Gender Roles Video from the Today Show

"Today Show video: Women gaining power, study says"

Crew Q & A: What's Going on in 1 Cor. 14:34-35?

If you’re following our blog and/or podcasts, then you know that we're doing Q & A sessions after the sermons during our series on biblical manhood and womanhood. A question from this past week was going to be too lengthy to answer on Sunday, so I decided to respond here.

The question was: Some NT passages are seen as constricting for women (I'm specifically thinking of 1 Cor. 14:34-35. Can you explain the context for these verses and how are they applicable to Christian women today?

A good question. A common question. The other NT passage that is also usually seen as constricting is 1 Tim. 2:8-15. I won’t dive into that one too much other than to say that it also needs to be considered when discussing 1 Cor. 14:34-35. So get out your Bible. Or open it up on your compy 2000. We'll use it.

(Click here to view all passages on BibleGateway.com - Will open in a new window)

The first thing I want to say, not only about this passage but about any passage that we read and study, is that we MUST have context if we’re going to understand what’s going on. To just jerk a verse out and read it is to set ourselves up for confusion and misunderstanding. You recognized this in the question. So, way to be!

Let’s do some observation on who’s involved and why:

WHO?

• The apostle Paul is writing (1:1)
• A church in Corinth, which Paul planted and is around 3-5 years old is the recipient (1:2)

WHY DID PAUL WRITE?

• He heard there was division in the church (1:10-11)
• He heard there was immorality in the church (5:1)
• He received a letter from them asking him questions about theology and practical application (7:1)

So the result is the letter of 1 Corinthians. If you read the letter you discover that this is an extremely immature church that was cliquish, involved in incest and prostitution, suing one another in court, passive in church discipline, a free for all in worship, and doubting the resurrection of the body. It was a mess. So Paul is responding and correcting a church gone wild.

The passage we’re thinking through (1 Cor. 14) falls into the part of the letter where he is responding to their questions about spiritual gifts and their use in the local church (12:1). Look at what Paul has already said about spiritual gifts:

• They are gifts from the Holy Spirit to exalt Jesus (12:1-3)
• The church needs and has a variety of gifts, yet is united by the same Spirit (12:4-31)
• The use of the gifts is to be done in love (1 Cor. 13)
• Our gifts need to be used with wisdom and intelligence (14:1-25)

Ok, having looked at the broad context of the letter, let’s look at the immediate context of 1 Cor. 14:26-40.

Paul is correcting a misuse of spiritual gifts in the worship gatherings. He describes the free for all that happens when they get together (14:26). The result is confusion and everyone talking at the same time and error being communicated and believed. So Paul corrects that by telling several different people to be silent.

• He tells the church to only permit 2-3 people to speak in tongues. And they are to remain silent while the other spoke. Also others gifted in tongues would have to remain silent during that gathering if they weren’t in the 2 or 3.
• If there is a gathering with no interpreter, then all Christians with the gift of tongues must stay silent.
• The same goes for prophets. Only one prophet at a time could speak. The other was to remain silent.
• What was the result of all of this order and mutual submission to remain silent until appropriate times? Everyone learned and was encouraged. Truth was weighed by those with authority to weigh it. And God’s peace prevailed rather confusion (14:32-33)

It’s important to note here that Paul has just said that the 2-3 prophecies that are spoken in worship are to be weighed by prophets and that those prophecies are subject to the decision of the prophets. So if something is wrong in the prophecy in light of the authority of the Scriptures the prophets can correct it and say that its error.

It’s also important to note that Paul has also written that although a husband is the head of the wife due to creation design (11:3), a woman is allowed to pray and prophesy in worship gatherings (11:4). So a woman is allowed to speak.

So, the relevant context to our question is:

• A husband is the head of the wife because of creation design
• A woman can pray and prophesy in church gatherings and thus speak.
• Silence is appropriate for men and women throughout a gathering
• Prophesies are subject to leaders in the church

Now the verses: As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

So in light of the context, we can now read those verses very clearly saying that women are to be silent in this weighing of prophesies. To speak in this way would violate the command that woman aren’t to teach or have authority over men (1 Tim. 2:12). And depending on the situation a wife could potentially be in authority over her husband. Paul not only depends on his own authority but refers to the authority of the Law, the OT. Most likely referring to Gen. 2. He does that in 1 Cor. 11 and 1 Tim. 2:13. If wife has a question or problem with the prophecy they need to discuss that with their husbands who could bring it up in the public gathering.

