biblical worldviewing

Sarah is reading an article by Peggy McIntosh for her 102 English writing class. Her professor is highly liberal and feminist, and Sarah often asks me to help her defend what she believes against this radical feminism. Just today I heard her say sadly, “I wonder what it would be like to take a regular English comp class where the professor wasn’t a feminist with an agenda?”

In the article, Peggy McIntosh makes a claim that males take advantage of their place of power, and compares it to white privilege. It is a tour-de-force of White guilt combined with Feminist propoganda. McIntosh says:

“I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege”.

First of all, I don’t know who is “carefully” teaching their white children to be oblivious of privilege (”No, honey! Don’t tell little Junior that, he might realize he is privileged because he’s white and our plans will be ruined!” And I’m just going to leave affirmative action alone right now). This quote covers a lot of aspects of privilege, but I believe an underlying assumption is that leadership is related to privilege. As a girl, Sarah would say her experience in a patriarchal family and church has never once made me feel under privileged or inferior because she did not have the option of being a leader over men. Just as Sarah does not feel inferior to a college professor even though professors stand at the front and lecture in a leadership capacity while students take on a learning, following role, both groups are entirely equal in dignity and they are complimentary. The same is going to be true when I am married, and I will be the head of our family, but not unequal to Sarah—in fact, I view Sarah as coming before me in importance and as more valuable than me while I am exercising my patriarchal authority.

Patriarchal authority is something that is very foreign to much of today’s culture, but it is interesting how the Bible describes itself (God’s Law) as something that we should submit to as if it had patriarchal status to us. It is not surprising, then, that with the rejection of the Bible as a standard of morality and society, that the male leadership of the family and church would soon be rejected as well. We would all do well to remember that the Bible has an authority that is like (although much greater than) our earthy fathers giving us their sternest commands for us to obey as little children.

I just wanted to post an excerpt from this great book that was a particular blessing to me. I love how Bunyan paints the Christian journey in such stark, imperative terms. Once you strip away all the cares of the flesh, you see the Gospel call the same way Bunyan does: repent or perish. Everything is worth forsaking for the embracing of Christ. A great scene is when Christian is running towards the light and his wife and children call after him to stop, Bunyan says that Christian plugs his ears and runs, shouting “Life! Life! Eternal Life!” Just following that, two men, Obstinate and Pliable attempt to make Christian turn and come back to the place Christian calls “the city of destruction”. Obstinate goes back, but Christian talks Pliable into coming along.

CHRISTIAN: Come, neighbor Pliable, how do you do? I am glad you are persuaded to go along with me. Had even Obstinate himself but felt what I have felt of the powers and terrors of what is yet unseen, he would not thus lightly have given us the back.

PLIABLE: Come, neighbor Christian, since there are none but us two here, tell me now farther, what the things are, and how to be enjoyed, whither we are going.

CHRISTIAN: I can better conceive of them with my mind, than speak of them with my tongue: but yet, since you are desirous to know, I will read of them in my book.

PLIABLE: And do you think that the words of your book are certainly true?

CHRISTIAN: Yes, verily; for it was made by Him that cannot lie. Tit. 1:2.

PLIABLE: Well said; what things are they?

CHRISTIAN: There is an endless kingdom to be inhabited, and everlasting life to be given us, that we may inhabit that kingdom for ever. Isa. 65:17; John 10: 27-29.

PLIABLE: Well said; and what else?

CHRISTIAN: There are crowns of glory to be given us; and garments that will make us shine like the sun in the firmament of heaven. 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:5; Matt. 13:43.

PLIABLE: This is very pleasant; and what else?

CHRISTIAN: There shall be no more crying, nor sorrow; for he that is owner of the place will wipe all tears from our eyes. Isa. 25:8; Rev 7:16, 17; 21:4.

PLIABLE: And what company shall we have there?

CHRISTIAN: There we shall be with seraphims and cherubims, Isaiah 6:2; 1 Thess. 4:16,17; Rev. 5:11; creatures that will dazzle your eyes to look on them. There also you shall meet with thousands and ten thousands that have gone before us to that place; none of them are hurtful, but loving and holy; every one walking in the sight of God, and standing in his presence with acceptance for ever. In a word, there we shall see the elders with their golden crowns, Rev. 4:4; there we shall see the holy virgins with their golden harps, Rev. 14:1-5; there we shall see men, that by the world were cut in pieces, burnt in flames, eaten of beasts, drowned in the seas, for the love they bare to the Lord of the place, John 12:25; all well, and clothed with immortality as with a garment. 2 Cor. 5:2.

PLIABLE: The hearing of this is enough to ravish one’s heart. But are these things to be enjoyed? How shall we get to be sharers thereof?

CHRISTIAN: The Lord, the governor of the country, hath recorded that in this book, Isaiah 55:1,2; John 6:37; 7:37; Rev. 21:6; 22:17; the substance of which is, if we be truly willing to have it, he will bestow it upon us freely.

PLIABLE: Well, my good companion, glad am I to hear of these things: come on, let us mend our pace.

CHRISTIAN: I cannot go as fast as I would, by reason of this burden that is on my back.