Gender Blog

Lawsuits vs. True Equal Rights

David Kotter — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:49:57 +0500

"I am tired of having my rights violated and being treated as a second-class citizen."�

The sentiment captured in this quote echoes a universal cry resonating in the hearts of all people.� Being created in the image of God instills inalienable rights and should guarantee fundamental equality for everyone regardless of gender.� By God's grace over the last century, men and women have responded to this cry and have put an end to many egregious injustices.� We can celebrate today the fact that women in this country now have the freedom to vote, own property, and pursue higher education.� This is pleasing to God, and the impetus to correct evils should not cease as long as gender discrimination like selective abortion, female infanticide, or sexual slavery exist anywhere in the world.

Yet we must be sure that we are guided in this quest by the truth of Scripture rather than a self-defined sense of injustice.� If we replace the sinful pride behind male domination with the sinful pride inherent in radical female liberation, there is no advance in godliness.� Further, the societal tools that have been used to give rights to women are now being unleashed in unintended ways.

For example, the above quote is not from a woman, but a man who recently filed a lawsuit against Columbia University for offering courses in "women's studies" without a comparable program in "men's studies."� The plaintiff, Roy Den Hollander, considers this an intolerable situation that must be remedied by the courts.

His class-action suit accuses Columbia of using government aid to preach a "religionist belief system called feminism" which is discriminatory toward men.� In Mr. Den Hollander's suit, he called women's studies "a bastion of bigotry against men" and said its women's studies program "demonizes men and exalts women in order to justify discrimination against men based on collective guilt."� Such academic programs at Columbia and at universities nationwide, he said, are "spreading prejudice and fostering animosity and distrust toward men with the result of the wholesale violation of men's rights due to ignorance, falsehoods and malice."

Broadening his egalitarian crusade, Mr. den Hollander is also seeking class-action status in federal court for a lawsuit against restaurants and nightclubs, alleging that "Ladies night" —which offer discounted or free beverages to women —illegally discriminates against men.� One of the defendants in this case described the lawsuit as "pathetic."

Unfortunately the courts system will never be able to completely end gender-based discrimination, because it is a spiritual problem of the heart.� While governments are instituted by God to reward those who do good and punish those who do evil, in many cases the court system can only bring equality in the same way that a lawnmower makes a yard egalitarian:� the tall grass is cut down to size.�

The gospel, on the other hand, is like fertilizer on a lawn.� Jesus Christ lifts up the downtrodden and brings a different type of equality at the foot of the cross, where both male and female sinners can find forgiveness.� Only through the transforming power of the gospel will men see women as equal heirs of salvation and honor them accordingly.� Only through sanctification will enable women to assume a complementary role in the home and church and stand against the temptation to conquer.�

Without the gospel, there will never be an end to the court battles seeking to level out unequal rights.

More Women Living Without a Husband

Jeff Robinson — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:30:41 +0500

The New York Times recently reported a profound statistic that bespeaks of a sad state of affairs with regard to traditional marriage: more American women are now living without a husband than with one.

The Times analyzed census data and found that in 2005, 49 percent of American women are living with a husband, compared with 51 percent without. The upshot? Married couples as a whole now represent a minority of American households. In seeking to establish a possible cause for the trend, the Times theorized that cohabitation with a boyfriend or girlfriend, a reality it points out that was once shunned as "living in sin," is now "a rite of passage for many 20-somethings." It does not take a cultural expert to validate that statement as fact. The Times report continues, "At one end of the spectrum, women are marrying later or living with unmarried partners more often and for longer periods. At the other end, women are living longer as widows and, after a divorce, are more likely than men to delay marriage."

Tracy Clark-Flory of Salon.com points out the Times' evidence suggests that women on either side of the spectrum "are finding it easier—at times even enjoyable—to spend time alone."� Clark-Flory recounts a "Chicken Soup for the Single Soul" moment while reading the article in which a divorced women turned down the proposal of a man because she was "just beginning to fly...just beginning to be me," telling her suitor "Don't take that away." Interestingly, Clark-Flory denounces those who see marriage as required for a woman to have a fulfilling life, but then admits, "It's also disheartening that some see legal unions as necessarily sapping one's individuality."

While her concern over the view that says "marriage saps one's individuality" is commendable, our concern over this disturbing trend should be much deeper. Some, indeed, are called to singleness for effective kingdom service, but delaying marriage simply to pursue one's individuality is a choice that undermines the Gospel.

God has created men and women for each other and He has created them to unite in one flesh in a way that pictures the Gospel, Christ's love for His church and a believer's union with Christ. When women or men are living self-focused, "lone wolf" lives, it robs God of His glory as seen in the beautiful covenant union of male and female and denigrates the body of Christ which is a community of persons living in selfless communion with one another—not as individuals who are "just beginning to fly."

Let us pray that God brings revival to the local churches to our land, that this trend begins to go the other way and Christ's love for His church is put on display more and more as we await His return.

