I have a theory, not new formed.
That one of the reasons that our church is falling, and corrupt, and that no young people will follow the principles of htis age is because we hate ad despise fathers. We do not see being the son of God as something to aspire to, because we are told to be the sons of no one.
But those people had a name, and it was bastard. To be a bastard was to be without discipline, trade or inheritance. It was to lack care, and not learn self discplile. Bastards were not trusted, for they had never learned to trust.
Without an understanding of self-discipline and honour, you have no trust. WIthout trust, no one will do their duty and ring the bell above this sign when they see a shark fin: St Clair has no shark nets, and that bell allows the surfers and swimmers fair warning to get out of the water. One does not argue with a Great White.
To be a son was to be trained, protected, fed, educated, disciplined: at times harshly, by your father. To be a daughter was to be protected and loved by your father and trained by your mother. In our fairy tales the loss of a mother is great, but the loss of a father young is a disaster, and there is a truth there, for the fatherless became the widows and orphans that we have a duty to provide for, train, and protect. [1]
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
I was at a lunch yesterday and there was a discussion of a young girl who is now living with her boyfriend. The grandmother said that you could not stop this. In my society that is correct: young people have their freedom and the anger (or implied violence) that is the patriarchal way of keeping young men fearful and young women with an innocence is now deemed oppressive and cause for incarceration. As a consequence, many children are functionally bastards, because their father is long gone: indeed non bastard is now a privilege you must check.
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905), "Harvester" pic.twitter.com/3jw5URknTv
— Estátua ? (@estatua_rxn) August 18, 2015
Within the church we have echoed this. We praise the mothers, ignoring who the sperm donor is: if it is a loving and faithful marriage or the hellspawn of Tumbler [2]/ If the child has been raised by a father and mother, or if the child was damaged from birth. And considering not the need for theological discipline: preaching not fatherhood, so we understand that we are the sons of God.
As if fatherhood is theologically incorrect.
But it is not. Instead, consider this: Regardless of how we were born, wand in what sin our mother did conceive us, we can be adopted through Christ, and be the children of God. He has no bastards, but instead beloved children.
Choose that. For if we have no family of the flesh, we shall have a family of faith.
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1. preferably by adoption: thanks Mum and Dad for doing so.
2. Or Ashley Madison, which the local paper (publishing the results of a hack) says has 4000 clients in my town.
