Evangelical Women are to Be Submissive To Their Husbands

I almost jumped up and screamed at Sally Quinn when she said this as she was beig interviewed on CNN yesterday.

Now, Ms. Quinn knows a thing about religion as she founded and moderates a blog on the Washington Post called "On Faith".  However, it really makes me mad when people keep twisting Ephesians 5:22 - 33.  Basically, everyone stops at Ephesians 5:24.  Men seem to turn their ears off at verse 25 where it states "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her..."  When you look at it this way, we women just need to respect our husbands, our husbands need to love us and be willing to give up their lives for us. 

Palin's Pregnancy Problem

I'll be honest, I bristled at this verse for years before I had some really good Bible teaching on what God really meant by it.  I recommend the book Love and Respect for an indepth look into this verse and what it means about relationships.  I'm not going to get into a theological argument on what this verse means - - other than to say I know it does not mean women are less than men.  I know it does not mean that women must subservient to men.  At its base, we are suppose to be respectful to the men in our lives and men are to be loving to the women in their lives.

Now where the heck am I going?  Sally Quinn pretty much stated on CNN that Palin's priority should really be in the home especially in her current situation with a special needs baby and a pregnant daughter.  Quinn said something along the lines about how Palin was so different from Evangelical women in that she works outside the home.  As an Evangelical woman, I was really insulted by that.

Why do so many people think that, if you are a Christian woman, your place is to be married, in the home with a bunch of children?  Why do some people think that if you are a Christian woman, that you shouldn't have a successful or powerful career?  Why do people think that the only way a Christian woman can be fulfilled is to be married with children?  God doesn't call all of us to be wives and mothers.  God doesn't call all wives and mothers to be 'stay at home'.  Take Deborah, one of the Old Testament judges - - God even punished a man for not stepping up and taking the 'lead' as God intended men to do (Judges 4:4-10).  Read Proverbs 31, a Queen is instructing her son, a prince, a future leader, on the type of woman he should be looking for.  She tells him to find a woman that is a good manager, financially responsible, someone who can buy and sell her own property, invest her earnings, run a business, is charitable, kind, and supportive of him.

So many of the critics of Palin and her mothering ability talk as if she is a single mom.  She's married and her husband is the stay at home parent.  Her husband plays the roll that most women play.  A role reversal.  Not the norm.  But the children aren't neglected and running amuck. 

My best friend from Smalltown, Ohio, is an executive with a large U.S. corporation.  She has always made more money than her husband.  Her husband, a college graduate with an Econ degree, decided after several years in corporate America that it wasn't for him.  He liked being outdoors and building stuff.  BF realized that her husband was much happier not working 9-5 in some office.  A happier husband made for a better marriage.  They decided, and she supported his choice.  Her family back in Ohio had a hard time with this - - especially when they decided to have a family.  BF's hubby is a stay at home dad.  He loves it.  Would my friend like to stay at home with their kids?  Of course she would, but that isn't how things were to be.  Feminism gave my BF this opportunity, it gave them the freedom to reverse the rolls.

As an Evangelical woman, I can tell you, for me, Palin's motherhood/grand motherhood is not an issue for me.