More Women Having Fewer Children

Brent Nelson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:08:14 +0500

�

The US Census data as of 2006 shows that in the last 30 years mothers are having one-third fewer children (1.9 versus 2.9 in 1976). Also, twice as many women forego ever having children as compared with 1976. �If this trend continues, not enough babies will be born to replace the population. 2.1 children per woman are demographically needed for this.

What's behind this trend?

The USA Today article speculates that the reason for the decrease has to do with the time women are choosing to bear children.� Women are opting for marriage and motherhood later in life. Noteworthy, the educational level of women who reported the most births in 2006 was that of graduate or professional degree. And women in the work force accounted for the majority, 57 percent of recent births. To put it bluntly, significant numbers of women are choosing careers over children.

Would this decline occur if motherhood, the value of children and the global fame of Jesus Christ were as precious to the American culture as they are to God?

God places motherhood far higher in esteem than the value of a two-income lifestyle. "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels....Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her" (Proverbs 31:10,28). Few career women will find that their bosses, or co-workers, or market competitors will ‘rise up and call her blessed.' And even if they do, those blessings will ring hollow, compared to the sounds of a husband and children who bless her having known her well.

Would that all wives were so prized like jewels at home, that they never let money pressures lure them into the workforce.

Having children then would hardly seem the burden that it appears to be. God's command to "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..." would be seen, not as a burden, but as the blessing He intended it to be. The joys of motherhood, the rich rewards of parenting and the pleasure of passing on our faith in Jesus Christ to the next generation all would take on the treasured status God intends for them to possess.� Even in the midst of the daily difficulties of dishwashers and diapers.

One could applaud the impulse to not have biological children if it were driven by a higher ideal to give oneself to the care of orphans around the world. Steven Curtis Chapman, a man who knows much about God's heart for children, has recently quoted a stunning statistic: if just 7 percent of the 2 billion Christians in the world adopted an orphan, the world's orphanages would be closed!

The great German pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wisely observed, "The test of the morality of a society is what is does for its children." �If fewer and fewer American families choose not to even have them, for whatever reason, the test is complete and the results are not good.

Bless a child today. Choose to start a family if you are married, even by adopting. The rewards are far richer than Wall Street can ever imagine, much less offer.

�

Further Confessions of a Recovering Feminist, Part 3

Courtney Tarter — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:51:19 +0500

Yesterday we talked about how our experience alone cannot shape our understanding of God. But often this begs the question, "What do I do with my pain?" I don't want to pretend that there is not legitimate pain out there experienced at the hands of ungodly people. Even Job did not shy away from this reality. His suffering was excruciating, and to dismiss it without an answer would merely trivialize what he went through. Maybe the same is true with you. You are left wondering what to do now in the wake of a hurtful experience. There is hope for you.

I realize that I cannot know exactly what you are going through. I have never experienced suffering in a seemingly unbearable capacity, but I am a sinner living in a sin-cursed world, and I do have a Bible that tells me about this world and my own sin. All of the pain that we experience, whether great or miniscule, is a result of the curse. And though your situation is real, you are never alone in your pain (Hebrews 13:5b).

I wasn't there, but Christ was when your boyfriend broke up with you. He was there when your father let you down for the tenth time. He was there when your pastor disappointed you with his resignation. The sovereign hand of the Father is on every event that happens in your life. God is so powerful that nothing moves, even Satan, without his approval. We even see in Job's story that Satan had to seek permission before he was able to afflict Job. God is there in the midst of all pain and all suffering. He is the perfect and powerful Father.

But, let me tell you about real suffering—the suffering of the Savior. And he suffered an excruciating death and tasted abandonment by his own father, not only for your sin, but for the sins done against you. He knows our pain because the pain that he experienced, on our behalf, was far greater than we could ever know or handle. We serve a Savior who understands us.

So what do you do with your pain?

God has given us his Word for our good, and that is certainly true as we wrestle through pain. In the Psalms we see honest accounts of people in pain, crying out to God. There is much encouragement to be felt in reading the Psalms. And there is a wealth of rich theological truth about our great God in the midst of trying times. God's people were made to gather together. We were never made to walk through suffering alone, and within your local church you will find people who can hold you accountable and point you to the Savior. Sometimes there is no greater encouragement than to know that someone else knows what you are experiencing. Ask God to help you find someone suffering more than you and minister to them as you walk through these trials together.

When our theology of God is placed into experiential categories we create a God who is fluid and changeable. This is not the God of the Bible, and viewing God this way really brings no hope in the end. And though sometimes it seems like immediate comfort, it will not give us a Christ who saves us and deals with sin—even sin done against us.

Pain is a result of the curse, so we must look to the only One who can free us from this curse—Jesus Christ. And as you look to him know that the wrong done against you will not escape ultimate justice. Not only is there hope for you to be comforted in your pain, but you also have the freedom to forgive your oppressors as you have been forgiven. In all of these things know that the pain and the suffering must be brought to the foot of King Jesus, who knows us and loves us. We can experience the peace that Job expressed (42:5) when he said to God, "before my ear had heard about you, but now my eye sees you."

