Showing posts with label head of the home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label head of the home. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

Tenet 6

6. A man’s authority in the home should be exercised with gentleness, grace, and love as a servant-leader, following the example of Jesus Christ. Leadership is a stewardship from God. (Ps. 103:13; Mal. 3:17; Matt. 11:29-30; Col. 3:21; 1 Pet. 3:7)
Ps. 103:13 – As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Mal. 3:17 – “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
Matt. 11:29-30 – “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
These verses describe what God is like. Everyone, not just leaders or/ and married fathers, should follow Christ.
Col. 3:21 – Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
I Pet. 3:7 – Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
This tells to understand and honor her, not that you have authority over her. The word “vessel” is usually used in the Bible for the body or material things, and a weaker vessel probably refer to either physical strength, or to the fact that at a time when women often died in childbirth, they were weaker in health.



6a) A man’s authority in the home
TBP have not yet shown from scripture that men have authority that women do not.

b) should be exercised with gentleness, grace, and love as a servant-leader,
Yes, that is how to lead. The problem is when Patriarchy teaches men should lead in areas where the Bible does not prove they should. However gently a man lead where his leadership does not belong, it still is usurping the freedom of another.

c) following the example of Jesus Christ.
Yes. A verse for that will enhance TBP.

d) Leadership is a stewardship from God.
Once again, TBP give no verse for it. Some leadership is stewardship, but wrongly usurped leadership is theft.

Other ways Christians understand this:

Many Christians would not use the term “authority in the home” for an admonition to bring your children up in the faith, something which your wife and your church (and perhaps others) could also participate in. And it is common to believe that wrongly seized leadership is not stewardship.

Summing it up

How reliable is this tenet? I will use a color code:

The color code:
      This is adequately Biblically defended
      This is defended biblically, but another view could also be defended biblically
      This is not Biblically defended
 

6. A man’s authority in the home should be exercised with gentleness, grace, and love as a servant-leader, following the example of Jesus Christ. Leadership is a stewardship from God.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tenet 11: Does leadership in the home carry over into the church and society?

11. Male leadership in the home carries over into the church: only men are permitted to hold the ruling office in the church. A God-honoring society will likewise prefer male leadership in civil and other spheres as an application of and support for God’s order in the formative institutions of family and church.(1 Tim. 3:5)
1 Tim. 3:5 – (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)
First, this doesn’t say that leadership carries over to the church, or that only men should rule the church. It says that those who don’t rule homes well cannot rule the church.
In fact, even the words “a man” in this verse is misleading. The Greek word used here mean “an indefinite pronoun, some or any person or object.” It does not have to refer to a male.

11a) Male leadership in the home
Neither this tenet nor any other have yet sufficiently defended male leadership in the home, beyond the leadership of bringing children up in the training and admonition of the Lord. And even in that, the Bible don’t teach that he has the only voice in it.
b) carries over into the church:
Successful home leadership is required to be a bishop in the church, by the verse provided and by the passage of that verse. But that don’t mean it carries over into the church: Some unbelievers rule their homes well, should their leadership carry over to the church?
c) only men are permitted to hold the ruling office in the church.
No. The text does not say it. Even if 1Tim 3:5 meant males - it actually does not mean that in the original Greek our Bibles is translated from - it stil would not say that.
By comparison to "if a man(anyone) does not know how to rule his (her) house, how will he (that person) take care of the household of God" , I will give this statement: “If a child does not know how to look after his toys, how will he look after a Blackberry phone?” This does not mean only children should have Blackberries. And 1 Tim 3:5 does not mean only men should hold the ruling office in the church.
d) A God-honoring society will likewise prefer male leadership in civil and other spheres as an application of and support for God’s order in the formative institutions of family and church.
That is not in the text at all.
Other ways Christians understand this:
The average Christian fail to see this point at all, as it is simply not backed up by scripture.
Summing it up
How reliable is this tenet? I will use a color code:

      The color code:
     This is defended biblically, but another view could also be defended biblically      This is not Biblically defended

11. Male leadership in the home carries over into the church: only men are permitted to hold the ruling office in the church. A God-honoring society will likewise prefer male leadership in civil and other spheres as an application of and support for God’s order in the formative institutions of family and church.