check out some pictures of the conference.

Be back soon with Day 3!

Sola Scriptura!
Josh

SOS Synopsis; Day 1!

I expected that I wouldn’t have time while at the conference to post updates, so now that it is over, I’m going to walk through each day and give a synopsis of some of the most meaningful speeches I heard.

We were a bit late rolling into the convention center on Thursday night. It was after six o’clock and none of us had gotten the opportunity to eat any supper. As we walked through the doors, we were instantly greeted by the calm and comforting sound of Mr. Scott Brown’s voice. Unfortunately, we missed the majority of his key note session that evening, trying to find seats and get something to eat.

Doug Phillips took the podium immediately after Scott Brown and spoke on The Defining Battles in the War against the Sufficiency of Scripture. Mr. Phillips argued that one of the comforting things about fighting on God’s side is that we have the assurance of being on the winning team! In defining this battle, Mr. Philips took care to note how important the father’s role is in the instruction of his children; even down to how he handles the very Word of God (i.e. Does he treat it like any other book?). Some of the battles Mr. Phillips mentioned in his session were: The Battles against Satanic destruction (you can be like God), Against Neo-Evangelical Revivalism (Scripture is sufficient; we don’t need the inventions of men), The Battle Against Greek Rationalism, The Battle Against Evolutionary Hegenomy, The Battle over Ethics, The Battle Over Freedom. Mr. Phillips mentioned all these battles and many more in which we, as Christians, are to be engaged.

Mr. Phillips really encouraged Christians not to have a legalistic mindset when trying to interpret Scripture. In other words, he encouraged Christians not to say, “If Scripture doesn’t speak on it, it’s okay.” The Bible speaks to everything; there is no neutrality when it comes to accepting or rejecting the sufficiency of Scripture. Either we accept that the Bible speaks to everything, or we reject it. “It is a source book” as Mr. Phillips said.

Our final speaker that evening was none other than Ken Ham. Ken Ham was given a stirring and well deserved introduction by Doug Phillips in which Mr. Phillips described Ken Ham as the greatest apologist of our day! Ken Ham’s session was entitled, The Genesis 3 Attack, in which Mr. Ham noted that since Genesis 3, the authority of the Word of God has been under attack. In every era, every age, the Bible has been attacked in some shape or form. However, the unfortunate thing is that in our era, the church, the very institution which is to uphold the truth of God’s Word is attacking the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God by denying its foundation: Genesis.

Ken Ham gave a great deal of insight from his most recent book, Already Gone, which I encourage every Christian to read. He explained that because we have advertently, and for some inadvertently, undermined the authority of the Word of God by choosing to believe the philosophies of man with regard to the nature of God, man, and the cosmos, we are losing the next generation of young men and women while they are still in middle and high school.

According the VERY extensive research conducted by AIG, as many as two thirds of the young people in our churches are disengaged by the time they are in middle school; in other words, they’re already gone. This is simply because mainstream Christian America has come to accept evolution as the only answer to the question of origins. Thus, we have rejected the sufficiency of the Word of God and the message our young people are receiving is this, “You can believe in millions of years, but believe in Jesus!” When they attend church, they can’t get past the unfortunate truth that most leaders in the church are hypocrites.

Check back soon for Day 2!

Sola Scriptura!

Josh

SOS Update

Greetings everyone from Cincinnati! Unfortunately I don’t have time to sit down and write a lengthy post about the conference, but I wanted to provide you with a link where you could read up to the hour updates of what’s going on and what we’re learning. I will say that the conference is overwhelming. With hours and hours of profound teaching, and more than 2,600 like-minded people here; it’s pretty exciting. Aside from the awesome teaching I’m receiving, Jonathan and I both chatted with John Moore today (AWESOME young man who is on fire for Christ), about the possibility of working with him on their new film!!! We are going to be chatting with him some more over the weekend, but Jonathan and I are praying that all the details will work out. This could be a launch pad for the two of us. I also bumped into one of the buddies I made at GfBC back in October (small world =)) and we shared a great conversation today.

With all that said, I need to go to bed :) If you want to read more about the conference check out the NCFIC’s blog.

In closing, here is a statement Joe Morecraft made today about the sufficiency of scripture:

“Everything we need to live a life of faith and godliness is found in the Word of God.”

Sola Scriptura!

Josh

SOS Conference!

My family and I (despite the frigid weather), are headed to Ohio for the Sufficiency of Scripture Conference!

I hope to make posts while at the conference about what the Lord, in His providence, will be teaching us, but if I don't get the time, I will certainly post a synopsis when I get home! In the mean time, enjoy the post below ;)

Sola Scriptura!

Josh

What Role are Women to Play in the Church?

