Biblical Gender Views and Biblical Inerrancy

A few months ago, I did a post on Semigalitarianism. This is a view where conservative Christians have claimed to believe in Biblical inerrancy, but functionally believe that a women can teach God's Word to men if she is "under the senior pastor and her husband's authority." In my post I told you of a Southern Baptist friend who encountered Semigalitarianism at his church and how he was struggling with this teaching. He saw the inconsistency that was taking place. Since my post, my friend has gone to the Senior Pastor of this mega church and has pleaded to have pastor change his mind. He briefly explained how Biblical Inerrancy and Egalitarianism cannot hold hands. They are mutually exclusive.

The pastor listened, but his mind was not changed. However, another man in the church also came to him and this man is seminary trained and knows Greek and Hebrew. He explained to the pastor that he was not doing proper exegesis to passages to justify his semigalitarian position because that position cannot be biblically justified. The Pastor humbly decided to reconsider his thoughts on this topic. He said that he did not originally think that having a woman teach was that big of a deal, but now he sees the importance how it ties to other beliefs about the bible. The church staff has decided to pull back and study their beliefs on these "gender passages" and to not allow another woman to teach men until they thoroughly study the topic.

I am thankful for my friend and other lay leaders in churches who are willing to come forward and stand for the bible even when others will not. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to specifically tell your Senior Pastor that he is not being biblical. This must be done humbly and with an ear to hearing out the pastor. We never want to bring a charge against a pastor, but pastors are sinners just like everyone else. I know, I am one. We all have blindspots and all need others to speak into our lives. I have been adjusted by godly men for my teaching before and now a wholeheartedly disagree with what I once taught. I am praying for this senior pastor to do the same.

Honoring True Greatness, part 2

Last night, I had the joy of honoring one of the other pastors on staff at our church. He is a godly husband and is a father of seven children (yes, I said seven). Years ago, he came out of a successful engineering career because he felt the Lord was leading him to pastoral ministry. He is honestly one of the most effective men at pastoral care and counseling that I have ever met. Jim would even say that he does not have a "preaching gift" though he is "able to teach" as an elder is supposed to do, but role in caring for others is exceptional.

As I worked on what I was going to say to honor Jim, I thought that the words of two of his sons who attend a local university would be a great testimony of God's work in Jim's life. Adam (a junior in college) and Joey (a freshman in college) said the following about their dad.

"He is the most organized and careful planner I know. The way he leads our family displays this. He is very selfless, and plans weekly time into his schedule to meet with each of us kids. If he is not spending personal time in the word and prayer, he is spending his time working on projects around the house, or with us, or serving us in some other way. He is a quiet humble servant. Displaying true greatness in every aspect of his life. Every week on Sunday evenings he gathers the family for some time to share the events of the week, talk about the message and what it meant to us, and share what the Lord has been teaching us in our quiet times that week. This means so much to me that he would lead us in this way. He also displays a vast knowledge of God and his word, as well as godly wisdom. I don’t think I will ever know where I would be today if not for his wise, God-centered council.
Make no mistake my father is a heroic server and leader, in both the home and the Church, in personal life and in public. He is my hero and my model of what true greatness really is. He should be honored publicly, for the way he leads his private life, for that is what truly makes a man.
I have seen my father grow in many ways this year, but I believe the most outstanding one of them is how he has grown in patience this year. He has handled balancing his schedule with ours, bearing with us when we sin in the same ways over and over again, with what would seem like little growth, he is still understanding, forbearing, and forgiving. I love how my father cares, and loves us so much. He is a truly amazing man. "

Adam made a excellent statement that is worth drawing attention to when he said to me, " I particularly respect the way that he is faithful, when I am struggling and discouraged, to point me back to where my focus should be, the cross. " This is what true biblical manhood is all about. Loving our wives and children and pointing them back to the cross of Christ every chance we get. This is male leadership at its purest form.

Hearing the thoughts and insights about Jim made me wonder about how my own children do and will evaluate their dad. Could my kids make these statements about me? Often times our kids are the most observant and unbiased people with which we can gain input and observations. True greatness seeks to get this information for personal change and growth.

So, what would your children say about you? Do you display humility in the home? Why don't you ask them?

The Cries Not Heard

I received the following letter from Heartbeat of Miami the other day and it took my breath away. Heartbeat of Miami is an excellent Crisis Pregnancy Center which is strategically positioned near four abortion clinics and is located in the city with the highest amount of abortions in America. I encourage you to read this letter and consider giving a little more than just your applause in fighting for the unborn. This is the letter that we received when we gave last month.

