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Huh, there it is.

Yep.

Who'da thunk?

Posts? No Posts?

In case anyone wanders in here, you're welcome to read my blog but it's more just to have a place to write some stuff down than it is to accomplish anything. So enjoy, but don't get your hopes up.

Gullible Women

II Tim. 3:6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

I Tim: 2:8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

Which means what?

Here is Calvin in II Tim 3:6-7

6. You would say, that here Paul intentionally draws a lively picture of the order of monks. But without saying a single word about monks, those marks by which Paul distinguishes false and pretended teachers are sufficiently clear; creeping into houses, snares for catching silly women, mean flattery, imposing upon people by various superstitions. These marks it is proper to observe carefully, if we wish to distinguish between useless drones and faithful ministers of Christ. These former are here marked by so black a coal, that it is of no use for them to shuffle. To “creep into families” means to enter stealthily, or to seek an entrance by cunning methods.

And lead captive silly women laden with sins. Now, he speaks of “women” rather than men, because the former are more liable to be led astray in this manner: He says that they “are led captive,” because false prophets of this sort, through various tricks, gain their ear, partly by prying curiously into all their affairs, and partly by flattery. And this is what he immediately adds, “laden with sins;” for, if they had not been bound by the chain of a bad conscience, they would not have allowed themselves to be led away, in every possible manner, at the will of others.

By various sinful desires. I consider “sinful desires” to denote generally those foolish and light desires by which women, who do not seek God sincerely, and yet wish to be reckoned religious and holy, are carried away. There is no end of the methods adopted by them, when, departing from a good conscience, they are constantly assuming new masks. Chrysostom is more disposed to refer it to disgraceful and immodest desires; but, when I examine the context, I prefer the former exposition; for it immediately follows —

7. Always learning, while yet they never can come to the knowledge of the truth. That fluctuation between various desires, of which he now speaks, is when, having nothing solid in themselves, they are tossed about in all directions. They “learn,” he says, as people do who are under the influence of curiosity, and with a restless mind, but in such a manner as never to arrive at any certainty or truth. It is ill — conducted study, and widely different from knowledge. And yet such persons think themselves prodigiously wise; but what they know is nothing, so long as they do not hold the truth,

Membership Reckoned by Household

Topic: Ecclesiology Some time ago (February) a friend recently asked about the policy of Christ the Redeemer Church which "normally reckons church membership by household." I started this blog entry then but didn't post it. Since then, it has come up again so I thought I'd go ahead and post it now that it's October. The friend's questions included some of these concerns:

• Doesn't our policy imply that we think there is "still male and female" though the Bible says there is "no longer male and female"?
• Where in the New Testament is there anything about membership by household?
• Are we implying a Mormon "chain of being" view of the Christian family?
• Aren't we denying the church the wisdom of women voting?
• Haven't we drunk to deeply at the well of Doug Phillips?
• Aren't we too "patriarchal"?

Preliminary thoughts:

• Acts 16 and several other places speak of households being added, or being saved. It doesn't say Sally, and Bill, and their children Susie and Mick. Just households. Sometimes (the Phillipian jailer) it is a male head of household; sometimes (Lydia) it is a female head of household.
• The Gospel writers reckoned by men, "plus women and children"
• Voting is not of the essence of membership; the elders rule the church.
• Sutton posits a grammatical point at Mt. 28:19-20 regarding gender disagreement between "nations" and "them".