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I have long been interested in learning more about the plight of women (and human beings in general) throughout the world. It is so easy to be desensitized by the comforts of America, and thus be ignorant of the horrors that so many people, created in God’s image, face on a daily basis.

In light of all this, I was anxious to read Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. This book, written by Pulitzer Prize winning journalists and highly secular in its approach, chronicles the various atrocities that happen to women throughout the world. It is not a book for the faint of heart. The material is heavy and the topics discussed are heartbreaking. But, it is a necessary book, one that informs and ignites passion. The stories are real. The people are truly suffering. And the need is great. That being said, a believer would need to read this book with a biblical worldview in mind, as it will not be provided by the authors. But if you care about the women across the world, read this book. It would be hard to read it and not be changed.

Because it is not a Christian book, there are some things I noticed that need to be deconstructed. But there are also helpful assessments too. For a comprehensive take on it, read Carolyn McCulley’s review on Christianity Today’s website. She faithfully deals with the issues presented in the book, while bringing Christ to bear on their situations.

The prevailing thought in my head (and heart) as I read this book is that we cannot be ignorant of the horrific things happening to women and children in this world. It is so easy to live our relatively easy lives and never know what happens across the ocean, or in our own backyards. Reading this book will not allow you to stay ignorant. Even as you read this, women in Africa are languishing alone due to treatable deformities called fistulas. Little girls and young women in India are trafficked, sold like property for sex. And the eastern Congo is the world capital for rape. As women who follow Christ, we should care about those who are destitute, despised, and distraught. We cannot live silently, acting as though these things are not our problem. They are our problem. But our care for them should not merely be activism, because activism without Christ does not truly bring good and healing to anyone.

And that was noticeably absent in this book. It is good and right to be educated about fistulas, trafficking, and rape. And it is good and right to be outraged and ready to take action. But education and passion are not enough. Women need Christ, like we all do. The only hope for the despised woman suffering from obstetric fistula in Africa is that Jesus is the great Physician who can heal her body and her soul.

So, if your heart is stirred to be aware about the plight of women worldwide, read this book. I hope you do. It will open your eyes. But read it with a Bible in hand, asking God to make you not merely an activist for external change, but an activist for Christ’s eternally transforming work for the weary and despised.

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The breathtaking pace of the moral revolution now transforming Western cultures staggers belief. In the course of a single generation, the sexual morality that has survived for thousands of years is giving way to a radically different moral understanding. Just consider the couple in the United Kingdom who were recently found guilty of discrimination because they allowed only married couples to share a bed at their small hotel.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull own a bed and breakfast hotel in Cornwall. In September of 2008, a homosexual couple requested a single bed and was denied that accommodation by the Bulls. The couple sued, and this week a judge found the Bulls guilty of discrimination under Britain’s Equality Act of 2007.

What makes this case particularly troubling is the nature of the judge’s decision.

Judge Andrew Rutherford ruled that the Bulls would have to sacrifice their Christian convictions if they intend to own and manage their hotel. Mrs. Bull told the court, “We accept that the Bible is the holy living word of God and we endeavor to follow it as far as we are able.” In this specific case, it meant that the Bulls would restrict rooms with a double bed to married couples. They enforced this policy regardless of sexual orientation — a point acknowledged by the judge.

Read the entire post here:

http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/01/21/now-it-is-the-other-way-around-the-moral-revolution-in-full-view/

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With thousands of great books available and the endless glut of teaching available on the web, it is virtually impossible to find a truly unique source on any theological or biblical topic. But Crossway recently published a book on the topic of singleness that is genuinely like no other I have seen. In Redeeming Singleness: How the Storyline of Scripture Affirms the Single Life, Barry Danylak, the author provides serious, detailed theological reflection on the topic of singleness and sets single Christian living firmly within the biblical storyline of redemption.

