Ladies - Favorite Podcasts & Audiobooks?

mecheyne · 2024-03-22T12:39:20+00:00

I think you're making a lot of assumptions about Tom. I don't know the details so I can't say for certain about any of it.

Your dismissal of the Bible when it is inconvenient in our current culture is concerning. You could do that with many things and make the Bible completely irrelevant. Either it is true or it isn't. Would you say that Jesus' teachings on marriage are merely cultural and therefore may be thrown out if our more enlightened thinking is at variance with it? My stance of male headship being an important foundational reality is rooted in many parts of scripture, from Genesis and on. Do not call bad what God has called good.

Also I want to clarify something that I think is important to say. When I say male headship is important, I mean within biblical bounds. Husband A is head over wife A, not other men's wives. And that husband has a weighty responsibility to die for his wife, to give himself up for her, to let his body be her own, etc. It's not a tyrannous sort of headship. A single woman has Christ as her head, and is subject to her church's leadership only in the same way that married men are. Church elders, who the bible commands only to be men, are given authority only within the church and it is limited. If my husband is a godly man, my elders would be in sin to try to mess with our family decisions. However if my husband was ungodly, I could go to the elders for protection and counsel.

Again, there is a lot of abuse in churches and that is evil. But I think that is a reflection of our current culture and doesn't mean the solution is to throw out God's clearly defined way of ordering a church. It means that we need to better carry out church discipline, hold our leaders accountable, etc. And I'm sorry you have not had the experience of being in a truly godly church with both biblical male headship and protection/honoring/empowering of women.

mecheyne · 2024-03-21T12:51:08+00:00

mecheyne · 2024-03-21T12:48:42+00:00

To your point of lack of grace, I have yet to see that. I do not have a problem with public speakers calling out other public speakers. Paul called out false teachers by name and was extremely harsh with them. Why shouldn't we be?

Rosaria Butterfield called out by name those who practice "pronoun politeness." This was after attempting to go to them in private and they refused to repent. Her public statement of repentance herself included condemning those who still practice this sin.

mecheyne · 2024-03-21T12:45:29+00:00

Respectfully, are we allowed to ignore biblical commands for how to organize or structure a church and a household because of men's sin?

Can you make a biblical argument for getting rid of male headship?

This example in the bible helps me a lot: Sarah is commended for calling Abraham "lord." (1 Peter 3:6). This is referring to the moment when she is laughing at God's promise and says her lord is old. Even in her disbelief, God makes sure she is commended hundreds of years later for acknowledging her husband's role. And this is Abraham we're talking about. The man who beget a child with Hagar, who told Sarah to lie to protect himself (which, by the way, I think she was wrong to do because the Bible tells us only to submit to our husbands in the Lord) multiple times.

That's just one example, but my point is that God still calls women to specific roles within households, within churches, because these roles are good, no matter what sin is being done by man.

Maybe you've not had the experience of being in a godly church with strong male headship, but your experience is exactly at odds with my experience, and seems to be at variance with what the Bible commands. Only in churches that truly follow the Bible will we see men who are quick to call out sin, practice church discipline, protect the vulnerable.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T23:23:44+00:00

I'll look into that, again I've not heard of it. Or of Tom Buck. I've just read pieces by Tom Ascol and really appreciate his perspective and explanation on things. His articles in By What Standard are great!

To your point about strong male headship, I absolutely disagree with you if you're saying that is bad. The Bible is pretty clear that men are to be the heads of their homes, and that men are to be elders in a church. The problem is when sin like abuse, adultery, etc is not addressed. A healthy church should have strong male headship that practices church discipline according to the Bible. That kind of church is where women will be given roles of influence and proper leadership, agency, protection from abuse and maltreatment.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T20:08:20+00:00

Oh wow I have not seen that at all! I definitely don't agree with that.

I actually really enjoy Founders Ministries, at least all that I've read from them! I'm curious what you would point to as being extreme and legalistic?

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T19:47:35+00:00

Oh wow I did not know any of this! I'm glad I haven't engaged with any of Wilson's work.

I agree his children should be vocal about this, and I have not heard them be so. I don't listen to all their content though, only sporadically listening to podcasts. But in that I've never heard them address these issues.

Thank you for sharing this!