I know, I know...This is starting to become a bit of a habit, but I just had to post another paper I wrote for my theology class =)

This time, the article I had the pleasure of reading was entitled, The Role of Women in the Church: A Survey of Current Approaches. Some of you can probably imagine the look on my face when I saw this assignment, maybe something like this: “8D”. Anyhow, the author of this particular article presents 3 views of the role women are to play in the church: the “Non-Evangelical Egalitarian View,” “Evangelical Egalitarian View,” and the “Hierarchicalist View.”

Just so you can have a little bit of background information, here is the author’s brief definition of each view:

Non-Evangelical Egalitarian - “This viewpoint rejects the Bible as an absolute, timeless revelation. The biblical texts are sexist and thoroughly androcentric, requiring a ‘hermeneutics of suspicion.’”

Evangelical Egalitarian – “The Bible does not, according to this approach, teach a man/woman hierarchy nor a submission of women/wives to men/husbands. The true biblical picture, especially from the perspective of the NT, is complete equality between male and female and mutual submission of male and female in Christ. There is a strong emphasis on giving full weight to the cultural conditioning of parts of Scripture and on paying close attention to the historically conditioned ad hoc passages.”

Hierarchicalist View – “Hierarchicalists reaffirm the position of traditional Judaism and Christianity that God has determined a functional hierarchy in the home and in the church. There is a role differentiation between male and female. Males are to lead and females are to follow in church government.”

The author of this article never gave his own personal opinion on the subject, but simply presented the facts and left the reader open to form his own opinion. And so, once again, here was my response:


The author intends to formulate a better, clearer definition of the role women play in the church by writing a non-confrontational, non-bias article. The non-evangelical egalitarian approach is the view which I found most disturbing. Primarily because it rejects the authority and timeless message of God’s Word and its followers choose, as a substitute for our unchanging, infinite God, to be guided by man’s finite whims and doctrines. In addition, this view takes a misguided, feminist approach to interpreting Scripture. For example, it holds that such passages as 1 Corinthians 13:34 are demeaning and oppressive in nature. This stems, I believe, from a misunderstanding of biblical submission, which is neither oppressive nor demeaning (Ephesians 5:15-33). Yes, men and woman are created equal, on that point egalitarians are correct, but someone had to be the “head.” Thus, God, not man, in sovereignty, appointed man to the role of headship (Genesis 2)

The evangelical egalitarian approach at least acknowledges the Bible as the infallible rule of faith and practice, yet, in my opinion, it rejects the authority and infallibility of God’s Word by rejecting God’s created order (1 Timothy 2:13). While I agree with the evangelical egalitarians that men and women are created equal, and while I recognize the huge impact influential women have made in history (i.e. Esther, Ruth), and while I don’t believe women should be treated as less valuable nor inferior to men, I do recognize that they have distinct roles. Just as the Trinity, men and women are equal in nature, distinct in person, and subordinate in duties. This includes both home and church.

In this section, the author makes reference to seven controversial passages of Scripture, including Romans 16:1: Evangelical egalitarians believe this verse teaches that since Phoebe’s name is associated with the word servant (which can mean “deacon” in Greek), she must have been a deacon. Therefore, should we not also allow women to serve in that office? However, though the Greek word “diakonos” in this verse does mean teacher or deacon, it can also be translated “to run errands,” an “attendant,” or a “waiter at a table.” Moreover, taking into count the context, notice the word helper in verse 2, “prostatis.” “Prostatis” is a feminine noun translated, “patroness, or assistant.” This word, then, implies that Phoebe performed acts of benevolence and service to the apostles, specifically Paul. Therefore, I do not believe Phoebe was a deacon. And just as a footnote, how can a deacon be the husband of one wife (1 Timothy 3:11-12)?

Like the hierarchicalist, I believe that though men and women are created equal, they have distinct roles. Clearly, the man is to be the leader of the home and the woman is to lovingly submit (Ephesians 5:15-33). Titus 2:3-5 tells us that the woman’s role in the church is training younger woman, something that is all too often overlooked in the modern church today, and providing general encouragement to the body. That is their ministry, and it is vitally important that they perform this ministry that, “the word of God may not be reviled.”

Personal Conclusion

As Christians, to our own shame, we have allowed the doctrines of feminism to creep into homes and churches across this nation, thus diluting the minds of the body of Christ. As a result, we have turned against the truth of God’s Word and have replaced it with the lies of the culture. Genesis 2 has been described as a feminist’s worst nightmare. In this case, I would argue that it is a non-evangelical egalitarian’s, and evangelical egalitarian’s worst nightmare. From the very beginning, it was God’s intention that the man be the leader in both church and home. However, we have adopted the feminist view that women should be permitted to assume the same responsibilities as men. Thus, like so many other things, the church has decided to acquiesce to the culture, allowing women to usurp men’s biblical role of leadership.

