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Of all the civic movements, of all the philosophies, of all the cultural constructs there are or could be, my opinion is that Feminism is the dumbest, most morally reprehensible, and most damaging to the culture in America.
I have always opposed Feminism and I always will.
Now that you know how I really feel, let me get into it.
Regular readers may remember I wrote a three-part series called The Secret Christian Feminists. That series explored that though many prominent Christian female Bible teachers of today deny it, they are in fact adhering to Feminist principles and living like Feminists, kind of like an open secret if you cared to look. Well, I looked.
Christian Secret Feminists Part 1
Christian secret Feminists Part 2
Christian Secret Feminists Part 3
As a movement, Feminism has roots in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:16 records the curse God gave women upon Eve's disobedience to His command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of Good and Evil.
To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
To define Feminism, we read,
As you can see, "Feminist theory" is simply a rejection of the roles that God laid down upon men and women. It is a continual seeking of women to usurp the roles laid out for men and a disassembly of the patriarchal system, which is entirely just, because God created it and He is the ultimate patriarch.
However as a modern movement, Feminism has three distinct waves. The First Wave began in 1848 and extended through around 1920 when women got the vote as the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified.
In the Third Wave we read a lot about "heteronormativity". Third Wave feminists from the mid 1990s through to today rail against normal heterosexuality, AKA being normal. They want to redefine genders. Not just roles, but genders. They are fighting for acceptance of any and all kinds of sexuality. Finally, they are using words like "slut" and "bitch" to defiantly define themselves. The 3rd Wave Feminists claim that doing so strips the word of its power. This quote is from "Bitch Magazine":
Living with a loud, obnoxious, quarrelsome woman is a heartache for any man. Look at Proverbs 21:9
It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
Even though God said it is not good for a man to be alone, (Genesis 2:18), if a woman is obnoxious, loud, complaining like a dripping faucet, it's better for him to live on a roof or in a desert! Women are to practice gentle speech and live a virtuous life. Christian women, anyway.
Charlotte Krolakke wrote in her paper "Three Waves of Feminism",
What sparked this post were two articles published recently that made me do a double take. The first is from a website called The Other McCain where it is reported that "A Yale-educated feminist calls herself a 'morally vacuous harlot'. Her description of herself is in the article, though not quoted here.
A Feminist woman named Alana Massey describes herself in a short bio thus, (and it's excerpted, there's more)
Ms Massey's extended bio and quotes are rough, too rough to post here, but suffice to say, she IS a slut. Proudly so. So we went from First Wave Feminists saying "I want the right to vote" to Third Wave Feminists saying "I want the right to be a morally vacuous harlot". Mr McCain gets to the devastating point when he writes,
Be careful about Feminism's intrusion into Christianity. Beth Moore chooses to be a runabout wife, traveling from one side of the nation to another even while her children were young, being President of her own corporation, with her husband as VP. At Hillsong the female pastor Bobbie Houston claims "We don't sideline the girls" an unbiblical environment from which we get Christine Caine. Feminism has crept in to Christianity with female deacons and female "pastors", female "prophetesses" and rebellious women of all kinds.
Feminism has lasted a long time and the mind-set now is that women can and should participate in leadership roles in the church. Not so.
Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. (1 Corinthians 14:34-35)
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. (Titus 2:3-5)
She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. (Proverbs 3:15-18)
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:23-24)
Ooooh, submit. The one word a Feminist hates. But it is one word that could change everything, for anyone. Submit to the Lord Jesus Christ. Lay your sins at His feet and ask for forgiveness. Submit to the commands for our lives He has spoken in His book. Submit to Him, and not to the flesh. The debauchery of a life such as the one Ms Massey is living will be ceased thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit creating a new person in her and of her. Her sadness would be replaced with joy, and her rebelliousness would be quelled by submitting to the Spirit, who would help her grow in grace and virtue. It is the same for any woman, living any kind of life. His grace extends its wings over any person willing to repent of their sins, lay aside that female rebellion, and plead for a quiet, peaceful life of reconciliation to God, THE Patriarch.
------------------------------
Further reading
How to be a Godly Woman
Feminism's Radical Agenda
What about Gender Roles and Equality in Genesis 1-3?
