PastorFaulk
Puritan Board Freshman
A short response to the Dallas Morning News- Baptist seminary launching homemaking program
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ories/081107dnmetseminaryhomeec.1e08bb7c.html
I am a proud Southwesterner. Recently in the Dallas Morning News there was an article written about a new homemaking degree which they are creating to equip ministers' wives. It had a feminist slant and to a large degree mocked the institution for lowering women to the pointless job of keeping the home and raising the children.
Before I begin, though, let me say at the beginning that my wife has a Masters in Missiology from Southwestern. The president’s wife has a Doctorate in Theology. I say this to show that SW is not kicking women out of the theology department. When McDonalds began to serve salads as a choice on their menu, it did not mean that the BigMac was being outsourced. It meant that they were widening their wares to meet the demands of the customer. Southwestern is creating an opportunity for women to learn a lost art.
Second prefix, this concentration is fixed on top of one of the most challenging liberal arts degrees in the country. http://college.swbts.edu/academics/degree.cfm?id=18 The article portrays the degree as just sewing, but the concentration on home skills is built upon a strong humanities degree.
The home has been at the center of attack since the rise of feminism in the 60s and 70s. Where children were seen as a blessing, the feminist movement has moved them to being a curse. Do you disagree, what is your first thought when you see a family with more than 3 kids? The pill has destroyed the family. It has made children an option in the family, not a natural result. This is important because what has often stopped women from advancing in workforce is children. They are the curse of the working mom. Not only this, one can see the cultural shift to cursed children by one's attitude toward abortion. When a woman’s choice is seen above a human life, then children have become a curse. When one regulates when, how many and if children exist, they are able to control their body, leaving themselves open to pursue career and personal advancement, leaving the home in ruin.
Not only this, but in building the career path for women, gender roles have been attacked. I have often said that equality is not measured in what one does, but who one is. At the heart of the feminist argument is the idea that there is no distinction between men and women. The idea of complete equality in both person and function opens the door to all sorts of immorality. If women are in no way different from men, then what’s the big deal with homosexuality? Biblically, women are equal to men. Gal 3:28. That said, Biblically women are different in function than men. God has created man to work in the field, and woman to work in the house. Gen 3. Is one greater, no, both are necessary functions in life. One can hardly look at the dilapidation of the family and not connect the loss of gender roles in society. When did divorce skyrocket, when did woman leave the home?
Southewestern has not sought to enslave women or devalue them, but has sought to restore the value and necessity of the Mom in the house. Saying that a Homemaking concentration is worthless is saying that a homemaker is worthless. Which side is truly devaluing women? The feminist woman says that if one does not have a career (outside of the home) they are worthless. Hogwash. What greater value can one have than raising one's children? If a man works his entire life in a factory, what has he truly done? If a woman gives her life to her children, is not her work greater than a lifetime of factory parts?
Psalm 127 is key to understanding the theology of Children.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
3 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Family belongs to the Lord, and a husband must submit to God, and lovingly lead his family in the fear of the Lord. Dt 5, Eph 5,6. As the husband lovingly leads the family spiritually, the wife in gracious submission must follow the man's leadership and also both serve the husband and the children. Side note- one's theology of the family drives one's theology of the trinity. All members of the trinity are equal, but not all are equal in authority. One would hardly say that Jesus is any less God than the Father. That said, Jesus submits to the Father, and the Holy Spirit submits to Christ. Does a police officer have any more votes on Election Day than a teacher? Does the teacher submit to the authority of the police officer? Authority is not equality.
The question necessary to this discussion is not whether a homemaking degree is valid. Just look at other colleges to see what degrees are offered, and one can see that is far more practical than a dance degree. How many professional moms are there, and how many professional dancers are there? The question necessary is whether homemaking is a valid profession. I guess it depends on your view of children. In a day where Hollywood sees children as fashion accessories no different than toy Chihuahuas, and the average person has children for the experience of it, not the necessity of it, you could see how children are given no value. My children are my arrows. My wife is my helper. I support her fully in her decision to make Ana and Emma her greatest priority. If children are a blessing, then homemaking is a valid degree. If children are a curse, then let’s just lock them up in daycares so that a minimum wage worker can watch over them. I don’t know about you, but I only trust the most qualified helper in the raising of my greatest resource -- my wife.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ories/081107dnmetseminaryhomeec.1e08bb7c.html
I am a proud Southwesterner. Recently in the Dallas Morning News there was an article written about a new homemaking degree which they are creating to equip ministers' wives. It had a feminist slant and to a large degree mocked the institution for lowering women to the pointless job of keeping the home and raising the children.
