I'm sure this title got your attention! I'm reading an amazing book right now, called "Reforming Marriage" by Douglas Wilson. Here is a paragraph on responsibility:
"While it is true that the feminist movement is represented by female spokesmen, they are really nothing more than shills, fronting for a male lie. At the foundation, feminism is the handiwork of two kinds of men--destructive, overbearing men on the one hand and wimps on the other. Because of how God made the world, men are always responsible for everything that happens in the feminine world--whether they want that responsibility or not, and whether or not women want to acknowledge it. Consequently, feminism is not the work of dissatisfied women; it is the work of ungodly men.
When a couple comes for marriage counseling, my operating assumption is always that he man is completely responsible for all the problems. Some may be inclined to react to this, but it is important to note that responsibility is not the same thing as guilt. If a woman has been unfaithful to her husband, of course she bears the guilt of adultery. But at the same time, he is responsible for it. To illustrate, suppose a young sailor disobeys his orders and runs a ship aground in the middle of the night. The captain and the navigator were both asleep and had nothing to do with his irresponsible actions. Who is finally responsible? The captain and navigator are responsible for the incident. They are career officers, and their careers are ruined. The young sailor will be getting out of the Navy in six months anyway. It may strike many as being unfair, but is is indisputably the way God made the world. The sailor is guilty; the captain is responsible.
Without this understanding of responsibility, authority becomes meaningless and tyrannical. Husbands are responsible for their wives. They are the head of their wives as Christ is the head of the church. Taking a covenant oath to become a husband involves assuming responsibility for that home. This means that men, whether through tyranny or abdication, are responsible for any problems in the home. If Christian men loved their wives as Christ loved the church, if they had given direction to their wives, if husbands had accepted their wives' necessary help with their God-ordained vocation, there never would have been room for any kind of feminist thinking within the church. Christian men who abdicate their God-given authority, or who feel embarassed about it, are leaving their wives unprotected."
Pages 32-33.
Before you women jump for joy at these statements, realize that Wilson also writes on Inescapable Headship (meaning that men just aren't supposed to be the head of their wives, they ARE the head by default because that is the created order. Whether they are good or bad heads, they are the head) and the fact that Eve was created for Adam. I highly recommend this excellent book!
Many of you who have read over my blog for a while may feel that at times I am inconsistent or confused with some of these issues! That's because I am! I wish I had everything all figured out and always acted upon what I know is right and true at all times. But, I'm not perfect and I'm ALWAYS learning and growing in my understanding of the Bible and it's applications to daily life. I think of myself as a wrestler, always grappling with one issue or another, trying to understand it and get it "pinned down." I enjoy being challenged and so much of what I have come to believe is different from how I was raised, even though I was raised in a Christian home. So, bear with me on my quest to discover a Biblical model for marriage, family, womanhood, etc.
1 comment:
Interestingly, the abortion movement was also headed by men. Fronted by women, but headed by men. A few of the senators on the forefront of this issue were also promoting it (this is earlier, like in the 50's) as eugenics...a way to control and/or exterminate the "lesser" races. Interestingly, African-American women account for a large majority of abortions.
Post a Comment