Oh my goodness, it is COLD outside! My friendly neighborhood weatherman said this morning that the wind chill would bring the temperature down to nine degrees Fahrenheit. Now, far be it from me to be ill prepared for cold weather—there is no shame in wearing your long underwear to work.

Many of you probably remember my blog from September 23, the controversial one about Ivy League women choosing to stay at home with their children. I read another controversial take on this article yesterday. This post, from "The American Prospect," suggests that women are put into this “choice” position that is no choice because feminism, while crusading to open up the public sphere, never truly addressed the inequities that kept women home in the first place—the home itself. Because of the enormous societal pressures on women to be primary caregivers in the private sphere, most can’t truly consider other alternatives.

The article made the wheels of angst start turning for me, so I chewed on David’s ear for a while last night on the phone. Now David and I have discussed gender roles many, many times throughout our relationship (this isn’t the first time a work has torn me to pieces—reading Anna Fels’ "Necessary Dreams" resulted in several days of dialogue between David and myself). He knows, since I’ve repeatedly told him, that a Stepford life as a domestic goddess (regardless of how much I secretly love Martha Stewart) is not what God calls me to.

But some of our reflections on individualism and community bring up what is so difficult about the world of gender relations today. Secular feminism can be very oriented toward individualism, in large part to correct women’s tendencies to lose their identities to those around them. Feminism has also striven for equality with men, and the Western paradigm of masculinity has been very (if I may say so) selfishly individualistic. Many of our forefathers were taught that they were masters of the home, and home/family existed primarily for their ultimate comfort and well-being. Where do you think the stereotype of the doting wife, slippers and newspaper in hand and hot casserole on the oven, comes from?

Yet the scars of such attitudes of domination riddle our worldwide cultural landscape. When people become too individualistic, there are no moral curbs on their tendency to exploit others. Community and relationship, accountability to God and fellow humans, empathy… these are the places where we see glimpses of the coming new creation of God. We need the “we.”

For our generation, with an increasing awareness of the need for global community and an increasing distrust of the systems we know as “community” at home, we’re caught in the middle. As women, we know our history. We know the ways in which many men around the world continue to enter into relationships in order to exploit their partners, how that robs women of their full humanity. We also know that community requires compromise and sacrifice—even the kind of genuine community that God calls us to. In the past, it was clear for all who generally compromised and sacrificed in a relationship. Feminism has challenged those assumptions.

And as for David and me… my final point to David last night can be summed up in this analogy: if my family were a baseball team, it isn’t that I have to be the star pitcher while everyone else sits the bench. But I do want to be in the pitching rotation—not the water girl who gets to wear the jersey.

Like all humans everywhere, I want my contributions to be valued. I want recognition for the good things I do, not the good things I do vicariously through others. I want dignity and respect. If those things are individualistic, then so be it. But for me to function effectively in the community, for me to make sacrifices for others, it has to start from there. Even Jesus rode into Jerusalem to shouts of acclaim before he sacrificed his power and prestige on the cross.

“Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates.” --Proverbs 31:31

Kelsey

Feminism by Dean Rhine

Genesis 2:18-2:23

Intro: We have been talking in the last few weeks about times when even the best of us, as much as we want to follow God, can be caught in the snares of Satan. And just for those of you who have been wondering, I caught my chipmunk last Sunday. We named him Scamper and sent him off running into an undisclosed farmer’s field a few miles away. Satan tries to catch us in his traps. This morning we want to talk about the trap of Feminism!
What exactly is feminism? If you look at the dictionary, it will tell you feminism is a movement seeking the same rights for women as for men. We might say, “What could possibly be wrong with that -- you aren’t a male chauvinist, are you?” In practical truth, feminism is really an organization that promotes the dominance, control, and influence of society by women. Yet, even if it were simply a quest for equal rights, I would still take issue with the movement. I have a flier advertising a seminar to help us discover the divine feminine goddess within each of us. There is a full spectrum of beliefs in the circle of feminism: yet the truth remains that all of these are snares of the devil. And the reason for that is found in the practice of the Eskimos: Totemism!
Remember totem poles? Large trees, set upright, and carved with different animals and creatures’ faces. The Eskimo tribe uses the animals to be the embodiment of certain animals. For example: wise as an owl, sly as a fox, harmless as a dove/lamb. The tribe looks at itself, picks out its character traits, sculpts a representation of those traits, and in the end, ends up worshiping itself.
I would say to you this morning that feminism is really totemism: we are worshiping ourselves when we create an understanding of the role of women by what we as a society or a culture think should be the role of women.
Having said that, let’s ask, how do we decide the role of women? Is it left up to a few egotistical men to decide? No. It’s determined by what God says in his word. This morning let’s revisit God’s word and see what the Bible tells us about the role of women: How women should live and act and function in the home and in society. This is the basis for the elevation of women. This is where we determine the roles of women. We don’t base our thoughts on what any woman or man tells us should be the role of women in society.

