“ Great Sermon! ” Once again, thank you for having the courage to tackle these issues. I hope your sermons will encourage other pastors to speak out against the unbiblical excesses of the patriarchy movement.
“ Great Sermon! ” Thank you so much for standing up to the excesses of the modern patriarchy movement. You're "right on" in attributing much of the movement's appeal to laziness, and the desire to have someone tell us what to do, instead of seeking the Scriptures ourselves.
“ Great Sermon! ” Looking forward to more in the coming weeks. thank you for your time on this matter. As the "head of the house", I will continue to pray for you and your church.
“ On Christian Liberty ” (1) I do believe that home education is the child-raising model that comes closest to fulfilling the principles, patterns, and precepts of Scripture, and I would be happy to hear a biblical rebuttal of that perspective. (2) I believe that it is a matter of Christian liberty whether parents choose to do home education or to delegate some teaching duties to Christian school teachers. Home education is not a test of faithfulness to Christ. (3) Even though I think homeschooling is demonstrably the best choice, I support and commend parents who send their children to Christian schools and welcome an open debate about the merits of the respective educational models. (4) Someone is not a "legalist" simply because he holds a more conservative position than someone else, nor is he an "antinomian" just because his position is less strict. We must make our case from Scripture. Charity requires that we grant the most generous interpretation to a brother's position and refrain from the hasty attachment of negative labels to those who may differ from us.
“ Great Sermon! ” Thank you for your attention in this matter. My prayer is that you remain faithful with all boldness,in contending for the faith, and in stopping this fast growing corruption of the church.
“ Great Sermon! ” Allow me to respond to some specific points in Rev. Hurst's sermon. Contrary to what he claims about our teaching:
—Biblical patriarchy is most decidedly not "familyolatry." We specifically teach that the family is NOT "ultimate" in this world. We teach that the church is the central institution of history, not the family.
—We constantly teach that fathers should be under the authority of church elders and should submit to that authority.
—Husbands should listen to the correction of their wives. We teach that wives should appeal to their husbands and then to the church if their husbands are in sin or failing in their covenanted obligations.
—Fathers should not leave a church to flee authority. That would be anarchy. They are subject to the authority and discipline of the elders.
—Fathers do not hold the keys of the kingdom, church elders do. Fathers may not administer the sacraments within their families.
“ Great Sermon! ” Based on my experience, most of the men who would find a problem with Biblical patriarchy have their wives out earning them a living, usally to the neglect of their home and kids.
“ Legalism is Legalism, not matter what the results. ” If people listen closely to this sermon, they will notice that Pastor Hurst goes out of his way to talk about how many supporters of Patriarchy live godly lives. The issue is not whether following Patriarchy's rules and ideas gives good results, either in adults or in children. The issue is whether Patriarchy's rules and ideas are *required* by Scripture. To the extent that Patriarchy claims that something is required that God has not required in His Word, or that something is prohibited that God has not prohibited in his Word, to that extent Patriarchy is legalistic. And legalism should be exposed and condemned wherever it is found. I thank God for Pastor Hurst's courage on this issue.
“ Why??? ” With great respect to Pastor Hurst and the excellent work of his church, I believe he has missed the mark on the issue of Patriarchy. And I take particular exception to his comments made regarding the ministry of Doug Phillips and Phil Lancaster. Although I am more acquainted with the writings of Mr. Lancaster than the man himself, Doug Phillips has been a dear friend for years and I have read his writings, listened to his sermons, and followed his career. Although I have not always agreed with these men, I do know one thing for sure: they are certainly NOT legalists in any sense. Nor are they men with little respect for the authority and jurisdiction of the Church. There may be some men who see the concept of biblical Patriarchy as a license to become their own Archbishops, but there are a hundred times as many men in the Church today who see “Christian Liberty” as a license to be antinomian. Both positions must be condemned.
The simple message of biblical Patriarchy is for men to be men as God intended them. While most teachers are too timid to get specific on child-rearing, loving a wife, providing for a family, etc., Doug and Phil have “stuck their necks out” so to speak and addressed the practical applications of God’s Word. Some may disagree with their applications, but, in my opinion, a charge of “legalism” in this regard reflects a lack of sufficient exposure to the men and their message.
I also find it disturbing that so much energy is spent on attacking so-called “legalism” in the church, when we are afloat on a sea of antinomianism. We have far more dead-beat dads in the Church than we have over-zealous “Patriarchs.” Lastly, I have spent countless hours of blessed fellowship with the Phillips family and if their family life is a product of “legalism” then I want heaps and heaps of it in the Church.
“ Thanks, but... ” As the author of the book (Family Man, Family Leader: www.visionforum.com) which is the chief foil for Rev. Hurst in this sermon, I am thankful for some of his criticisms that will help improve and clarify the message of biblical patriarchy. However, much of what he attributes to me and others of like mind is simply not an accurate portrayal of what we teach.
“ Great Sermon! ” This is an excellent sermon, which everyone should hear. I pray that God will use it to keep some people from falling victim to the errors of patriarchy.
2/18/04 1:00 PM
