Yesterday we talked about several important topics that Dads can highlight with their families during the Olympics.  One thing stands out above anything else without any additional emphasis: the desire for victory.  Every athlete is competing to win.

CBS Wide World of Sports used to advertise that they would bring to us, via the televised broadcast, "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."  Why does one thrill us and the other bring agony?  Competition and its press for victory is part of an inherent desire in all of us to be victorious even as all of creation longs for victory (Rom 8:18-30).  It is ultimately seen in Christ's pattern of victory most evident in the resurrection (Rom. 6:9, 1 Cor. 16:20, 54-56, Col. 1:18).

Hebrews 12:1-2 uses the competition imagery found in athletics to make a point.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

There is the expectation here that the runner would be looking for victory - it is the reason he is racing.  The contending, persevering, and enduring, required to win a race are also key elements of Gospel living.  I will use this imagery to point my family to Christ as we are watching athletes from all over the world strive and contend.

In Paul's writings to his son in the faith, Timothy, his language abounds with athletics imagery: "train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come," (1 Tim. 4:7b-8) and also, "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Tim. 6:11-12); moreover, "An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules," (2 Tim. 2:5), and "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing" (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

As my good friend Barak Tjader has said, "Paul's logic means that, while emphasizing the importance of victory in competition, one must never lose sight of ultimate eschatological victory.  Christ receives glory when striving and competing for a temporal crown actually brings attention to and emphasizes the preeminence of the imperishable crown.  For when an athlete strives for victory, and, whether he ultimately wins or loses, he magnifies Christ in that losing when he places hope in the eternal victory of Christ rather than the temporal sweetness of athletics . . . All of this is not to magnify athletics and competition to a place of undue importance.  Rather, a compelling theology of sports must see the longing for victory that makes competition both so appealing and vulnerable as a manifestation of the competitive longing that creation has experienced as a whole ever since God promised that a Man would one day crush the head of the serpent."

My family and I have always loved the Olympics.  We applaud the competition, marvel at the unbelievable sacrifices being made by athletes, cheer when someone achieves something never before achieved, and enjoy the numerous background stories that are shared in between competitions. 

But I plan to be even more purposeful this year as I anticipate my entire family gathered around the television.  As a dad, it is my responsibility to serve my family as I lead and hope to use this international event to create opportunities for discussions about some very important topics.  Here are some things I plan to highlight:

1. Appreciating self-discipline
In order to compete in the Olympics, one must commit to years of training.  Often these athletes will begin as early as 7 or 8 years old, forgoing many things that most people take for granted as part of a normal childhood.  I want my family to acknowledge the hard work required to excel at the highest levels of sport and then be reminded that we are to pursue Christ with that same diligence, self sacrifice and commitment.

2. Adhering to specific sets of rules
Each competition has parameters that everyone knows in advance.  These athletes have been training based on these rules and if the rules are broken, disqualification occurs.  Since "an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules" (1 Tim. 2:5) we can point our families to the Gospel even when someone takes an illegal substance, bends the rules or somehow performs outside of the parameters.

3. Cultivating a love for the nations
When on a recent mission trip to Mexico with my family, I reminded them that we were not on the trip to see how other people lived, or to be more grateful for the nice things we have in the U.S.  We were there to cultivate a love for the nations- every tribe, every tongue.  Get out the globe and as you are watching competitors from all over the world take a minute to find their country.  With a little effort you could find some statistics on the spread of the gospel there and pray for the people in that place. This link provides helpful information for a start.

4. Remembering the persecuted church
Throughout the entire televised event, I will regularly remind my family that in spite of the appearance of economic prosperity and glitz and glamour portrayed by the Chinese government, according to the Rutherford Institute there are 50 to 100 million members of the house church movement that are coming under increasing pressure as the Olympics approaches.  I do not want them to lose sight of the fact that in so many places around the world, believers are entering into the sufferings of Christ for the sake of the Gospel. This link provides more information on the persecuted church.

Over the next week, Gender Blog will be addressing various subjects that will continue to equip you to think biblically about gender issues associated with the Olympics.  We hope to highlight the goodness of God's design of manhood and womanhood on display in this quadrennial competition.  Let us know what you think.

The Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops, which meets once every 10 years, is wrapping up this weekend in Kent.  Issues that some observers believe might destroy Anglicanism have been front and center: homosexuality and gender. However, at its root, the issue dividing theological conservatives and liberals at Lambeth is one of biblical authority.

As R. Albert Mohler Jr. has well pointed out, a fissure between conservatives and liberals within the Anglican fellowship has developed across a geographical fault line: Africa.  Here evangelical Anglicans are proclaiming the Gospel in the face of militant Islam, as well as against Euro-Anglicans who are captive to the culture on issues of homosexuality and gender.

This division, however, is not as tidy as the mainstream media seems to think, Mohler further relates, because there are many conservative bishops in the U.S. and Europe that are vocal opponents of the consecration of homosexual bishops and the ordination of women.  This has been evident at the Lambeth Conference.

As one illustration, African bishops called on openly-gay bishop Eugene Robinson of New Hampshire to resign and save the Anglican Communion. While some U.S. bishops openly expressed anger and hurt over Robinson's exclusion from Lambeth, African bishops have experienced significant support from Anglicans in the U.S. and other countries. Conservative Anglicans have also opposed the ordination of female bishops, which the Church of England narrowly approved earlier this month, just prior to the Lambeth Conference. Arguing that Scripture forbids the ordination of women, more than 1,300 members promised to leave the church over the issue.

While African bishops are clearly leading the way in the assertion of biblical authority within the Anglican Communion, there are many bishops in other places who are holding the line for truth. In the U.S.,  the churches of one diocese in California is leaving the communion over this issue and some Anglicans in Virginia have already left the fold.

Also, more than 230 bishops are boycotting Lambeth because of Robinson's ordination. The most profound division, however, is not geographical; the most basic divide lies between those who bow in submission God's Word and those who stand in authority over it.

Bishop Mouneer Anis of Egypt, Primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, expressed this truth during Lambeth when he called the divisions in the Anglican Communion "unbreachable walls." The division over homosexuality represents a division over the fundamentals of historic Christianity, he said: "We are not divided by mere trivialities, or issues on the periphery of faith. We are finding it very hard to come together in the essentials."

The essentials of Christianity are bound together by a commitment to the sufficiency, authority, inspiration and inerrancy of God's Word. Anis's words point to the crucial area where the tectonic plates have moved beneath Anglicanism, a movement that is shaking it asunder: a wholesale rejection of biblical authority. The venerable Anglican theologian J.I. Packer boiled the argument down to its foundational tipping point in a recent interview: an embrace of homosexuality is a rejection of biblical authority and ultimately, the Gospel. Sadly, Lambeth has illustrated this all too well.

One Sudanese bishop, whom media reports did not name, gave a clear witness to the biblical foundation for Anglicanism's historic view of human sexuality and gender and it is a rejection of the theology herein expressed that has removed Anglicans from the days of J.C. Ryle and taken them where they are today:

"The Bible is very clear about God's plan in creation. He created male and female. And also, the Bible says, ‘Who can advise God on what to do? He does things according to His holy will.' Now, as human beings, who are we to change God's plan? Who is our Creator? When we are changing His plan, we are acting against His holy will, because it was His intention to create male and female. This  can also be seen in insects, birds of the air, bugs-they were created male and female, not male and male or female and female. And the Bible says that  He blessed them and said ‘Be fruitful.' The God Who is saying He is the Way, the  Truth,  and the Life is the God who again in Jesus has told us that God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him shall  worship in truth and spirit."

Amen. As Lambeth adjourns for another decade on Sunday, let us pray fervently for those Anglicans-in Africa, North America and other places-who seek to uphold the authority of Scripture. May God steel their resolve and grant them the grace to remain, like Bunyan's character, valiant for truth, in the war for the heart of the Anglican Communion.

