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November 2011 Newsletter

nathan

Administrator
Staff member
Real Person
Male
Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Once again we’ve taken longer than we intended to get a newsletter out – please accept our apologies, and feel free to contact us at staff@biblicalfamilies.org if there is anything we can do for you. Biblical Families exists to serve families, through counseling, fellowship, prayer, God-centered information and any other support we can give: if your family has a need, please don’t hesitate to see if we can help.

This month we have more retreat news, and then a serious article for you to consider.
New Year’s Weekend Family Retreat, Florida, Dec 30th-Jan 1st Our plans for this Family retreat are coming together nicely, and the details will be going out in the next 24 hours, for those of you who have requested it. This is now less than 2 months away! We have a GREAT family location north of Gainesville, Florida. You will have a variety of lodging options in all budget ranges, and a great meeting location, in a natural setting. We are looking to have our full complement of great speakers – including one coming from Seoul, Korea (yes, ‘Doc’!). Some of us will be meeting before the 30th, and if are you interested, either for extra fellowship or a family vacation, you have that option as well, to come a night or two early. Write now if you’d like to receive the details: retreats@biblicalfamilies.org

Ladies Retreat wrap up
Need a little more convincing that a retreat is worthwhile? Here’s some testimonies for you. The ladies who were able to make the Branson retreat in October had a remarkable time of fellowship and prayer and encouragement, and growing together. I’ll let a few of them tell you about it:

Our first Women’s Retreat, this past October, was wonderful! Each of us had a chance to really connect with the other ladies who came. I personally enjoyed seeing beautiful faces to go along with online personalities that I have known for years. God really met us through worship, scripture and prayer. We hope to make this an annual event, so ladies start planning for next October! - Julieb

What a great time to meet other women from all different walks of life, with all different stories to share of how the Lord has been teaching them and leading them. The worship was awe-inspiring, the teaching fabulous, and the laughter and smiles were contagious. I'd go again next weekend if it were scheduled that soon (and if my husband could handle holding down the fort that often. LOL)! - Deanne

The ladies retreat was awesome! What a blessing to have such Sisters in Christ to use their God given talents to host a wonderful weekend; a weekend that God blessed beyond measures. I'm so grateful to have all those ladies in my life. I can't wait for the next ladies retreat. Praise to God for keeping us all safe and filling us with His Spirit. This is truly a time to get to know and understand people without weeding out or guessing what people are saying on the forums. - Lutherangirl

As much as it may sound like a cliché, "a grand time was had by all." I was in awe of watching the Holy Spirit move, anoint, orchestrate, convict and bring breakthroughs. Many, many precious moments and wonderful relationships born, and my deep thanks to Julie for all her hard work and perseverance. - Alit53

I am so thankful for the opportunity to get to be a part of the first Women's Retreat. I learned a lot and gained so much insight and experiencing the Holy Spirit as we did was such a blessing to me. It was so good to be in an environment that was centered around Him and how our lives are meant to be focused on Him through our marriages and our personal walks through life. The way the Holy Spirit worked through me, it gives me so much more confidence in my decision to walk this path even though my family is not supportive. I don't believe God would have blessed us with His presence if we were outside of His will and He was so there that weekend! Please be sure to keep this up, so many more women have the potential of being blessed through this ministry! Of course their husbands will be as well! – Laura


Hopefully that will encourage you to consider a retreat over the coming year! If you need more convincing, visit our Retreat page.
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Now on a more serious doctrinal note: We have been wanting to make our position clear on issues that affect some plural marriage groups – but that we absolutely wish to distance ourselves from, as far as the East is from the West (Ps 103:12). If you take issue with our stance in this longer-than-usual article, you are free to contact us, but please consider that Biblical Families is likely not the place for you. An “Unsubscribe” option is available at the bottom of this and every newsletter.

Evangelical Patriarchs on Love and the Law of the Land

Introduction

Every theological movement in the history of Christ’s body has suffered from at least two angles. First, all new movements and the people involved in them often cause others consternation of conscience. That occurs because new ideas naturally create suspicion in the masses. Secondly, all new movements generally suffer from the ethical failures of those within them due to what many would classify as extreme character flaws. Consequently all new movements have some major obstacles to overcome from the very moment of their conception. The modern resurgence of Evangelical Patriarchy is no exception to that phenomenon.

