I am not quoting from the beginning ot the epistle in the lectionary today, but I want to allude to this. John started off by saying he was writing to the elect lady. For the Church is CHrist’s bride. TO a certain extent, and as far as a group of people can be aligned, the church is feminine… and Christ is masculine. We obey, he commands.
2 John 1:4-11
4I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. 5But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. 6And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning — you must walk in it.7Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! 8Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but may receive a full reward. 9Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching; 11for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person
John was writing about the proto Gnostics and the dualists: those who could not accept the incarnation of Jesus — that God was in the babe and was the babe that Mary carried in her womb. nowadays, the same heresies occur. It is our duty to deal with the heresies that occur in our time. We do not, for instance, need to deal with the race driven fascism of Germany — Bonhoeffer and Pius X had to.
Our burden is a form of rebellion. I noted at the beginning that the church is feminine, not masculine. It is described as the bride of Christ. And the role of a bride is to be a helpmeet, a willing helper, to do what their husband commands (or should command). God is the captain and owner of the church. We are not.
But… there are a group of women who simply do not want to obey. They want to explore their spirituality, and the teaching about submission is seen as nn anathema. In their view, women should rule, for men are crude, simple, unspiritual, unworthy, and without subtlety.
This is an error. It leads to moral laxity, a lack of fervour in doing good, and death of the church. For the word of God is Christ, and he is alive, active… and able to discern our errors. (I will note that men have made one error in the last two generations in the Church… they have pandered to women power instead of holding to the truth of the gospel).
It is time for men to lead. For doing that is to be in obedience with the teaching of Christ. So let the feminists squeal, they are not of us, and they must not be allowed to deceive us. For we must obey, not rebel.
…Bonhoeffer and Pius X had to.
Did you mean Pius XII? Despite his heroic actions he sadly known as “Hitler’s Pope” in some circles.
I don’t believe the incarnation is hammered NEARLY enough in most God-fearing assemblies. If feminist-minded Christians would understand better the incarnation and that what we do in our physical bodies has eternal consequences, perhaps it would cause them to think twice.
“Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our BODY.” Romans 8:23, my emphasis
Yes Pius XII. I got confused on the number. He was trying to ameliorate the damage Hitler done… and got unfairly blamed for it.
Pius XII was the biggest scapegoat ever there was little more he could have done not to make matters worse. Leave it for Catholic haters and liberal revisionism to not be smart enough to figure it out.
Your post reminds me of the saying – “The nearer the church, the further from God”.
Be vigilant, don’t assume what you encounter in church is holy. & certainly don’t let people pass off heresies as holy doctrine.
It is our duty to deal with the heresies that occur in our time.
But what if things are broken beyond repair? I kinda feel like modern [American] Christianity is a lost cause. [I'm an optimist, but I'm not an idiot - I'm not sure if things can get better. At least not in my lifetime...]
So let the feminists squeal, they are not of us, and they must not be allowed to deceive us. For we must obey, not rebel.
Err, the only problem is, I really don’t know any decent genuine Christian women [well, I guess my Mom. But she practices my father's faith too; so she's not 100% Christian]. I mean, even the Christian women who claim to be traditionalists have rather feminist attitudes.
The main reason why I question the motives of modern traditional Christian women [i.e. I assume they use Jesus as an excuse for an entitlement complex, laziness, or status] is because very few modern traditional Christian women admit that they need their husband. They emphasize how they sacrificed their careers to follow the path of God. They chose to be good, pious Christians, and submissive housebound wives. They live a Christian lifestyle because it’s the best & holiest [highest status? most perks?] option.
…I realize I’ll end up getting even more hate-email for saying that, but it’s what it the whole movement looks like to me. I collect vintage 1950′s debutante magazine – I know what pre-feminism marriage expectations were [I also know how to wash my hair with eggs...vintage beauty advice is weird].
Lately I find myself embracing the Shinto-Buddhist concept of marriage. It encourages the same traditional values of Christianity – but it feels more genuine, and less selfish. It involves admitting that you need your spouse [i.e Amae]. I just wish I didn’t have to turn away from Christianity, to be a decent Christian women.
BF, you have to ignore the churchian women and look to the faith. Seriously. There will be in any congregation a certain number of women who are divisive, heretical or damaging. And they will look holy.
Mistrust them. Listen to those who don’t have it together. For they fall into the error of Laodeceia you say I am rich, I need nothing when you are poor, broken, in rags. We grow through struggle, you know. For the church should not pretend to be perfect now, or nice now. Instead it should pursue righteousness and do good. Which is quite different
“I just wish I didn’t have to turn away from Christianity, to be a decent Christian women.”
By definition, if you turn away from Christianity, you’re not a Christian, let alone a decent one. Your ridiculousness knows no bounds,
Oh, and how can you be ‘a women’? Speak white properly, if you’re going to speak white, at all.
Will, you cannot expect a person who is not a subject of her Majesty to speak the Queen’s English
. BF is not feral (I think: for true trollishness I would have to go to the comments at freeJingie). She is struggling with feral women who claim to be righteous.
None of us are righteous, but we need not be feral.
BF, Don’t hit me I’m a girl is not allowed here. Will was abrasive. I’ve edited him. I’m editing you to
Oh, and how can you be ‘a women’? Speak white properly, if you’re going to speak white, at all.
I have severe dyslexia. One misspelling is a pretty significant accomplishment for me.
I can’t spell, and the joke about the Queen’s English is because none of you spell colour correctly
BF, you have to ignore the churchian women and look to the faith. Seriously. There will be in any congregation a certain number of women who are divisive, heretical or damaging. And they will look holy.
Mistrust them. Listen to those who don’t have it together. For they fall into the error of Laodeceia you say I am rich, I need nothing when you are poor, broken, in rags. We grow through struggle, you know. For the church should not pretend to be perfect now, or nice now. Instead it should pursue righteousness and do good. Which is quite different
But it’s hard for me to ignore people. I’m an extroverted social butterfly [lol, pun].
I just wish the wonderful people and groups I hang out with outside of church – I could find within Church. I have so many nice non-Christian female friends. & when I try to interact with Christian women, I just get told lies, or bullied.
BF, Don’t hit me I’m a girl is not allowed here. Will was abrasive. I’ve edited him. I’m editing you to
He made a racist comment. That’s not “don’t hit me because I’m a girl”. That’s more “don’t hit me because I’m mixed-race”. I didn’t bring my mixed-ethnicity on the Christian blogosphere at first, because IRL [American] Christians do not react kindly it. Christians always seem to find a reason to be hateful and cruel to me.
…it’s hard for me not to blame Jesus for the flaws of his followers. Back in they day, I had been a good devout Christian – I didn’t deserve the emotional pain modern Christianity caused me. I don’t deserve the emotional pain it continues to cause me. Why would Jesus let his vicious followers hurt me? Is he not powerful enough to prevent it?
“He made a racist comment.”
Aw, a fellow mixed-race individual (half-white, half-other) made a racist joke! Poor, poor utt urt…