Biblical Submission
I’m back from my much-needed hiatus, feeling energized and renewed. Spending time with my loved ones, especially those I haven’t seen in awhile, always leaves me this way. I’m not sure I’m ready to get back to one-post-per-day blogging, but I’m stepping back on the mat for some more swings.
What’s been on my heart lately -- oddly enough in the middle of this glorious holiday season -- is the issue of Biblical submission. It’s one area of my faith with which I tend to bristle. Not that I disagree with the wife’s role or with the idea of submission in general. I don’t think I’ve read a sufficient-enough treatment of the topic. In all of the books or commentaries I’ve studied, the authors tend toward one of two extremes. On the one hand, the submission tub is thrown out along with its bathwater; it’s touted as merely a norm of that former New Testament culture and not true or necessary today. Outdated. Of course, my issues with this are obvious. Where do I, then, draw the line on what in the Bible is true for today and what is not? This is far too slippery of a slope for my footing, especially when my faith is grounded on the inerrancy-of-Scripture foundation. On the other side of the fence, you might find books like Created to Be His Help Meet. I first must tender the caveat that I haven’t actually finished the book. In fact, my mom gave it to me to read, having not read it yet herself, but thinking I might find the time to crack it open before she did (I guess this was her reasoning). And since the only time I can seem to find to read is on the toilet, after nearly two months I still hadn’t gotten past Chapter 4. Notice the tense: past perfect (at least I think that’s what hadn’t is). I hit Chapter 4 and could stomach no more. I promptly surrendered – no, threw the book back at her (not really), asking her to read it first, since she missiles through whole books in mere hours, and I can only plod through them in hopelessly endless months and years.
This book takes submission to the opposite end of the spectrum and seems to imply that women are to be doormats, not voicing our dissent in any form whatsoever, even if it means that our husbands are allowing our children to watch inappropriate, adult-themed TV programs. We are to be merry, thankful, never-with-a-frown-or-critical-spirit angels who promptly remove our husband’s shoes for a much-deserved foot massage at the end of his laborious workday. As my mom retorted, “What about our foot massage?” Again, I haven’t read it all, so I’m no expert, but I couldn’t swallow any more of this book without someone else’s critical perusal of it first. Not that there isn't some good to be gleaned from such a book, just that the hair-raising on the back of my neck was happening a bit too often to allow me to placidly continue.
There is one Pauline passage in I Timothy that I’m still wrestling with in this regard, despite having a deep discussion on it with both of my personal Biblical concordances – my dad and my husband. It’s I Timothy 2:11-15, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” If I were going to brag about my faith or our God, this wouldn’t be the first passage I would be citing as evidence of fair treatment of the softer sex; this is a pretty harsh statement on my part, I realize. I don’t doubt that God has a very good reason for including this text in His written Word. I just doubt man’s interpretation of this passage as I haven’t heard or read a settling interpretation of it yet. Any other perspectives out there?
I can’t wait to ask Him about it when I walk into His throne room someday.
What’s been on my heart lately -- oddly enough in the middle of this glorious holiday season -- is the issue of Biblical submission. It’s one area of my faith with which I tend to bristle. Not that I disagree with the wife’s role or with the idea of submission in general. I don’t think I’ve read a sufficient-enough treatment of the topic. In all of the books or commentaries I’ve studied, the authors tend toward one of two extremes. On the one hand, the submission tub is thrown out along with its bathwater; it’s touted as merely a norm of that former New Testament culture and not true or necessary today. Outdated. Of course, my issues with this are obvious. Where do I, then, draw the line on what in the Bible is true for today and what is not? This is far too slippery of a slope for my footing, especially when my faith is grounded on the inerrancy-of-Scripture foundation. On the other side of the fence, you might find books like Created to Be His Help Meet. I first must tender the caveat that I haven’t actually finished the book. In fact, my mom gave it to me to read, having not read it yet herself, but thinking I might find the time to crack it open before she did (I guess this was her reasoning). And since the only time I can seem to find to read is on the toilet, after nearly two months I still hadn’t gotten past Chapter 4. Notice the tense: past perfect (at least I think that’s what hadn’t is). I hit Chapter 4 and could stomach no more. I promptly surrendered – no, threw the book back at her (not really), asking her to read it first, since she missiles through whole books in mere hours, and I can only plod through them in hopelessly endless months and years.
This book takes submission to the opposite end of the spectrum and seems to imply that women are to be doormats, not voicing our dissent in any form whatsoever, even if it means that our husbands are allowing our children to watch inappropriate, adult-themed TV programs. We are to be merry, thankful, never-with-a-frown-or-critical-spirit angels who promptly remove our husband’s shoes for a much-deserved foot massage at the end of his laborious workday. As my mom retorted, “What about our foot massage?” Again, I haven’t read it all, so I’m no expert, but I couldn’t swallow any more of this book without someone else’s critical perusal of it first. Not that there isn't some good to be gleaned from such a book, just that the hair-raising on the back of my neck was happening a bit too often to allow me to placidly continue.
There is one Pauline passage in I Timothy that I’m still wrestling with in this regard, despite having a deep discussion on it with both of my personal Biblical concordances – my dad and my husband. It’s I Timothy 2:11-15, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” If I were going to brag about my faith or our God, this wouldn’t be the first passage I would be citing as evidence of fair treatment of the softer sex; this is a pretty harsh statement on my part, I realize. I don’t doubt that God has a very good reason for including this text in His written Word. I just doubt man’s interpretation of this passage as I haven’t heard or read a settling interpretation of it yet. Any other perspectives out there?
I can’t wait to ask Him about it when I walk into His throne room someday.
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