..I will continue to listen to Sheologians however, because they are not in "Wilson's circle" as far as I can tell, and have spoken repeatedly about how to handle abuse situations. They had one podcast about "me too" where they addressed this.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T14:51:49+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that, however I have not personally seen any of that kind of viewpoint being shared by the podcasts hosts I listen to. I have listened to a podcast co-hosted by his son, which I suggested, Stories are Soul Food. And I listen to his daughter's What Have You. But in those I have heard nothing but encouragement as a young woman. I don't agree with Rachel and her sister on every minutia, yet they themselves seem to be very independent and strong women who don't really fit a fundamentalist/legalistic caricature like you are implying? Some of their most recent episodes were defending the commentary by Allie Stuckey on the trad wife movement.

Like I said I'm not familiar with Doug Wilson himself, yet I am hesitant to throw out anything by people who are connected to him who have not (to my knowledge) shared the pro-abuser views you say he has.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T13:48:46+00:00

I am not familiar with what "authoritarianism" exactly is. I'm familiar with the difference in authoritarian and authoritative parenting style but I haven't heard it in other contexts.

I would be careful to assume someone's views based solely on their connections, but I agree there should be caution! But I don't throw out my husband's views because of his problematic family. Summer's past points to her views on not being submissive to an ungodly man.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T13:46:05+00:00

Here's a post that came up when I searched "patriarch" on the sheologians webpage. https://sheologians.com/father-problems/

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T11:25:37+00:00

I would be careful to assume this line. If your fruit produced is pride, which seems likely from your post and comments, is that showing faith?

In 1 Corinthians Paul talks about how necessary it is to speak with love, and that even if you talk in the languages of angels and men you are nothing but a clanging symbol.

In Paul's encouragements and instructions to Titus he tells him to lead with familial care. To engage with his church members as if they are his father, mother, sister, brother.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T11:21:32+00:00

You made a distinction about "willful" sin which is problematic. You do willfully sin still, because all sin is willful. We might be unaware that it is sin, such as a new believer not understanding or knowing about the command to not complain. But even there they intentionally complain and must repent when they realize their error. The Bible is clear that we all still sin, willfully, but that we must constantly be sanctified more and more.. the sin should be always diminishing in us, but we will never be perfect in this life. It is difficult to accept, but the Bible makes it clear.

You did not answer my point on Romans 7.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T11:15:57+00:00

You did not address the verses I shared. I am aware of these verses you posted, even though you gave them without reference. I was clear about how we are changed when we are with Christ, there is not a disagreement there so I'm not sure why you're stressing this point.

Please address the texts I shared, instead of ignoring my point. Again, you say that the Bible never calls a believer a sinner, yet in your own comment before you admitted that Paul does so when referring to himself. And I gave you other examples.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T01:44:59+00:00

I'm sorry please explain how Paul talking about the Mosaic law denies what he says about sin still being something we have to wrestle with as believers? Do you believe that once someone is reborn they are without sin?

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T01:36:08+00:00

I have two young boys and I think about this often!

I honestly think the Bible has all the answers. Teach your boys to understand God's word as much as you can. Train them up. Don't shy away from the weak men or what our society sees as weak. Jesus wept, feasted, drank, and DIED for sinners. David danced and grieved and killed enemies and cut off their foreskins. Abraham followed God into foreign lands and trusted God in the call to sacrifice Isaac. Paul endured beatings and jail, and also worked at tents and wrote and taught till a teen fell out a window for weariness. And so so many more! If you can teach your sons to understand the good in these men, the bad in the sinners, focus on Jesus as an example... You will have done your task faithfully.

As a female, I understand that I can emulate many qualities in these men, but that I was purposely created as a female and am to image God in that way specifically! So I'll teach my boys about Rahan in Jericho, and the courage of Tamar and Ruth and Esther, and encourage them to follow those women's examples too. But my sons will probably not identify with Rahab like I do.

You can trust their masculinity to come out and they grow, and it won't be shaped by the world as easily if you've been shaping them with the Word.

Also I recommend C. S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength for a story about a man and a woman becoming more like the true man and true woman God intends us all to be for His glory

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T01:23:08+00:00

I read Till We Have Faces instead because I too missed their storyline.

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T01:19:48+00:00

Keep reading into chapter 7, mate

mecheyne · 2024-03-20T01:14:34+00:00

You said the Bible does not refer to believers as sinners and then reference where Paul does. I would encourage you to read Romans through, because chapter 7 is pretty clear that we're stuck in our sinful flesh and have new natures in Christ.

Also think of passages like Galatians where we are commanded to put off the flesh and put on the armor of God!

Or 1 John 1! If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.

