INTRODUCTION: We now come to look at what submission actually is. We have been careful to avoid distortions of this teaching because in our generation it is both embraced and rejected wrongly. THE TEXT: “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but …
Bad Science and Bad Manners
While rescue efforts in New Orleans are still ongoing, various liberals are starting to emerge with “gotcha!” observations on the source of the disaster — global warming, the U.S. backing out of the Kyoto treaty, and so on. Even if they had a point (instead of being dramatically wrong), they ought to have a better …
Women and Hierarchy
“In the hierarchical and biblical view, the relationship of women to men is first familial, and then as a consequence, a larger (and very complex) cultural and societal relationship between the sexes emerges. This means that wives are to submit to, and provide help to, their own husbands (and no one else). As a result …
Tigers Into Butter
“Because Ann Arbor was a liberalism-on-steroids kind of place, it was soon decided that our high school needed to have a town meeting of some sort, with students of representative races meeting on a panel, and we could all talk our way into racial harmony. For some reason, I was selected to be a white …
A Slow Burn
It takes wisdom to understand the origins of strife. The Scriptures tell us that one source of strife is anger. “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife” (Prov. 15:18). But often this is missed because the one who vents his anger succeeds in browbeating people into a …
There Is No Better Christ
When the Lord walked with the two unnamed disciples on the road to Emmaus, the conclusion of the affair, as they narrated it, was that the Lord was known by them “in the breaking of the bread” (v. 35). The breaking of the bread in this scriptural usage clearly refers to the sacrament, and means …
The Experience of Obeying
Worship is not to be thought of primarily as an experience, after which we can say that we felt worshipful. Rather, worship is an act, after which we can say, or not, that we were obedient. When experience is sought after in worship, we destroy the very thing we mistakenly exalt. When obedience is rendered …
No Bagatelle
“This is the dilemma for the one who would be unreconstructed. I don’t want to underestimate the effects of slavery on the South or minimize any enormities. As Genovese said, slavery was no bagatelle. But neither do I want to ignore the biblical teaching on slavery and act as though the Christian defenders of antebellum …
Execution of Homosexuals?
I recently received a letter from a lady on the other side of Moscow’s own little version of the national cultural divide. We had been scheduled to meet, and she was writing to cancel that meeting. According to the letter, the thing that concerned her was something that had to be addressed (by me) before …
Proverbs and Beyond
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 59 We have already addressed the fact that Proverbs is full of generalizations, and the fact that they are generally true. We also have to reckon with the fact that the substance of some of these generalizations is repeated over …