One of the big criticisms of modern day Western Christianity is that it has colluded with the feminists and become feminised, losing its power and reaching the point where men are actively discriminated against it.

This is different from the attack of the militant atheists — That Christianity is untrue. People like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins are fairly easily refuted. The damage done by betrayal is less easy to deal with.

W.F. Price summarised this as follows.

It’s probably confusing for a lot of people to hear that Christianity has essentially become a female sect, because for years we’ve been hearing about how awfully patriarchal and sexist Christian denominations (and other Abrahamic religions) are, and how the religion is a tool used to subjugate women. Given that churches are now about as female as college campuses (about 60%), folks must be scratching their heads and wondering what happened.

Many of the men writing on this issue, including Dalrock and Elusive Wapiti, are Christians themselves, and they’ve done a great job exposing the rampant man-bashing in contemporary Christianity. Dalrock recently pointed out how Christians even go so far as to excuse female-initiated divorce for trivial reasons, and cannot boast any more success in keeping families together than secular society.

So what’s the deal here? Why have Christians failed so miserably across the board in their sacred duty to uphold the sanctity of matrimony and prevent dissolution?

What’s happening is that Christianity has become an industry of sorts, and it caters to its consumers, who are overwhelmingly female. As wealth has transferred to women, who are the biggest discretionary spenders in the US by a wide margin, churches and preachers have turned to supplication to earn their daily bread.

Now these criticisms need to be taken into account. Paul reminded Timothy to preach the gospel “In season and out of season:. And Peter reminded us that there will be scoffers, but we will be held to account for what we have done.

2 Peter 3:1-10

Lust is not merely sexual desire. It is wish to take, by force. It is moving from appreciation to lechery, from friendship to intimidation, from seduction to force.

Lust is not merely sexual. The commandment that covers lust is not that you will not commit adultery, but that you will not covet that which is your neighbours. You can drool over the new model car, computer or bike, or job, or house. And if you will lie cheat or steal you are falling into what Peter calls the corruption that is in this world because of lust.

2 Peter 1:3-10

3His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 5For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 8For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For anyone who lacks these things is nearsighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. 10Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble.

Now Calvin comments

We have already explained that the design of the Apostle was, to set before us the dignity of the glory of heaven, to which God invites us, and thus to draw us away from the vanity of this world. Moreover, he sets the corruption of the world in opposition to the divine nature; but he shews that this corruption is not in the elements which surround us, but in our heart, because there vicious and depraved affections prevail, the fountain and root of which he points out by the word lust. Corruption, then, is thus placed in the world, that we may know that the world is in us.

But what are we to do instead? We are fallen. We are not perfect. Here Peter teaches clearly, but the application is difficult. We have faith. Add to that goodness, then knowledge (for a child-like faith is not one without wisdom or knowledge. We should not be left with the faith we had at Sunday School), then self control, then godliness, then mutual affection, then love.

There is a foundation, and there are stages in our growth. For the love at the end has to be disinterested. To make it personal, I work in a female-dominated field (health) and almost all the doctors in training I meet are women. I care for these people. I want the best for them. I have to disavow any desire — and a few are training later in live, are around my age, and are not boring (Sorry, but if you are under 30 you are. But it takes stages.

I trust God around faith, but my knowledge is incomplete, I am not that good at controlling myself (particularly around food), I do not think I reflect well the glory of God, and my motives in mutual affection are mixed. I am flawed.

But then Peter did not say that we would become objects of worship. He said we should be like him who taught us.

As it is voting day, Nothing about NZ… but while we vote and talk about the Elton John concert last night, the world continues.

The EU has decided to limit the losses to bondholders. As a supporter of capitalism, I agree with Mish:

That’s right folks, we are going to bail out the banks and no one has to take any losses (except taxpayers of course who will “share” 100% of the risk). Otherwise there will be a “loss of confidence” in the same banks that plowed into Greek, Spanish, Irish, and Portuguese debt because supposedly there would be no losses on sovereign debt.

Now they have taken a no-loss idea that has already blown sky high, and want to expand it to the next level: “no losses on bailouts”.

This plan is so stupid only government bureaucrats could dream it up.