This fits perfectly with Paul’s correction of this church’s tendency to buck the practices of biblically led churches everywhere and the Scriptures.

So that’s what’s going on there. I know I’ve opened up questions about things like prophecy, tongues, head coverings, etc. But that will have to be for now. Comment away.

Oh, and a lot better mind than myself has a great discussion of this. You can read D.A. Carson here: http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/cbmw/rbmw/chapter6.html

Crewbucks Softball

Hey party peoples! The Crew men have teamed up with the Starbucks team for Fall Softball. You should come out and show our fellas how awesome we think they are!

http://ghprd.org/fall_mensC.html

Carolyn Mahaney Teaches Titus 2

Hey guys. Here's a link to download free teaching by Carolyn Mahaney on Titus 2. I haven't listened to it yet. But I'm expecting very good things since I respect her and her husband C.J. very much.

http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/09/carolyn-mahaney-to-teach-what-is-good.html

Loving Our City Through Particpating In Public Forum

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know about an awesome opportunity coming up to not only support our wonderful city but to have a say in the future of Huntington.



A new civic group called Create Huntington is hosting a community forum to put together a long-term plan for the city and all are invited to attend and to give input. From a recent article in the Herald-Dispatch, “Create Huntington wants to take ideas from different segments of the Huntington community -- Marshall University, business, government, nonprofits and residents -- and create a development plan. It wants to facilitate development, as well as coordinate efforts already under way in the community so the right hand knows what the left is doing.”

This sounds like a great idea and is something that has needed to happen for a long time. Given that one of the main focuses at Crew is loving our city, I think it is vital that we be involved in forums such as this to help provide a different kingdom perspective into the direction we think Huntington needs to go. Also, if we are to have the greatest impact on our city and to allow God the most opportunity to use us, we have to connect with others in this city. We cannot help fix the problems here on our own and our church was not meant to be an island in the city but rather a vital part of it.

I challenge each member of Crew to ask themselves if the vitality of Huntington is something that you feel strongly about. If it is, then I encourage you to attend this meeting along with myself and others from our church. Begin thinking of ways that Huntington can be improved such as the suggestion of starting a non-voting council position for a Marshall student to allow for better communication between our city and one of it's most important institutions. Identify areas that could use a little sprucing up and begin putting together a plan of the best way to do so. If we can bring these ideas before people who have a way of making them happen, our possibilities are endless.

Ironically, this forum takes place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29. For those of you paying attention, this is the day after our service project at St. Clouds. That will definitely bring some weight to our ideas if we can show those at this meeting that we are already a physical part of restoring Huntington and not only have we put some thought into it, but we are turning those ideas in actions! I hope you will consider joining me at this meeting to help restore Huntington and to make sure that God is glorified in doing so!

Tim Bailey, City Team Leader

Manhood/Womanhood Debate on CNN

Hey guys. I'm going to post a little segment from CNN this week that I think will be helpful for us to hear.

It's an mini interview with Voddie Bauchum a baptist pastor from Texas. I've listened to some of his podcasts in the past years and he knows his Bible and he knows Jesus. The other is an "evangelical speaker" (not sure what that is) from Alaska that I know very little about.

I want to give a little disclaimer before you watch however. This interview is in the context of should Sarah Palin be a vice president in light of evangelical teaching on manhood and womanhood. That is not why I'm posting this interview. THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL BLOG OR POLITICAL COMMENTARY AND I DON'T CAMPAIGN OR EVEN COMMENT ABOUT THIS STUFF FROM THE PULPIT OF CREW. So, keep the comments about that out please.

I'm posting to demonstrate how this teaching about manhood and womanhood is received by popular culture and how the view of popular culture is seeping into the "evangelical" church. Notice how Voddie is labeled. Notice how Voddie uses Scripture and how the popular culture uses Scripture. Notice how he views the Bible and the gospel as opposed to popular culture. Worth your time to watch. The first bit is more news then interview so hang in there. It's good.



From Dennyburk.com.

Follow Up Question From Yesterday's Sermon #2

Hey guys. I just posted a response to a question I received about the sermon yesterday in the previous post. You can read the beginning of that post to know why I'm answering questions about yesterday's sermon on the blog.

But here's another question I received: "How do you come to a point where you are ready to have a baby despite finances, love for a career, and feelings of being equipped?"

