Feminism In Christ

The Plight of Feminist Philosophy

How is it that when women leave their jobs for their husbands they're setting back societal advancements, but if they leave work to spend more time with their children or to pursue a different dream it's more acceptable? Feminism is a stinky fish wrapped in silver and bows and we swallow it hook line and sinker. Women want to bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, clean the pan, and ensure everyone has had enough. Meanwhile, men are bringing home bacon, or not. They're frying it up when they want, or not. They're not cleaning it up, and don't have to bother too much with whether or not anyone has had their fill except him. There's a remarkable imbalance and women are tipping the scales to be lopsided against their favor. How peculiar. Are feminists on acid or what? Actually, what is considered feminism is really just a dogmatic approach to human survival, pushing symbiosis of the male / female species into a tailspin and its out of control.

Biblical Standard

Let's go back to the garden. Depending on how we view it, the story of Eden is told twice in two different ways. In the first narrative God makes male and female on the sixth day and doesn't mince words about the order or how it's done or anything like that. He just makes them. In the second account Eve is actually taken from Adam's rib after God recognizes that Adam needs a mate because he is lonely. Okay, let me confess that I like the first narrative better. The idea that men and women were created with equal status in the eyes of God brings joy to my heart. I like to believe the God of the universe was not unclear on the notion that if Adam had been alone in the earth there would be no one else, ever. Maybe that was the intent at first, but I don't think so. In the second narrative God is still not demeaning Eve, or womankind at all. He takes her from the rib of the man so that she can be his partner with equal footing and purpose. Perhaps there would be different purposes, but neither purpose would be less important than the other.

Proverbs 31

If we explore the Bible text more we can see that western ideas about how women should interact with the world around them do not match the biblical standard. I know it's socially acceptable in Christian circles for women to stay home and take care of the house and children, but Old Testament tradition contradicts this ideology. For example, Abraham's servant found Isaac's Rebecca doing work, Jacob found Rachel at work, Boaz noticed Ruth while she was working. In all of these instances the Bible never mentions that the work ever stopped. In fact, the Proverbs 31 woman is so misunderstood because in western culture it's biblical not to work, but this woman is a workaholic. The woman is in real estate, farming, she cooks and cleans, makes her clothes and her children's clothes. She volunteers to help the needy, brings in a second income, and is constantly meeting her husband's needs, whatever they may be. She's kind and has a good reputation everywhere. She owns her own clothing line, keeps an optimistic outlook, and never has idle hands. My goodness, I get tired just reading it. If all women were like her how would earth be? She's amazing, but she's not only a stay home mom. She's also not only a working mom. She does it all.

The Real Problem

Is this the heart of the "feminist" movement? Are women really begging to be Proverbs 31 women while men rail against it asking them to just get in the background and do nothing except please them and keep house? Why would that make men feel better? The answers to that are another blog, but in this context I would contend that the reason there is a feminist movement is that men have deliberately kept women from fully excelling in their God-given gifts and strengths. This requires that women fight to be the partners they were created to be. Men are getting trampled in the fight as women take roles in everything. Jobs and roles that have traditionally been attributed to men are being filled by women. While men are taking jobs and roles that have traditionally been filled by women. The question must be, does that matter? Have we missed the point of God's creation of male and female? The point was to compliment each other. Men and women are supposed to work in tandem to accomplish life's goals of continuing human existence. Fighting for the right to do that is a hinderance to God's original plan. And, it's unnecessary. What man in his right mind would say to his life partner, "No, I don't want you to help me." What woman in her right mind would say to her life partner, "No, I don't want to walk in my gifts and fulfill any calling." The fight is mostly about acknowledgement and relevance.

Perfect Symbiosis

As men and women we must be focused and diligent about letting our partners know how valuable their efforts are to us. Whatever the couple does to accomplish the goal of continuing humanity and maintaining its success in the universe, they should show overwhelming appreciation to one another as they work together to reach it. How do couples do this? Sit together and assess each other's strengths honestly. Look at the ways you compliment one another. Begin to consider these your own attributes. Remember, the biblical standard is that you have become one. If your spouse owns a strength so do you. On the other hand, if they own a weakness so do you. Your strengths blot out their weaknesses and therefore together your are as solid as a rock. Celebrate this by working together. Whatever your life's goals have been up to this point, try to disregard them. Instead, make your "couple goal" sustaining the viability of humanity. Go about centering your life around this purpose peacefully.