The only true way to restore confidence is to punish banks that make stupid lending decisions

While I am being pessimistic (and on the economy, I am: if you take risk away and make money cheap you will get bubbles, they will burst, and no politician can stop the consequences of that) then Zero Hedge has a pile of nasty facts.

- In Eurozone news, Banco de Valencia is nationalized and signals the first of many more to come in Europe. Belgium, which has not had a government for 18 months now, demands a renegotiation of the Dexia bailout. They demand that more of the weight be put on the French government. Their debt-rating is cut by S&P. A downgrade of France’s credit rating and a scrapping of the current form of the EFSF is practically inevitable. Ireland demands relief in the form of a reward for their sacrifice in bailing out investors in 2008. Greece scraps the orignal bailout with the EU and is now demanding larger haircuts. The core of Europe has officially been infected as Germany experiences a failed Bund auction. The Bundesbank had to step in and buy 65% of the planned sale due to little demand (is this monetization?). Belgian/German spreads hit new highs; Italy 10-yr yields are soundly above the 7% mark; Austria is finding itself on the edge of a banking crisis (which it will obviously bailout, thus resulting in one less AAA country); and Hungary turns hungry. European credit markets are paralyzed. The bulls plead for the ECB to print, however, If they did, then countries would need to become apostates of their sovereignties, that’s unlikely to happen. Preliminary Eurozone PMIs for manufacturing and services sectors continue to report contraction. Germany remains opposed to Eurobonds and ECB printing.

- The deficit committee finally announces the obvious and sets the stage for a feisty but futile attempt to expand the payroll tax and unemployment benefits. The fiscal contraction that would result would be the cherry on top for the recession in 2012. Furthermore another stress-test is in the cards for the banking sector. The scenarios they are using are downright ugly. This is another warning to the sound investor who “reads between the lines”.

- On the U.S. economic front, Q3 GDP is revised downward by 20% to 2.0% from 2.5%. An important leading indicator is pointing to further slowing in the coming months. Business Investment (Core Capital Goods: excluding transportation & defense) takes a sizable hit in the October Durable Good Orders report. It declined 1.8%, while last month’s reading of +2.4% is revised down to a gain of just 0.9%. From an earnings standpoint, guidance for the 4th quarter and 2012 disappoints.

- On the global economy front, China’s HSBC preliminary manufacturing gauge sinks to the lowest in 32 to months on the back of a renewed contraction in new orders. Copper is rolling over as well and is poised to take out its lows next week. These “leading-indicators” of the global recovery are flashing red. Meanwhile, Geopolitical tensions are heating up with a possible showdown in Syrian waters between the U.S. and Russia. Meanwhile, Iran/Israel’s furtive crisis keeps bubbling.

- Treasury yields are raising red flags as well. Yields are back near early October lows and dictate that equity markets have more to fall as they catch up with the asset class that has been right-on in diagnosing the Eurozone crisis. Capital floods U.S. Treasury auctions for the week, indicating a raised sense of fear. Taken together with copper prices and other poorly performing in Asian indices, it’s becoming clear that the global economy has stalled.

Now, it could all turn out OK. The sun will shine tomorrow, we will go to Church, and leave our politicians inhaling four or five espressos (it substitutes for nicotine in negotiations) while they try to put a government together. But there are signs that the global economy is sick…

But there are other forces at work. And they relate to the ways we run our families. Women have this problem. Their peak fertility years are from the late teens to mid 30s. These are precisely the years that they are investing in training for a career — which they will not do full time until their children are at school. (I am not saying these are bad choices. But the way we have things set up has consequences). Dalrock has a post up on this…

. What he is describing aren’t women who work primarily to support themselves and their family, but women who use their education and career as a way to check off the box to prove their feminist credentials before settling down into an entirely traditional role. To answer his specific questions, I think we can manage this issue without formally rolling back feminism 1.0. As I see it, to the extent that this is a problem it will generally tend to resolve itself. As I said in 40 years of ultimatums, women are and should be free to pile on whatever demands regarding marriage which they see fit. If this means demanding that their husband to be wait until they have tired of playing career woman and even assuming a significant accompanying student loan debt and expensive tastes, so be it. But this must be accompanied by the freedom for men to decide whether marriage under these terms is something they want to enter into. The problem isn’t that women are making expensive demands in an effort to prove they are feminist before demanding a traditional role as wife and mother, the problem is the Social Conservatives who are standing by insisting that men marry women under these terms.

