Sunday

[bpr]

A day of rest. Whereby I wake up at 7am and then don't stop moving until 10pm. To start the (real) day, I joined other members of 20CF for church service at Mars Hill. After two 'contemporary' songs played by a "jazz / funk" worship band, it was on to the sermon. Sermon Download Five minutes into the sermon, we realized two things: a) it was

Comments

[cdinwood]

I don't understand, in what you say, how much current cultural norms should impinge on Biblical statements. What exactly counts as dressing like my gender? The Orthodox Jewish women who live on my street understand this through tznius, wearing skirts and dresses and showing very little skin. If the way of greeting has changed according to our culture, does dressing also fit into this idea?

As gender roles have changed, does the concept of acting like my gender also change?

[bpr]

Yes and no. I will decline to say what dressing as your gender is, but there are also Biblical standards that we should dress modestly. So whether you wear pants, skirts, or tznius, "do it all for the glory of God." "Do not cause anyone to stumble" (1 Cor 10: 31, 32). The examples given in the sermon: men to not dress in drag, women to not dress as whores.

I'm not sure how much gender roles have changed. The end of the book of Proverbs speaks directly about the Biblical wife, the ancient role of women. Yet this role was much more than "home maker".

But to answer your basic question, we are Biblically instructed on principles and methods. Principles are universal, like the "Ten Commandments", respecting God's authority, etc. The methods by which we follow the principles change depending on culture, like covering one's head in the early church versus "married women taking off her wedding ring and dressing as a stripper". So long as one's actions follow the Biblical principles, then the methods to do so can culturally vary.

[zra42]

"The methods by which we follow the principles change depending on culture."

Why not within a culture? It seems contradictory to me that tolerance across cultures is advocated while within a culture it is denied. It would trouble me if the Bible were read as having no faith in the individual's ability to decide how best to honor God, regardless of what the local culture happens to be.

[bpr]

Why? Because, as I quoted above, "Do not cause anyone to stumble". Thus an individual cannot totally divorce him/herself from the local culture. But within the culture, we are given the freedom to chose how best to honour God.

[nova617]

Wow...somehow for all the times I have read that chapter I never caught on to the "and the head of Christ is God" as showing that men and women are equal as Jesus and God the Father. I'm excited to download and listen to this sermon when I have time. Thanks for sharing it here!

[bpr]

And here I was happy to finally have an adequate response to the problem of head coverings. Either way, enjoy the good long sermon.

[lhynard]

I've never entirely been convinced that this passage is about men and women as opposed to husbands and wives. the Greek words are the same.

[bpr]

You are certainly correct on the meaning of the word, and the sermon made note of this problem, though I am inclined to follow most translations in the use of "man" instead of "husband" in this passage.

[lhynard]

Why so?

And if this is the case, what do you say about such cases as working for a female employer as a man, etc.

(just curious)

[bpr]

To your first, if we read "the head of every husband is Christ", who is my head? Maybe this is why the ESV reads, "3But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife[a] is her husband, and the head of Christ is God." Still this might only satisfy the first verse.

To your second, "Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes,; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour." (Rom 13:7)