Ten Truths the Church Tells Women

Continuing with Charisma Magazine’s J. Lee Grady, this guy embraced Original Sin with the following article, h/t Lost Patrol:

“Ten Lies the Church Tells Women”

http://godswordtowomen.org/Grady.htm

The article contains arguments so typical of feminists that it’s worth fisking for the ages.

LIE #1. GOD’S ULTIMATE PLAN FOR WOMEN IS THAT THEY SERVE THEIR HUSBANDS.

“How sad that so many Christian men view women from a selfish perspective. This view is often promoted by misreading the account of Eve’s creation in Genesis 2:18-25, in which Adam is provided a “helpmate.” The Hebrew word used here often is translated “companion,” denoting intimacy and partnership. But through the centuries it has been used to imply that Eve was some type of domestic appendage. ”

The recorded purpose for Eve’s creation per Genesis 2:18 is that Adam was lonely, not that Adam was unchallenged by an equal. Eve was, in fact, created for Adam’s selfish pleasure. The verse makes it plain that God did not create Eve for God.

LIE #2. WOMEN CAN’T BE FULFILLED OR SPIRITUALLY EFFECTIVE WITHOUT A HUSBAND.

“From the time she was released from a German death camp in 1944 until her death in 1983, Corrie Ten Boom taught the world about a Savior who could forgive the cruelest Nazi. Yet she never married. Did the fact that she did not have a husband make her less “complete”? Some Christians would say yes.”

Strawman argument. Allowing women into leadership is not the same as allowing women to not marry.

“We’ve preached that a woman’s primary responsibility is to find a godly husband, have lots of babies and stay home to raise them for Christ.”

If women don’t have babies then who will? If wives don’t sex up the men then who will?

LIE #3. WOMEN SHOULDN’T WORK OUTSIDE THE HOME.

“Many evangelical churches have preached that women who work outside the home are breaking a scriptural commandment, but this conclusion can be reached only by distorting the biblical record. The woman described in Proverbs 31 is often used to bolster a traditional view of the June Cleaver-style matron who spends her day baking casseroles while her husband is at the office. But a careful reading reveals that the Proverbs 31 woman, in her ancient Middle Eastern context, functioned as a real estate agent and ran a textile business.”

A careful reading shows the Proverbs 31 woman pleasing her husband. Or is Grady making the case that God considers the textile business sacred? Must all women work in textiles & real estate in order to be holy?

Titus 2:5 instructs women to “take care of their homes” (New Living Translation). But most scholars would agree that this passage simply exhorts married women not to forsake their children.

Here, Grady refers to himself as “most scholars”.

Also, the reason Grady wrote this article in the first place is because for most of Church history, “most scholars” believed Titus 2:5 meant what it said.

LIE #4. WOMEN MUST OBEDIENTLY SUBMIT TO THEIR HUSBANDS IN ALL SITUATIONS.

“We often portray marriage as a hierarchy, with husbands on the throne and wives at the footstool, and we use Scripture to justify this view: “Wives…submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord” (Eph. 5:22).

“We assume this verse means women have no say in family matters or that their opinion is second-rate. In extreme cases, women have been told to submit to abuse in order to honor male headship. But this is not a Christian view. ”

God Himself is a hierarchy. Disobedience to God is never repeat never justified ever in Scripture. This is the Christian view… and the verse says husbands must be obeyed at God’s level.

“Paul also told the Ephesians, “submit to one another” (5:21, emphasis added).”

Grady conflates a general command with a specific command. He might as claim that the command to love our neighbors cancels all restrictions on sexual behavior.

LIE #6. A WOMAN SHOULD VIEW HER HUSBAND AS THE “PRIEST OF THE HOME.”

“It is a mockery of the gospel to suggest that any human being needs an additional priest apart from the Son of God.”

One wonders, then, why Scripture defines the positions of teachers, elders and deacons.

LIE #7. WOMEN ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO ASSUME LEADERSHIP ROLES.

“The most common mistake we make in biblical interpretation occurs when we take one isolated verse and build a doctrine around it–even if the verse seems to contradict other passages. This is often what we do with 1 Tim. 2:12, “I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man” (NASB).”

“Most theologians believe that this passage was addressing an isolated situation in Ephesus.”

The old “that was then, this is now” canard. When did God change His mind and who did He tell?

Also, 2 Corinthians 14:34: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.”

Shouldn’t Paul have said “Women should remain silent in the Ephesian church only”?

LIE #8: WOMEN MUST NOT TEACH OR PREACH TO MEN IN A CHURCH SETTING.

“Since 1 Timothy 2:12 obviously contradicts the overall biblical endorsement of women in authority, how are we to understand it? What is Paul actually saying in this passage? …

“What Paul was most likely saying to the Ephesians was this: “I do not allow a woman to teach these cultic heresies, nor do I allow them to usurp authority from men by performing pagan rituals.” He was not saying, as some Christians have assumed, “I do not allow godly Christian women to teach the Bible.” ”

If Scripture doesn’t say what you want it to say then rewrite it!

LIE #9. WOMEN ARE MORE EASILY DECEIVED THAN MEN.

This idea has been taught by twisting the meaning of 1 Timothy 2:14, which says, “It was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression” (NLT). ”

That doesn’t sound twisted.

“No respectable Bible scholar in the church today would promote such a view. ”

No respectable Bible scholar believes the Bible means what it says? Please define respectable.

LIE #10: WOMEN WHO EXHIBIT STRONG LEADERSHIP QUALITIES HAVE A “SPIRIT OF JEZEBEL.”

Let me tell you, Jezebel was the very definition of “strong leadership quality”!

1 Kings 18:4: “While Jezebel was killing off the Lord.s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them…”

1 Kings 19:1-2: “Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, .May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them..”

2 Kings 21:7: “Jezebel his wife said, .Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I.ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.. [She proceeds to have Naboth murdered.]

By contrast, Deborah the Judge did not have strong leadership qualities. Israel went to her, not she to them, and her work was resolving disputes not leadership. That was what Barak did.