Absolute obedience is required by godly women and godly children. They are not to question the role of the godly patriarch, who is not allowed to question the godly minister. Nothing is to be questioned. You do not express any individualism. You do not think for yourself. You are required, at all times, to exhibit blind obedience to the little power-broker in the family. The godly father and husband then becomes a despot, at times an abusive despot, bowing to the direction of abusive and despotic requirements of their godly ministers and churches. It becomes idolatry, with the godly patriarch becoming more important than God. As one writer put it, it lowers God to man’s level, then makes man into God.
There are those, like Michael Farris, who are truly frightening. Libby Anne observed that he believes every woman should submit to every man. Period.
“…In his speech, Farris stated explicitly that wives are to submit to their husbands. Farris may be oblivious to this fact, but that is patriarchy. Farris made this statement to eschew what he apparently thought was patriarchy—the belief that every woman must submit to every man. But this idea was never taught by any patriarchal Christian homeschool leaders. Think you that Doug Phillips would have had his daughters submit to the man they walk by in the grocery store? No. In fact, Phillips’ argued that if everyone woman remained in submission to her god-given male authority, he would protect her from the wiles of other men. Similarly, Gothard coined the term “umbrella of authority” and promised his followers that if they submitted to their god-given authority (singular), they would be safe from the storms of this world….”
According to Christian Patriarchy a woman must always be under male authority. She will never never ever ever be independent. She is first under the authority of her father, then her husband. A widow must be under the authority of her son. According to Christian Patriarchy, a godly women must always submit to the authority of the godly man who controls her even if she is asked to do something illegal and criminal because God won’t hold her accountable for any sin she commits under male authority. She may end up spending her life in prison, but she will be under the authority of a man, there, also.
A godly husband will make sure that his godly wife needs his guidance in so many different ways, according to Bill Gothard and ATI.
- Lack of sleep
- Unfinished projects
- Inappropriate clothing
- Poor eating habits
- Neglecting personal appearance
- Tardiness
- Destructive self-criticism
- Volunteering.
A godly man has basic needs, also, from his godly wife.
- A man needs a wife to be loyal and supportive
- A man needs a wife who honors his leadership.
- A man needs a wife who develops inward and outward beauty.
- A man needs a wife who will make appeals, not demands.
- A man needs a wife who understands his need for time alone with God.
- A man needs a grateful wife.
- A man needs a wife who will be praised by others.
P. S.
- Encourage your husband
- Believe in your husband – no matter what
- Helping her husband fulfill his goals and dreams is a wife’s main responsibility
- A wife is never to ‘take over’
- It is God’s job to convict your husband – not yours.
- Seek your husband’s advice first.
- Scripture instructs a wife to reverence her husband
- Honor your husband’s God-given authority
- Express appreciation and admiration for your husband’s Godliness
- Express your confidence in your husband.
- Help your husband understand your needs
- Submission to your husband is a reflection of your faith in God
- Don’t undermine your husband’s leadership
- She must develop inward and outward beauty
- She needs to have a meek and quiet spirit
- His wife must be conscious of her potential influence on her family
- She should stay beautiful for her husband
- Practice self-control, especially with diet
- She needs her husband to help identify and remove hindrances to weight control such as unhealthy food, poor meal schedules, medical problems, or bitterness. They should work together to accomplish certain goals. If a woman stays healthy and physically fit it will bless her husband.
- She needs to make appeals, not demands
- His success depends on her appeal
- She should serve her husband well
- She should guard her heart and mouth
- She needs to be greatful
- She needs to express sincere gratitude
- She needs to be virtuous
- She needs to be praised by others.
- And – she needs to be a godly wife
In other words – she needs to be an abused doormat with not thoughts, needs, longings, goals, or desires of her own.
