Conservative Christian content: Voddie Baucham's blog post about Palin...

[Jenny in Atl]

Hmmm... unprecedented? Yes. Potentially difficult? Yes. Extreme? I don't see it that way, but we all have our own opinion. :001_smile: POTUS and VPOTUS are extremely tough jobs no matter who is elected to the position. It's not like the men who have held these offices before had nothing else in their lives to juggle.

 

I just find it interesting (not pointing to you in particular, Bess, just tacking this on here) that for all the cries of "women can do it all! Women can have a career and a family!", there are even liberals pointing the finger at Sarah Palin and questioning her ability to do it all.

 

Never thought I would live to see the day when I can say I'm more conservative than the conservatives. :blink:

[Bess]

Well, the fact is is that NO ONE can do it all. It's impossible! But besides that fact, I think the thing that bugs me most about this isn't so much that I think she'll make a bad president and it isn't because I'm worried about her children (I don't know them), but because I think this sends a message out to the christian community that yes, woman can "have it all"...the same thing the secular feminists have been shouting for years. They can have both roles and it's all honky dory.

 

If distinctive roles don't matter, then what is the point? If it doesn't matter if mom is home during the day or even home most of the time, then why would anyone do it? Just because that's what she feels like doing? It makes *her* happy?

 

My opinion is that it *does* make a difference and the Bible *does* have something to say about it, and that's *why* I do it! I'm not doing what I do because it makes me happy...I'm doing it for the good of my husband and my children. It is a true dying to self.

 

Everyone cries, "motherhood is the most important job on earth", yet they don't consider it to be their priority in terms of their time and energy. There is a major disconnect there. Anyway... I'm actually surprised that the majority of christians seem to be supporting Palin. I'm surprised that those I seem to most agree with are the christian conservative men. Hmm.

[PariSarah]

. . . that the message is that we can do it all. (I know I can't!)

 

I think the message is that we can do it . . . different. We as a society don't have to structure things the way we have. We don't have to make the work-a-day world quite so rigorously anti-family as we currently do.

[Alice]

. . . that the message is that we can do it all. (I know I can't!)

 

I think the message is that we can do it . . . different. We as a society don't have to structure things the way we have. We don't have to make the work-a-day world quite so rigorously anti-family as we currently do.

 

Absolutely true! I think the "you can do it all" is one of the biggest lies ever sold to women (and men). I can't do it all, and I fully admit that. I absolutely do make sacrifices in my career for my family and kids. So does dh.

 

The message I hope to pass on to my own kids (be they boys or girls) is that noone can do it all. I completely and totally depend on my husband's help to make our family and marriage and life successful. He depends on me. And more importantly, for us, as Christians we depend on God.

 

I guess the main difference in my own beliefs and that of the Baucham article is that although I do believe women and men are created differently and I do believe in the husband being the head of the house I think that we can still live that out with me working outside of the home, with me earning more than my dh and with my husband helping with the role of caring for the kids and taking care of the house.

 

I think this is a really interesting discussion outside of the VP race. A good friend of mine (who is a SAHM) and I have had this conversation recently. We both agree that noone really talked to us about this. My Mom raised me that I could "have it all" yet at the same time she was a SAHM who strongly believed moms should be home all the time. She completely supported my desire to be a doctor (from a very early age) but we never really discussed how that would look if I was also a mother. My friend and I both talked about how we hope to talk about this more with our own kids.

[NevadaRabbit]

Never thought I would live to see the day when I can say I'm more conservative than the conservatives. :blink:

 

:001_smile: Oh, I dunno - I'm mighty far right, but I just think it's a stretch to think all conservative, Christian women believe that no mother should work outside the home.

[Joanne]

If distinctive roles don't matter, then what is the point? If it doesn't matter if mom is home during the day or even home most of the time, then why would anyone do it? Just because that's what she feels like doing? It makes *her* happy?

 

My opinion is that it *does* make a difference and the Bible *does* have something to say about it, and that's *why* I do it! I'm not doing what I do because it makes me happy...I'm doing it for the good of my husband and my children. It is a true dying to self.

 

Everyone cries, "motherhood is the most important job on earth", yet they don't consider it to be their priority in terms of their time and energy. There is a major disconnect there. Anyway... I'm actually surprised that the majority of christians seem to be supporting Palin. I'm surprised that those I seem to most agree with are the christian conservative men. Hmm.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I am a Christian mother. Over the past 13 years, I have been: a SAHM, a WAHM, and a WOHM. I have been a single WAHM/SAHM.

 

Also important is that I have been a care provider for WOHM.

 

Life and reality have challenged my ideals and theories. Personal experience with a wide variety of "family" types has humbled me.

 

I do not see, discern or observe a pattern of self-lessness, better families or better mothering relating to the working/compensation choice.

 

I'm not a denyer of gender roles and genetically scripted or God Designed roles in parenting and marriage. I have breasts, my DH has testosterone. I can't father; he can't mother.

 

(One of many reasons) I left (organized) feminism is because as a group they deny gender realities.

 

I've parted company with the "mom at home is best" crowd because I don't believe that to be true, either.

