It has long been understood that humans need and want boundaries, so it comes as no surprise that as Biblical Christianity declines [being replaced by a predominantly soft-on-doctrine-don’t-be-judgmental approach], the need for boundaries and structure within the Christian community plays out in unbiblical submission to a religious ruling class rather than following the example of Jesus with his followers and the model of "imitate me as I imitate Christ" prescribed by the Apostles.
Nowhere, is this more evident than in churches where Christians are pressured into signing church covenants binding them to obedience and to silence if they disagree with the consensus of church leadership. This is unscriptural hierarchal priest-craft, and it is no wonder that such goes hand in hand with Christians embracing more rigid than ever gender-role restrictions in order to provide practically impenetrable boundaries and structure in an otherwise anything-goes-religious-free-for-all [attitude] that has taken root within the Christian psyche.
The Written word of God, the Bible, no longer seems to be the final arbiter as to whether or not behavior is “Christian” or not, and protestant Christians, who previously looked only to Jesus as Mediator between themselves and their God, seem more willing than ever to transfer the mediatorship from Jesus to pastors and husbands, who claim it is their responsibility to answer [to God] for their congregants and wives come judgment day.
How is it, that pastors have become self-appointed mediators between God and their congregations? How is it, that husbands have become appointed mediators between their wives and God? And how is it that God's people submit to man-made hierarchies that purport to determine the extent to which we can say it is well with our souls?
Submission to man, therefore, becomes the final arbiter as to whether or not a Christian is in the will of God.
How convenient for hierarchical leaders, as this type of Christianity leaves little use for the Lordship of Christ, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or the knowledge of the Written Word of God--the Bible.
. . Woman this is WAR! Gender Slavery
and the Evangelical Caste System examines Bible commentary and translation
practices which have historically been androcentric (male centered) and even
misogynistic (anti-woman). These have adversely effected understanding of the
scriptures, relations between women and men, the happiness of men and women,
and, in general, has hindered the work of the gospel, by forbidding women to
preach, pastor, or serve as elders or deacons. The book chronicles the early
history of the women's rights movements, as well as the role of church
leadership in aggressively suppressing both women's rights and the historical
record of Christian initiatives within the movements. Through the
complementarian movement, many of the same arguments used to support the
institution of slavery, are still used today in suppressing the rights of
Christian women. This book documents identical arguments used by Christian
leaders against both movements and is an unparalleled resource for all who
desire an in-depth study of gender equality from a Christian perspective. The
history of women’s rights is traced back [much further than usual] to the very
first feminists…who were Christians—godly women, who brought the issue
of women's rights to the forefront as they struggled to alleviate the suffering
of others, and found they were hindered in doing so for no other reason than
the fact of their sex. This work, provides valuable historical insight into
Christian initiatives in the movements for women’s rights, that are rarely
included in Christian literature.
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