“…there are subtle comments made that downplay the significance of daughters, comments that I found disturbing. This belief system places men in a position of priority, and women are not seen as those who need to discern difficult matters (they are filtered by their “federal head” who teaches them privately while they are safely governed and protected in the home). I don’t believe that it’s honest to say that women are not valued, but they are the “non-normative” gender, and as some teach, they are the “derivative” and “indirect” Image of God. Throughout these discussions of vision, these teachings address men nearly exclusively. (Women do not have independent visions, missions or callings apart from their male counterpart, be that father or husband, as their callings are limited to home and childbearing.) They bear God’s image but not as fully as a man does….”
A godly wife had needs from her godly husband.
- A wife needs a husband who demonstrates spiritual leadership.
- A wife needs to know she is meeting her husband’s vital needs.
- A wife needs a husband who cherishes her.
- A wife needs a husband who protects her.
- A wife needs to have intimate communication with her husband.
- A wife needs a husband who honors her.
- A wife needs a husband who invests in her life.
P. S. A man needs to meet his wife’s needs by him doing the following:
- Maintaining Biblical Discipline
- Regular reading and study of God’s Word
- Constant memorization of the scripture
- Daily meditation on Scripture
- Faithfulness in prayer
- Regular church attendance
- Fellowship with committed Christians
- Conversation on spiritual matters
- Demonstrate love for God by loving your wife, children, and others
- Proposing to make your home a center of Godly learning and living
- Avoiding actions or activities that might cause your wife, children, others to stumble
- Be aware of problems that can hinder your relationship with God
- Wrong priorities
- Pride
- Guilt from past failures
- Lack of wisdom
- Losing your temper
- Bondage to enslaving habits
- Influenced by television
- Companionship with the wrong friends
- Give her the satisfaction of meeting your needs
- Thoughtfully praise her
- Deepen her security through acceptance
- A godly husband has a unique opportunity to love his wife by helping her learn the scriptural basis of self-acceptance
- She needs to be understood.
- Neatly place your laundry in one place for her to more easily do it
- Be clean and neat
- Hold her chair at the table
- Help her on and off with her coat
- Make her aware of your schedule and priorities
- Lift heavy objects for her
- Don’t use crude language
- Visualize how you can add new dimensions to her responsibilities so she can recognize the future value and eternal value of what she is doing
- Provide her with opportunities to use her gifts in talent.This may involve opportunities within your family, your church, or your community. Be sensitive to your wife’s desire for more training, if she would like to pursue new areas of service.
Today’s version of Christian Patriarchy is based, for the most part, on the teachings of a sexual pervert and the now defunct leadership of an adulterer and serial liar. One of the reasons for their hatred of feminists, of women who refuse to be dominated by their godly male role-models is the absolute dislike of individualism. When you discuss this on a political basis, the way the Christian Right has usurped the GOP, it is quite amazing. Once upon a time, the most important quality of a Republican was being an individual, refusing to march lock-step with the masses. Only with individualism can we make this nation what it should be. Now though, thanks to Gothard, Phillips, and Rushdoony, individualism is to be brainwashed out of godly children so they will do what their godly fathers tell them. Their godly fathers have been brainwashed to not question the godly demands and orders of their godly ‘Christian’ leaders. The godly Christian leaders …. well, as with godly Christian leaders everywhere, all they want is to amass their ungodly fortune and power.
If you do a word search for the word “Submission” in the Bible (NRSV) there are exactly two passages.
1 Timothy 2:11
Let a woman learn in silence with full submission.
Hebrews 5:7
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.When it comes to the terms of wifely submission, well…Ephesians 5:22-33 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“…22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27 so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body.[a] 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33 Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
Notice the wording? R-E-S-P-E-C-T (You know where this is leading) It’s also dedicated to Bill Gothard, who turned reverse records and Satanic messages into an art form.
Who knew? It looks like, contrary to what’s being taught about patriarchy and submission, the Apostle Paul was a closet Aretha fan, all along! Who knew that he was wrong, and that, contrary to Paul, who suggested people not marry, God now wants godly men to marry godly women, have godly children and defeat ungodly paganism and liberal values? What would they do if they realized that Jesus of Nazareth hung with sinners and treated prostitutes decently?