 

I don't believe the scripture used to support Mom at Home is accurately read to be a literal support of Mom at home and nothing else. Instead, I see all scripture relating to parenting as talking about the quality of parenting and the character of the parents; not the specific configuration of time, space, proximity.

 

Biblical *times* reflect a commerce and lifestyle in which parents are more able to provide while kids are present. *That* I believe to be a better design. 2 of my 3 jobs today include that.

 

I grow increasingly more sad and distressed over the limited perspective and thinking that you can *ever* accurately announce a WOH or SAH as better or "more Biblical".

[NevadaRabbit]

Well, the fact is is that NO ONE can do it all. It's impossible! But besides that fact, I think the thing that bugs me most about this isn't so much that I think she'll make a bad president and it isn't because I'm worried about her children (I don't know them), but because I think this sends a message out to the christian community that yes, woman can "have it all"...the same thing the secular feminists have been shouting for years. They can have both roles and it's all honky dory.

 

If distinctive roles don't matter, then what is the point? If it doesn't matter if mom is home during the day or even home most of the time, then why would anyone do it? Just because that's what she feels like doing? It makes *her* happy?

 

My opinion is that it *does* make a difference and the Bible *does* have something to say about it, and that's *why* I do it! I'm not doing what I do because it makes me happy...I'm doing it for the good of my husband and my children. It is a true dying to self.

 

I'm going to sound like I'm talking doublespeak - but I do believe that there are Biblical roles that are vastly different for men and women, that Christian women should be obedient to Scripture and their husbands, that it does make a difference and we should do it precisely because the Bible says so. If I were offered VP-candidate status (bwaahaha!), I would say no because it would take me away from my primary mission which is keeping our home and raising our children. I believe these things because I believe in the authority of Scripture and I have the indwelling witness of the Spirit.

 

BUT.

 

Not everybody is a Christian. Not even everybody who says "I'm a Christian" is, indeed, a Christian (that's Scriptural; check Matthew 7:15-23). I can't assume that anyone holds themselves to the Scriptural standard in the exact same way my husband and I do.

 

I see extremism again:

 

It's a fact that NO ONE can have it all? My sister has a career, a happy healthy daughter, and a happy healthy marriage. Aside from my own desiring for her to know the Lord, she's done it all and she's done it well. Are you saying that no mother who also works outside the home has done it well? By whose standard?

 

The election of a lady VP will send a message to the Christian community that secular feminists have been right all along? I personally think it's pretty clear from the pugnacious attacks on Sarah Palin from both left and right that neither side thinks the other side has proven anything.

 

Distinctive roles don't matter? That is a huge leap. Those who have conviction of the validity/sufficiency of Scripture won't be swayed from understanding God-given roles in marriage just because a woman was elected VP.

 

Speculating that Sarah Palin's motives are self-serving ("just because that's what she feels like doing") are just that - speculation. We don't know her motives nor do we know how she and her husband have sorted out their roles. I'd love to know, but it's just not a matter of record unless they get interviewed by Dr. Dobson.

 

Everyone cries, "motherhood is the most important job on earth", yet they don't consider it to be their priority in terms of their time and energy. There is a major disconnect there. Anyway... I'm actually surprised that the majority of christians seem to be supporting Palin. I'm surprised that those I seem to most agree with are the christian conservative men. Hmm.

 

re the italicized part: You're talking about someone here? Sarah Palin? Anyone in particular?

 

I guess to sum it up, I'm tired of folks around here and the media leaping to extremes to prove a point and speculating on skimpy evidence.

[elegantlion]

I'm going to agree with the Proverbs 31 woman. Palin was not called out of the blue to be VP, this is a next step in her career. She started her "career" by serving on the PTA.

 

Does the working woman who is a teacher or a nurse receive the same harsh criticism or it simply those in higher profile careers?

 

I find it perplexing that a working career minded woman can't be considered a good christian and a good mother. I know several examples to the opposite in fact.

 

I believe that we are gifted with talents and skills and God calls us to use those. Palin obviously has what it take to at least get elected Govenor and be considered for VP.

 

I think until we are privy to the day-to-day experiences of Gov. Palin and her family we are all operating under speculation anyway. ;)

[Lori in MS]

Well, Voddie is against woman having outside careers period. The NT does say for a woman to be a "keeper at home", and running for vice president would not enable her to do that, so I can see how he does not feel it was a pro-family choice to choose her. He believes that the woman should stay at home and raise her children (literally at home), so perhaps that makes more clear his blog post on the subject.

 

The greek word for "keeper at home" means a sentinel, a guard for her family, protector etc. It has the idea of guards who are in the keep protecting and watching over the city.

 

And though this may involve staying home and raising the children, it also means that the welfare of her family is priority to her and that she is acutely aware of what is going on with her family.

 

I believe that we need to follow the God given roles that God has for each member of our families but that is not going to look exactly the same in each family.I personally am a SAHM and am very committed to being there for my children. It does matter. But if Sarah's husband is the head of their home and is supportive and encouraging of her running as VP then who are we to judge? God often uses people in unexpected and creative ways. Deborah and Esther are good examples. God also looks at the heart and motives of each person which we can't see.