Quote:
When Dan began to speak, he announced that there was a “sisters’ rebellion” in the Texas churches and that the sister leading this rebellion was in the Houston church. According to him, this sister had committed serious offenses against the church. She and others with her had encouraged people to open up and talk about their problems.... At one point, he stated his belief that sisters didn’t have any spiritual discernment, and that they were, therefore, easy prey for Satan’s deception. He also stated his belief that sisters could not receive revelation from the Bible.
Copyright 2005 by Jane Carole Anderson
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What is the issue with encouraging ones to talk about their problems?
James 5:15-17
and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
The key phrase is pray for one another. How can you know what to pray for if you don't know the problem? If you or I are to pray for one another, there will be a need to speak about problems.
So Benson believes sisters don't have any spiritual discernment?
Acts 18:24-26
Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Luke 24:9-11
and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.
Whenever Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned, it's always Priscilla first and Aquila second. Does that indicate Priscilla had more discernment than her husband Aquila? As eloquent Apollos was, Priscilla with her husband Aquila had the discernment to adjust Apollos.
As in the passage from Luke 24, I do recognize it's possible for sisters to have discernement brothers are lacking in. Brothers have been generally overly spiritual in the recovery. Just as in Luke 24, for sisters to be in discernment, that is complete nonsense. Just as in Luke 24:12, not until a brother sees for himself is it accepted.
My point being Jane and others sisters in Houston at that time discerned a lack and a need among their ecclesia. Brothers being overly spiritual tended to be negligent regarding our humanity. The phrase I often heard as a young brother regarding problems was, turn to your spirit and call on the Lord. When you're overly spiritual and neglecting problems of our humanity, the problems will still exist no matter how much one strives to ignore them. I see the sisters using the problems as a catalyst for prayer. If a sister was having issues with her husband, in expressing these issues, and in praying over these issues, and as prayers are answered there becomes are more harmonious and fulfilling marriage.
I think by nature brothers would be offended by such an approach. Not only is it exposing, it debunks the thought everything is allright in their marriage even when it's not. Brothers would naturally think if there's an issue in the marriage, his wife ought to go to him and keep it in-house. Do not go outside the house and expose dirty laundry.