Furthermore, wives are now trying to usurp their husband’s leadership by proclaiming that they have an equal right to be head of the family. Does not the curse warn of this? Genesis 3:16b says, “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” This verse warns that there will be a continuous struggle over leadership. Therefore, allowing women into “the ministry” is compliance with the very curse we are under. 1Timothy 2:12-13 proclaims that in accordance with created order, just as in the family, men are to be the leaders in the Church. Notice, also, verse 12; Paul says, “I do not permit...” This is not a kind suggestion, but a command made by an apostle of Jesus Christ under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

No, He's not Perfect

As the world watches its number one athlete own up to “transgressions” which go back more than two years ago, its people are forced to face the fact that their super star athlete is actually human. On Wednesday, November 25, I was sitting under a tree in the middle of the woods, waiting in vain for even a glimpse of a whitetail, when I felt a buzz on my phone. Upon picking it up, I discovered that it was a text message from my sister, informing me that Tiger Woods had been in a car accident at about 2:30 that morning. I was relieved to hear that alcohol was not a factor, but my mind couldn’t help but wonder why Woods was “sneaking” out so late. My suspicion was that Tiger and his wife Elin had had some sort of disagreement, but little did I know.

As it turned out, Woods has been involved in affairs with at least three different women, and one of them, a cocktail waitress in Los Angeles, has acknowledged that she has been involved with Tiger for 31 months! Though details as to the extent of these affairs remain unknown, Tiger has still lost his reputation as a “spotless” athlete, as well as the trust of his family.

Having had the opportunity to watch the world’s number one play his game on two different occasions at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, I have seen firsthand the throng of people who follow him up and down the fairways, some seemingly in an attitude of worship and admiration as he passes. Now, I’ll not deny that it is certainly exciting to see the best in the game do what he does; both times I have watched him in person I have been beyond impressed with how well he plays the game, but so many others look beyond his golf and see him as a perfect individual. I have even heard people ask, “Is he even human?” I think that what has been revealed over the past week speaks loud and clear to the entire world that, yes, Tiger Woods is human, and, no, he is far from perfect.

In a statement released Wednesday on his website, Tiger admits, “I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect.” Now, some have credited his P.R. guys for writing such a great apology; regardless of whether that is true, it is at least good to hear him own up and apologize for his “transgressions.”

However, what is so upsetting about all this is not all the boys and girls, and men and women, who unfortunately look up to a fallen man, like you or I, as a role model, but that Woods had the audacity to think he could get away with this without affecting his family. After Tiger had his reconstructive knee surgery in 2008, he was quoted a number of times saying how he had enjoyed this time off from the game, spending more time with his family, and watching his little girl (Sam) grow. However, one wonders now what was really going on all those months as Tiger recovered from surgery. Nevertheless, the wise words of Solomon come flooding back into my head, “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” – Proverbs 10:9.

It was only a matter of time before his actions would be discovered. Tiger says in his statement that, “Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.” Whether this is true or not, I don’t know, but I feel for his wife. By his actions, Tiger has spit in her face and said, “I am not satisfied with you, and since I’m not satisfied with you I will go find someone (or three others) who can satisfy me.” Tiger has chosen to go outside his marriage relationship in an effort to find someone that will satisfy him. Whether Tiger knows it or not, his wife is a gift of the Lord. For him to say by his actions that he is not satisfied with his wife is for him to say to God that he is not pleased with what He gave him!

This should serve as a warning to all of us, for we are all susceptible to the same sin as Tiger. The marriage relationship is something that is only done well when both husband and wife recognize that they are mirroring the relationship between Christ and his church. Our carnal man will never be satisfied with one individual unless and until we learn to become satisfied in Christ. As Voddie Baucham says in the sermon attached to this post, “If you are feasting on Christ, all of your needs are being met and your relationship with your wife is gravy. If Christ is my all in all and I am satisfied in him and I look to my wife and say, Oh God that you would satisfy me utterly and completely and on top of that you give me this woman! Read Ecclesiastes if you don't believe. There is no woman or man that will satisfy their spouse, the only one that will satisfy is Christ.”

The end of Tiger’s statement says, “I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.” I hate to say it, but as much as he will try, he will never become a better husband, father, or better overall person in his own ability. That statement is a reflection of him turning in on himself and thinking that in his own self righteousness he can become a better person. The only way he can become a better husband and father is by relying completely on Jesus Christ. Because, apart from Christ, he has no power over his self-centered desires. Unless and until Tiger feeds on Jesus Christ, he will never be the husband, father, or person he could be.

With all that being said, let’s not walk away from this with a “holier than thou” attitude. Apart from Christ, in our own fallen frailty, that’s what we’d be like. If we are to truly become the husbands and fathers God has called us to be, then we must remember these words of our savior:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” - John 15:1-6

Josh