Quote:
Originally Posted by Nell
When Christian men and women are clean...repentant of offenses to the Body of Christ, there will be a spiritual revival. Jane can only take care of her own spiritual condition. John can only take care of his own spiritual condition. I can only take care of my spiritual condition. God is clean. God is Holy. God is right. He gave his Son that we could be forgiven of our sins. This is the great need of the church today...repentance for our own sins, and sins against each other...Christian men and Christian women in the church.
Based on what? Social justice? The women's movement? No. Rather, such beliefs and practices in the Body must be based on God's Word.
You can't really control what others teach or practice. You first have to be convinced in your own mind what God's word actually teaches. That's where you start. Again, it's not about social justice for women in the church. It's about the truth of God's Word. Today's "women's movement" is little more than a poor counterfeit of God's heart toward women.
Some progress has been made in the church by genuine believers who practice the truth of God's word toward women. Yet much of whatever secular "women's equality" which may have been "accomplished" today can and has been achieved to a large extent by unbelievers. Of course, not all are unbelievers, but many are. This is the great counterfeit. This is not what Jane and Katharine Bushnell are discussing. Unbelievers have nothing to do with the Body of Christ.
It's not about "unregenerate men and women's word to women". It's about GOD'S WORD TO WOMEN.
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Since all Christian men have supposedly been guilty of Satan-induced attitudes towards women in the church, what do you say about all the revivals which have already occurred during the age of grace? In my study of church history, I have never read of a revival prompted by all the men repenting of their attitudes towards women in the church. Then how can you claim
there will be a spiritual revival, or there will not be spiritual revival?
The last major revival in the USA occurred during the "Jesus People" movement of the 60's. History tells us that this movement of the Spirit occurred while women were supposedly suffering great "insult" at the hands of male church leaders. There were great revivals in Jerusalem in the book of Acts and they occurred in the context of so-called "male-dominance." Jesus Himself often quoted scripture from the Septuagint. Why did He never tell us about how bad that translation was since it was made by 70 male scholars in Alexandria?
I am concerned that this book offers false promise to the church of God. Where is the scripture that tells men that revival will not occur until repentance of chauvinist attitudes occurs? In II Timothy 3.1-4 Apostle Paul lists the prevalent sins of the church in these last days. Why can't I find one that specifically mentions these pitiful attitudes in the church towards women? I can barely find a verse in the rest of the Bible. If the Bible is silent on this topic, perhaps it is not because of male-bias, but because the Spirit is silent.
This in no way justifies any of the abuse, mistreatment, neglect, or shortage of sacrificial love seen in some Christian husbands. Actually for every story of an abusive husband, I could likewise produce a story of an abusive wife, and that's why scripture speaks to man and woman alike.
Today our country is divided by unending claims of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, etc. I would be seriously concerned about the church of God if Bushnell's writings took hold. Instead of blessing, I would fear more unrest and division, just like I see in the world. Why is it that the more we talk about problems, the more they seem to multiply, and get worse.