This is so good I have to put it here for posterity’s sake. This comment was left by TC on Amy’s “A woman’s highest calling” discussion:
So much of the Church – reformed and otherwise – has fallen into the fundamentalist, legalist trap. Man likes laws and rules and regulations, because by them we can 1) make ourselves holy, and 2) have a measuring stick by which to judge others. Some of the most extreme “Christian” fundamentalist thinking mirrors almost exactly that of fundamentalist Mormonism and Islam – that a woman’s sanctification and glorification hinge on how well she serves her man, not how well she serves The Man. (emphasis mine)
I wish I had said that!
I finally had to close the comments on my Sunday Afternoon Tea post because the comments against my position were getting quite hateful (from those who believe a mother should never work outside the home).
My mother was raised in a legalistic Christian environment and rejected “Church” and “Christians” most of her life. I know she accepted Christ’s salvation in her 60s but she could never allow herself to find peace in Him because of the way she was raised.
Sally, I wish I had said that too!
This single issue is so incredibly pervasive, and I’ll go out on a limb and confess that I still struggle in separating the two. Sometimes it is a tricky navigation with the variables of households and personalities and interpersonal dynamics, not to mention where the husband wife are each personally on the spectrum of this spiritual concept.
Brenda, I’m sorry you encountered all that. I’m convinced that it doesn’t matter what your position is on any given subject or how “tolerant” you think you might be, it is always a struggle to conduct a debate in a fair and loving way. At least that is what I’m encountering. My “grace” muscles aren’t as strong as I thought they were! 😉
Amen Sallie!
Oh. I do like that!
Thanks for posting it here. I’d somehow missed it.
Hmmm… I know I’m a little late to the discussion, but I think this quote is one of those that “sounds” good to our modern ears, but really misses the point. How well we serve “The Man” will undoubtedly be reflected in how we treat and serve “our man”. In fact, if we say we love and serve “The Man”, but don’t love and serve “our man”, then we lie.
I agree that many take all of this WAY too far, where father could be seen as Christ… but I think quotes like this just muddy the issue.