50 Shades of Strange

I have not read 50 Shades of Grey, nor do I plan to. The book is a bona fide publishing phenom, but every description I have read is that the story amounts to literary pornography. For that reason, I can’t imagine anything helpful coming from the film version set to be released later this year. I’ll be sitting that one out too. So I have great sympathy for the concerns Aimee Byrd expresses about the reception of the forthcoming movie. 

She writes: Now the trailer is out for the movie. And just this week, I am encountering more shades of strange for a movie that isn’t even releasing until February. I am shocked by some of my mom friends that have posted the trailer on Facebook, tagging some of my other mom friends about the “Mom’s Night Out” they look forward to having in February. Some of these women profess to be Christians. They all have daughters in middle or high school. And sons.   Continue at Denny Burk

Another Look at the Bikini Question

I’m probably treading on thin ice with this article. The wiser part of my conscience told me to leave this issue alone. But this subject bugs me. And I know that it is the bane of many women’s summers—the bikini question. Not just for us, but for our daughters as well.

 

Rachel Clark wrote a thoughtful article challenging women to ditch their bikinis as a sacrifice for all the men around them who cannot control themselves. I respect her decision to wear a tankini or a one piece, but I cringe at telling women that they are not modest if they wear a bikini. As soon as we make it about bikinis and tankinis, I think that we are missing the point. Sure, there are many bikinis out there that are inappropriate. But this is also the case with one-pieces and tankinis.

Is stomach exposure really the issue? Are you really making a sacrifice for the guys around you when you are wearing a flattering tankini? And let’s face it, none of us want to walk around the beach in an unflattering swimsuit. Of course, this also begs the question, If a woman looks good in her bathing suit, is that being immodest? There’s also the question that I’ve asked before, Can a man admire a beautiful woman without sexually fantasizing about her?    Continue at Aimee Byrd

Why Christians Are Sometimes Annoying

For the same reason that atheists are, we talk about God too much.  

For some cockamamie reason, I don’t have a “Housewife Theologian” Facebook page. I know it’s not the smartest (non)move, but it fits in the same category for why I never joined a sorority—I don’t feel the need to ask people to like me. But I do share a link to my recent articles on my personal page. I have plenty of friends who aren’t Christians, as well as those who just don’t care to see yet another post talking about God every other day. Since I care too much about what other people think, I worry that I am annoying my Facebook “friendies” by dropping yet another post about God in their news feed.

Some Christians really are annoying about it. Every other word out of their mouth is “the good Lord” this and “God bless” that. After a couple of minutes you realize that they may have a colorful God veneer, but all that’s underneath is particle board. That’s a real shame.

And yet, we really should be obsessed with God. The preacher to the Hebrews says so. The first chapter division introduces the sermon with the supremacy of Christ. In just the first three verses we learn that he is the ultimate prophet, heir of all things, and the radiance of God’s glory. To take it up a notch, the sermon continues to explain that Christ isn’t only better than the prophets, but he is also better than the angels. If angels delivered a message to us, we would think it to be pretty important. What does our final messenger indicate about the value of the message?   Continue at Aimee Byrd

Bad Company?

The apostle Paul quotes a well-known proverb derived from a Greek comedy in 1 Corinthians 15:33. I like the NIV translation of it, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” Did you ever consider that you may be your own worst company?

Paul Tripp repeats a line several times in his book, Dangerous Calling, for emphasis:

No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.

It’s a stinger, isn’t it? We are our own, constant conversation partner. The question is, Are we keeping bad company? What sorts of things are we convincing ourselves of throughout our day? Don’t be misled. Tripp convincingly pleads with his reader:

Whether you realize it or not, you are in an unending conversation with yourself, and the things you say to you are formative of the way you live. You are constantly talking to yourself about your identity, your spirituality, your functionality, your emotionality, your mentality, your personality, your relationships, etc. You are constantly preaching to yourself some kind of gospel. You preach to yourself an anti-gospel of your own righteousness, power, and wisdom, or you preach to yourself the true gospel of deep spiritual need and sufficient grace (21).

This got me thinking about how deceptive our “inner voice” can be. As I chat myself up all day, I am also my own spin-doctor. Quite often, that inner voice is bad company. But I let her in, give her a comfty chair (BTW, comfty is way cozier than comfy) and a hot cup of coffee. I invite my own deceitful heart to speak. If these thoughts were spoken out loud, I would probably be less likely to entertain them. But since they are privately spun, I allow myself to keep bad company.   Continue at Aimee Byrd

Why Do You Go to Work?

Gene Veith wrote an excellent article for TCG on the purpose of our work. I encourage you to read it here. This article is even more relevant, given our present economic issues. Why do we go to work in the first place? Is it merely for the paycheck that affords us to do all the things we really want to do? Are we just working for the weekend? Many would seem to agree with Josh Thompson’s country song, “It puts the beer on the table.”

But is that the primary reason to be looking for work? Veith reminds us of Martin Luther’s contribution in the doctrine of vocation. We work to love and serve our neighbor. Christians should understand this better than anyone:

God himself, in his providential care for his whole creation, is working through our human vocations. God gives us our daily bread by means of the farmer, the miller, and the baker. He protects us by means of lawful magistrates. He creates and cares for new human beings by means of fathers and mothers. He proclaims his Word and administers his sacraments by means of pastors. He creates beauty by means of artists and musicians.  Continue at Aimee Byrd

Modest Expression

There have been several articles addressing the issue of modesty appearing on the Aquila Report recently. Matthew Tuininga advocates the danger of legalism, Rebecca VanDoodewaard  warns us of the deadliness of antinomianism, and one encourages all women not to wear pants. Although I agree with much of what Vandooewaard says in her article, I think her assumptions about Tuininga’s article are unfair. And banning pants from our wardrobe misses the point entirely.

Anyhow, I think the word modest itself has been hijacked to merely mean “dress code.” We’ve done a disservice to the virtue of modesty if we whittle it down to the way we dress. Our thoughts, our speech, and our behavior are also a reflection of modesty. It has to do with our humility before a holy God and our proclamation of the gospel story. I aspire to modesty, but I am careful to say that I am not actually there. Calling myself modest is kind of like calling myself humble. The Lord is still patiently working on me.

In terms of how this shows in our appearance, Mary Kassian nails it in her book, Girls Gone Wise. As honorable as it may be, our main purpose in clothing is not to curb a man’s sexual appetite. This is merely a horizontal, comparative measurement of modesty. Kassian explains:

Clothing bears witness to the fact that we have lost the glory and beauty of our original sin-free selves, It confesses that we need a covering—His [Christ’s] covering—to atone for our sin and alleviate our shame. It testifies to the fact that God solved the problem of shame permanently and decisively with the blood of His own Son. It also directs our attention forward to the time when we will be “further clothed” with spotless, imperishable garments (2 Corinthians 5:3 NKJV, Revelation 3:5).  Continue at Aimee Byrd