I have always opposed Feminism and I always will.
Now that you know how I really feel, let me get into it.
Regular readers may remember I wrote a three-part series called The Secret Christian Feminists. That series explored that though many prominent Christian female Bible teachers of today deny it, they are in fact adhering to Feminist principles and living like Feminists, kind of like an open secret if you cared to look. Well, I looked.
Christian Secret Feminists Part 1
Christian secret Feminists Part 2
Christian Secret Feminists Part 3
As a movement, Feminism has roots in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:16 records the curse God gave women upon Eve's disobedience to His command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of Good and Evil.
To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
To define Feminism, we read,
Patriarchy is a social system in which males hold primary power, predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property; in the domain of the family, fathers or father-figures hold authority over women and children.This is biblical. It is exactly the way God set it up. Yet Feminism holds that this is unjust and must be destroyed.
Feminist theory defines patriarchy as an unjust social system that enforces gender roles and is oppressive to both men and women. It often includes any social mechanism that evokes male dominance over women. Feminist theory typically characterizes patriarchy as a social construction, which can be overcome by revealing and critically analyzing its manifestations. Wikipedia
As you can see, "Feminist theory" is simply a rejection of the roles that God laid down upon men and women. It is a continual seeking of women to usurp the roles laid out for men and a disassembly of the patriarchal system, which is entirely just, because God created it and He is the ultimate patriarch.However as a modern movement, Feminism has three distinct waves. The First Wave began in 1848 and extended through around 1920 when women got the vote as the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified.
The first wave of feminism took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, emerging out of an environment of urban industrialism and liberal, socialist politics. The goal of this wave was to open up opportunities for women, with a focus on suffrage. The wave formally began at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, when 300 men and women rallied to the cause of equality for women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (d.1902) drafted the Seneca Falls Declaration outlining the new movement's ideology and political strategies. (Source)The First Wave of Feminism focused on working conditions and the vote. These were legal/political issues related to civic life and the betterment of life for all within community. In the first wave of feminism the women were concerned with involvement in political and civic affairs, heretofore dominated by men. Property rights and execution of wills was also part of the First Wave. Ultimately this Wave was about women wanting more control in affairs outside the home.
Where the First Wave was arguably more noble, with women focused on civic & legal liberties, the Second Wave of Feminism focused on women's personal freedoms, notably, sexual liberties. Feminists in this Second Wave, (approximately 1962-1982 or so) at that time advocated for sexual freedom, abortion, safe birth control and the like. They also fought for equal pay for equal work. American History writes,Second-wave feminism is a period of feminist activity that first began in the early 1960s in the United States, and eventually spread throughout the Western world and beyond. In the United States the movement lasted through the early 1980s. (Wikipedia)
Whereas first-wave feminism focused mainly on suffrage and overturning legal obstacles to gender equality (i.e., voting rights, property rights), second-wave feminism broadened the debate to a wide range of issues: sexuality, family, the workplace, reproductive rights, de facto inequalities, and official legal inequalitiesIn Second Wave of Feminism, the issues feminists attacked were more than just "family" as mentioned above. For example the "de facto inequalities" included making it easier to obtain a divorce. The push for "reproductive rights" was really seeking the establishment of legalized abortion AKA baby murder. If the First Wave was a step for women to abandon the home, the second wave was a studied and purposeful destruction of the family within the home.
In the Third Wave we read a lot about "heteronormativity". Third Wave feminists from the mid 1990s through to today rail against normal heterosexuality, AKA being normal. They want to redefine genders. Not just roles, but genders. They are fighting for acceptance of any and all kinds of sexuality. Finally, they are using words like "slut" and "bitch" to defiantly define themselves. The 3rd Wave Feminists claim that doing so strips the word of its power. This quote is from "Bitch Magazine":
When it’s being used as an insult, “bitch” is most often hurled at women who speak their minds, who have opinions and don’t shy away from expressing them. If being an outspoken woman means being a bitch, we’ll take that as a compliment, thanks.No, thanks. The Bible says, She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26). It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. (Proverbs 25:24)
It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
Even though God said it is not good for a man to be alone, (Genesis 2:18), if a woman is obnoxious, loud, complaining like a dripping faucet, it's better for him to live on a roof or in a desert! Women are to practice gentle speech and live a virtuous life. Christian women, anyway.
