The feminists are batty. Because you cannot take the nature of the incarnation away, and that includes the fact that Jesus was a bloke. You cannot take away the fact that when he comes again it will be with fire and sword, and the men of the church coming with him to rend justice.
And, again, the Islamists are deluded. For they preach holy war, not knowing what it means, and not knowing how it will end. For in this life our war is not with our rulers but with the evil of this age: and at the end of time evil will be fought and destroyed.
11Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. 13He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.16On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
The belief that Jesus is the incarnate one, the son of God, the Messiah is the foundation stone on which our faith is built. His resurrection is the fundamental fact that allows for our hope and our salvation. And his promise of return is our hope.
But in this time, we are the people who hold the keys. We have the authority to withold and allow. We can preach for good, or we can let our cowardice rule, and evil to come in. Here we can learn from the Romans, for they take this seriously: building a theology on an apostolic succession from Peter. (I think this is a backwards error relating to legends and power grabs during the early middle ages, and there is no papal inerrancy: instead that the church needs to examine and reform itself constantly — but the reformers themselves took this seriously).
For that reason we need church discipline. For that reason we need to consider the leadership of our church seriously, and note that men and women have besetting sins which are different, and how to deal with them. For that reason we have to read carefully Paul’s teaching — particularly to the Corinthians, who disgusted the Romans (and the Romans would disgust the most dissolute attendee of the San Fransisco queer parades). Men and women have not changed, and the dynamics of authority. attraction. and corruption have not changed.
And we have to lose the delusion of the West. That this is a new age, we are modern, and the old rules do not apply. For it is not a new age: when Christ returns it will be. The old rules still apply, for we are human, and all too fallen. And the Church has a duty to discipline, to clean up its, act, and lead by example.