“Our current obsesssion with multiculturalism is a prime example of this. This obsession is not an educated desire to ‘modify the emphasis,’ gently reminding us that the Chinese had a great civilization while our Anglo ancestors were still killing their meat with rocks. If the desire of the multiculturalists were simply a well-taken insistence that …
Be Strict About Not Being Too Strict
“A father should never fall into the trap of thinking that anything that is ‘strict’ is biblical. Most false religions are strict. If a man applies discipline wrongly, he can mess with his kid’s head for life. He must not confuse house rules with God’s rules. He must teach his children to make such basic …
Learning to Suspect the Received Account
“The person weighing these things must know that there is no publication called All Reputable Historians’ Review. Acceptance of what one certified historian states entails rejection of what another certified historian says. This is not the path to relativism, but is rather an acceptance of what the Christian faith plainly teaches us. Men are sinners, …
Weird Holiness
“All anti-biblical legalisms would fit into this category. ‘You are not really a genuinely committed father unless you . . . fulfill every commandment that our association of cracked brains comes up with’ — you name it — godliness through beekeeping, holiness through teetotalism, righteousness through smashing your television, and onward, into the fog!” (Federal …
Proportional Weight
“My interest in this discussion is not to show the South as a perfect place for blacks to be slaves in, but rather to show the Bible as the perfect book for Christians, then and now. In the several quotations that follow, the point is not to paint the South as a utopia. If the …
Functional Superiorities
“So which is superior, a ten-pound sledge, or a china tea cup? The answer depends entirely on what you want to do. Do you want to drink tea or drive in railroad spikes? To ascribe to a railroad spike the attributes of delicacy and beauty would be to insult the railroad (not that it would …
Whiter Than She Wanted to Be
“The leadership of the early church at Antioch contained at least one black man (Acts 13:1). And what happened to Miriam when she opposed the marriage of Moses to a black woman (Num. 12)? God turned her a little bit whiter than she had been previously, but it was the white of leprosy, and this …
Women in Combat?
“When these passages are considered together [Is. 19:16-17; Jer. 50:36-37; 51:29-30; Nah. 3:13], we should conclude that a standard way for the prophets of God to tell a people that their military might has failed them is to say that their warriors have come to the point where they fight like women. A legitimate conclusion …
Avoiding Problem Texts
“This reality points to the need for Christians to learn the biblical way of avoiding ‘problem texts.’ This is the way of a priori submission. Christians must recognize that they are under the authority of God and they may not develop their ideas of what is ‘right and ‘fair’ apart from the Word of God. …
Ready for Takeoff
“Much of the effort being expended on masculine renewal today is nothing more than a discipleship program for weenies — a pale copy of the secular men’s movement of a few years back. In contrast, a husband must assume a mantle of strength and the demeanor of masculine leadership . . . As the church …