Charlotte Krolakke wrote in her paper "Three Waves of Feminism",
Queer and transgender feminists attack what they see as the crux of the problem: heteronormativity. They call for recognition of queers: not only gays and lesbians but also drag queens, drag kings, transsexuals, masculine women, and feminine men ...
Put another way, Third Wave Feminists see the crux of the problem as that people are normal heterosexuals. They feel this must stop. These attacks on genders and sexual roles are not simply cultural attacks, they are biblical attacks. In Deuteronomy 22:5 we read,
A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.
The Third Wave was and is currently a purposeful destruction of gender- the very core of what it means to be a woman or a man. This also is a biblical attack. We read in Genesis 5:2 that
Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.
The Third Wave of Feminism which is going on now, is a purposeful destruction of what it means to be male and female. In reading about Third Wave Feminists I read the term destabilize quite often, usually referring to gender. They seek to redefine what gender IS and destabilize our perceptions of it.
What sparked this post were two articles published recently that made me do a double take. The first is from a website called The Other McCain where it is reported that "A Yale-educated feminist calls herself a 'morally vacuous harlot'. Her description of herself is in the article, though not quoted here.
A Feminist woman named Alana Massey describes herself in a short bio thus, (and it's excerpted, there's more)
So I was a walking cliche of disastrous 20-something in New York: I treated mental illness with alcohol and drugs and bad sex with much older men. I had a series of bad assistant and PR jobs and would fall back on stripping and fetish work when I inevitably quit my jobs or couldn’t cover expenses. I enrolled in Yale Divinity when I was 25 in the hopes that if I just got a good helping of Jesus, I’d be cured of my debauchery and sadness.The Other McCain responded,
Furthermore, could anything be more absurd than Ms. Massey’s idea that she could get “a good helping of Jesus” at the fraudulently named Yale Divinity School? The place has been implacably hostile to Christianity for decades. The impiety and secularized gnosticism of that decadent institution did much to inspire William F. Buckley Jr.’s monumental work God and Man at Yale. If anyone is seeking “a good helping of Jesus,” probably the last place you’d find it is New Haven, Connecticut, being tutored by the academic High Priesthood of postmodern paganism.
Alana Massey describes herself as “a morally vacuous harlot” who pursues one-night stands and complains of the “physically substandard experience” that does nothing for “a woman’s sexual fulfillment.”
Let us ask: Can feminism solve a problem that feminism itself created?
Is this Yale-educated woman too stupid to see that her compulsive promiscuity — a lifelong habit now abetted by advanced technologies of contraception and dating apps — is the basic cause of her problems? How does her whorish “sex-positive” feminism contribute anything to “true gender equality”? Yet what exactly does she imagine “true gender equality” would look like, if ever we were to achieve it?I hate Feminism and I always will. It was the first attack on God, satan enticing Eve to rebel against God and subvert her husband. It has led to a rebellion against gentle speech, family harmony, domestic duties, a distortion of gender roles, promiscuity, loss of femininity, and cowed husbands. Feminism has led to the destruction of the family, abortion, divorce, and adultery. Feminism has led to vacuous harlotry and motivated ignorance. [The motivated ignorance article is the second article that prompted me to write this].
Be careful about Feminism's intrusion into Christianity. Beth Moore chooses to be a runabout wife, traveling from one side of the nation to another even while her children were young, being President of her own corporation, with her husband as VP. At Hillsong the female pastor Bobbie Houston claims "We don't sideline the girls" an unbiblical environment from which we get Christine Caine. Feminism has crept in to Christianity with female deacons and female "pastors", female "prophetesses" and rebellious women of all kinds.
Feminism has lasted a long time and the mind-set now is that women can and should participate in leadership roles in the church. Not so.
Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. (1 Corinthians 14:34-35)
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. (Titus 2:3-5)
She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. (Proverbs 3:15-18)
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:23-24)
Ooooh, submit. The one word a Feminist hates. But it is one word that could change everything, for anyone. Submit to the Lord Jesus Christ. Lay your sins at His feet and ask for forgiveness. Submit to the commands for our lives He has spoken in His book. Submit to Him, and not to the flesh. The debauchery of a life such as the one Ms Massey is living will be ceased thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit creating a new person in her and of her. Her sadness would be replaced with joy, and her rebelliousness would be quelled by submitting to the Spirit, who would help her grow in grace and virtue. It is the same for any woman, living any kind of life. His grace extends its wings over any person willing to repent of their sins, lay aside that female rebellion, and plead for a quiet, peaceful life of reconciliation to God, THE Patriarch.
------------------------------
Further reading
How to be a Godly Woman
Feminism's Radical Agenda
What about Gender Roles and Equality in Genesis 1-3?
When I was married, I took over the spiritual leadership of my family when my husband failed to do so. At that time I thought that was the right thing to do, but now I realize that I usurped his role. Instead of supporting, encouraging, and praying for him, I essentially shoved him aside and did my own thing. How much this contributed to the demise of my marriage, I do not know, but one thing he has said about me as a wife is that I "did whatever I wanted." We were not two as one, we were two as two. There were other issues involved, and I am not sure if the marriage would have survived had I been the wife God wanted me to be, but one thing I am sure of is that my attitude, words, behavior, and actions did not edify, affirm, or show love to my husband. I have also come to understand how much of the thinking that governed my attitude, words, behavior, and action were colored by feminism that rebelliously encourages women not to let the man be in charge. Oh, we can let him THINK he is in charge, but, as they say, we know who wears the pants in the family.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't until after my own marriage ended that I began to understand where I went wrong. And God gave me a friend who is an exemplary example of a Godly wife, as is her mother, who set a fine example for her daughter to follow. Early in our friendship I thought these two women were being controlled by their husbands, but I came to realize they were not controlled, they were submissive and obedient--two concepts that are very rare these days. These marriages are beautiful to behold--not perfect, not always smooth sailing--but built upon a firm foundation and biblical principles that keep it strong and able to withstand whatever life throws at them. Their silent, gentle witness helped bring me to repentance for the ungodly wife I had been. I am not sure if I will ever have another chance to be a wife, but if God would bring that to me, I would do things by His book, not by mine.
Linda, this is a beautiful testimony. Thank you for sharing it.
DeleteFeminism is an attack on masculinity. This culture wants to drug our boys to make them submissive and less aggressive. They don't want men because men are called to be protectors, providers, and priests in the home. If they kill Gods design for men, they kill the family. The lie is that women can do what men can do and play dual roles. I hate it when I hear women say, "I can be a father and mother to my children."
ReplyDeleteI, too, have a husband that stopped serving the Lord but I see that the more submissive I become to God and then to him, the closer he is getting to the Lord. I have learned to speak up against sin without disrespecting him and to keep the Lord in the center of our home. It is hard but it has paid off.
I just discovered your website. I love reading and examining all points of views and hearing the Word of God expressed by different people but at the end I go back to my bible and decide whether a teaching is biblical or not. I will agree with you on a point: Sin has become a topic that is almost taboo to speak about in our churches. Too many forget that in order for the Lord to heal our land we not only have to humble ourselves and pray but also turn from our wicked ways. That phrase "turn from our wicked ways" somehow is forgotten. I also believe that what is primarily missing in our churches is the presence of God. My church will be called a house of prayer. The centerpiece of any church service is not meant to be the Word it's meant to be God's presence. Do you want to know why false teachings and preachers abound? Because the Word has become the centerpiece. Prayer which is comprised of worship, repentance, petition, and yielding (hearing and submitting to Gods will) needs to be the centerpiece.
Reply to: manuela227 AND to ALL the saints,
DeleteI certainty would not want to misquote anyone, especially faithful expository preachers like John MacArthur. That said, I was recently listening to one of MacArthur’s archived sermon messages (www.gty.org), I think the topic was prayer, if not, prayer was definitely mentioned as a sub topic.
