In Christ with David Rhoades

Anonymous - Thanks for the thoughtful response. I ...

2009-12-19T20:44:31.162-06:00

Anonymous - Thanks for the thoughtful response. I don't believe staying "at home in the kitchen" is the intent of Kostenberger's understanding. It certainly isn't mine.

In brief...the godly woman of Proverbs 31 works in the city to assist her family. At the same time she does not abandon her higher calling to be a wife and mother. I would say that it is also a man's higher calling to be a good husband and father (if his life situation finds him in those roles).

In my own situation, my wife was blessed enough to be a stay-at-home mom until the kids entered school. Then she began working to assist with the bills. Now she finds personal fulfillment as a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer. I believe this is part of her calling just as much as I believe serving as a pastor is part of mine.

Thanks again for the insight and opportunity for me to clarify.

So if I understand the above correctly that means ...

2009-12-19T20:06:32.696-06:00

So if I understand the above correctly that means that if I am a 30 year old married childless professional who does not stay home every day and gets take out instead of staying in the kitchen all day I am not going to be fulfilled? I know an awful lot of moms who are Christians and still not happy, so this does not make any sense to me at all. I have been a Christian since I learned how to read at the age of 4 and cannot believe this narrow view of a God fulfilled life.

Exactly!

2009-12-03T11:48:44.649-06:00

Exactly!

You know, I've always been a proponent of the idea...

2009-10-17T02:44:34.020-05:00

You know, I've always been a proponent of the idea "If no one has a heart to lead or work on a specific ministry, it needs to be scrapped" idea. There is no reason whatsoever that our "Leadership Committee" should have to beg for people to serve. Put the list out there. If someone has a heart for that ministry, they can sign up for it. If no one signs up, the ministry goes away. I've always been very convinced that if God wants a church to have a specific ministry, He will draw people to lead and serve in that ministry. I've never understood why we do it the way we do. Doesn't make sense, nor does it seek God's will for what we should be doing.

That is so sweet! 22 yrs. ago on July 18th Don and...

2009-07-12T15:54:09.874-05:00

That is so sweet! 22 yrs. ago on July 18th Don and I spoke on the phone after I heard him say on the radio that he went to FBCE. We met the next day, went out on Aug. 9th, got engaged on Sept. 25 and married on Apr. 9th (1988) Ahh, sweet love!

You're reading my mind, Denise. If I can get the a...

2009-05-24T17:12:32.162-05:00

You're reading my mind, Denise. If I can get the affected groups' approval, I will seek a change in our bylaws.

The change will create an environment where:
* Church members can serve in ministries easier, without having to be asked and voted on by the church.
* The leaders of ministries (who will be the only ones voted on by the church) can recruit their own and as many helpers as necessary to fulfill their God-given calling.
* Our missions efforts are streamlined and simplified, thus leading to greater efficiency and production.

None of the bylaw changes will have any effect on the staff. This is about empowering and trusting church members, not pastoral or support staff.

Maybe we could start the structure changes by reva...

2009-05-18T14:24:00.000-05:00

Maybe we could start the structure changes by revamping our bylaws.

I am a good friend of David Croteau and have his a...

2009-05-16T09:41:00.000-05:00

I am a good friend of David Croteau and have his and many other tithing articles posted on my web site. I also wrote my PHD on the subject of tithing. For much more info see www.tithing-russkelly.com

wow, brother i am praying for wisdom and mercy for...

2009-05-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

wow, brother i am praying for wisdom and mercy for you and your church. what tough questions to face and even tougher answers.
Joel

Thank you for this post, I add your blog in my fav...

2009-04-27T08:28:00.000-05:00

Thank you for this post, I add your blog in my favourites.

I'm french and I want the catholic church to forbidden alcohol, I'm looking for a lot of information about that.

Of course it's a long job.

Sorry for the way in which I speak in english, by the way.

Awesome! Thanks. 3-b's...thanks again. :)

2009-04-09T17:30:00.000-05:00

Awesome! Thanks. 3-b's...thanks again. :)

Wow! There's a lot of passion in your response. In...

