Being a biblical woman outside the church and home

Yes, just as the wife directs her children, guests, and husband to the table by saying “It’s time to eat; would you all please come to the table.” Very directive very authoritative. Very much in home. It’s impossible in any society at any time no matter the economic or political system to escape the many cases in which it is natural and rightful for women to exercise the authority of direction/money/sales involving men. Rich women can’t help but lead all the time, as others have pointed out above concerning Lydia and Proverbs 31 wife.

That said is no allee-allee-in-free, though, because…

Wherever man as man is, Adam’s federal headship is the ruling principle of authority. He always stands in a different place than woman since Adam was created first, in Adam—not Eve—we all die, Adam is glory of God whereas woman is glory of man, and so on.

Hit your head hard on this: there is no place those ontological statements (meaning statements that go as deep as can be) about man and woman aren’t true or don’t matter. If you don’t start there, the rest of your thinking is sub-Biblical and therefore corrupt.

Now what that means in particular situations is very difficult, and partly because whereas we believers are in control (at least we like to think so, wink wink) of what goes on in our homes and church, we are merely one hated and dismissed voice among many everywhere else; in addition, this is one (albeit very important) principle among many involving leadership and authority.

Add to this the fact that those we live with and among (including conservative Christians) think female authority over men doesn’t matter anywhere but some very limited private Christian contexts. This is the fruit of the complementarians and CBMW and it’s directly contrary to Scripture. As Scripture says in many ways, it is a shame for men to be oppressed by children and ruled by women.

Beyond this, I would prefer to say it rather than having to write on it. Time time time.

BTW, the best thing written on this (which in the general, Calvin indicated his agreement with although he thought Knox unwise to take on the Queen in the particular) is Knox’s at-first anonymous but later acknowledged “First Blast of the Trumpet.”

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