Errors in the History of the Fundamentalism, Charismatic, and Prophecy Movements

We can see this in some historical examples. Fundamentalism began to develop in the early 1900’s as a godly movement designed to combat theological liberalism. The movement had the liberals against them as well as some grievous errors from within. Many still associate fundamentalism with the extreme actions of J. Frank Norris who as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Forth Worth Texas shot and killed one the people he was opposed to in his spiritual wars. Norris was indicted for the murder of lumberman Dexter Elliott Chipps, though not convicted at trial due to his self-defense argument to the court. Or we might recall the extreme actions of the Charismatic movement where on many occasions people are “told to give money” because God had told the leader to instruct them to give. Many recall the incident in 1987 where Oral Roberts stated to his disciples that if they did not donate up to 8 million dollars God would call him home through death. The PTL ministry of Jim Baker failed due to financial corruption as well as moral corruption of the leader. People like Ellen G. White and William Miller predicted Jesus Christ would return to earth in 1843 and then in 1844. Others like Hal Lindsey and recently, Harold Camping, have fallen prey to that extremist trap as well. These people erred badly and injured their own testimony as well as the testimony of the people in their respective movements.

So what about the Evangelical Patriarchal movement? Does it have its own unbalanced extremists within it surfacing? Like all other movements, it indeed does have its own internal issues that we must all be aware of if we want to first and foremost, maintain a thorough going affiliation with the Lord Jesus Christ and secondly, with the godly saints of the body of Christ! Sometimes there will arise a man who thinks he can choose to take a female of any age as he so desires. This corruption of the heart is often baptized under religious jargon about unions being established by God, not man, that no ceremony is required, and/or that government has no right to govern when and how unions between a man and woman take place. But then the slippery tactic of redefining terms comes into play. Often the issue is not about a man and a woman but rather about a man and a young girl who is still a child.

The Biblical Ethic on Patriarchal Men Pursuing Women While in the World but Not Of the World

Let us examine what the Bible has to say as well as what the law of our land has to say. Both can and do work in concert in this area. And the Bible commands us, not suggests, but commands us to honor both the Word and current government laws. There is no room for any Evangelical Judeo-Christian supposed Patriarch to consider, ponder, or attempt to take to himself any under age young girl who is neither physiologically ready for sexual consent much less legally or morally able to give consent. To even contemplate such an atrocious act as that runs contrary to the explicit, unequivocal, and plain witness of both God and God’s established governments on the earth. Only a derelict sinner who operates in a clandestine circle of corruption, even if only in his own heart and mind, could be so callous as to miss the clear and convincing case that calls for every man to exercise due patience in regard to forming a covenant union within the proper providential boundaries.

Three Clear Basic Biblical Parameters

The Bible gives to us at least three clear standards that present a safety boundary in regard to knowing when it is holy and righteous for a man to enter a holy union with a woman. First, as the New Living Translation of the Bible reads in the Song of Songs we find that a woman is ready for a union physiologically when she is “full breasted” (8:10), i.e. matured physically. Some translations render this phrase as "my breasts are like towers," which is a reference to full maturation. It was at this time when this lady became noticeable to Solomon and brought to him a spirit of "contentment" (NIV). He allowed himself to be drawn towards her in his heart when he knew she was physically mature. When is that? To answer this question we have to move into the realm of natural science or what we call in theology the field of common grace. Medical professionals tell us that a woman does not stop developing until around her mid to late teenage years. This clearly places the time for maturity somewhere around the 16 to 18 year old range. But of course even those outside of the medical field who are cognitively astute in their observations of nature itself can reason this way if they are not blinded by pure self-centered desire. Reaching this age, of course, is only one factor in deciding a woman’s availability for a covenant union.

