This is something I thought to share for those that don't mind seeing things from across the aisle. This is written by a CON of a non-oneness denom. Hope it is enjoyed by some.
Warriors,
On the day that Eve accepted the horrible lie of Satan and ate the forbidden fruit, she started a long trail of misery for her sex that continues to this day. Instead of finding he fulfillment in everything that God had already given her, she usurped all of that for the not given. She accepted the lie of Satan that she could have a more enlightened and fulfilling life by declaring her independence from God and her husband and striking out on her own path. What she got was something far different than what she sought.
When God pronounced his curse on Eve, he told her , “Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you” – Gen: 3:15. What he was essentially telling her was that men in their fallen state would exploit the fact that women were created as the weaker vessel. All you have to do read the Old Testament and extra-biblical history to recognize that Eve had it pretty rough in those days.
I have a book in my library entitled, “How Christianity Changed the World” by Alvin Schmidt. Here’s a few excerpts from the book regarding women in Greek culture:
The Greek wife had virtually no freedom. Even in Sparta, where women had more freedom than in Athens, men kept their wives “under lock and key” according to Plutarch. The average Athenian woman had the status of a slave. … a wife could not divorce her husband, whereas he could divorce her at any time. Nonslave boys in Athens were sent to school, taught to read and write, and educated in poetry, music, and gymnastics; girls did not go to school at all. Throughout a woman’s entire life she was not permitted to speak in public. Female infanticide far exceeded that of males. Baby girls were not valued and were expendable.
It is little wonder that in Euripides play Medea laments, “Surely of all creatures that have life and wit, we women are of all unhappiest”. Here is how Schmidt describes life for a woman in Roman society:
Like the Greeks, the Romans valued baby girls significantly less, so they accounted for most of the infanticides. A Roman woman was not allowed to be present with her husband’s guests at a meal. A Roman woman was under the law of Manus which placed her under the absolute control of her husband, who had ownership of her and all of her possessions. He could divorce his wife if she merely went out in public without a veil… she could never divorce him. A woman under Manus was legally prohibited from inheriting property. (Under a) decree issued by Ceaser Augustus (on adultery) a husband had “full authority to chastise his wife and in some cases even kill her” (in the case of adultery). Roman women had little or no property rights. Roman men had no tolerance for women speaking in public settings.
All of this began to change in the early part of the first century. What changed it? Well, as you have probably guessed, Jesus changed it all.
Jesus showed a level of respect and compassion for women that no other teacher of the law ever had or would. Early in his ministry, when the sinful woman was crying on Jesus feet because of the conviction of her sin the Pharisees recoiled in horror. Do you think any other teacher of the law would even let her get near them? Fat chance of that. When Jesus interacted with the woman at the well he was conversing with not only a lowly woman but a Samaritan women – the lowliest of the low and yet he revealed to her who he was even before he revealed it to the twelve. When Mary sat down to listen to Jesus teachings, she was violating the rabbinic law of the day that prohibited a rabbi to teach a woman. Perhaps this is what Martha her sister was really getting at when she tried to get Jesus to send Mary to the kitchen. Instead, Jesus rebuked Martha and told her that Mary had made the best choice. After the resurrection, Jesus first revealed himself to a woman.
Paul’s teaching on marriage in
Ephesians 5:22-33 was a cultural nuclear bomb exploded into first century culture. Neither the pagans or the Jews had ever heard anything like it. The old concept of male patriarchy was replaced with the new concept of Biblical headship and there was a vast difference.
Here’s a great comment from NT Wright on this passage:
The fascinating thing here is that Paul has a quite different way of going about addressing the problem of gender roles. He insists that the husband should take as his role model, not the typical bossy or bullying male of the modern, or indeed the ancient stereotype, but Jesus himself. . . . The church became the Messiah's bride, not by being dragged off unwillingly by force, but because he gave himself totally and utterly to her. There was nothing that love could do for the Messiah's people that he did not do. Paul assumes, as do most cultures, that there are significant differences between men and women, differences that go far beyond mere biological and reproductive function. Their relations and roles must therefore be mutually complementary, rather than identical. . . . And, within marriage, the guideline is clear. The husband is to take the lead—though he is to do so fully mindful of the self-sacrificial model which the Messiah has provided. As soon as "taking the lead" becomes bullying or arrogant, the whole thing collapses.
Here is how Schmidt describes the profound changes to the culture:
Christianity began recognizing women as equal yet complementary to men, all being sacred in the eyes of God. Christian wives did not have abortions (neither did Jewish wives), and Christians opposed infanticide, polygamy, incest, divorce, and adultery, all of which prohibitions added to the well-being of women. No longer serfs to men, women had dignity, could choose their own husbands, enjoyed better marriages, and served as leaders in the rapidly growing Christian communities. Christian women married at older ages than pagan women and into more secure families; if widowed, they were not forced to remarry; and if needy, they were given assistance.
Most modern women in Western society have little realization of any of this. The militant feminists hate Christianity and they are doing everything that they can to remove Christianity’s influence and legacy on western society. Like Eve, they want to turn away from God and men and their families to become all that they can be in their self-actualized self. Like Eve, they also have no idea of what the consequences of their choices will be.
Justin Trudeau is the prime minister of Canada and a self-proclaimed ardent feminist. He recently said this, “Christians are the worst part of Canadian Society”. Does he or any of the myriad progressive political leaders of our day have a clue, or do any of the leaders of the feminist movement have any idea what would happen if the Christian influence is removed from Western society. All you have to do is look around the world at societies dominated by Hinduism or Islam to answer that question. Those societies are actually more reflective of what life has been for the majority of women throughout history. It is only because of Christianity that women have the rights that they do today.
Rodney Stark also wrote a book on the impact that Christianity had on the world. Here’s a quote from his book that I will end with today:
… the "progressive" narrative upon which virtually all contemporary anti-family policies rest is utterly false. Only through Christianity did women receive equal marriage rights and gender equality in voluntary fidelity, and ever since, the natural, private, and monogamous family has been shown to best serve the human needs for love and companionship, for economic and social well-being, and for a stable and loving environment for the rearing of children. The abandonment of these lessons is at the root of the modern decline of the family. Secularized government schemes will only result in further erosion of the rights and benefits of the Christian-inspired institution of marriage, through which the lives of countless men, women, and children have been uplifted. Thus, if we are to restore and protect the family, major reforms of privatization and depoliticization must be achieved. Now is the time for civic, business, and religious leaders to speak out and challenge the current folly. •
God Bless,
Linear Mode
