This post was originally published at cbeinternational.org in 2021. “Rob” and “Julie” were quite certain they had the formula for a successful marriage. God had brought them through a rough season early in their marriage, and now they had a testimony. Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash Their secret? Be sure the wife submits every decision, large or small, to the husband. Serve him around the clock and show him deference in every way. Julie followed this formula wholeheartedly—and Rob divorced her shortly after their twentieth anniversary. For those of us who knew Continue Reading
8 Ways to Make Sure You Can be Easily Deceived
For my fellow Charismatics, here’s a bit of satire meant for our good. (Please do the opposite of these points!) Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash 1. Ignore Scripture’s warnings about deception. Yes, Jesus tells us to watch out that we’re not deceived (Luke 21:8), Paul warns about deceivers (2 Tim. 3:13), and many more Scriptures offer the same warning. But you’re a sincere, godly believer, so why would God let you be deceived? Such passages probably don’t apply to you. 2. Offer undying loyalty to your favorite teacher(s). If you like their theology, their style, Continue Reading
3 Unhelpful Responses to False Prophecy
This article first appeared in The Christian Post. The Church at large is reeling from more and more exposure of sin in the lives of its leaders, whose greed, sexual immorality, abusive behavior, and lust for attention have left many weary and wary. Photo by Mic Narra on Unsplash In the charismatic world, the list of problems includes failed “prophecies” from those claiming to speak for God. It’s no wonder that even many continuationists have become gun-shy about the supernatural. To be clear, by “continuationists” (more commonly, charismatics), I mean those who believe the Holy Continue Reading
Are Egalitarians and Liberal Feminists Basically the Same?
In a recent Bare Marriage article, author and blogger Sheila Gregoire describes how complementarian Matt Chandler moved the goal posts to make egalitarianism sound extreme by putting it on one end of the spectrum, patriarchy at the other end, and complementarianism in the (allegedly reasonable) middle. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay In truth, male rule (patriarchy) and female rule (gynarchy) occupy extreme ends of the spectrum, with equality between men and women smack dab in the middle. However, since complementarians consistently present their view as the only legitimately Continue Reading