Further Confessions of a Recovering Feminist, Part 2

Courtney Tarter — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:25:44 +0500

Everyone has experienced painful relationships in some capacity. Whether you are a college student in the wake of a bad breakup, a single woman facing conflict with another sister in Christ, or a wife in a painful marriage, there is no getting around the fact that life is hard. We live in a sin-cursed world where the ravaging effects of sin scar people on a daily basis. It is an inescapable reality that our experiences shape us either for good or for evil. It is common for women to allow hurtful or frustrating circumstances to drive our worldview.

Here is how it happened for me. Two years ago I went through a situation that was both painful and consuming. As I processed through all of the emotions surrounding this time, I would repeatedly make blanket statements about relationships, and people in general. Thankfully, my parents shepherded me through this with the truth that my experience was not a universal truth about the people in my life.�

We are susceptible to this in the wake of every painful relationship—whether guy or girl. When we are confronted with these types of relationships the temptation is to stamp every man like "that guy." The same was true for me. We can probably all agree that we have wrongly judged men on occasion, but do we ever stop to realize that these judgments can be a feminist heart still speaking? �Here are two examples of this lived out.

I have been a part of conversations with girl friends that led to "male-bashing" when a beloved guy did not return the affections offered to him. It is so easy to label all men as jerks when our feelings aren't reciprocated, but to do so is to unfairly categorize all the other brothers in Christ and a man created in the image of God.

An egalitarian conference speaker recently spoke to the issue of pain in women's lives. By using Job as an example, she correlated the tragedy that Job suffered with the sufferings of women who are not allowed to preach in pulpits. She says,

I want you to understand that Job's situation is connected to the sense of pain, loss, and confusion that many women in the church today suffer as a result of the effects of patriarchy.

While you may think that you have not gone "that far" in your thinking, the feminist is in all of us. Adopting an interpretation based on what happens to you can lead all of us to improper assumptions of Scripture. If pain, rather than Scripture, leads us to judge the men around us, what will stop us from taking this to its logical conclusion? To fall into that temptation means rewriting God himself.

Perhaps you are not on a trajectory to new interpretations of key Christian doctrines, but you may have scoffed at male leadership in your church because of the sorrow that men have caused you in your own life. You may deem every man as a moral failure because your father left your mother for another woman. You might even think that there are no Christian men worth talking to because you have been let down so many times. The circumstances that have occurred are sinful, and your pain is real.

But they are not the end of the story. There is a heavenly Father who will never fail you and he will not falter even when every earthly man around you does. Pain and experience cannot dictate our theology. Rather our theology must lead us through the pain and experience. And tomorrow, we will discuss what we should do with our circumstances. I promise you that this answer has hope.

Further Confessions of a Recovering Feminist, Part 1

Courtney Tarter — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:56:08 +0500

A while back I confessed that I am a recovering feminist. I'm still recovering. Hopefully, by God's grace the recovery is farther along than when I first wrote the article—but I remain in recovery nonetheless. For a while I was a blatant feminist, viewing everything through the lens of oppression and freedom from oppression. After conversion I became "tamer." But I still held on to the fact that I could be a Christian and still be an independent woman, free from authority. I didn't need a husband because I was going to do great things for Jesus. Marriage seemed to be a hindrance to these great things.

Thankfully the Lord intervened and opened my eyes to my sin. Apart from his work I would still be wallowing in darkness. In this process of sanctification I have realized that all of us are feminists at heart. And while I am still recovering, I am thankful to be able to say that the recovery has taught me many lessons.

The Lord has woven into my heart a deeper appreciation for marriage, and a greater respect for the married women in my own life. I used to scoff at friends who put their husbands first, but now I see the beauty of a wife who values and treasures the man that God has given her. As a result of seeing this respect lived out, I have grown in more grace in my interactions with men—whether in a dating relationship, friendship, or employer relationship. The Lord has helped me to see that these men are not only created in his image, but also someone else's future (or current) husbands and I must treat them as such.

As a single woman I have learned that the qualities of a godly woman matter for me right now. Marriage does not make someone feminine. Rather, divine design has made me feminine and I must cultivate that femininity now, and flee from feminism. In all of these things, I have learned that it is ultimately not about me and my rights. There is something far greater going on than my meager life. Recovering from feminism has given me greater opportunities to cry out to the Father for more of Christ and less of me, because apart from him I would be lost.

Perhaps you wonder why this sort of response to feminism is warranted. It is very easy to adopt a way of looking at the Bible—a hermeneutic—built around pain and experience (even if you are not a feminist). And because we are so prone to rewrite God into our own image, and thus rewrite who he has created us to be, it is helpful to stop and think through what exactly we are doing when we allow our experience to drive us. As we think through what God has called us to be as men and women, we must ask ourselves if our theology is born out of preconceived ideas or the text itself.