I forget MacArthur’s exact words but something to the effect that the Word (as in the living Word of God - the Bible), was even more important than prayer. Why? Because it is by the Word (Bible) that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. We thus learn how to pray, and what to pray for. MacArthur was NOT undermining prayer, nor would any authentic saint. I am sure that most mature Christians have heard very shallow prayers, not to mention un-Biblical prayers! The expository preaching and teaching of the Word (Bible) is a foundational necessity, for without it you have nothing! Yes, agreed for sure, it is the POWER of the Holy Spirit - but through His Word which shall NOT (EVER) pass away! Prayer must be engaged in daily and throughout any given day as the Word (Bible) has instructed us in many different passages of the closed cannon of the Word of God.
I really appreciate your humble servant like attitude, as well as the wise things that you have shared, but let none of us forget God’s great gift to us His Word - the written Word and the Living Word-Jesus the Christ)
Brother Rick : ~ )
Metro Atlanta
PS, NO one could ever be saved without hearing the WORD, and yes-by the Holy Spirit ALONE!
Hello Rick,
DeleteI appreciate your comments and I agree that the word of God is extremely important In The life of a believer and produces power. I believe in praying scripture but I also believe that relationship is Gods goal in prayer. But I would rather quote scripture since I don't know much about John MacArthur. From what you've written it seems like he is a man of God but I would rather just use scripture to make my point.
Proverbs 3:5-8: understanding will never bring peace. Human beings have the problem of trying to Master their own lives. We want to know it all and explain our problems away, when what we really need is to seek THE Master. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 We need to first seek the one who wrote the words for He is the Word. He is the Word but He is also a person. Relationship is what God seeks and that can only be achieved through prayer. I am a continuationist and I believe that God continues to operate in the same way He did all throughout the bible. I believe he continues to speak directly to his servants and His presence continues to move among his people. He has chosen to use men and women to speak His word and be his fellow workers. I don't know why God wants to use us since we are unholy and sinful but yet He does and for that I am grateful. Perhaps this is why we don't exactly agree?
I do ask: Is the Master's word greater than the Master? Are the promises greater than the promise maker?
Many Blessings,
Manuela
Manuela,
DeleteI am so glad you love scripture, study it, and use it in your responses. This is a moderator's dream!
Thanks for sharing your opinion that as a continuationist, you believe God continues to operate in the same way He always has. However this is not correct according to the bible. God works in many different ways, and at different times.
"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. " Hebrews 1:1-2
The canon of scripture is closed. He has spoken through His son, who is The Word. There are no new things to hear from God at this juncture.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (Rev 22:18-19)
Obviously, people "hearing from God" with new revelations are adding to The Book (the entire bible, not just Revelation) and are in error.
Hello Elizabeth,
DeleteThank you for your blog. I am glad to find a place where I can be sharpened and be challenged in my own walk of faith. Keep speaking the truth of God. You don't know who you may save from the fires of hell.
I can understand the skepticism to believing that God continues to speak today through men in revelation and prophesy. In these times we see a lot of people putting more stake in their relationship with God rather than in what he has said. They are looking inward for what they can only find outward. It is leading people astray to believe false gospels. The bible calls us to unity of faith not unity of experience.
The kind of revelation I believe in is the one in which God reveals himself to humanity. Every Pastor and speaker who shares the Word of God is used by God to bring revelation to the people of who God is and what He is saying in His word.
Revelation is knowing something that was previously unknown. For example, There are times in our lives that certain scriptures seem to come to life because of life circumstances. When my children were both diagnosed with autism within the span of a month in November 2007, scriptures took on a whole new meaning to me. Gods promises of never forsaking me, of his grace being sufficient to me and children being a heritage from the Lord no longer meant the same as before. I didn't really understand them before. They became real and applicable because of my circumstances. This is revelation.
I believe (and have experienced it first hand) that the Holy Spirit can reveal to someone the circumstances or the hardship that another person is facing and then give them a word of wisdom, encouragement or rebuke that is founded in scripture alone and applies directly to that persons situation. God does this to reveal himself and cast out doubt that His word is true and that he is with us and for us. He also does it to expose the state in which the individual is in (or church- I've seen it in a HUGE way in my church in the past few months) and bring correction. I believe revelation (as long at it is in line with the Word) is to combat the lies of the enemy and assure people that God is with them. Prophecy and revelation from the Spirit lives on but it has been corrupted and twisted to fit the agenda of men. If the people would only know the scriptures, they wouldn't fall to the lies of these false prophets.