I. God’s Plan for Order -
God is a God of order. He created a wonderful plan for his creation. Let’s look in Genesis 2.
A. God’s plan for order - In Creation - Genesis 2:18-23
God created Adam, but saw it was not good for him to be alone. God brought every animal to Adam to name: not so he could find a helper, but so he could see there was not a helper suitable for him. Then God created a helper for Adam: woman. God’s plan for order in the universe is for woman to be a helper for man. God’s plan is not for women to be independent and rule over men, but for women to be helpers to their husbands. Yet, the role of a helper is not an inferior role: it is a role that God plays in our lives.
Ps. 70:5 - Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
Ps. 10:14 - But you, O God, . . . are the helper of the fatherless.
Ps. 86:17 - For you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

The role of a helper is a role that is patterned for us in our God! It is a very important role!

In matters of standing before God, both man and woman are equals: Gen 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Both men and women are in the image of God: yet God has created order in his creation.
1 Cor. 11:8-9 - For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. -- The woman is from man and for man.
The man is to be the head over the woman.

B. God’s plan for order - In Submission
Eph. 5:22 - 24 - Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
What is this whole idea of submission? Some people have the idea that the wife waits on the husband hand and foot, fanning him and feeding him grapes like a Pharaoh of Egypt. Now I realize this couldn’t be farther from the truth in most of our homes. The idea of the equality of women has so infiltrated our society that women are far more likely to boss their husbands around: “You want you supper: fix it yourself!”
Submission literally means “arranged under” - once again the idea of order comes through. Let’s realize that we are under authority in our lives.
Rom. 13:1 - Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
God has created authority in the home. To submit means to acknowledge your arrangement under the authority that God has created for the home. This involves respect and obedience. Now I realize that God tells us Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Yet in the home there is an order, and God’s plan is that women are under the headship of men.
Now, let’s revisit this passage in Ephesians once again. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her . . In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no-one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church.
What does this role of authority of the husband involve? It involves providing for the wife and protecting his wife. It is also the idea of responsibility before God.

So, why is feminism a snare of the devil? It is contrary to God’s plan of order. God planned that men would lead their families, and women would be equal helpers, supporting and perfectly completing the men. Yet, Satan’s plan is for women to be independent of men or dominating men. God’s plan is one of order.
What if we all got in a bus to take a trip, and we all wanted to drive. We’d have chaos. Someone needs to be the driver. We might all have a driver’s license. None of us might have ever had an accident. But one of us needs to function as the driver or we’ll have a wreck. In the home, God has made men the driver. We all go forward together, but the husband sets the course for the home.

Let’s look at another aspect of the snare of feminism.
II. God’s plan for virtue - the qualities of a godly woman
Titus 2:3-5 - Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no-one will malign the word of God.

What is the role of a godly woman? It is to set an example to be followed. Older women are to teach the younger women. They teach them out of the life they model for them.
Now, what does Satan tell us through society - “You’ve come a long way baby!” Throw down the dishrag, burn the bra, leave your husband, go out and make it in the world, you deserve something for yourself. Feminism is the snare of the devil.
When we listen to society, the media, we think everyone is doing it, all women are out there moving right up the corporate ladder. The reason our society is struggling is we don’t have enough older godly women standing up and teaching truth. By and large our older women are silent. Ladies, speak up! It is your God - given role to teach the younger women. Teach them what it means to love their families and to love their God. To the older women we say, we are looking to you to set the course for our young mothers to follow.

This is mother’s day, a day we remember the influence of our mothers on our lives. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Do you want to be a godly mother? Learn from the example of an older Godly mother who has already fought the battles and has been given insight from God. Let’s look at another passage.

Prov. 31:10+ - If there ever was a passage that gave us an idea of what a godly woman should be, it is this chapter. Verse 11 starts once again by affirming God’s order. The godly woman is seen in light of her relationship to her husband.


**A man with a godly wife is content (11)
-12 - a godly wife does good, brings him no harm
-13 - a godly wife is industrious and hard-working
-15 - a godly wife is considerate
-16 - a godly wife has common sense in business
-17 - a godly wife does not neglect her physical condition
-18 - a godly wife is disciplined
-20 - a godly wife is compassionate
-21 - a godly wife is confident
-22 - a godly wife is well-dressed

**A man with a godly wife is respected (23)
-24 - a godly wife is a diligent craftsman
-25 - a godly wife is of great character
-26 - a godly wife is of wise conversation
-27 - a godly wife is consistent
**A man with a godly wife can boast - (28)
-basis of boasting is a wife who fears the Lord



Concl: Let’s not give in to the snare of feminism. Satan wants us to learn from society what roles women should play. We need to learn from scripture and older godly women what it is that God would have us to be. Let’s speak out against false ideas of femininity and what it means to be a woman in our society today. The influence of a godly mother has a profound effect. Remember Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:5 - I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. Our faith is passed on to our children. When we fail to have godly mothers, we will fail to have godly children. If Satan can get our women to fail, he can get the world to change. If we will reclaim the role of godly women in our homes, families, societies, we can see a profound impact upon the kingdom of God. Don’t give in to the snare of feminism.