So whether you are reading this as a mature Christian, seasoned through suffering, a new believer wrestling through what it means to be a woman, or a recovering feminist like me (or soon to be) processing how painful experience has shaped your present view of the world, these posts are for you. And as one recovering feminist to, Lord-willing, future (and current) recovering feminists, I pray that you would see the God of the Bible. We all bring our own ideas to the Cross—and the Cross is where our sinful ideologies are shattered by the powerful blood of Christ. In these next two posts I hope to shed light on what we do with our experiences as women—and bring them to the foot of King Jesus at the Cross, where love and mercy meet.

What Do We Mean By Egalitarianism?

Brent Nelson — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:44:20 +0500

In an effort to help clarify the viewpoints at play in the gender debate, I offer a definition of terms that carry so much of the meaning cargo: complementarian and egalitarian. Complementarianism is the idea that both sexes are made in the image of God and are thus fully equal in value, yet very different in role as is taught in Scripture. Biblical manhood encompasses a loving, humble disposition to lead. Biblical womanhood involves a wise, submissive disposition to honor the servant leadership of worthy men.

The counterpoint perspective to this view is Christian egalitarianism. It is held by those who "believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of men and women of all ethnicities and all economic classes, based on the teachings of scripture as reflected in Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Most egalitarians hold that all people are equal before God, have equal responsibility to use their gifts, and are called to roles and ministries without regard to class, gender, or race.

Egalitarians hold that God's created order to not only bestow an equality of essence and value to men and women, but a similarity of function as well. They teach that it was the entrance of sin into the world that introduced an illegitimate hierarchy into the relationships between men and women. Men, because of sin, take on a disposition of dominance and women, because of sin, take on a disposition of subservience. Value and function are both skewed by sin, in their view, and therefore the redemptive Gospel of Jesus Christ must include a restoration to equity in both value and function.

At CBMW we recognize that in some sense all careful Bible readers will see an element of truth in the egalitarian position.� Because of verses like Galatians 3:28 quoted above and many others, we know that God loves men and women equally, that they are depraved and in need of grace equally, and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and promised His presence in heaven equally. To make that truth plain has been historically needful and remains so today.

However, the question that must be considered is this: is it possible that hierarchy is not inherently sinful, but woven throughout creation before sin entered into the world—even seen in God's Trinitarian nature?� The Bible reveals a beautiful hierarchy between men and women, the old and young, parents and children even among the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.� In each of these examples no superiority or inferiority exists. None is valued above the other. Yet mysteriously, the difference between the persons highlights their unified beauty.

These definitions are far from mere abstractions, but influential in the lives of real people, as we'll see in tomorrow's post.

Why do we use the term Complementarian?

Brent Nelson — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:37:49 +0500

What do we mean by the term complementarian? We're glad you asked.

In an issue as important as God's design for men and women, defining the terms is critical to clarifying opposing positions. For some who may yet be undecided in these matters, such clarity might be the means of resolving the matter in a way that increases their joy in God's design and thereby brings him glory.

The term complementarian was coined by Wayne Grudem and the other founders of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood to capture the Bible's teaching on the equal value, but different functions of men and women in God's created order. God designed both women and men to be fully human and therefore fully equal. At the same time both reflect God's image in very different ways, such that neither is sufficient to portray fully the magnificence of God. The sexes complement each other.

For instance, we see this idea of complementarity in Ephesians 5:21 and its application to human marriage. There Paul says we all are to be "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." He goes on to show how the way a wife should submit is markedly different from the way a husband should submit. A wife's submission chiefly means respect for her husband's Christ-like leadership (v.22). On the other hand, a husband's submission chiefly finds expression in that very sacrificial, loving leadership (v.25).� Christ, as the husband of the Church, submitted himself in sacrificial love to the Church.� And the Church, as Christ's Bride, submits to his humble, loving leadership over her.� This is biblical complementarity in action.

Another term that helps to fill out the complementarian position is patriarchy.� Often this term is used pejoratively.� However, when it is used in its biblical sense, referring to God's loving fatherhood over us, we strongly embrace it. Any humble, loving headship that an earthly father exerts, he does so reflecting God, our heavenly Father. This is an important definition to clarify, because we reject any notion of patriarchy that says a husband is superior to his wife, or rules women by virtue of his ancestry.�

Sometimes the complementarian view is confused with the traditionalist view.� That is an unfortunate mistake.� Traditionalists are those who stand to benefit from keeping things just as they are: status quo. Traditionalism often arises out of a self-serving slothfulness that sees no need to do the hard and humble work of cultural challenge and biblical exegesis.� There are traditionalists on both sides of the gender debate. We reject this view and are pleased to find that many of our counterparts in the evangelical egalitarian position do as well. The only traditions we seek to uphold are those biblical ones of which the Apostle Paul speaks in II Thessalonians 2:15, "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter."

