Sexist or Biblical Series

Sexist or Biblical? Episode 4

/ biblicalgenderroles / Leave a comment

Itsnofunwithanervywife

Is it “sexist” for a husband to not want to be around a wife that is anxious or moody most of the time? Is wrong for a husband to seek out some type of relief for his wife’s anxiety or constant moodiness? Apparently to feminists it is.

But the Bible says this:

“It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.”

– Proverbs 21:19

Everyone woman has a bad day now and then and as husbands we need to demonstrate God’s grace in our wives’ lives during these times. But if this is the pattern of a wife, then the husband needs to bring it up and try and get his wife counseling, or medication to help her, not only for her own sake, but also for the sake of the marriage.

I can hear it now from feminists – “but men suffer from anxiety and moodiness too!” While it is true that men also can suffer from this, it is far more prevalent with women, simply because of this difference in how our brains as men and women are wired.

“Women are twice as likely to suffer from panic disorder or social phobia compared with men, and they are three times as likely to have agoraphobia (fear of being in public places). They also face a slightly higher risk for specific phobia (fear of a particular object or situation). About 10%–14% of women will have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lives, compared with 5%–6% of men. And 6.6% in women will have generalized anxiety disorder, but just 3.6% of men will.”

http://psychcentral.com/news/2006/10/06/anxiety-more-common-in-women/312.html

The truth is that most women who suffer from issues of chronic anxiety or irritability don’t realize that they do, they do see their behavior as it is. More often than not, people who suffer from chronic anxiety and irritability have convinced themselves that it’s not as often as it really is, and that they are justified by the various circumstances of life in feeling and acting the way they do. But chronic anxiety and irritability will suck the life out of any marriage and it needs to be addressed.

Husbands, as the leader of your home, God expects you to deal with this so that you can make your relationship the best it can be. Obviously you should approach this in a gentle way initially with your wife and see if she will be willing to go to counseling and perhaps get medication (if that is prescribed). But if your wife rebuffs you concerns you may need to take a more assertive approach.

Sexist or Biblical? Episode 3

/ biblicalgenderroles / 1 Comment

HardworkingWifeinApron

I think for most men who have not been brainwashed by our modern feminist culture to think it is demeaning for a woman to be seen as the primary caretaker of the home, we would find this flat out sexy. My wife just got a new apron and love watching her work in it. It hearkens back to a period when men were men and women were women.

Women used to see the care and upkeep of their homes as their honor, and they did not look down on it as a drudgery. We as believers in Christ need to raise the next generation to embrace God’s beautiful and distinctive design of man and woman.

Another thing I like about this ad is, it places emphasis on the fact that a woman ought to save some energy for her husband. Too often today, even women who are homemakers, act as if their job is a drudgery and when their husband gets home they say something like “ok your home, it’s your turn to take over.”

Woman have more and more modern conveniences to help them with the affairs of the home (modern ovens, washers and dryers, internet cooking classes and host of materials to help organize) – yet they seem to be able to do less with more, and few husbands are brave enough to take on this important issues of the home.

It’s not unheard of today for men to work 10 hours and then come home to then be expected to cook dinner or run out and buy it for the family. Now everyone has a bad day, and I am not saying that a husband can’t see that fact and help his wife out occasionally with the cooking or cleaning.

But if this is the norm of how a woman is managing her home for her husband, then there is something wrong and it needs to be addressed.

But on a more positive note, husbands if you have a good woman who is taking care of your home and doing these things to the best of her ability – you ought to praising her everyday! Proverbs 3:28 tells us that “her husband…praiseth her“. If you have not praised your wife’s cooking or upkeep of the house lately – do it today!

Proverbs31_10_11_27

Sexist or Biblical? Episode 2

/ biblicalgenderroles / 41 Comments

MyWifeIsPrettyAndPregnant

What a sexist and horrible ad right? The eyes of Feminists are rolling. This classic ad is one that is often used to attack our supposed backward and sexist past as a nation. But if we believe the Bible is the Word of God – is this really a wrong ad?

Is wrong for a man to want his wife to be pretty,pregnant and to be happy about her duties in the home according to God’s Word? Maybe according to our modern norms it is – but maybe, just maybe, our modern norms are completely out of line with God’s design for man and woman.

When I bought a new washer and dryer for my wife 5 years ago with our new house I proudly said that I bought a new washer and dryer for her.

Now my wife was raised in a moderately feminist home, so she did not take too kindly to my statement, but it was a learning experience for her. I pointed out to her, than in no way was I saying that all she could do was laundry, as my wife is a very intelligent woman. But said to her that while I have no problem helping around the house I believe that God’s Word shows the home and the domestic work of the home is the woman’s domain, and instead of her being insulted by such a comment, she ought to be proud that I wanted her to have the best equipment to do what God had tasked her with.

Five years later, my wife knows that I have made good on my word. There have been many weeks and months that my wife was sick or had health problems, or surgeries where I took care of 100% of the laundry, dishes and cooking, and it was my honor to do so in her time of need.

