(This is a book review I left on Amazon for Rachel Millers book "Beyond Authority and Submission." )

Rachel Miller's main proposition in her book "Beyond Authority and Submission" is that the church has adopted pagan views of sexuality to enforce patriarchy causing women to be relegated to the sphere of the home.  Mrs. Miller's historical work is shoddy at best.  It reaches back to misquote and paraphrase pagan authors without recognizing the theological concept of natural law.   She quotes pagan authors on women being the weaker sex, staying at home, and having children.   She thinks by simply quoting pagans or summarizing their statements, she has done the work of showing that their ideas are necessarily pagan.  It is not enough however to simply show that pagan authors said certain things, you need to show that what they have said originates from their paganism and that paganism is necessary to their ideas.  

Anyone with a familiarity at all with the scriptures and church history will know that these quotes by pagans are not unique to paganism.  St. Augustine said the concept of patriarchy goes back to the garden and to the patriarchs.  In his book the City of God, he said,  “And this is so much in accordance with the natural order, that the head of the household was called paterfamilias; and this name has been so generally accepted, that even those whose rule is unrighteous are glad to apply it to themselves.”  He makes the point that the Roman title of Paterfamilias borrows from the natural order and it is so evident that even the wicked attempt to adopt this view.  God has revealed in nature a created order which is evident to all.  Therefore, pagans who reject God reveal that they know God and have the law written on their consciences.  The Book of Romans lays this out clearly in its first few chapters.  Rather than paganism being the foundation from which patriarchy flows and the church borrowing from the pagans, it is the opposite. God the Father gives his name to fatherhood and the pagans have borrowed from God’s creation.

Can Pagans twist those truths? Certainly.  And they most certainly do.  Yet this does not undermine the truth.   John Knox in his work the Monstrous Regiment of Women quoted at length several pagan authors to show that even the pagans recognize for example that women were not created to exercise authority over men in the civil realm. He then moves from these pagan authors to show that what they have said finds its source and correct view in the special revelation of God, the Bible.
 
Mrs. Miller then jumps over 1800 years of church history to the Victorian age.  She provides a chapter trying to tie Victorian views on men and women back to the Greek and roman philosophers.  It is quite a leap.  She says that this was the result of the Renaissance stirring up a desire to read the philosophers again.  She provides several quotes which I suppose are supposed to shock the reader. For example, she writes “The Victorians found support for their belief that women belonged in the home in Paul’s encouragement that young women be “keepers at home” (Titus 2:5 KJV). William Alcott, an influential Victorian author and a cousin of Louisa May Alcott, explained that a woman “cannot discharge the duties of a wife, much less those of a mother, unless she prefers home to all other places, and is only led abroad from a sense of duty, and not from choice.”  Mr. Alcott’s quote would find itself at home in any commentary or sermon on Titus 2 from any period of the church before the 1800s.  Calvin, Luther, Matthew Henry, William Gouge, John Chrysostom, Augustine, and plenty of others from all ages of the church have said these things and more. The truth is that Mrs. Miller is starting with a feminist presupposition and anything that does not fit it, she is calling pagan.   As an aside, it is interesting to note that almost of the quotes she provides from the Victorian age she got from a secondary source written by a feminist author.

Mrs. Miller is quick to critique a supposedly unique “Victorian Patriarchy”, while she calls us to embrace Victorian feminism.  When she criticizes the church for supposedly imbibing from pagan influence, she does so while quoting favorably and naming chapters after feminists like Elizabeth Clarke Wolstenholme, a proponent of the free love movement of the 1800s. When Wolstenhome got pregnant by a man she was living with, her colleagues demanded that she marry. She fought against it and said it went against everything she believed in. She did finally get married but only at the behest of others. Both her and her free love husband were committed secularists.  Mrs Miller fawns over first wave feminism even to the point of having to remind readers that Margaret Sanger didn’t initially support abortion. Could it be that in Mrs. Miller's accusations against 2000 years of church history on sexuality, that she is the one imbibing from sources and worldviews foreign to scripture?