A very good question and again I want to point you to the sermon on our website or itunes in order to get the best persepective of the context of this question and my answer.

To begin with children are a gift of God and to be desired by men and women. The overall expectation of men and women in the Bible is that men will grow up and become a man (The entire book of Proverbs, the Bible for that matter) leave his parents (Gen. 2, Proverbs), get married (Gen. 2, Proverbs, Psalms, Song of Solomon, Eph. 5), lead his family spiritually (Proverbs, 1 Tim. 3, Titus 1), provide for his family financially (Proverbs, 1 Tim. 5:18), and start having babies with his wife who will be homeward in her orientation. She will build the home for ministry, family, society, and the glory of God (Proverbs, Titus 2:3-4).

Part of the training of children ought to include teaching in the area of God's expectation of men and women to build families. The wisdom books of the OT are shot through with this teaching. They are books written by older men to younger men in many cases. So even if a man or woman isn't able to have children or provide for children or care for children they should from their earliest days desire children.

Which brings us to the question. How can we know when we are able to have children despite minmal money, love for a career, and being ill equipped.

Let me say to begin that only the money issue and the being ill equipped issue is actually addressed explicitly in the Bible.

So the money issue first. The man being responsible to provide financially is mentioned in 1 Tim. 5:18 and the book of Proverbs has several passages from a father to son on how to handle money well. Plus the NT including Jesus teaches his followers to use their money wisely. So a man, before he is married and I would argue before he even has a girlfriend, should be making plans on generating enough income to provide not only for himself, but a wife and children. This includes being educated, developing a hard working ethic, and becoming wise in the way of investment. So men need to pursue that and women should expect that. If you are a woman do not marry a man who can't pay his bills or doesn't work and isn't a hard worker.

Now if a man is able to provide a payment for rent or mortage, put food on the table, pay medical bills through insurance or other, and keep clothes on his back, a wife's back, and another life's back then you're ready to have children. You may not be able to have WANTS, but as long as he can provide the NEEDS without the wife working then I'd say go for it. Stop and read Jesus words in Matt. 6:24-34 and God's Word through Paul in 1 Tim. 6:6-10.

As a side, it has been my experience and I've talked to other parents of young children who agree. Infants don't really cost that much money. Diapers were the only major expense we incurred with our first child. Sarah breastfed and we received clothes from cousins, other baby needs (car seat, swings, toys, etc) through baby showers. That's not true of everyone but even then those are not major major expenses. It's when kids get older where the major expenses start to set in.

Now to the being ill equipped issue.. The Bible speaks to this issue in Proverbs and Titus 2:3-4. Older women are to be teaching younger women how to be workers at home. Not just to be workers at home, but how to do that. How do you manage a house, how do you carry out domestic responsibilities, how do you balance work and play, education, etc? Those are to be passed down from older women to younger women. Mothers to daughters. But again, I realize that isn't always happening, so many young women are ill equipped. In that case, the church should step in as the community of God. I right now know of at least 4 women at Crew that would love to come alongside young women looking to be equipped in this area. There is also talk of a small group about just this thing beginning in the future. Please see me and I'll help you for sure.

Now the issue of love of career. This is actually a recent cultural question that has emerged over the last 50 years in predominately Western society. The Bible doesn't speak to the term career explicitly. It does speak to personal ambition over God's will. God never teaches us to elevate OUR name or OUR desires or OUR goals or OUR wealth or that it's something to be sought. For men or women. In fact, he warns against the desire to be great and/or rich (1 Tim. 6:6-10; James 4:1-10; 1 Peter 5:5-6). Not being great or rich, just the desire to be those things. God teaches that we are to seek to follow Christ and the kingdom of God and in doing that he'll give us contentment, joy, peace, and impact (Psalm 37:4; Matt. 6:24-34; Luke 14:25-33), in himself rather than our name, desires or career. A career in whatever field or for whatever gender will not make us happy or fulfilled. Only God can do that.

So we might have desires to make a career for ourselves, but a career is not a pursuit in and of itself or even to be a desire. I'm a pastor because God has called me to be a pastor and to serve Crew and the city. Not to elevate my career as a pastor, preacher, leader or whatever. It is the avenue that God has given me to serve him. Also, if I could continue to use my occupation as an example. Even in this calling, which many would call a high calling and ministry, it is to take back seat to my responsibilities to my wife, family, and home (1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1). So as a man who is a pastor of a church. If I fail in my duties to my home and family. I am disqualified. That is how high God views the home. The church is a household in 1 Tim. 3:15 so it is to be led by men who have good homes.