2009-03-18T00:01:13.289-05:00

Wow! There's a lot of passion in your response. Interesting. Here's my response to your points:

1. I wasn't writing a scholarly article. It was a pastoral article to answer a question with which Christians deal.
2. Stein said (and I reported) that it would take 22 glasses--not gallons--of New Testament era wine to equal the alcoholic content of two modern martinis. This is obviously an estimate using very watered-down wine. N.T. era wine would have different alcoholic content depending on the amount of water added.
3. As you point out, a higher alcoholic content would be needed for medicinal purposes. Nowhere did Stein nor I say otherwise. To assume that Stein or I said that only very watered-down alcohol would have been used for medicinal purposes shows that you are not reading the article carefully (as already proven by the "gallons" reference).
4. You say that most scholars do not agree with Stein's conclusions. First, what does that prove? Most New Testament scholars don't believe Jesus actually rose from the grave. The truth of a matter doesn't lie in its popularity. Second, before Stein came to his conclusion, he first studied what ancient extra-biblical Greek texts said about the alcoholic content of wine. If you have evidence to the contrary showing what Homer, Josephus, etc. said about the topic, I would be glad to inform Stein that his research is mistaken. Third, if you want to agree with the research and yet come to a different life-application, that is certainly your right.
5. I agree with you that alcoholic consumption is a "disputable matter." It certainly does not rise to the level of whether the Bible is God's Word or whether Jesus is Lord. If it is disputable, should I therefore not write or speak on the issue? Why are my conclusions labeled as "pretending that Christians in other cultures are lesser Christians?" I did not say that, nor was it implied anywhere. It seems to me that if a matter is "disputable," then by definition I should be afforded a measure of leeway to dispute the matter without being accused of denigrating the morality of my brothers and sisters in Christ who might disagree with my conclusions.
6. When dealing with controversial issues like alcoholic consumption, divorce and remarriage, etc., I take great pains to (as much as it is possible) "divorce" my preconceived and culturally-derived worldview from my study of Scripture. I take great pains in my study of Scripture to observe, interpret, and apply--in that order. If my studies conclude that most European Christians are wrong on the issue of alcohol, then so be it. On other issues (like materialism), I would easily conclude that most American Christians are wrong.

Your recitation of Stein's position is not scholar...

2009-03-02T21:36:00.000-06:00

Your recitation of Stein's position is not scholarship. You yourself point out that under his calculations, it would mean drinking 22 gallons of wine in order to feel any effect of alcohol. This flies in the face of scriptural commands (as you again point out) to avoid drunkeness, as it would be practically impossible, nor would such a concoction be of any use in treating wounds (Good Samaritan), or for Timothy's stomach ailments. In order to be used for these purposes, the alcohol content would have to be at least 10%, which is actually stronger than some modern wines. Nor does grape juice gladden the heart. You also conveniently left out the fact that most scholars do not agree with Stein's conclusion, nor is it supported by anything other than passing references in a few texts. In my opinion, this clearly falls into the category of a "disputable matter", and it is inappropriate to pretend that Christian brothers and sisters (especially those in other cultures) are lesser Christians because of their understanding of scripture. Such an interpretation of scripture would be seen as quite strange to most European Christians, and smacks of Americentrism.

Joel,It's great to see how you've served our count...

2008-12-15T10:53:21.074-06:00

Joel,
It's great to see how you've served our country. You're an inspiration to a lot of people, probably more than you know.
David

i just re read this post and to me it hits home to...

2008-12-05T13:02:00.000-06:00

i just re read this post and to me it hits home to the fact that in this great country we are free to live openly with our faith, it is more of a call to action to present hope instead of judgement, Love instead of hate, truth instead of deceit. thank uou brother for investing your time in my life as a punk kid. it did not return void!

Amen my brother.......Christians have to step up t...

2008-11-06T12:16:00.000-06:00

Amen my brother.......Christians have to step up to the plate and follow Christ no matter what the situation of our great country the U S of A.......