Lastly, Mrs. Miller is quite dishonest in her approach to scripture and confessions.  For example, she writes "But those of us who know our catechism can answer that our “chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” Do you notice what is missing from her quote of the catechism? The word "Man's" has been chopped off her quote. Now this may seem like a nitpick type of criticism but in truth she does this all throughout the book. Anytime a quote from a confession or scripture uses the masculine inclusive she removes it from the quote. Why? Because the masculine inclusive teaches us something about sexuality.  It teaches that male headship goes beyond merely who can preach a sermon in the official worship service on Sunday Morning.  Not only does she work to remove the masculine inclusive from the text, she inverts the phrase "men and women" throughout the book to be "women and men." These are little things, but they are very telling.

Another example of her dishonest approach is to simply make statements about scripture that are untrue.  She writes “In addition, the church cared for Christian widows and did not require them to remarry. "  But Holy Scripture says “Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach.”  The discerning reader can find these types of things throughout the book.  

Her chapter on authority was a case study in sacrificing the normal on the alter of the abnormal.  She is ashamed of the call from 1 Peter for a wife to submit even to an unbelieving husband who disobeys the gospel.  She constantly is talking about the exceptions rather than the clear truths.  She neuters the authority of the husband under the banner of servant leadership.  One is left wondering if Mrs. Miller makes lists for her husband so that when he gets home he will know all the ways he can servant lead around the house.  
 
In all charity, Mrs. Miller sets out to answer a question that I actually am sympathetic to.  She wants to answer the question “what are women called to do?”  It is important in the feminist age we live in to provide a full-orbed biblical and positive view of femininity.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Miller by shoddy historical and theological work trades the truthful, historical, biblical, and godly answer to the question for a lie.   Rather than setting forth and embracing a positive view of women as life-givers and keepers of the home, she makes femininity into a cheap imitation of masculinity.  It becomes a game of everything you can do, I can do better.   Women are taught to that to be good women they must be good men. They are taught to ignore their calling at home for a calling elsewhere.  It is not enough for her to love her husband, love her children, be a discreet and chaste keeper at home who submits to her husband.  No, there must always be something more.   It is the same lie that the snake told in the garden.  God’s commands for women are not good enough.  He is withholding from them.  They must reach out and take a hold for themselves.    As an ordained pastor and in the spirit of Titus 1, I exhort all believers to avoid this work and instead submit themselves to the Bible.  

Instead listen to what one Victorian-era Southern Presbyterian pastor had to say:
Her submission is, therefore, a source of honour. She is not humiliated by it, but exalted...In her cordial submission of will, carrying with it the free coalescence of her own individuality with that of another, she becomes the first exponent of the mighty principle by which, through grace, sinful man is restored to fellowship with God. She is allowed to carry this principle down into all the details of life; and by a thousand acts to show how the will may turn upon its own pivot, and move freely under the law of control...It is a wonderful privilege afforded to her who, “being deceived, was in the transgression,” to be called thus openly to assert and illustrate the spontaneous loyalty of a will that perfectly blends with the authority which directs it. Such a mission is immeasurably grander in its proportions, and sweeter in its beneficence, than all the usurped dignities of the unsexed sisterhood who aspire, contrary to nature, to be the competitor and rival of man, rather than his counterpart and helpmeet."

The Psalm writer wrote:  Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received.   This is the word of God.  It is eternally true and applicable for all of life.