Before I begin, though, let me say at the beginning that my wife has a Masters in Missiology from Southwestern. The president’s wife has a Doctorate in Theology. I say this to show that SW is not kicking women out of the theology department. When McDonalds began to serve salads as a choice on their menu, it did not mean that the BigMac was being outsourced. It meant that they were widening their wares to meet the demands of the customer. Southwestern is creating an opportunity for women to learn a lost art.
Second prefix, this concentration is fixed on top of one of the most challenging liberal arts degrees in the country. http://college.swbts.edu/academics/degree.cfm?id=18 The article portrays the degree as just sewing, but the concentration on home skills is built upon a strong humanities degree.
The home has been at the center of attack since the rise of feminism in the 60s and 70s. Where children were seen as a blessing, the feminist movement has moved them to being a curse. Do you disagree, what is your first thought when you see a family with more than 3 kids? The pill has destroyed the family. It has made children an option in the family, not a natural result. This is important because what has often stopped women from advancing in workforce is children. They are the curse of the working mom. Not only this, one can see the cultural shift to cursed children by one's attitude toward abortion. When a woman’s choice is seen above a human life, then children have become a curse. When one regulates when, how many and if children exist, they are able to control their body, leaving themselves open to pursue career and personal advancement, leaving the home in ruin.
Not only this, but in building the career path for women, gender roles have been attacked. I have often said that equality is not measured in what one does, but who one is. At the heart of the feminist argument is the idea that there is no distinction between men and women. The idea of complete equality in both person and function opens the door to all sorts of immorality. If women are in no way different from men, then what’s the big deal with homosexuality? Biblically, women are equal to men. Gal 3:28. That said, Biblically women are different in function than men. God has created man to work in the field, and woman to work in the house. Gen 3. Is one greater, no, both are necessary functions in life. One can hardly look at the dilapidation of the family and not connect the loss of gender roles in society. When did divorce skyrocket, when did woman leave the home?
Southewestern has not sought to enslave women or devalue them, but has sought to restore the value and necessity of the Mom in the house. Saying that a Homemaking concentration is worthless is saying that a homemaker is worthless. Which side is truly devaluing women? The feminist woman says that if one does not have a career (outside of the home) they are worthless. Hogwash. What greater value can one have than raising one's children? If a man works his entire life in a factory, what has he truly done? If a woman gives her life to her children, is not her work greater than a lifetime of factory parts?
Psalm 127 is key to understanding the theology of Children.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
3 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Family belongs to the Lord, and a husband must submit to God, and lovingly lead his family in the fear of the Lord. Dt 5, Eph 5,6. As the husband lovingly leads the family spiritually, the wife in gracious submission must follow the man's leadership and also both serve the husband and the children. Side note- one's theology of the family drives one's theology of the trinity. All members of the trinity are equal, but not all are equal in authority. One would hardly say that Jesus is any less God than the Father. That said, Jesus submits to the Father, and the Holy Spirit submits to Christ. Does a police officer have any more votes on Election Day than a teacher? Does the teacher submit to the authority of the police officer? Authority is not equality.
The question necessary to this discussion is not whether a homemaking degree is valid. Just look at other colleges to see what degrees are offered, and one can see that is far more practical than a dance degree. How many professional moms are there, and how many professional dancers are there? The question necessary is whether homemaking is a valid profession. I guess it depends on your view of children. In a day where Hollywood sees children as fashion accessories no different than toy Chihuahuas, and the average person has children for the experience of it, not the necessity of it, you could see how children are given no value. My children are my arrows. My wife is my helper. I support her fully in her decision to make Ana and Emma her greatest priority. If children are a blessing, then homemaking is a valid degree. If children are a curse, then let’s just lock them up in daycares so that a minimum wage worker can watch over them. I don’t know about you, but I only trust the most qualified helper in the raising of my greatest resource -- my wife.
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