God has blessed CBMW through the godly and gifted men and women he has led to serve as council members of this ministry. One of those council members is Susan Hunt, a wife, mother, and grandmother, who has served for sixteen years as Director—and now as Consultant-to the Presbyterian Church in America's Women in the Church ministry. Susan has written and co-authored a number of biblically-grounded, God-centered books on biblical womanhood, including By Design, The True Woman, Leadership for Women in the Church, Spiritual Mothering, The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood, and Women's Ministry in the Local Church. She has also authored curriculum for teaching biblical womanhood to teen and pre-teen girls.

CBMW would like to highlight some of Susan's upcoming speaking engagements where she is encouraging women to be active in church ministry in many godly ways:

CBMW is delighted to partner with Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Revive Our Hearts to sponsor a pre-conference seminar in conjunction with the True Woman 08 conference, which will be held October 9-11 in Schaumburg, Illinois. The CBMW pre-conference event on October 9 will feature Susan and CBMW board chairman Ligon Duncan speaking on "Implementing a Vision for Biblical Womanhood in the Local Church." A Q&A session will follow.

On November 15, in Atlanta, Georgia, Susan will address "Discipling Using the Titus 2 Model." This seminar, part of a three-day discipleship conference sponsored by the PCA Christian Education and Publications ministry, will explore the Titus 2 mandate calling the church to equip women to disciple women. Susan will present a model for implementing a Titus 2 discipleship ministry and encourage attendees to consider the privilege and responsibility women have of discipling teen girls.

Susan will be the featured speaker at a women's conference at Northpoint Evangelical Free Church in Corona, California, on March 7, 2009. Attendees will hear Susan speak three times throughout the day on "By Design—God's Distinctive Calling for Women." There will also be a Q&A opportunity. 

Many previous messages given by Susan are available on the CBMW website.

In a recent interview with Christianity Today, Dennis Hollinger, new President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, answered questions about important issues facing seminaries including his views on the gender debate. The questions and answers are as follows:

Q: Another controversial issue is gender roles. How do you anticipate managing the ever-present complementarian/egalitarian debate at Gordon-Conwell?

A: I haven't been there yet to get all the nuances. I can simply tell you that one of the criteria that they had for president was a person who would be supportive of men and women in their preparation for ministry. That doesn't mean that everyone at Gordon-Conwell is, but it was significant enough institutionally that that was one of the criteria established in terms of presidential characteristics.

Q: Is that a longstanding rule for Gordon-Conwell?

A: I don't know. I do know that A.J. Gordon himself had a fairly strong support of women in ministry going back more than 100 years.

I agree with his belief that women and men should be supported in their preparation for ministry. However, I suspect that I would disagree, too. Often complementarians are defined as hindering women in ministry—even so far as expressly forbidding it. This is only true if the definition of ministry is limited to the pastorate and eldership, which are biblically reserved for men. We could agree with that because we want to affirm what the Bible says. But also because we believe the Bible, we at CBMW encourage a much broader avenue for women in ministry.

Within the perfect design of our Creator there is a world of possibility for ministry and service to God's Kingdom. When we narrowly define ministry then we miss out on the beauty of all that God has created us, as women, to do. Just because God puts parameters on our pursuits does not mean that the entire endeavor is impossible. We want women to be educated because we want them to see God. Our ministries are not about our rights. Ministry is about leading people to encounter the living God and get a vision of him that is beyond themselves. When ministry is defined only by the pastorate it unnecessarily narrows the range of ministry. Elevating the teaching of men to a higher level than the teaching of women and children gives the impression that somehow teaching men is more important than teaching women and children, which is unbiblical.

I have the privilege of serving on staff here full time where I am consistently encouraged in preparation for ministry. My local church and fellow co-workers consistently encourage and support my academic and job pursuits. Though I am not aspiring to the pastorate, I do desire to help women love studying God's Word. And I have never once experienced any discouragement in that pursuit from my fellow complementarians.

But my experience is not sufficient in defining the terms. God does not condemn women in ministry. He encourages it. Titus 2:3-5 says, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."

We want to be as clear as possible in our definition of terms. Complementarianism opens the door for many ministry opportunities for women. Our prayer for Dr. Hollinger is that he would encourage the men and women at his seminary to know their Bibles, and we pray that for all evangelical seminaries. And at Gorden-Conwell we hope that many women will be trained for biblically faithful ministries to the glory of God.