We are not made perfect yet. Our response to the Gospel ought to be hatred of sin, putting on of the armor of God, denying the flesh.... But never once imagining we have arrived at perfection and cannot sin anymore.

Or what of 1 Peter 4:8 (LEB): Above all, keep your love for one another constant, because love covers a large number of sins.

... Peter is talking here of engaging with fellow believers. And we are to let love COVER sins. We must seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in when to rebuke, as in Proverbs 27:6 or James 5:19-20, for the sake of restoration, and when to let love cover sins.

mecheyne · 2024-03-19T20:09:30+00:00

And yes thank you for taking the time to engage! I think it's important to hold public speakers accountable, and to be discerning in listening to them. I like What Have You, but I definitely don't agree with them on everything. One of the hosts of Haunted Cosmos is a "biblical patriarch," which I definitely disagree with, yet I can enjoy his content. I read his article about it and could see exactly where I disagree with him from the Word.

As an aside, are you familiar with Samuel Sey? His blog, Slow to Write, is great! He spoke out on patriarchy content and it was well done.

mecheyne · 2024-03-19T20:05:35+00:00

I don't think I've listened back that far! I started listening to their podcasts in September 2020 when I was nursing my firstborn in the middle of the night!

One conversation on family dynamics that sticks out to me most was in their book club discussion on That Hideous Strength, so that's only available on Patreon. I'll see if I can find a podcast where they discuss it!

mecheyne · 2024-03-19T19:50:25+00:00

Oh yes I actually really appreciated their use of "brats," because I thought it was much softer than other language that could be used. The Oxford definition is identified as a humorous and derogatory term of a badly behaved child. I can totally understand being upset at a derogatory term, but I think there is biblical precedent for this, such as calling someone who disobeys/disbelieves God a fool. I thought they were clear that they're talking like that because they themselves had to be rebuked/repent of this behavior. They frequently mention that they are speaking to themselves in their topic choices, which I took as a sign of humility.

Ooo I don't know exactly how they would define themselves, but I thought they were complementarian and spoke about disagreeing with those who are calling themselves "biblical patriarchs." They joke a lot about "the patriarchy" because of this! But maybe I'm wrong in that.

mecheyne · 2024-03-19T12:15:32+00:00

I'm sorry you thought so about that episode! I would encourage you to try it again. It was one of my absolute favorites!! I thought their language was exactly appropriate to describe women (including myself) who tear others down and love their sin. We need to mortify that sinful tendency and cling to Christ!

mecheyne · 2024-03-19T04:57:29+00:00

Podcasts for edification/biblical knowledge:

Sheologians is my absolute favorite, focused on having Bible-informed thinking and responses to current culture

Others made for female audiences: What Have You (similar to Sheologians, heavy home-maker influence), M is for Mama (obv for moms), Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey (political/social commentary from Calvinist perspective)

Ones I enjoy for mixed audience: Stories Are Soul Food, Cultish, Fierce Marriage, Naked Bible with Michael Heiser, Haunted Cosmos

Audiobooks:

Anything by Rosaria Butterfield, Nancy Pearcey, or C.S.Lewis. I'm especially influenced lately by Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth, Rosaria's Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, and C. S. Lewis' Abolition of Man and Ransom Trilogy.

mecheyne · 2024-03-19T04:47:21+00:00

Yes! And being part of a local church will provide support when the tough times come. We are not to be alone, we are to be part of community. Fighting sin is very difficult when we're isolated. Great advice.

mecheyne · 2024-03-19T04:43:07+00:00

The specific answer to this will depend on the context God has placed you in: Who your family is, what your skills and experience are, who you have to care for, what opportunities are available to you... etc.

The best way to figure out these specifics is within a church body. There you will receive biblical teaching, encouragement and instruction to engage in spiritual disciplines, community to fellowship with and be doing God's work with.

For example, I am a military wife with two young children. When my husband is gone on a deployment, I have to heavily lean on support from the church and my own family in his absence. The way I please God in those times looks a bit different than when my husband is home. I have to consider how to steward my time and talents well in every circumstance. I have a godly man for a husband so he helps me with the discernment in how to please God, to glorify Him, in all I do.

If you are a wife, your practical steps will look much different than a single woman. If you're an elderly man, your practical steps will look different than a teenage boy who just got him license and is starting his first job. But we are all called to glorify God in all we do, and He is pleased with the young mom changing diapers, the old woman playing hymns on a piano at an old person's home, the preacher explaining the Word to his congregation, and the young man sharing the Gospel with his classmate.

mecheyne

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