I still help with some loads of laundry here and there as I see the need arise, but at the end of the day I believe my wife is fulfilling one the purposes for which God created her each and every time she does a simple load of laundry. It is not an insult, it is an honor, and more if more women were accept God’s will, and God’s design for their lives, they would happily take pride in their task of taking care of their families clothing needs.

Proverbs31_10_11_27

Sexist or Biblical? Episode 1

/ biblicalgenderroles / 1 Comment

SexistOrBiblicalEpisode1

Teakwood Builders of Saratoga Springs, NY has sparked controversy with some feminists with it’s billboard which states “Your wife wants me” in front a new kitchen. Feminists have lined up to protest the sign on the side of the road near the sign, with one feminist sign saying “I prefer an office”.

The company says its just good fun, and in good humor.  They also make the point that women are usually the one’s who push for the purchase of new kitchens like this.

But common sense never stops feminists. Sure are there some men who would get excited over a new kitchen – yes, but we all know if most men were given the choice between having a new “man cave” or a new kitchen – which one would they choose?

From a personal perspective, my wife was very upset when the funding fell through for us to have our very old kitchen remodeled. It will be some time before we can get the funds to do this. And my wife is not naturally the “domestic” type of house wife – she is has a bachelor degree and was highly successful in her field before becoming disabled a few years ago. Having nice kitchens are very important to most women, whether they have a career or not.

What is ironic is – these feminists are actually giving this company more business by drawing attention to it’s sign.

If you live near the Saratoga Springs NY area, and need a new kitchen, I highly recommend you go to their site and contact them – http://www.teakwoodbuilders.com/contact-us

Is it Sexist or Biblical?

Is it sexist to imply the kitchen is the woman’s domain? The answer is yes and no.

Most definitions of sexism include two sides. According to the Cambridge online dictionary these are two common definitions for sexist:

“referring to women’s bodies, behavior, or feelings in a negative way:”

“a person who believes that particular jobs and activities are suitable only for women and others are suitable only for men:”

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/american-english/sexist

The Bible is definitely against speaking negatively about a woman’s body, or the distinctive way in which God has made women different from men.

But the Bible, and those who follow the Bible’s teachings and commands regarding gender, would be considered “sexist” by the second definition of sexism in that God’s Word does distinguish roles for men and women, in both the home and society at large.

The Bible says this about why God design woman and what her role was to be:

Woman was made for man, not man for woman:

“Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” – I Corinthians 11:9(KJV)

Woman was made as a helper for man:

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” – Genesis 2:18(KJV)

Woman was meant to be the caretaker and manager of the affairs of the home:

The primary way a woman helps her husband is by caring for and managing his children and his home while he is out providing for the family and pursuing his life’s work:

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her …She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” – Proverbs 31:10-11 & 27(KJV)

“…teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2:4-6(KJV)

“I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” – I Timothy 5:14(KJV)

These are only a few passages from the Scripture, but if we examine the Scriptures as a whole we can see all throughout the Bible, women being the ones who took care of the affairs of the home, and the caring for the children.

This does not mean women are unintelligent, or that women are not capable of doing most of the jobs men do. The point is a woman was specially designed to be man’s helpmeet, and one of the largest ways she helps man is in making sure is home is organized, and a tight running ship.

Does this mean a woman’s needs to be home at all times? No. Can women help with feeding the poor or working with special events in their churches or communities? Of course they can. Christian women blog, they right books, they hold seminars at their churches to help other women. Intelligent Christian women can find many ways to channel and use their talents for God, all while keeping their central focus on their duties to their home.

So is it sexist to target kitchen ads to women?

So this brings us back full circle to the question we began with. Is it sexist(in the negative sense of the word) to target kitchen ads to women or is it Biblical? I believe based on the witness of Scripture that is in fact Biblical to do so. We need more moms in the kitchen making homemade meals for their husbands and children instead of mom bringing home pizza and McDonald’s after work each night, or throwing in microwave dinners every night.

But can’t Dad help too?

Certainly men can help cook sometimes – As a husband and father, I enjoy cooking for my family. When I do it, is usually on the weekends as I work a lot of hours during the week. But I feel that God wants a model to be shown to be my children that my wife is my helpmeet and not the other way around.

But it’s just domestic work, does God really care about such silly things as who spends the majority of their time in the home, verses outside the home?

Yes God cares. It is symbolic. Read Ephesians chapter 5. God has created marriage between a man and a woman to be a symbol of the relationship between God and man. In this relationship, the husband is a symbol of God, and the wife is a symbol of mankind. Each time a wife does the dishes, does the laundry or cooks in that brand new kitchen – she plays out that all important symbolism. That food she is cooking is not only for her husband and her children, it is also for God himself.

So Teakwood Builders of Saratoga Springs, I pray that you won’t back down and you keep those ads up. I realize you may not be doing it for religious reasons, but God can use many things for his glory and he can use this to start discussions about women and the home. God wants more men and women to honor a woman’s primary role in the care and management of the home.