Second, and also a part of this total equation for arriving at a safe ethical position, remains the overseer of the girl. A father or guardian over a daughter has rights over when she may or may not join with a man. We find this clear teaching in 1 Corinthians 7:38 where we find that a father has the right to give or not to give his daughter for the purpose of a union. Thus, a godly man who is walking with the Lord and not in a mere testosterone tizzy will respect a lady’s father or overseer. The overseer of the lady is in that position by the Lord's providence so as to give guidance in what choices to make. The Bible explicitly says in 1 Cor. 7:36-37: "But if any man thinks that he is behaving himself improperly toward his virgin, if she be past the flower of her age, and if need so require it, let him do what he will; he sins not; let them join. But he that stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, to keep his own virgin, shall do well. So then both he that gives his own virgin in marriage does well; and he that does not give her in marriage shall do well.”** Someone, whether the father, a spiritual overseer/elder, or some other family member who is responsible for the well being of that person should give approval or acquiescence before the union is sought for or established. The principle behind this was for there to be objective oversight in the lives of those seeking to be in a union. God knows the benefit of having a mature, unattached, or neutral third party, an outside eye so to speak, looking in to help in the matching of the persons. Some issues that could destroy the union can be identified and then addressed as needed early on so that the relationship, if it is to be in the Lord's providence, can be built on solid ground from the beginning. Emotions can play tricks on people and it is especially important when the individuals are rather young for there to be a mature father or overseer who guides the relationship forward or determines that it is unwise or unhealthy and places it on hold.

And third, there is also another authority that is at work among the lands in which we live. It is this law that many immature saints refuse to recognize as legitimate. But the Bible gives a clear word to those who have ears about the laws of the civil rulers and how we are to abide by those as well. The civil sphere has elders or rulers who enact laws in an effort to preserve society from destroying itself (see Matt. 5:13-16). These government officials are appointed by God whether we agree or disagree with them. As the Bible so plainly says: “There is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Rom. 13:1). Unless the government forbids in totality an act that God commands we have no right, obligation, or backing from the Lord to counter the reasonable laws of the civil rulers (see Acts 5:22-32). In the current climate the government here at least in the United States has not demanded or outlawed in total the right for people to assemble themselves together peaceably in a covenant sexual union. They do regulate ages but they do not forbid the act. Thus, the regulations are very often in concert to the normal physiological ideals stated by medical professionals. Somewhere around the 16 to 18 year old range most governments grant the freedom for a person to engage in voluntary peaceable sexual unions. Even the Highest Court of the United States in the Texas v. Lawrence case has said that sexual unions and intimacy are protected forms of liberty and permissible so long as the union (1) does not involve minors, (2) does not involve coercion or injury, (3) does not require governmental recognition when outside of the state created marriage system, and (4) the parties have mutual consent with each other for the intimacy. As the court specifically said of those engaged in private sexual relations, “The State cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime. Their right to liberty under the Due Process Clause gives them the full right to engage in their conduct without intervention of the government. It is a promise of the Constitution that there is a realm of personal liberty which the government may not enter.” Clearly the state is not denying or demanding anything contrary to any command of Scripture. The Bible makes it is unmistakably clear how we are to honor civil ruling elders and the law(s) they make (see Romans 13:1-5; Titus 3:1-3; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
From these, we must draw this conclusion: A person who has the Holy Spirit, God living in them, can and will in patience honor the natural laws of physiological development, the law of the father or guardian over a lady, and the civil laws of the land. Patience is after-all, a fruit of the Spirit (see Gal. 5).
Summary

All new movements suffer enough opposition from the minority position it builds upon from its inception. Satan knows this rule and he knows also how to infiltrate organizations and movements with people of anarchy, people of vast immaturity, and people of ill-will so that the truth is maligned, distorted, and hopefully, to him, defeated. Though we have the promise that God’s truth will not be defeated we can certainly delay its advancement through a failure to walk circumspectly before the Word of God. May all Evangelical Judeo-Christian Patriarchs model a life that is both in harmony with the Lord as well as with man. After all, when the Lord walked on earth in flesh he too, did just that. The Bible tells us so as we read that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Let us do like the Lord did and learn to live righteously before both. Then, and only then, can we be balanced as we love others in freedom, both a natural freedom among the civil laws but more importantly freedom from the bondage of sin that so easily entangles us and ruins our name, our legacy, our relationships, and even movements on the whole (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Note that our position here is not new, just expounded: our About Us page reads: “We believe that marriage is a covenant before God between a mature, consenting adult man and a mature, consenting adult woman who believe that God has brought them together to be one.”

Again, feel free to contact us any time, at staff@biblicalfamilies.org
 
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