If you would like to know more about the complementarian position you may wish to read Piper and Grudem's Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood or this helpful Summary by Dr. Bruce Ware on the two key terms in the gender debate. Tomorrow, I will take a look at the meaning of the counterpoint position evangelical egalitarianism.

Acceptable Offenses Against Marriage

David Kotter — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:15:10 +0500

It almost seems like it would be easier to defend a cottage against angry villagers armed with torches and pitchforks than to speak a word today in defense of the traditional covenant of marriage.� Some object to the "until death do we part" duration of marriage and instead treat the institution as sequential contracts through life with different partners.� Others seek to redefine marriage as the holy union of two men, two women, a human and a robot, or one presumes eventually some combination of people, higher primates, or other creatures. Many others now consider marriage to be irrelevant, simply one option that some prefer for living together or parenting children.� Nevertheless, marriage as instituted by God will endure.

The divine origins of the institution of marriage are evident in its resiliency in the face of these assaults from many fronts.� Any man-made institution would have crumbled to dust long ago.� Rather, the Bible is clear about how we should view marriage, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous" (Hebrews 13:4).� Churches that teach this truth and help believers live it out in vibrant, healthy marriages will stand out more and more in a culture where the prevailing view of marriage is increasingly dishonored.� Two recent television ads illustrate this erosion:

In a recent PETA commercial airing in ten states, a mother and father sit down in their daughter's bedroom for an important talk about sexuality. However, in crass terms the parents encourage their daughter to pursue premarital sex, and "a lot of it."� Shrugging off his daughter's concerns about becoming pregnant, the father exclaims, "So what? You should pop out all the kids you want.� We will just leave them in the shelter; dump them in the street."

In explaining the ad, Melissa Karpel, spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, explained, "This is a way to get the message into the mainstream. It is irresponsible to let your children have unprotected sex and it's irresponsible not to spay and neuter your animals."� I agree that animals are an important part of God's creation, but it requires an extremely low view of marriage to link the one-flesh union to concerns about the overpopulation of cats and dogs.

Another commercial for Heinz mayonnaise in Britain was intended to convey that the product "Tastes as if you have your own New York deli man in your kitchen."�� To this end, the spot features a brawny short-order chef with a Brooklyn accent making sandwiches in a home kitchen.�� A young boy and girl refer to him as "Mum."� Before the father figure leaves for work, he plants a kiss on the lips of the deli man.� Lest the viewer miss the point, the chef calls after the father, "Love ya! Straight home from work, sweet cheeks."

Both ads are intentionally shocking, using premarital and homosexual sex to communicate an advertising message in a memorable way.� But the marketers know better than to use an electric chair or a reference to the Holocaust to sell condiments, because by today's standards that would be unacceptably shocking.� The ads clearly use carefully-chosen acceptable shocking situations in a way that essentially winks and gives approval to the underlying behavior.� Imagine the outcry if a baby duck were injured to "shockingly" convey the same message!

In God's providence, there are three reasons for believers to find encouragement in these dismal commercials.� First, the fact that people still find them offensive shows an deep, if unstated, respect for God's gift of marriage.� Because marriage is still held in some regard, the ads evoke offense rather than indifference.� Second, the second commercial was pulled from the air after�concerned citizens took the time to register formal complaints.� We can be grateful to God that the respectful voices of many people calling for decency still carry weight in this world.

Third, it is likely that�few�youngsters saw the Heinz commercial because the British government has�child-protection rules which�limit the�broadcast hours for commercials advertising unhealthy products like mayonnaise which are high in fat, salt and sugar....

Top to Toe for Women: In Pursuit of True Beauty

Courtney Tarter — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:59:29 +0500

Recently, Randy Stinson addressed the problem of self-preoccupation among modern men, but, the principles he set forth apply to women as well. He explained that biblical manhood should not be characterized by an excessive delight in self-pampering, but rather a Christ-like, self-sacrifice that places others wants and needs before our own—all so others might see Christ. In the same vein, Christian womanhood should include more self-sacrifice than self-preoccupation. This is not to say that women should give up on proper hygiene, shopping, or even getting their nails done. The Bible only says that women should not be hoping in those things for their value and worth—rather they should be hoping in God (1 Peter 3:3-5). It is important to note that the Bible is not silent about beauty. God has much to say about such things.

Mrs. Mary Mohler, wife of seminary President and Council Member, R. Albert Mohler Jr., addresses beauty at the Capitol Hill Baptist Church women's retreat. Mrs. Mohler's teaching and humble spirit is a tremendous gift to all in the church, especially women. She encourages us to see that beauty is important to God. While dispelling the notion that femininity equals frumpiness, she also dispels the idea that femininity equals "dressing to the nines" all of the time. God, being the Creator of the Universe, has created beauty and the beauty that displays his creation is what we should pursue.� But, beauty is not simply defined by external appearance. There are examples of biblical characters, like Absalom, who destroyed themselves, and others, because they did not give praise to God for their beauty—their beauty was merely external. Beauty is both an internal and external desire in the life of the believing woman.