In John 14:12 Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." Our sphere of influence as Christians continues to decrease despite these words of Jesus. But I am confident that they will come to pass. The church of God will be united once again and the name of Jesus will be lifted high in the timing of God's choosing.
In your latest response, I'm glad you clarified what you meant by the word "revelation." Because before, when you wrote this:
Delete"I am a continuationist and I believe that God continues to operate in the same way He did all throughout the bible. I believe he continues to speak directly to his servants..."
It is the opposite of what you said in your clarification. Continuationists believe as you'd stated that God never stopped speaking directly to people, that he continues to do so until this day. In your clarification, you say--
"The kind of revelation I believe in is the one in which God reveals himself to humanity. Every Pastor and speaker who shares the Word of God is used by God to bring revelation to the people of who God is and what He is saying in His word."
So you're really saying two different, opposite things. I'll go along with your second one because that is the one that is biblically correct. God does not speak directly to His servants any longer, as I previously explained to you. The Holy Spirit illuminates the truth of the word, but God does not talk to people directly in these last days.
As for the concept of "revelation", God reveals himself in two ways--
1. In His creation. This is general revelation. All people born on the planet have had opportunity to see God through His creation. So they are without excuse. This doctrine comes from Romans 1:18-20,
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
2. In His word. No one who is without the Holy Spirit in them can understand the word. So this kind of revelation is called "Special Revelation." It comes from verses I've already shared, Hebrews 1:1–2.
You can read more about special revelation and general revelation, here.
http://creation.com/general-and-special-revelation
Thanks for the conversation. May God bless you.
Thanks for this. There's a trend in haughty chauvinism online and they get much press. The hope is that either of the two wrong sides -- "feminists" and "men's rights activists" -- would be "triggered" by your title and get a good dose of something they're not expecting.
ReplyDeleteHere in Switzerland, I can date the decline of the Protestant mainline Church in our region almost exactly to the appointment of the first female "pastors". The problem was that if, as a woman, you feel you can be a Church leader then you are almost certainly going to be heretical where other core Christian beliefs are concerned. As such was the case. Today, the Church is dying and has just agreed to give benediction to homosexual couples. So it goes.
ReplyDeleteI realise, in July 2016, I am commenting here long after the debating horse has bolted. But I will nevertheless leave some words that may provide help and hope for any who might be revisiting this website and its comment section.
ReplyDeleteI am a British man who is living in a society in which every leader of every major political party, including this nation's Prime Minister, is about to become a woman. This period in time has already witnessed Europe's most powerful political position, the Chancellor of Germany, being occupied by Angela Merkel. And as I write it seems highly probable that the USA will democratically acknowledge Hillary Clinton as the first female American President in November of this year.
To those of us who accept the orthodox Christian message of Scripture, something throughout the human world, most notably the first world nations, has clearly gone radically wrong. In a highly toxic way that is revealing to anyone who is willing and able to see. Developments that seem to be the ancient and definitive hand of God's foremost enemy.
I believe that the passage of Scripture that people should now become most familiar with, as now being the most poignant to human life in the 21st century are the 26 verses of Isaiah. 3.
This passage of the Bible is sometimes summarised by the words:-
"When the power of Satan is at its height your leaders shall have the minds of children and women shall control them".
For those alive today, who look around them and are finding themselves feeling bemused or even frightened by a world that is openly rejecting and vorcaciously denouncing every concept of God's Word - His unalterable truth, His wisdom and His decree as to what is rightful order among human beings - fear not.
Look around at the wicked foolishness that presently abounds throughout your world, your society and among your fellow citizens. Put it all into context with Isaiah 3. Subsequently allow the folly you witness to strengthen your faith. For you should realise that God is way ahead of it all. It was all prophesied, precisely as it is taking place before you, thousands of years ago. Even hundred of years before the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Take heart brothers and sisters. Evil cannot triumph in the long term. He sees, He knows and He is with you.
Amen.