The woman of virtue: clothed in fine linen, strength, and dignity. Busy with her hands, always looking to the ways of her household, never eating the bread of idleness. The virtuous woman opens her mouth teaching kindness, in wisdom. She has a husband who is known at the gates, a man of influence, with children who are thankful and give her much deserved honor and respect. This godly woman recognizes that beauty is vain and passing away, so adorns herself with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit.
Young ladies, you are going to need much prayer, and much striving to enter through the narrow gate, to resist the minefield of temptations before you in this day and age. Feminism has a chokehold on our society right now, and is placing pressure and demands on young women that are direct attacks on the biblical picture of womanhood. If Proverbs 31 illustrates for us how a godly, spirit-filled woman cares for her family and home, Proverbs 7 could easily be pointed to as an example of how feminism utterly destroys the relationship between men and women, and subsequently, their homes.
The adulterous woman is wayward, loud, boisterous, and dresses like a prostitute. She is not content to be at home, working diligently to provide for her family, but rather prefers to be everywhere but home. She is brazen, with flattering lips, seeking to seduce with smooth words.
Let’s be honest, there is a temptation to look at your godly mothers, with their gentle and quiet spirits, submitting to one man in their lives, their husbands, caring for their homes, and say to yourself “What a dull, drab existence. I want to get out and experience life. The way my mother wants to live her life might be fine for her,,,,but it’s sooooo old fashioned. This is 2019. I want to make lots of money. I want to get my finances, education, and house in order before I have a family. In the meantime I will test drive my potential spouse, and if they don’t meet my specific demands, I will find another. That’s how things work in 2019. Children? I am not ready for that. How can I work, go to school, have time for dating, and do what I want to do, if I have kids. I have plans, and  Proverbs 31  definitely puts a damper on those. I think I like the picture painted in Proverbs 7 better: she seems to have more freedom, and seems to be having a fun, adventurous life. What could possibly be wrong with enjoying myself for a few years before being shackled with the burden of managing a home, full of whiny kids and a demanding husband?” Young ladies, he who thinks he stands, needs to take heed lest he falls. Many, many a fine young lady, having grown up in very reformed homes, have fallen prey to these temptations. Many young ladies have traded the life of a virtuous woman, for that of a wayward feminist who destroys her own home. The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands. A very vivid picture of this can be seen at the abortion clinic as young ladies, who a mere decade before would have never conceived of murdering their children, pay Anne the Butcher to do the dirty deed so that they can continue living their wayward lives unhindered.
You say “I would NEVER have an abortion”. Fine. So, what middleman are you willing to pay so that you can shirk your responsibilities to God in pursuit of your will be done?
Young men, you are responsible here as well. If you think you can fill your mind with pornography, sports, entertainment, and other worthless pursuits, rather than the Word of God, and be blessed to find a godly wife….you are a foolish young man, and will be seen lurking past the door of many an adulterous woman. Young men, if your aim is to walk down the broad road of destruction, dabbling in all this world has to offer, thinking that your future wife will submit to you in that, I have a warning for you: God will give you the desires of your heart. “Good!” you say. No, hear me very clearly young men: if it is your aim to reject the godly wisdom your father has sought to instill in you as you sow your wild oats, planning to return to the narrow path after you have tasted all this world has to offer, what you may find is that you have been blessed with a prostitute of a wife who will destroy your home and be a continual nagging drip, with children who hate you, dishonor you, and you will have been given everything you asked for, with nothing to blame but your cold dead heart.
Thank God we have an advocate. Thank God we have a mediator. Thank God we have a Saviour. Let us kneel if able and cry out to god for mercy, and wisdom, and forgiveness for our sins against Him.
Most High God. We thank you for giving us the perfect example of what a Husband and wife relationship looks like in Your Son Jesus and His Bride the Church. It is a beautiful picture that displays what You have decreed is best.  Yet far too often, we trade Your beauty, plans, and wisdom for creaturely pursuits. Rather than submitting to Your ways, we trust the lord of our hearts, our lusts and passions, to guide and govern us. We confess with our mouths “Jesus is Lord” yet in our hearts say “My will be done”. Father, we often despise how You have made us, wanting instead to conform to the image of the world, rather than the image You created us in. We are prideful, arrogant, and restless. We always think that other pastures, other wells, and other shepherds are where we will find true contentment, satisfaction, and joy, only to find in the end no contentment, no satisfaction, and a cruel taskmaster all to willing to keep us in chains. Father, please be merciful towards us sinners. Please pour out Your grace upon us undeserving wretches. Please forgive us of our sins, and restore to us the joy of Your salvation. It’s in Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

Listen now to the comforting assurance offered in the gospel to all who repent:

To all those who thus repent and seek Jesus Christ for their salvation, your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lift up your hearts!   