But we must separate biblically defined beauty from worldly beauty. Worldly beauty is empty. After giving us a framework for seeing beauty, Mrs. Mohler exhorts us to see that the world's understanding of beauty is empty. She discusses the danger of vanity and cautions us to not make an idol out of worldly beauty because it will eventually fade. What doesn't fade is the beauty of a woman who has spent her life in front of the mirror of God's Word, rather than the mirror in her bathroom.

God cares about beauty. But the point of beauty is not our own glorification. God designed beauty for our enjoyment and for his glory—so we should take an interest in how we look, but not for man's empty praise. We should care about how we look because we want the Creator of our features to be praised for his handiwork. If we spend our time adorning ourselves only, we will miss the point. We cannot hope in the empty promises of a $90 straightener and Great Lash mascara. Rather we should be adorned by the Word of God. This looks differently in other women, but the goal of our femininity is so people will see Christ in greater measure, not our fancy clothes and manicured nails. So let us not be ashamed to recognize true beauty as we see it, but let us also put our hope in Jesus blood and righteousness, lest we think on that final day that it's our trendy outfit and size-2-body that will save us.

Mrs. Mohler's messages are excellent, and I would highly encourage you to follow the links to listen to them. May God bless you greatly as you listen. You can access her talks here and here

The Homosexual Assault on Marriage

Brent Nelson — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:23:38 +0500

How will you respond when your local church is asked to perform a wedding ceremony for two women, or two men? We do well to have a gentle, but firm, answer ready for just such an occasion. There are specific groups who are advancing the homosexual agenda aiming to legalize same-sex relations, and the na�ve cultural acceptance of immorality as legitimate behavior.� The biblical view of marriage is under assault—and nowhere pricklier than in the local church.

Recently a wedding photographer was fined $6000 for refusing to photograph a same-sex ceremony. In an article for the Christian Science Monitor staff writer Ben Arnold draws our attention to the fact that many churches find themselves in the role of ‘conscientious objector' when it comes to same-sex ‘wedding' ceremonies.� There is legal footing in some states for contra-natura unions. At the same time, other states have pledged to recognize, if not create, such alliances.

This trend should come as no surprise since the Apostle Paul in Romans 1 described what John Piper calls, the dark exchange.� "...Women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another,..." (Romans 1:26-27).� When this exchange knocks on a pastor's office door seeking a blessing on its existence, how will we respond?

A good start includes an in-house policy explaining how Christian marriage can only mean the joining of two dissimilar human sexes, who are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and are willing to undergo some regimen of pre-marital mentoring.

Yet there's more. Make much of godly marriage and godly singleness among the young people of your church. Surely, we must shore up the marriages of our churches with retreats, curriculum, sermons, couple-to-couple mentoring, conferences and a library of great resources. This will help to spiritually inoculate them against unholy particles floating in the cultural air.

Pray often and deeply for your pastor and church leaders.� And speaking of church leadership, it might be wise to identify a godly, trusted attorney in your church or community that you or your leaders can turn to in times of legal uncertainty.

Most important of all: make much of God in the local church. He created marriage for his own glory. He alone has the right to determine how it is carried out. His plentiful resources enrich those who stand against assaults upon his Son and his Bride.

Marriage must not be surrendered. Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, Marc Handley Andrus suggests that the church give up its claim on marriage and leave it completely to the civil magistrates to conduct. I cringe. Courage, not collapse!

Legislative exemptions from immoral laws currently exist, but only God knows for how long. He also knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) and is surprised by nothing.� And his promise to his people is that he will keep us blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Lessons from a Summer at the Sandlot

Jeff Robinson — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:51:39 +0500

My son performed the run-down between third base and home plate precisely as he had been taught: run toward the trapped base runner and make only one throw or outrace the base runner and tag him yourself. He took the latter option, catching the opposing player and slapping a firm tag on his shoulder. The runner, off-balance from trying to escape the "hot box," fell uninjured to the ground.

What happened next might fall under the category of "Christianity tested:" the base runner, angered by being tagged out, began to upbraid my son and strutted toward him, his chest puffed out, teeth fully gritted. For the first time, all the biblical lessons we have sought to teach our son during family worship and catechism time were being tried in a very public Romans 12 sort of way. How would he react?

Without a word, my son (to his father's absolute delight!) simply turned and walked back to his position. The other child continued to yammer words at my son, but my son, as he had been taught ("Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all...Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God." Rom 12:17, 19) waited—unprompted by me, his coach—at his position until the opposing coach removed his disobedient young charge.

