Without understanding the historical household customs, culture and the civil laws of the Greco-Roman world we have inevitably set up false scriptural interpretations. In turn, those misguided interpretations have encouraged legalism, inequality, injustice and abuse for men and women, but especially the repression of women within the church for generations.
First and foremost Yahweh is perfect and His word is infallible. Unfortunately, Yahweh’s word has been translated by fallible men. These men for centuries lived in patriarchal societies and they projected their own bias and assumptions against women on to God and their bible translations. Most of us have been brought up under a politically correct conservative and traditional patriarchal view of the bible and generation after generation has accepted this view as being ‘the word of God’. So I’ve named this section of the blog ‘Yahweh’s Training Zone’ so that we can reverse those thoroughly indoctrinated views which are the prejudices of men rather than the word of God.
The church needs to repent!
Bob Edwards from Awake Deborah has an excellent video on the topic:
See the following blog posts on the topic:
Love Wins In God’s Household
If ruling over women was one of the results of the curse in Genesis … why do some believers still insist that men should rule over a woman when after all Yeshua came to set us free from that curse? In the culture that the New Testament writers lived in, women were commodities and utilized for the sexual satisfaction of men. Continue reading Love Wins in God’s Household
Going The Wrong Way In God’s Household
It’s very important to say first and foremost that Yahweh’s word in its original form is inerrant. But the translators that translate the scriptures into other languages are not inerrant. No matter how hard they try, their bias and presumptions will always influence them. Now whether that bias is by intent or even dishonest is up for debate. Continue reading Going the Wrong Way in God’s Household
Being Spirit Filled In God’s Household
We will now have a look at Ephesians 5 to see what the consequence of mutual submitting one to another really is. But first of all, let’s have a look at what the culture was like in the city of Ephesus during the 1st Century. This is important as we cannot separate the interpretation of scripture from its historical context. Continue reading Being Spirit-filled in God’s Household.
What’s A Woman’s Place In God’s Household?
Never Trust a Woman’s Word! Jesus shattered the man-made laws and cultural traditions of the Jews that stated that a woman’s word was not trustworthy along with a whole lot of other derogatory things they believed about women. Men never made announcements through women. Continue reading What’s a Woman’s Place in God’s Household.
A Question Of Authority In God’s Household
Why is it that our society has decided that equal, consensual and respectful relationships are its ultimate benchmark? But ‘mainstream Churchianity’ on the whole has decided on the authoritarian approach instead. It doesn’t make sense, does it? Continue reading A Question of Authority in God’s Household.
Submission Is Not Obedience In God’s Household
Today I’m dealing with a question of authority as obedience is directly linked to authority. First of all, we need to reemphasize that Paul did not tell wives to obey their husbands in Ephesians 5:25 but to submit to them. Submission is NOT obedience! Paul only instructed children to obey their parents and slaves to obey slave owners because they exercised authority over them Ephesians 6:1 & 5. Continue reading: Submission is Not Obedience in God’s Household
kephale The Source of all Life is Lost in Translation
The New Testament community was unique to both the Hebraic and Roman cultures in which it was birthed. The early 1st century Church taught and practiced gender equality across the board which set the Church apart from the cultures in which it witnessed. This concept of gender equality bought the Church back in line with the original plan for a husband and wife found in the first chapters of Genesis. However, after the death of the Apostles, much of what was gained was lost as the age-old curse of men ruling over women was reinstated in the Church. Continue reading: kephale The Source of all Life is Lost in Translation
Respect in God’s Household
Paul and the early Christian believers lived in a polygamous society that was centered around the Pater familias. The 1st century Greco Roman Gentile and Jewish husband was the ruler over his wife, children and slaves/concubines of his household. He was the ruling patriarch and under the household codes of that culture, they were his possessions and he lorded his authority over them. Women were inferior and just commodities for producing heirs and for sexual satisfaction. In fact, they were less valuable than cattle! Continue reading: Respect in God’s Household.
Women & Misogyny Throughout Church History
This page has some quotes from theologians past and present to show how women have been under subjugation for centuries in the Church, continue reading here.
Boldly Running The Race 