Writes Danylak, “Why would a theology of singleness be even remotely helpful? The answer is that theology provides a degree of logic and coherence for understanding our faith. It is theology that provides the handles for us to  make sense of both what we believe as Christians and why we believe it. So our purpose here is to explore the logic and coherency of why the Christian Scriptures affirm singleness as good in a world in which sexual partnerships and marriage are the pervasive norm for human beings.”

Redeeming Singleness, which includes a foreword by John Piper, begins where Scripture begins “by examining the importance of marriage and procreation within the pre-history of the old covenant, namely in the accounts of creation and the patriarchs.” From there, the work examines “the new hope given singles and those without children amidst the prophets’ expectant hope of a new work in God.”

 Danylak’s work also teases out the New Testament’s teaching on singleness and provides  an in-depth look at Paul’s critical discussion of singleness in 1 Corinthians 7. Best of all, the entire book keeps readers focused on the center of the storyline which is Christ and His redeeming love for sinners in the Gospel. Danylak is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cambridge who holds graduate degrees in math, Christian thought and biblical exegesis.

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“NEW DATING BOOK Says Feminism Ruins Relationships, Women Can Stop Men from Cheating,” read the headline of the December 8^th Fox News article. “First there was the dog whisperer. Then there was the ghost whisperer. Now comes the controversial new dating and relationship guide: The Man Whisperer.” I was hooked.

The self-proclaimed feminist authors claim that feminism has made a mess of male/female relationships. “Feminism teaches women that they are equal to men, but when it comes to love, romance, attraction, and chemistry – men don’t fall in love with a woman because she is an equal. Men fall in love with women who are their compliment: feminine, loving and appreciative.”

I was fascinated. Was Man Whispering just a new face for feminism? A new tool of manipulation? A return to a more biblical relationship model? I simply had to know more! As soon as I could break away from my computer, I braved the 20 degree weather and freezing rain to scurry over to the nearest bookstore in search of this new book – The Man Whisperer. 50 minutes, 3 bookstores and a rain-frazzled hairdo later, I returned in triumph. The next 24 hours of nonstop reading proved to be the most fascinating and horrifying of my adult life.

~ The Fascinating ~

The Man Whispering authors took 236 pages to tell women that being kind, respectful, gentle, supportive, and forgiving will yield far greater results in their relationships than being an argumentative nag. Funny, the Bible says the exact same thing.

Kind:  “And so train the young women to love their husbands… be kind and submissive to their own husbands.” Titus 2:4-5

Respectful: “Let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Eph. 5:33

Gentle: “Let your adorning be… the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.” 1 Pt. 3:4

Supportive: “The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Gen. 2:18

Forgiving: “Be kind to one another, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph. 4:32

Nag: “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a nagging wife.” Prov. 21:9, 19.

There has been a consistent trend in the secular relationship community of rediscovering God’s design for male/female interaction. Of course, they don’t actually recognize it as biblical. But advice like girls not pursuing guys, letting the man be the provider, and being nice to the man you love…. is all clearly straight out of Scripture. I have to hand it to the Man Whisperer authors –they got it right – acting like a nice woman (rather than a bossy man) is guaranteed to improve any relationship! There is a general blessing on anyone who practices these truths, but God has something far greater in mind for his daughters.

~ The Horrifying ~

Man Whispering Motivation: In the words of the author, “Why should you zip it, let him fix things on his own, stroke his ego, and wait for him to do what he wanted? Quite simply, because it gets you what you want in romantic relationships.” There it is. The underlying heart motivation for theses good outward actions (kindness, gentleness, respect, etc.) is selfish. Man whispering is about getting what you want.

This stands in direct contrast to what God has called his daughters to be – true women of the Bible. A true woman is willing and determined to reflect the beauty and heart of Christ to her world. She seeks to live a God-centered life, trusting Him and saying “Yes, Lord!” in all things. (www.truewoman.com) A true woman submits, respects and loves because of what Jesus Christ has done for her, not what she can gain through her nice feminine behavior.