After the game, we discussed the incident and sought to apply the "Gospel value" of it in terms of Rom 12. All told, in his first season of baseball in which he is not hitting off a tee, my son has caught several subtle glimpses of the Gospel, learning that:

• "Give" and not "receive" is central to genuine Christianity. This season our players learned how to bunt. My son quickly questioned the rationale of this strategy because in executing it, a player intentionally makes an out, sacrificing himself to help his team by moving a runner into scoring position or bringing a runner home from third base. I once saw a baseball-themed Christian T-shirt emblazoned with the words: "Christ: His sacrifice for our errors." I'm not big on evangelical novelties, but that slogan worked: bunting reminds us, in a small way, of that far more supreme sacrifice.

• The body of Christ is made up of many members who possess diverse and complementary gifts (1 Cor 12:14,20: "For the body does not consist of one member, but of many...As it is, there are man parts, yet one body." In baseball, a shortstop cannot throw out a runner at first base without a first baseman; a runner cannot get home from third base without a teammate driving him home; a pitcher cannot win a game without his teammates scoring runs. Baseball, as with other team sports, teaches us something of the value of each member of the church along with invaluable nature of the different yet complementary roles He has created men and women to play.

• The Christian life is more like baseball than a 50-yard sprint. There is no clock in baseball; the game unfolds slowly, methodically—sometimes dramatically—over several innings and, at the big league level, teams must survive a grueling schedule that encompasses 162 games over six months time. It requires perseverance, patience and discipline; it is fraught with temporary failures (hall-of-fame hitters fail seven times in 10). Bunyan was spot-on with Pilgrim's Progress and baseball, by its very nature, illustrates this truth well.

There certainly are additional "Gospel lessons" and principles for biblical manhood for my sons (assuming my six-month-old catches baseball fever from his dad and older brother) to glean from baseball. Perhaps more than anything, we our learning together that our sovereign Lord wastes nothing in growing and encouraging His people—not even baseball.

Male and Female He Created Athletes: Is There a Difference?

David Kotter — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:26:54 +0500

As the pageantry and athletic drama of the Olympics unfold with billions of people watching around the world, a laboratory is quietly working in the background to ensure the integrity of the games.� Officials have set up a "gender determination lab" to distinguish between male and female athletes and to ensure that disguised men do not unfairly win medals in women's events.

Unfortunately, this concern is not unfounded: in the 1936 Olympics, the Nazis secretly forced a man to compete as a woman in the high jump event (he finished fourth).� Also, in the 1968 Olympics certain Eastern European athletes competed in women's events with such masculine physiques and performances that their true gender was not immediately obvious. Despite the flattening effects of feminism in the culture, it is still generally agreed that women should compete only against women and not men, and vice-versa.�

Amazingly, there is radical disagreement over a methodology for distinguishing a woman from man, and whether or not such differentiation is even possible.� Jennifer Finney Boylan believes the labs are a mistake, and that "the Olympic hosts seem to want to impose a binary order upon the messy continuum of gender.� They are searching for concreteness and certainty in a world that contains neither."

While the labs objectively evaluate athletes based on chromosomes, hormones and physical appearance, Boylan contends that the lab tests "are likely to produce the wrong answers, because they measure maleness and femaleness by the wrong yardsticks."� She cites a statistic that one in 20,000 women carries a Y chromosome, which is supposed to be the immoveable marker of manhood.� Eight female athletes at the Atlanta Olympic games in 1996 tested "positive" for maleness because of this condition.� Such women are "androgen insensitive" and their bodies do not respond to the information coded on the male Y chromosome.� In light of �this evidence, Boylan observes:

It would be nice to live in a world in which maleness and femaleness were firm and unwavering poles.� People can be forgiven for wanting to live in a world as simple as this, a place in which something as basic as gender didn't shift unsettlingly beneath our feet.

She concludes that "gender is malleable and elusive, and we need to become comfortable with this fact, rather than be afraid of it."� She understands that gender can only be determined by the heart of the individual and how that individual lives in daily life.

Unfortunately, the Bible does not consider a sin-tainted heart to be a reliable guide; rather "the heart is deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9).� A male athlete who feels in his heart that he is a woman should not trust his heart.� Instead, he should rely on the Word of God and find some male opponents.�

Scripture presents gender as a binary condition, not a shifting continuum from male to female.� When God created man in his image, the Bible says, "male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27).� The Bible does not provide an explicit list of characteristics to distinguish a woman from a man, because it was understood to be self-evident (c.f. the reaction of Adam in Genesis 2:23).

Boylan's statistic is consistent with this divine truth and actually argues against her position:� if 1 in 20,000 women carry a Y chromosome, then 19.999 in 20,000 do not.� Any lab test that can objectively identify a female 99.995% of the time would be considered an extremely reliable guide to a binary understanding of gender. �Even among the exceptional .005% of women who carry a Y chromosome, most are feminine in appearance and are able to bear children.� Because this is a fallen world, there are birth defects that affect all parts of the human anatomy, but these extremely rare defects do not invalidate the binary nature of God's good design of manhood and womanhood.

(In any case, what in the world would a guy do with a gold medal won in a woman's event?� It's not the kind of thing to display on the mantle for all of your buddies to admire...)