(From the 3/17/19 liturgy of Sovereign King Church, written by Aaron Sabie.)

 The Psalm writer wrote:  Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received.   This is the word of God.  It is eternally true and applicable for all of life.

Christian wives, your worth is far above jewels. As your reprobate counterparts build their resumes, you are busy building up your home. As the feminists of the world unite against the patriarchy, you stand by your husband doing him good, not evil. As men in the world increasingly view women as manipulative, cold, calculating, and out to “#metoo” them, your husband trusts you as his helpmate. Matthew Henry says this regarding the trust a husband has for an excellent wife: “He trusts in her fidelity to his interests, and that she will never betray his counsels nor have any interest separate from that of his family. When he goes abroad, to attend the concerns of the public, he can confide in her to order all his affairs at home, as well as if he himself were there. She is a good wife that is fit to be trusted, and he is a good husband that will leave it to such a wife to manage for him.” Men of the world watch and give approval as the women in their lives destroy their children in the womb, wiping out their posterity to avoid the “burden” of childbirth, and the inconvenience of parenting. In contrast, your husbands look at you with awe and wonder as you embrace the pain of childbirth, wearing your battle scars like stripes earned in combat, knowing that children are a gift from the LORD. By your husbands side, you train these children up in the way they should go, sharpening them like arrows, knowing one day you will launch your children out into the world, into the enemy’s heart. The world hates you because you submit to your husband's headship, desiring to see you submit instead to the state, an employer, and the lusts of your flesh. With a heart full of delight, you work hard in your home: laundry, meals, diapers, homeschool, dishes, exhausted most days, contending with a husband and children who are often ungrateful, all the while displaying a gentle and quiet spirit as one of Sarah’s children. The scars, the quiet submission, the perseverance, the pressure, the challenges of keeping your home, raising your children, and submitting to your husband….are all pressures meant to refine you like a lump of coal being squeezed and transformed into a beautiful jewel. Wives, you truly are a gift to your husbands, treasures meant to be cherished.
 Yet, because of indwelt sin, you will oftentimes be tempted to hate your role as wife. You will be tempted to resent your place in the home, toiling day after day, often with little to no recognition for all your hard work. Because of desires in your heart not yet brought into subjection to Christ, you may find yourselves longing for the “freedom” enjoyed by those who co-opt the management of their homes and the raising of their children. Wanting to submit instead to employers, the pressures of the culture, and the lusts of your flesh, you may at times find yourselves doubting God’s plan for you, envying the wayward women of the world, embracing a little dab of culture here, a little bit of rebellion there.
Husbands, though you know your wife is a precious jewel, and you know that you are to lay your life down for her the way Christ laid down His life for the Church, you often lay burdens on her that are meant for you alone to carry, forgetting that she is the weaker vessel. For instance, when you fail to apply swift corrective discipline to your children's foolishness, it is your wife who is left at home to deal with the ramifications. Not only can this lead your wife into resentment, it provokes your children to wrath. Additionally, as husbands leading your homes, Godly men, looking for avenues to serve Christ in all areas of life…..far too often we wind up neglecting the most important ministry God has put before us: loving our wives, encouraging our wives, teaching them from the Word, listening to their hearts, cares, and concerns. Men, we must learn to say no to things that interfere with our ministry to our wives, and by extension, our entire families. This means not only ministry opportunities, but also hobbies and other pursuits, anything that detracts from your ministry to your wife, rather than enhancing it.
Husbands, we must love our wives the way Christ loves His Bride and laid down His life for her. Show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. Young men, you will not find an excellent wife among the harlots and temptresses of this world. You must look to the daughters of our heavenly Father for wives fit to be called precious jewels. Wives, rejoice in your high calling: child of God, wife, and mother. Your place in the home is one of the most vital, rewarding, and precious callings to be blessed with. Respect your husband as head of the home, in gentle, quiet submission. Take heart wives, and have faith, knowing that your labors of love are not in vain. Young ladies, look first to the Word of God, and second to Godly women in the Church, for a picture of marriage which is sure to honor your Heavenly Father. Resist the temptation to take advice on relationships from your worldly wayward friends. Resist the temptation to take your dating cues from a culture completely bent on destroying your womanhood.
If you are able, please kneel as we cry out to our Heavenly Father for the forgiveness of sins, and grace to walk in the truth.
Heavenly Father, we come to You with our distractions, our weaknesses, and our sin. We come with the baggage of a culture that hates womanhood, wives, and mothers, and which loves weak men and boys who never grow up. We come to You only by the blood of Your Son Jesus. Father, as the men, women, boys, and girls of SKC, we cry out to you for mercy. Please forgive us men where we have sinned against You when failing to love our wives. Please forgive the wives for their rebellion against your created order. Please show grace to the young men, and young ladies, that they may grow into maturity being shaped by Your Word rather than the world around us. Father, please show us grace, that we might encourage one another, love one another, and bear one another's burdens as we trek through this life together in communion with You. It’s in the Name of Your Son Jesus that we pray, Amen.
 
 Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: 

To all those who thus repent and seek Jesus Christ for their salvation, your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lift up your hearts!

(From the 3/10/19 liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie.)

Proverbs 7:11 She is boisterous and rebellious, Her feet do not remain at home...

The book of Proverbs gives a great picture of the difference between a godly woman and a wicked woman. One of the characteristics of the godly woman is that she "looks well to the ways of her household. (Proverbs 31:27) A godly woman's primary focus is homeward. It is not that she is a slave to the kitchen or always cooped up in a house but her primary focus is to the home. The industrious work that she does as a helper to her husband is in care of the household. She is a quiet, submissive, and diligent woman so that her husband can trust her while he is away taking dominion over the earth.
The wicked woman is not so. She is boisterous. She is rebellious and she does everything she can to be away from the home. Her focus is outward even if she makes a big show of being homeward focused. She is given to malicious gossip, scorn for authority, and superstition. (Titus is supposed to instruct the older women to avoid these things and teach the younger to be workers at home. Titus 2). Her husband should not trust her.
Now we are all aware of the blatant ways that our culture has encouraged woman to place their focus anywhere but the home. But even for women who are not pursuing the career ladder there is a temptation to not have their feet remain at home.
Years ago that temptation was through day-time soap operas. Women could leave the home without ever leaving the home. They could get caught up in the manufactured drama, gossip and rebellion of the Bold and the Beautiful. They could live vicariously Young and Restless rebellion through the Days of their Lives. But now Day Time Soaps ratings are plunging. Some media outlets have called Soap Operas "a dying genre." Why is that?
Well, why watch manufactured drama when you can be a part of real drama on social media? You can keep your feet far from home while sitting in your living room on your cell phone. Some women can make a big show about being at home, while spending all their time on facebook spreading malicious gossip, creating facebook pages mocking pastors, older women, and other leaders and going from comment thread to comment thread blasting anyone who they disagree with. You can be a boisterous and rebellious regiment with your feet far from home on the internet. You can live the young and restless for real. That is the way, however, of the wicked.
The wise woman can use social media in a way that maintains her gentle, quite, and diligent spirit. She can show respect to and for authority. She can use social media in a way that honors God and causes her husband to say “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.” She can use social media in a way that does not result in her feet constantly on the roam.