[Vision2020] what the Bible really teaches (was Douglas Wilson on women)

[keely emerinemix]

Tom leads us to a Nancy Wilson article about male headship, quoting the New 
Testament book of Ephesians, ch. 5:22-24.  Verse 25 admonishes men to love 
their wives, as the previous three verses talk about wives submitting to 
husbands.  Interesting that Mrs. Wilson fails to note the contextual verse 
in the passage, Ephesians 5:21, wherein ALL believers are told to submit in 
humility and love to ALL other believers, regardless of gender.  Paul goes 
on, then, to talk to wives about submitting and then to men about loving.

Does any Bible student ever read verse 21 and then 25 and say, "thank God, 
only men have to love their wives -- wives aren't called to love their 
husbands!"  Even without the unambiguous, equally binding  admonition of 21 
-- "submit to one another . . .", no one ever suggests that.  Why, then, do 
we emphasize that ONLY women submit?  Either BOTH submit and love, or men 
love -- women don't have to -- and women submit, men being thusly excused.  
Arguing gender-specific responses in marriage from Ephesians 5 is illogical 
and does a disservice to the text.

My husband and I submit to each other.  That means that two strong, capable, 
kindhearted people seek the best for each other, as we do for those around 
us.  Sometimes it's eating Chinese (my preference) when he wants to eat 
Mexican.  Other times it's his doing all the housework while I recover from 
my shoulder surgery -- with no  thought that he's doing something heroic, 
just necessary -- and sometimes it looks like my agreeing to wait on a 
purchase if he's concerned about the month's expenses, just as he might have 
done the previous month.  It is NOT my asking permission, his ruling from a 
platform higher than mine, or modeling gender hierarchy to our two sons.  We 
model our relationship on the teachings of Christ, who engaged in a radical 
form of egalitarianism regarding women.

The verses after 22 and after 25 talk a lot about Christ, the church, and 
headship, and the subject is summarized in Ephesians 5:33 with a reminder 
for husbands to love their wives sacrificially and wives to respect their 
husbands sincerely.  No wife victimized by sexist and controlling views of 
"submission" ever respects her husband, and I don't know of anyone who can 
argue that the hallmark of "marriage in America"  is that men simply exhibit 
too much loving behavior toward their wives.  Confusion over the meaning of 
"head" -- source? protector? master? -- don't negate the clear meaning of 
the text, and I'm sure that the merry men of Greyfriars are aware of the 
maxim in hermeneutics that unclear passages must be translated in light of 
the clear passages.

A clear reading of the text doesn't give us condescending parables, 
demeaning instructions to wives, affirmation of unchallenged male wisdom or 
easy outs for marital disputes.  It does give us a clear picture of how 
Christ desires the restoration of Eden in equality and realization of 
potential for women and for men.  It shouldn't take a crescent wrench and a 
hammer to pry open the eyes of those who are afraid to see what Scripture 
really teaches.

keely


From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
To: "'keely emerinemix'" <kjajmix1 at msn.com>, <bjswan at moscow.com>,        
<vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Douglas Wilson on women
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 18:40:23 -0800

Lest we forget:

http://www.credenda.org/old/issues/vol4/femi4-6.htm

As Nancy Wilson echoes the teachings of her husband.

Take care, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
My spouse's significant other

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, a drink in the other, body thoroughly used
up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO. What a ride!'"

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of keely emerinemix
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2006 5:50 PM
To: bjswan at moscow.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Douglas Wilson on women

"Horrified" would mean I was surprised.  I'm simply disgusted, particularly
insofar as he finds Biblical justification for patriarchy and female
subordination.

Unabashedly and Biblically feminist by the grace of God,

keely


From: "B. J. Swanson" <bjswan at moscow.com>
To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Douglas Wilson on women
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 17:12:38 -0800

John D,

YES!  I have a hard time finding strong enough words to describe my disgust.

B. J. Swanson


From: John D <johnd550 at yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 15:37:27 -0800 (PST)
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Douglas Wilson on women

Is anyone else horrified by this story?
    http://dougwils.com/index.asp?Action=Anchor&CategoryID=1&BlogID=1837




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