Olympic Competition and Manhood and Womanhood, Part 5: When Does Sport Become Idolatry?

Brent Nelson — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:38:49 +0500

What passion is awakened in the soul of a nation over its athletic events.� Whether it's the World Series, the World Cup, the Final Four, or even amateur events such as the Olympics, sport can bring out the best and worst in us.

A man's mind strays near the end of the Sunday morning sermon as he daydreams of ranting at the TV over the fate of his favorite team.� A parent boisterously upbraids a referee at their youngster's big game. Or worse, parents of opposing teams brawl over the outcome of junior basketball!� A youth anxiously despairs over the pressure to ‘win at all costs' and self-destructs at a losing outcome. Could these be symptoms of a thinly veiled idolatry of sport? Is it even possible that sports can be an idol?

I am not suggesting that all enjoyment of sports is wrong. My family, like many of you, will watch many exciting hours of Olympic coverage, starting tonight! What I am suggesting is a way of viewing sports that keeps it in its rightful place under God. He has said, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Deuteronomy 5:7). So the question becomes does God ever take a backseat to the Olympics in your heart?� How can you tell?

One of the ways we can identify idolatries is to ask, "Where are the sacrifices made?"� Some examples emerge. For the sake of success in sport some sacrifice their health by the use of performance enhancing drugs.� For some, they may sacrifice the well-being of their families.� For the sake of sport, some sacrifice their integrity by an obsessively competitive spirit. Some women will be ‘widowed,' and youths can be pushed to perform past their ability.� Sport, it seems, can be a window to the heart.

Above all, the greatest sacrifice one can make to the idol of sport is the sacrifice of our soul.� God accepts no one who does not cherish His Son Jesus Christ above all. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27).� Paul writes, "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality...sensuality...idolatry...enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy...and things like these. .... those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:20-21).� Should it surprise us that so many sins Paul lists above can often find their expression in the realm of sport?

May it be said of you and me, "you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesuswho delivers us from the wrath to come" ( I Thessalonians 1:9,10).� And that the healthy, balanced, moderate enjoyment of sport in our lives, serves to strengthen and unify us in this life, but all the more to inspire us to press on with God-reliant effort for the Olympics-dwarfing prize of eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Olympic Competition and Manhood and Womanhood, Part 4: Does Modesty Matter for the Athletes ...

Courtney Tarter — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:26:00 +0500

In ancient Greece athletes competed in the nude, and it seems we are increasingly headed in that direction. I understand that somewhere between Athens and today, athletes wore more modest dress. My parents say they remember a time when women (and men) did not dress so immodestly when they competed, but that hasn't been my experience as a viewer.

Some could make the argument that "less is best" when it comes to competing in high speed events, such as track and swimming. But even if this were true (and necessary) could the same logic be applied to events where speed is not a factor, like volleyball?

In any case, what does it say when we have an entire generation of women competing in revealing clothing all for an improvement of a few seconds on their time? And what are we teaching our sons and daughters about the value of womanhood compared to a gold medal?

Even if there are supposed benefits to minimal clothing during events, God has still established parameters for modesty. As Christian women, we should care more about pleasing God than speed and winning. Christian men should care more about pleasing God with their eyes than watching a favorite event (not to say that women are not immune to the pitfalls of viewing immodesty).

Fathers (and mothers) have an especially important responsibility to instill a desire for modesty in their kids. C.J. Mahaney says that "Fathers are absolutely essential to the cultivation of modesty. When a young lady dresses immodestly, it usually means her father has failed to lead, care for and protect her.� Without a father's care and protection, she may be daily exposed to the lustful minds of men." Our standards regarding modesty should be God's standards.

Parents must lead in this area. Silence over the Olympic athletes attire essentially teaches our children that modesty is irrelevant in the pursuit of a gold medal. When we do not take a stand on modesty, we are inadvertently teaching our daughters (and sons) that womanhood is defined by how you look.� And as is the case in every arena, a worldview is being established—either by the parents or the television set.

For example, every year during the Super Bowl my brothers have a back-up plan. Don't get me wrong. The Super Bowl is on in our house, but the commercials and half-time show is a different animal. So at every commercial break we abandon the NFL for the Disney Channel.

With the Olympics fast approaching, we will face this problem again. So as you prepare to watch the Olympics in the coming weeks have a plan ready. Here are some suggestions for a plan at your own home:

Give someone the remote and ask them to be prepared to change the channel if necessary—a designated clicker of sorts
Have conversations topics ready for commercial breaks
Have an ongoing game (Scrabble, Scattegories, cards) that picks up at the commercials
Be willing to forego events if the clothing is beyond simple eye diversion

Nothing, apart from the saving work of Christ, is going to stop our culture from completely imitating the Greeks. In feminism's quest for "equality" we have simply given ourselves over to the very thing we say we despise—objectification. But, we have an opportunity, during the Olympics, to teach God's truths about manhood and womanhood.