Adjust The Goal

Of course, money and materialism have become the goal. In fact, in our eyes if someone has lots of stuff; big, expensive stuff, we think they are successful. We've been conditioned to think this way because if we're not engaging in this process, our economy, and therefore society, would come apart at its seams. But, in keeping our eyes on that ball we've allowed the other to drop. So, humanity is a mess while money gets as much attention as possible. We need to take a step back and re-evaluate our work. Men and women need to work together, not war against each other, to correct societal ills, realign our mission, and put humanity back on track.

Things That Make You Go God

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.

Today my husband, who has become my muse for spiritual thought, and I exchanged ideas about the trappings of this life and their direct contradiction to biblical standards. We weren't discussing the obvious things like cheating or sleeping around or drinking or any other well-known vice that keeps us from knowing and communing with a holy God. We were actually talking about things that fly under the radar, like secular music, trashy television, preoccupation with appearances, otherwise known as vanity, and overeating. 

Initially it stemmed from my sorority. We read some interesting info about its connection to the occult and the implications of still being associated with an org that asks for allegiance to itself. Mind you, I haven't been an active member for 15 years. Still, once you're in, you're in, even if inactive. It occurred to me that when I pledged I was a believer in Jesus Christ, but I was mostly just religious. With that being said, I knew the induction ceremony had crossed a line. Not only was I confessing another god, but I was participating in a strange rite that I couldn't begin to understand the true meaning of. From the time I was inducted I struggled with this aspect of sorority life. I had bonded with my line and some of the older sisters so strongly that I bounced back and forth between wanting to disassociate from the organization to believing I never would since I cared for them so much. My heart would remain torn throughout my undergraduate years until the organization became an accessory that defined me like wearing my hair in a ponytail or singing in a gospel choir.

In any case, our conversation regarded how well-meaning, God loving people join these orgs every year without suspecting any demonic cruelty or devilish intent. So many say they started drinking and sleeping around once they joined. That wasn't my story. In fact, at the same time I became active in the sorority I became active in Campus Crusade for Christ, which I think may have saved me the drama of getting too far away from God and too deep into defining myself by what the sorority was. I was no angel, mind you, but I didn't get too far away from the light because of the group. Any straying was of my own volition. We talked about this and how every day the world presents us with many different ways to cope with the negative thoughts and emotions that life presents. There's food, TV, movies, music, alcohol, drugs, fashion, sports, jobs, sex, relationships, sororities, fraternities, and the list goes on and on of the many things we can use to entertain ourselves or soothe our anxieties. These are all things that in moderation can be harmless, but in the spirit realm they are designed to lead us away from the cross and away from true peace of mind.

The direct contrast to this is the many churches and religious groups that dig in their heels and defy "the world" by obeying a bunch of rules to find God. Some rules; don't watch TV, don't listen to music, don't wear swimsuits, don't eat with sinners, don't wear makeup, don't go to movies, don't go bowling, don't celebrate Christmas, don't celebrate anything, don't dance...at all, and the list goes on depending on what group you're talking about. This goes above and beyond the ten commandments. And, I contend that many of these ideas could probably work. But, it's the heart that matters. If one is refraining from these activities in an attempt to show God they are good it will not work. It will probably lead to a lack of fulfillment and a desperate cry for something more meaningful. It's unhealthy for most and can be quite tragic. What extremely religious groups don't understand is that by making a host of rules the focal point of their worship they have picked up a vice of the enemy that can also be used to distract them from the main purpose. These organizations can be the most dangerous because they think they have almighty God's permission to be calculating and manipulative.On the other hand, if one is refraining from vice and corrupt activity in order to purify oneself so the unadulterated message of who God is and what He wants from you can be well-filtered, then by all means, go for it. This usually stems from a deep desire to be closer to God and to live for Him, not from wanting to belong to a group of humans.  Knowing God and communing in peace with Him is the ultimate goal. He gives us guidelines to allow us to lead fruitful, happy lives, restoring Eden to those who accept and love Him. 

So, no matter what satan uses to distract or tear us away, we must be consciously willing to not use those vices, but to go to God. Praying, reading the Bible, watching God's work in our lives and acknowledging His work in the earth are all ways to strengthen our faith and relationship with Him. Guard your heart and mind. Guard your eyes as well. If this means that lustful songs have to be removed from your playlist, then remove them. If this means you've got to get rid of "skinemax" and other channels with lots of lust driven images, then get rid of them. At the very least, living for God saves you money! With due diligence, keep your heart, mind, and soul protected, and allow your spirit to work with the Holy Spirit as your guide. 