Thank you for your recent gift. The event of Christmas is the ultimate affirmation of your joyful giving and our labor in serving pregnant women. Mary was only a few days pregnant when she met up with Elizabeth, who was then six months pregnant (Luke 1:39). And what do we read? That the preborn child, John the Baptist, at six months gestation, leapt for joy in the presence of the fully God, fully human, Son of God who was at that moment only a few days old.

But not all was joy. Indeed along with the incarnation, there was the slaughter of many innocent children. Herod “killed all the male children in Bethlehem… who were two years old or under…Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more” (Mt 2: 16-18). A whole village of sons slaughtered. A whole village of mothers left inconsolable in their grief.

It is important that you understand that behind the many joyful stories we have shared with you, we are quietly, tearfully, painfully enduring losses too. The pain is always brutal to bear─which is why we call this work cross-bearing for the child-bearing. Two weeks ago, a woman came in and received an ultrasound. As you know, we are already doing 30 to 40 ultrasounds a month now! What was unique about this one is that the baby was confirmed to be 6 months along; the same age when John the Baptist met Jesus and worshipped Him, womb to womb! Through the ultrasound we saw a little boy fully formed and clearly visible right down to his toes and eyelashes─ a masterpiece of God. We smiled at him, talked to him, photographed him and promised to help the mother with everything she needed.

Unfortunately, this week we confirmed that this little boy was slaughtered, dismembered and discarded by one of the local Miami abortionists. The news struck like a punch in our stomach and in our hearts. The mind searches “did we do all we could? Could we have done more?” The tears finally push everything aside and just run down in sadness before God. This is the price we pay in rescuing so many others. Pray for us. We are resolved: if you will continue to support us with your seeds of love and your donations, we will continue to rejoice in the Great Work before us in 2008.

Thank you and God bless you!

Martha E. Avila, (with Rev. John Ensor)

Honoring True Greatness

The other night the pastors of our church had an Christmas Banquet to honor our Care Group Leaders and their wives. One of the particular focuses of the evening was spent in having one of the Pastor's wives and a Care Group Leader honor the Care Group Leader's wife. These are the ladies who serve their care group by caring particularly for the ladies in the group as well as often hosting Care Group meetings three times per month in their home. These are ladies of humility, servanthood, and biblical femininity. Below is what my wife said about one of the Care Group Leader's wives that is under our care. In parentheses are statements I added for clarity.

Honoring MaryBeth

James 4:8a and 10 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you;…Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.”

MaryBeth, these verses are the picture of what I have seen in your life during the 5 short months that we have been meeting together as a sphere (group of Care Group Leaders with a Pastor). When you and Brian first sat on our living room couch in July and shared your story, I was amazed by the humility you displayed in sharing so much with this new, inexperienced couple whom you barely knew. Your transparency revealed a desire for drawing near to God and a hunger to change. Your gentle spirit and humble attitude during our sphere meeting at Lake Junaluska was such an example to me of how to receive exhortation as well as how to gently help your husband see areas of needed change. Mike and I have continued to be amazed as we have watched your marriage grow, heal, and change through these months of you and Brian aggressively going after areas of sin. The fruit of your obedience is obvious in the way you relate to and encourage Brian in our meetings as well as in your eagerness to receive help from others. It is also evident in the way you and Brian have joyfully embraced God’s will for your family in the upcoming move and church plant (our church is sending out a church plant soon which Brian and MaryBeth will be going on). I have been blessed by the way you have allowed God to work in you. However, when asked to honor you, I did not think my thoughts would be as weighty as the thoughts of those who see you every day. Mike and I agreed that your daughters’ words would certainly be able to honor you far more effectively. We asked Kacey(16) and Hannah(15) to tell us how they have seen their mother grow and change in the last year and also to tell us what they admired about her. Here is what they said:

“During the last year, mom has grown in encouraging us and in her patience through correcting us. She is excellent at sympathizing with us and understanding us. We greatly admire her submission and humility toward our Dad and the obvious priority that their marriage is to her. Mom is also a very good servant to us and others. She is quick to respond to the needs of others and her compassion is an example of godliness to us.”

So MaryBeth, it is a joy to honor you tonight and thank you for the example you are to the many people whose lives you touch.

(This is Mike again...) I think MaryBeth is not only a godly example as a Care Group Leader's wife, but as a wife and mother in general. I desire my young daughters to speak to my bride with this same love and admiration when they are teenagers. True biblical womanhood shows true greatness.