New Warhorn Media post by Nathan Alberson:
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Some of that outside the home work that a godly woman does that is discussed in this episode I would call washing the feet of the saints. A lot this is unseen service and work that the world would despise (meals, helping with sick kids, helping the weak…) but beautiful to God. It’s like taking the warmth of the household out into the church at large, and even those outside. The principle isn’t “staying at home at all times,” and yet it’s a totally different thing from those women who hate the domesticity God calls them to and lust for the work of men.
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Gave it a listen between jobs. Loved it. Thank you. What a wonderful testimony for discouraged mothers and temped fathers.
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This was a great and encouraging episode! I’ve got a fun women working outside the home mixed with some biblical view of government question 
(In an unmarried situation) a part time job with opportunity to work from home would be more desirable/biblical than a full time job in an office with a commute. But… if the remote job is a city/county tax funded position in the local government (NOT a ruling position, auxiliary), should it be avoided?
I don’t know if people here are very postmil or theonomic, but in those camps I see a lot of ‘taxation is theft’ and government shouldn’t be involved in or taking money for public services and unnecessary things like…Visitor & Tourism Bureaus (let the reader understand 
), which would seem to make having jobs in those arenas sin, or at least immoral (Ie. You’re living off ‘stolen’ tax dollars, facilitating socialism, etc.).
So…should jobs in local government be avoided by Christians for that reason? Or, should government positions in general be avoided by women because we’re prohibited from ruling (even if it’s not a ruling position)?
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All other things being equal, if you asked me, I’d say go for it. So many many variables in such decisions. So many competing principles. Pray and do as God leads. Love,
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Dear Cb96,
The thing I go back to is that when the Roman soldiers asked John the Baptist what they should do, he didn’t tell them they had to get out of the pagan, not-committed-to-the-principles-of-just-war army. He told them not to take money from people by force and to be content with their wages–in other words to be faithful in the part they were responsible for. He didn’t even tell the tax collectors they had to quit their jobs, but just “Don’t collect more than you’ve been told to.” This teaches us something important about the freedom we have as Christians, I think.
Besides, what could it hurt in a gray, stifling regulation-riddled bureaucratic situation to have a happy, cheerful woman of faith shining like a beautiful flower? People say that couldn’t glorify God because of X, Y, and Z? I don’t believe a bit of it.
Warmly,
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I appreciated much of this episode, but I kept hoping that someone would offer broad simple principles (from the text & others) that would help navigate all the “tricky/strange” situations as well as the more straightforward run-of-the-mill situations mentioned. This never really happened- The closest it came was when one interviewee brought up his grandma & step mom who worked outside the home and another interviewee pointed out that the grandmother worked part time while kids were in school in order to help grandpa be able to emotionally provide for his kids.
It would have been really helpful to set out two or three principles that capture the right/godly heart & goal & orientation of a wife & mother, for example: A married woman’s first priority is and must remain to help her husband. A mother’s first priority must be to care for her children. The care of the home is a priority.
Those would help to then evaluate all the tricky situations that come to mind… for example— I have a friend whose husband is mentally ill & unable to work at this point (he is seeking multifaceted counseling & treatment but at the moment is unable to hold a job). They have three young children & the mom has training as a speech pathologist. She works full time at a local hospital, but has arranged her schedule to work one weekend a month (and kids & husband all go stay at his parents’ for that weekend) in exchange for two days off a week so that she is able to cook, clean, run errands, and have her youngest children home with her. She is also working towards being able to work more from home in a private practice so she could cut her hours (no commute) and be home more. It’s not ideal, but it seems that she is clearly trying to help her husband, to serve her family (healthy meals, ordered home, spiritual teaching, time with extended family), protect her children (physically speaking they need to eat!), and also to use her gifts to serve the community (her training is fairly unique and she is one of only 2 therapists who do what she does in our area)… But to all appearances she’s a working mom whose kids are in public school. They are also involved in their local church. All that to say that bottom-line principles would have been helpful takeaways for this podcast. 
My last question/comment is in regards to families where the father is in a lower paying job despite him being a hard worker— for example a teacher. We have friends who are teachers & coaches, who work long hours pouring into young men especially— definitely good, manly work— and their pay is just not that great. How would you counsel young families in that situation regarding trying to make wise financial decisions?
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Dear sister, I don’t think you and I listened to the same podcast. Listened to it yesterday with my wife, Mary Lee, and heard the entire episode dealing with the larger principles. Even the joke: Mary Lee obeys the Titus 2 command to teach younger women, so she’s always away from home being a keeper at home. Anyhow, I’m not sure how I or the others would have said anything different even having read your desire there had been more “bottom-line principles.” Thanks for the criticism. Love,
Added later: I’ve kept thinking about your concern, dear sister, and maybe we need an episode on it. Not on wifely domesticity, but on the nature of principles concerning sexuality in a sexual anarchical world. So again, thanks for telling us we failed. I’m working hard to figure out how and what we need to do better.
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Oh, I had no doubt at all at what the underlying principles would be if you did share them!! They were woven all throughout… but I guess I was just hoping for them to be spelled out very simply, something my tired mom-brain could remember and apply easily… granted I was listening at 4 am when I couldn’t sleep so maybe I’m not your best audience. 
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No worries. Just talked to Nate and we’ll give an episode to your concerns because we think they’re likely shared by many others. Don’t worry; be happy! Warmly in Christ,
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That was so kind and helpful, thank you! Hadn’t thought about the tax collector/soldier examples.
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I have a question about the little aside where Conrad Mbewe was mentioned. Is the issue mentioned (women outsourcing raising their children) documented anywhere? I have his sermons among my podcasts that I listen to, and if I need to be more discerning while listening to him, I want to know.
Listening to Mbewe, I’ve had many moments where I’m nearly shouting “YEA BROTHER PREACH”, and one or two where I’m going “Oh no he missed it.”
My wife and I were really encouraged by this. We just had a “mothers conference” at our church. (Open invitation to all mothers, whether they have children or not). My wife offered some opening remarks just regarding - why have a mothers conference?
There was some pushback from that from some of the mothers, saying that my wife is undervaluing the actual important things that Christians are called to such as discipleship.
(Which, if you knew my wife, she’s basically the ‘evangelism linebacker’ - Google it if you need to.)
But mothering IS evangelism.
Anyway, thanks for doing this one.
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No. Dear friend of mine worked with him, went to his church, lived in Lusaka, and reported this to me.