One For The Ladies

Wendy Alsup is deacon of women's theology and teaching at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. She is a wife and mom and also occasionally teaches mathematics at a local community college.

She has written a series of four articles found on The Resurgence website satirically titled "The Ideal Christian Woman". Wendy skillfully refocuses the discussion of what the 'Ideal' should possibly look like.

Part 1. She is honest about her sin.
Part 2. Her identity and security are found in Christ
Part 3. In her body and life, she seeks to reflect the image of God.
Part 4. She ministers Grace to others, within and outside of the church.

Below is an excerpt:

I have had several women recently come to me concerned that they don't match the stereotype of the Ideal Christian Woman. That got me to think--what is that stereotype? When I hear others discuss the "Christian Woman" at our church, I think I know what they are talking about. I'm not going to describe her here, because I don't want to hurt any woman who may fit that stereotype. But I do want to shoot down the main myth I hear about the stereotypical Christian woman.

Myth
The godliest of Christian women look great all the time, all have godly Boaz type husbands, and have the same convictions about childbirth, breastfeeding, education, dinner preparation, employment, and so forth.

The Truth
First of all, "godliest" is a bad label. It implies we determine our godliness by comparing ourselves to others. "She's godlier than that other lady, so that makes her the godliest." Wrong! Christ is our standard of perfection, and we all fall short of His glory. The best analogy I've heard is that it is like someone standing on a sheet of paper and claiming to be closer to the sun. When we try to use the label "godliest," we are equally absurd. READ MORE

John Piper: "It's Crap"

Think the health, wealth and prosperity 'gospel' is just an American phenomenon? We have now exported this 'Name It and Claim It' ideology to vulnerable developing countries like Zambia. And it is exploding.

Many Christian leaders have been vocal about their view of this type of 'gospel' and in the video below John Piper is certainly not offering an anemic opinion.

Watch the video and then read the following article in Christianity Today.

Chuck Swindoll and Howard Hendricks on Legalism

Today, I was at Ed Stetzer's blog and came across a dialogue between these two men. One of the issues that they addressed was legalism. Here are some quotes:

"...when we get into areas that are not set forth in Scripture, either in precept or even in principle. These may be such things as length of hair, tattoos and other body piercings, skirts or pants for women, makeup or no makeup. Those are not scriptural issues. Sometimes these issues are cultural, and you do have to address them when you are in that particular culture. But I think legalism begins when you do or refrain from doing what I want you to do or not do because it’s on my list and it’s something that I am uncomfortable with."

"The problem with legalists is that not enough people have confronted them and told them to get lost. Those are strong words, but I don’t mess with legalism anymore. I’m 72 years old; what have I got to lose? Seriously, I used to kowtow to legalists, but they’re dangerous. They are grace-killers. They’ll drive off every new Christian you bring to church. They are enemies of the faith. Other than that, I don’t have any opinion!
So, if I am trying to force my personal list of no-no’s on you and make you feel guilty if you
don’t join me, then I’m out of line and I need to be told that."

If you want to read more, go here and then scroll down.