So far the much fretted marriage strike hasn’t yet materialized. However, I do think these women are taking a significant risk. To the extent that the whole “Peter Pan” meme is accurate, the current cohort of mid to late 20s women delaying marriage until their 30s have laid the groundwork for their own potential spinsterhood. Men in their age group aren’t getting as strong a signal that working hard to become a provider will result in first a LTR and later marriage. While there may be a growing number of successful men who aren’t willing to marry a woman who waited until her late 20s or early 30s to marry, I suspect the bigger issue is that a significant percentage of men haven’t felt the incentive to prepare themselves as a provider. Even worse, these women playing career pushed out men from their slots in school and the workplace. So the men they one day hope to marry both have less incentive to do the extra work and planning to become a provider and face additional obstacles to do so.

There is a strong meme in the men’s rights movement — don’t marry, for she will leave you (which expands into Don’t live with her because that will be seen as marriage and you will get legally raped by the family courts anyway. This leads to no motivation to succeed — because there is no point in being a provider. Young women are building their careers. Middle aged women are playing the field again after their marriage ends.

But there is hope. At least in Wales, where a man managed to build a hobbit style house for around 10 000 dollars. He clearly was not dealing with the permits from my city council. His new projects are here (the site is down at present).

On a more domestic front. the servers are now running opensuse — if you use the network install you can choose not to have gnome or kde but have games, movies etc. While I’m being geeky, Susan Kare, the artist who designed the mac icons, has a profile about her in PLoS.

Finally, there is an important article in PLOS medicine on recommendations for management of neuropsychiatric disorders. They are useful for setting up services in richer countries as well… as this is what a service should be expected to do… or do better.

Well, we are going to vote tomorrow. There has 64 electorates and 56 list seats… and there are many candidates.

Now, many have a romantic idea of leadership. That one will command and people will serve you. This must never be the case in the Church. We are not here to be like the secular leaders.

Matthew 20:25-28

²⁵But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ²⁶It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

The pyramid of power and riches should be reversed. The lay people have the wealth and power. Well, they are the people who make the food, the shoes, run the medical clinics and build houses. The leaders can and should be supported by the lay people — but they should be not more well off, but less well off.  A pastor is not a Lord of the Church.

Now many miss this. They see the pomp and position, and think there is power hidden there. There is no power but in service, no mana (influence, clout, dignitas) unless you give it away. Those who cling to power will lose it, while those who are prepared to walk away have the freedom to serve.

I think here we can learn from the time of Jesus and the rabbinical code. In that system, all young men were expected to learn a practical trade, so that they could support a family. The priesthood was for the sons of Aaron. Scholars supported themselves. In a similar manner, most priests in the Catholic church are on very small salaries — they do not have a family to support (due to the rules of celibacy) and in the reformed tradition the pastor has a salary around the average of the congregants.

If a pastor is becoming wealthy from preaching, there is something wrong. Leaders should, in Christs kingdom, like Christ, serve.

This morning I am alluding to a Scots preacher. Knox wrote a diatribe about what he considered the unnatural government of women — aimed at the Catholic Mary Queen of the Scots. Needless to say, it was offensive to both Mary, Queen of England, and her sister Elizabeth.

Knox felt it was his duty to correct this error. He was concerned that people would be silent. As he writes.

I am assured that God has revealed to some in this our age, that it is more than a monster in nature that a woman shall reign and have empire above man. And yet, with us all there is such silence, as if God therewith were nothing offended. ]I know the natural man, enemy to God, shall find many causes why no such doctrine ought to be published in these our dangerous days: first, for that it may seem to tend to sedition; secondarily, it shall be dangerous, not only to the writer or publisher, but also to all such as shall read the writings, or favour this truth spoken; and last, it shall not amend the chief offenders, partly because it shall never come to their ears, and partly because they will not be admonished in such cases.

So why am I alluding to such an argumentative and well deceased Scottish Theologian? It is because of something that a woman wrote yesterday. Alte pointed out that the reason that the Conservative Catholics and Protestants are getting abused by the Menz Rights people on one side and the Feminixtz on the other

This. The problem they have is that our opposition is based upon our Bible-based morality (which isn’t restricted to women), and they’re not so keen on all of that

We are dealing with the shameless, and the uncorrectable. And today’s readings are about the judgment of God, upon his people, when they fall away.