This is what the Man Whisperer idea missed; femininity is not about self, or even about men, it is about God. Wives are called to submit to her husband, because it reflects the church’s submission to Christ (Eph. 5:22-24). Husbands are commanded to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Eph. 5:25-30). “God created us male and female precisely so that we could display the glory of His son (Gen 1:27, 2:21-22). Our sexuality is designed for the glory of the Son of God. Womanhood and manhood are not an afterthought in God’s plan. God designed them precisely so that they would serve to display the glory of Son dying to have His happy, admiring bride.” (John Piper, in Voices of the True Woman Movement)

True Woman Motivation: While true femininity, by God’s design, brings out masculinity, its primary purpose is not self or another person. True Womanhood is about reflecting God’s glory to the world by living in biblical complement to masculinity.

~ The Difference ~

The Man Whisper uses her femininity for her own gain to manipulate her man into acting like a man so she can have the relationship she always wanted.

True Womanhood uses her femininity to bring glory to God which in turn serves as a powerful call for men to rise up to be who God created them to be: masculine co-bearers of God’s glory.

Man whispering is just another human attempt to have the blessings of God without surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is an effort to implement the biblical model for relationships, but without the power of the Holy Spirit it will always be incomplete. For those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ, man whispering is the best they can hope for. They simply do not have the Holy Spirit equipping them to live self-sacrificing, unconditional-love filled, God-glorifying lives. But for those of you who know Christ, you have a choice. Do you conduct your relationships in your own strength for your own purposes? Or do you rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to love and live through you, so that your relationship brings glory to God? The difference between man whisperer and true woman is total surrender to Jesus Christ. His strength. His relationship. His glory.

Man Whisperer vs. True Woman…. the difference lies in the motives of our heart.

Who are you… Man Whisperer or True Woman?

 

(Gabrielle Pickle is a contributor to the Girls Gone Wise blog, where this article originally appeared)

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There are many, many things I appreciate about our dear brother C.J. Mahaney, but perhaps nothing more than this wonderful reality: he has rescued sports from both old-school fundamentalist rejection (“sports are sinful”) and evangelical lite silliness (“on the ballfield, be like David and slay your Goliath”)

 C.J. has redeemed sports by thoughtfully showing how Christian athletes and fans should, consistent with Paul’s admonition in 1 Cor. 10:31, play and follow sports to the glory of God. C.J. has done it in his teaching and preaching ministry and his theologically-informed wisdom is available in a new booklet from Crossway Don’t Waste Your Sports.

 The booklet is written for athletes and their parents and it offers a compelling admonition for players to play their games to the glory of God. “Sports are a gift from God but we’ll waste this gift if we play for our own glory,” he writes. “So how do we play for God’s glory and not our own?” C.J. spends the 56-page booklet teasing out that question. The author opens the fourth chapter with these memorable words:

“Here’s the difference knowing God makes: when I encounter the eternal, almighty, infinite, and merciful God, something changes in my heart. My attention turns away from myself and toward this glorious God. I walk onto the field much less likely to brag, jockey for attention, or try to win others’ admiration. Every play, every inning, every race becomes an opportunity to draw attention to God. that’s what we call worship. And this is why worshiping God isn’t just something we do in church. It’s something we do in all of life, including our sports.”

 Thanks, C.J., for liberating sports for me and thousands of other Christian athletes and fans. Though I am more of the latter than the former these days at 43 (I worked as a sportswriter for more than two decades also), this booklet will help me to point my boys to Christ even as they run bases, return punts and scream bloody murder in support of the Georgia Bulldogs (whose basketball team is an unheard of 12-2 at this writing!). The book includes two sets of helpful application questions at the end of each chapter—one set for athletes and another for parents. To download a free MP3 sermon by the same title as the book, please see: http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/CJ-Mahaney-Dont-Waste-Your-Sports-booklet-1433522470-9781433522475.aspx