Is God Jewish?

If religion is a blockbuster movie then Christianity is the sequel to Judaism. Jesus was Jewish and so were the disciples and most of the early church. The canon we read is really the Jewish sacred texts with some testaments from disciples and apostles added. By definition Jewish people are descendants of the ancient Hebrew group whose story is delineated as fact throughout the Bible. In fact, it is the most widespread, universally acknowledged narrative of their history. While it isn't always counted as accurate, it is understood to be the text that gives us insight into the heritage from which this particular people group descended.

The Bible speaks largely of the God of the universe communing with the progeny of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then, at the turn of the century, Jesus comes and sees that their leaders aren't accepting the message of grace. So, it is Jesus who opens the door of Heaven to everyone else. That strikes me as odd now. Don't misunderstand, I don't know where I would be had I not been pointed in His direction by the Bible. It's difficult to imagine life without Him and even more difficult to envision life without the profound wisdom found in the Bible. Still, did He seek to alienate all other people groups throughout the earth when He chose Abraham and those of his bloodline to know Him for centuries and even millenia?

I would contend that the answer to that is no. In Acts, the only historic book in the New Testament, the apostle Paul, who is Jewish, makes it clear that there is one Creator for all mankind and that this one Creator produced a way for all of us to come and commune with Him through Jesus's sacrifice, the Holy Spirit, prayer, and good living. So, what about Revelation and Isaiah when it points directly to the Israelite nation being the center of activity for end time phenomena? How does that connect with what Jesus and Paul said about all believers being Jews? And, if there is still an obligation to respect or protect the Israelite people, calling them the chosen ones, where does that leave Christians? So many of the Israelite people did not and still do not accept that Jesus was Messiah, but in the Christian faith that is exactly what you need to do to be approved by God. While the Bible makes it clear that His "chosen" people of the twelve tribes are blind to the truth, it also makes it clear that someday He will allow some to see clearly and be saved as a result. That's great, but still mysterious.

Did He favor a group and leave all the others on earth to flounder, chasing after Him to fill the spot He created in us to seek Him, only to fail at finding Him? Since the beginning of time people have searched for Him and found a kajillion substitutes that don't really make the grade. Was this His purpose? It couldn't be.

So, the questions endure. The wisest thing is to hold out faith and seek His true message for us, to pray, meditate, and pause to consider who He is. We should see evidence of an all knowing, all powerful, lovingly kind, generous God manifesting Himself in those who hold Him in their hearts. It's not by name or religious rules, but by our lives that we will be able to reflect Him, thereby leading more of us to Him. Our integrity, character, and faith point directly to Him.

God isn't Catholic

Religions are so confusing. While I appreciate their sacred value to the participants, it seems they are holding most of us back from the sacred.

I read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John just to remember Jesus. So often the image is distorted by propaganda and promotion through religious leadership. I try to read and ask myself if Jesus would have been an elder with the Jehovah's Witness group. Would Jesus serve with any Mormon bishops? How many hail Mary's would Jesus be willing to say? Would Jesus go to a priest to confess sin? Wait, he knew no sin, but died for ours.

Hmm...Matthew, Mark, and Luke all confirm that the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom at the moment Jesus died. Whether you're in the camp who says they meant it literally or those who say they meant it symbolically, the argument can be made that the significance is the same; it solidified believers' authority to enter into contact with the Father without a mediator.

So why and how do religious tenets consistently contend that they are the final authority and in order to get to Him you must go through them. How strange for the God of the universe to come down to Earth in the flesh and condemn religious leaders for their utter hypocrisy, tell everyone they're welcome to commune with Him now through the sacrifice He was going to make,  and offer them the gift of His Holy Spirit for guidance and comfort only to return to His spirit form to tell a bunch of different individuals with spurious backgrounds to make new rules to follow to get to Him.

Curious. It's also peculiar to see images of Jesus before Catholicism became the standard Christian expression of discipleship. He's got shorter, curlier hair, a beard, and his skin is copper-tone. So, the false image of Jesus that's been handed down for generations is itself calculating, preying on the human mind's perception of things to create a reality that does not now, nor ever did exist. The worst part is that doing this limits our connection to the truth of who God really is. If we were to see beyond religion to the heart of who we are, why we're here, and God's perfect design for us it would end senseless suffering all over the earth. But, religion holds us back. I look forward to the day when we free our minds and become what God always intended.