ZEPHANIAH 3:1-10

1   Ah, soiled, defiled, oppressing city!

2  It has listened to no voice; it has accepted no correction. It has not trusted in the LORD; it has not drawn near to its God.

3   The officials within it are roaring lions; its judges are evening wolves that leave nothing until the morning.

4   Its prophets are reckless, faithless persons; its priests have profaned what is sacred, they have done violence to the law.

5  The LORD within it is righteous; he does no wrong. Every morning he renders his judgment, each dawn without fail; but the unjust knows no shame.

6   I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate,
without people, without inhabitants.

7   I said, “Surely the city will fear me, it will accept correction; it will not lose sight of all that I have brought upon it.” But they were the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt.

8   Therefore wait for me, says the LORD, for the day when I arise as a witness. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; all the earth shall be consumed.

9   At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.

10  From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, my scattered ones, shall bring my offering.

When a nation becomes without shame the very people who should be correcting and confronting the actions and morals of the nation are silent, the justice system is corrupted, and all that is sacred is shat on.

Contrasting this is what Peter tells us we should do.

1 PETER 2:11-17

11Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 12Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
13For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, 14or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 17Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Now, here I have got into arguments in the last 24 hours. I’d argue that the move to universal suffrage has encouraged politicians to listen to the incontinent, the feckless, and the irresponsible. Before the late modern era — universal suffrage was a Victorian invention — one had to declare (and be taxed on) a certain amount of property to vote. The republic did not take its guidance from the crowds… what they called the mob.

State that now, and you will be called uncaring, unChristian. State that you have a duty of loyalty (not rebellion or sedition) to the authorities and you will either get Knox and Cromwell used as examples against you (when both worked through lawful means until they were exhausted) or be told you do not care for the poor.

The poor will always be with us. But we can minimise the damage that bad decisions make. If we use the rules of society, including honour and the converse shame, we can develop networks of trust. (This is how peer review should work: however peer review is not infallible and relies on honesty, which disappears when science becomes political).

What does all this mean today? Well, I need to fight my tendency to argue intemperately, (an election brings out the snark in me). I need to respect the leaders of my nation. I need to not follow my carnal desires.  And I should not be scared to use shaming language.

For the current culture of the media honours the shameless, And they will fall.

Today’s title comes from a thread about science. .The original text was recycled from Traditional Catholicism, but reposted on TC. Part of the thread was.

(I hope that doesn’t sound pompous and aspergery.)

I think “pompous and aspergery” is our goal. Even pompous, aspergery types need Jesus.

Yeah. There is a place for intelligent conversation. TC is trying to go there — stopping conversations that turn into monkeys flinging mud at each other, and becoming a place for thoughtful conversations. This cannot be a bad thing. But there needs to be a balance.

1 Peter 1:13-23

13Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 14Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

17If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. 18You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. 21Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

22Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 23You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Mission and Ministry — GAMC.

The trouble with living completely inside your head and thinking continually about theological issues is that most people are not there. Most people are swayed by rhetorical manipulation, by their feelings, by what their friends say.

Yes, we need people to think clearly. We need Christian Geeks. Theology Geeks. Traditional theology geeks. As Bonald commented yesterday, the two groups who get in the neck are the hard core, crunchy theological groups who have kept the faith: the Catholics and the Calvanists.

But we need to live it. We need to be doing good. We need to be loving each other.

And the latter is difficult. The intellectual end of the spectrum tends to be full of querulous, crunchy types… and I will confess, like Alte, that I am much less abrasive when speaking than I am when writing. We have to love our brothers and sisters, even though they may be Papists or hard shell Baptists. (and yes I am including the Anglicans. God bless them. The Englishmen who sheltered John Stott, invented the Alpha movement, and more recently developed the 24/7 prayer movement and Boiler Rooms are Anglican. There is live there as well as committees spraying theological DDT …)

We are crunchy, not that socially ept, and combative. We will be accused of being Aspergery, Pompous or both.

Meh. Our job is to be faithful and to love each other.