Speaking of the home. There is no mention of God elevating career, but there are numberous instances of his high view of home. He refers to the temple where the Jews worship as his house (Matt.21:13), the church is called a household (Eph. 2:19, 1 Tim. 3:15), the body of believers is the temple of God where the Holy Spirit lives (1 Cor. 6:19, 1 Pet. 2:5), and heaven is called God's house (John 14:2). God loves the home. He elevates the home and he elevates mothers who build homes (Ps. 113:9; Prov. 31). So our desires are never to be elevated above God's desire for us.

Finally, I want to say that if a woman did have a desire to work in the marketplace that depending on the amount of children she had, she could still do so in a limited fashion (when the kids were in school) or even a full time fashion once the children are raised. Or really any number of ways in which the children and the home were not neglected as the priority of the woman. The woman in Proverbs 31, as an example, had a plan to do so without neglecting the home.

Hope this helps. Love to hear what you think.

Studies Referred To In Sermon Yesterday

Hey guys. I wanted to post a blog follow up to yesterday's sermon. You can listen to the sermon under the media section of our site or go to iTunes.

For those of you who weren't there, we started a series on manhood and womanhood and I set the stage yesterday for the series and laid a foundation from Gen. 1-3 on how God created men and women to function.

After the sermon we did some Q & A, which we'll do every week. I also invited folks to email me any questions they thought of or didn't get answered Sun. morning and I'd respond via blog or email depending on the relevancy.

One question I received was regarding the studies I referred to in talking about the effects of daycare on children rather than the mother raising children. Great question and I'm glad many are wanting to dig deeper.

The major study was one done by the National Institute of Child Health, a very respected organization in this field since they do the largest long term study of child health. They've done a study in 2007 that reaffirmed the one done in 2003. You can read the entire 2007 study here.

I found out about the 2003 study from CBS news and the NY Times who sum up the study. I found the 2007 report from their site. The articles also mention a second study done by the Institute of Child Development of the University of Minnesota. You can read the CBS report here and the NY Times here. I wasn't able to find the University of Minnesota one, but I didn't try real hard. You can find it online I'm sure.

Essentially the major findings of these studies which I said were controversial is that children who spend 10 hours or more in daycare are going to have better language development and skills, but worse behavioral problems. Another thing I found interesting was that this was true as well if the child spent 10 hours or more with any caregiver other than the mother (including dad, grandparents, relatives).

Thanks guys. Dig in!

the real wordle

Thought this was cool. It shows words of emphasis on this blog (click it to view larger). Make your own at wordle.net.

Update: I redid the wordle, I think it was only looking at the last couple posts for some reason. Here is a more comprehensive look:

What Are Some Benefits to Settling Down in a City?

I ran across a good insight at the Christianity Today blog. Last Sunday, we talked about Jer. 29:4-7 and how we need to be people who buy into and settle down in our city. I mentioned good reasons to do this. But church discipline wasn't one of them. Collin Hansen does, Check out his post: The Hansen Report: Where Are You From?

Any more benefits to settling down for the purpose of community, mission, and the kingdom of God in your city?

Buy a Bible and Read It!

Hey guys. Last week at our state of the church I mentioned that I have been flirting for the past 2 years with switching from a New American Standard Bible (NASB) to an English Standard Version (ESV). I made the switch personally this past Spring and we're making it what we teach from at Crew this Fall. The major reason I switched is that I want the most literal translation of the Bible into English from the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). The NASB has been this for years and still is as accurate, but it's reading, especially in the poetic sections, is a little stiff and rough. The ESV captures all of the accuracy of the NASB translation but is much more fluid and readable.



I've been asked what Bible people should buy and many of the current Bible teachers and authors that I respect these days are really pushing the new ESV Study Bible coming out Oct. 13th. It looks very good and I'm planning on buying it and I urge you to as well. Especially if you don't own an ESV to study and read from.

Ok, now that you're going to buy it. Read it! Everyday. I'm asked a lot what books I think people should read. I'll elaborate more if you ask me in the comment section. But here's the first answer I always give: if you haven't read the Bible (all of it) then do that first. Read no other book, until you've read the Bible. It will change how we read every other book and it is the best book.

Hope this helps get you rollin'.