Summary of Spring Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

It was a long journal, so the below summary might help you skip to the sections that interest you...

Women stop submitting to men:

• The verse says submit to your husband, not men in general

Masculine ministry:

• Men be willing to take the criticism that comes from ministry
• Teach with courage
• Bring the difficult parts of the Bible out even if people don't want to hear them
• Heralds truth with urgency and forcefulness
• Publicly and privately advocates for the ministries of women in the church
• Models nurturing, protection, and cherishing his wife

Dad moms:
Interchangeable roles don't lead to happiness as our culture tells us. Men are designed to be protectors and women nourishers by nature. A better way is Dad dads who serve, leading in all areas including training of the children, discipline, and sacrifice, being willing to help out with the kids and do the same chores that a Dad mom would do. So the Bible holds us men to a higher standard than the world.

Gender neutral language Bible translations:
Changes roughly 1000 verses that have a gender in the original language to be genderless in order to be more natural. However, this isn't done with Shakespeare or Dickens and no texts ever feel it beneficial to insert a note in the margin saying that when they say mankind they mean everybody.

How do we speak about homosexuality:
The Bible puts the behavior in the same category as other sins. Paul still calls himself the chief sinner, so it is important to be humble and loving. "And such were some of  you" shows that no matter what you struggle with there is hope to change.

Book reviews:

• A book by Mark Driscoll, Real Marriage, that I thought might be good turns out to not have much useful substance, and has recommendations that contradict what he says he believes.
• Dr. Dobson wrote a book Bringing up Girls that has a lot of good advice on understanding them. The one complaint that appealing to the Bible was tacked on in the last chapter, and most of the book was based on behavioral analyses. I would consider reading this book.
• Give them Jesus: Parenting with the Gospel sounds like a well written book that is a good reminder on the importance of grace. I plan on reading this book someday.
• Feminine Threads shows how women in the Bible and church through history were made equal in importance by the gospel, but still had a different role to play.