PepperDem Ministries, Feminists and The Bible

PepperdemMinistries , a feminist group has been making the rounds on social media recently. They have addressed a plethora of issues within an admirable short period. In this article, I will want to respond to one of their numerous issues— what I call a misinterpretation of biblical texts in pushing their ideologies. I will do this by focusing on two of their posts.

Firstly this;

I do not subscribe to the bible because quite honestly, in it’s entirety, it doesn’t preach a lot of the values that i do in its entirety. It also doesn’t center around facts, and i am not superstitious. However, I would like to know why the following verse is never read in full. I mean since y’all are always on about context and that. You tend to hear pastors hammer on verse 22, but what about the rest of it? So hear (sic) it goes. Ephisians (sic) 5:21-32 21 Submit to ONE ANOTHER out of reverence for Christ.

Denial of Biblical Authority.

I may be wrong to say this for the whole group. But at least that a member says “I do not subscribe to the bible” gives cause for concern. The concern is that, any post with a biblical text may be tainted by this ‘non-subscription’ to the Bible. What this means is that the Bible holds no authority for any view it expresses against the feminist agenda. Again, this member holds herself high above the Scriptures; which means that, her values are higher than what the Bible preaches. She goes further to question the factuality of the Bible and calls it superstitious. Right from the word go, the authority of the Bible is shut out in this discourse. Meanwhile, other members of the group look into the Bible for their case. What are we to make of this? Does the group believe in the Bible or this is an isolated case of a member who doesn’t believe in the bible?

Now, despite the fact that this member doesn’t subscribe to biblical authority, she throws a challenge to what could perhaps be described as a pet scripture against male headship of a family. She asks for the context of Ephesians 5:21-32. And I take that challenge.

So here is Ephesians 5:21 “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” and Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22).

There appears to be a call for mutual submission here, which, if true, fuels the Feminists agenda. But will mutual submission between husband and wife be a proper interpretation in both texts? No, it won’t be. Without hesitation; as a married Christian man, I will state emphatically that husbands are not called to submit to wives (in the same sense the word is used in vv. 21-22). Husbands are only called to love their wives. And wives called to submit to their husbands.

In Ephesians 5:21, Paul is not speaking of submission in the same sense he is speaking of it in v.22. Verse 21 is not speaking to a ‘husband and wife’s’ union but rather to the whole body of believers; whereas v.22 is speaking specifically to the union between husband and wife. Ephesians 5, if we pay attention, is dealing with various human relationships in the church. Verses 1-21 address the first of such relationship the Ephesians had—they were Christians. Paul therefore outlines general relational conduct amongst them as believers. Paul opens chapter 5 saying:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (v.1).

“Therefore” in v.1 is a conjunctive adverb connecting an idea Paul was addressing from the previous chapter. Let’s back up to Ephesians 4 to understand Paul. I will dwell on Ephesians 4:31-32 since it is sufficient to explain what Paul is saying in Eph 5:21. Paul wrote; Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

An analysis of the verses above will be helpful.

Note the phrases: “put away from you“, “Be kind to one another” “forgiving one another“, Christ forgave you“. Who is Paul addressing? He is addressing the general Christian body in Ephesus and instructing them to live in mutual respect and love towards one another (of course that includes husband and wife). Remember in Ephesians 5:1 Paul addresses all of the Ephesian Christians to “walk in love”

Let’s now enter Ephesians 5:19-21 and we see this same idea of mutual respect and love (not limited to husband and wife) among believers: “19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” You see the same phrase “one another” repeating here? and it has nothing to do with “husband and wife”. It is a call for mutual respect, love and care among all Christians in general.

Now from v.22: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” through to Ephesians 6:1-9, Paul begins to address specific requirements in specific relationships: Husband and wife (vv.22–33), Children with Parents (Eph. 6:1-3), Father with children (6:4), Servants with Masters (6:5-8) and Masters with their servants (Eph. 6:9). The submission in v.22 is different from v.21 in the sense that it calls specifically to the wife to submit to the husband. What is she submitting to? She is to submit to the headship and leadership of the man as the head of the home. The verses that follow clarifies that: For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body , and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands” (23-24).

The marital union for the Christian is analogous to the relationship between Christ and his bride—the church. And wives are called to submit to their husbands as they submit to Christ. Christian husbands also have their enormous task to fulfil in loving their wives as Christ loved the church. That’s an enormous responsibility. Indeed, as sinners, men will abuse this responsibility purposed to make them cherish their wives. And of course, wives may find submission difficult because of the effects of sin. That however doesn’t “rewrite the script”. The husband is the head of the family just as Christ is the head of the church– his bride. This is a biblical mandate and rejecting it is rejecting biblical authority which our dear sister (I hope she doesn’t scream don’t call me your sister) has done. She doesn’t subscribe to the Bible. To her, the Bible doesn’t deal with facts; the Bible is superstitious.

Dear Christian wife, will you take your theology from someone who rejects biblical authority and places herself over and above the Bible? You must not be in competition with your husband over equality. He is the head of your home just as Christ is the head of the church. Does that mean oppression? No. Biblical Manhood is not oppressive but protective.

Secondly, this, and I will base the rest of the article here.

SOLOMON. Dude continues to carry the title for “wise”; man to have graced this earth. But he is also the greatest “man-whore”; to have lived among humans … Solomon gets to be still favoured by God in his whorish behaviour. He didn’t have to repent his ways. He didn’t even have to feel remorseful … Let me throw you a challenge. Reflect on all the Bible characters we have discussed so far: 1. David: Murderer and Adulterer 2. Jacob: Pure evil thief, impersonator, dubious and diabolical creep. 3. Samson: Gullible idiot 5. Adam: Complacent, Pitiful irresponsible caretaker. Dear daughter of Eve, let me throw you a challenge today. Sit down and match up your flaws against that of these men listed here. Sit down from across the list, pour yourself a glass of wine and drink up to your flaws. I can assure you, you are a saint by all standards! I am on a mission to normalise flawed women, because women are also human and they deserve Second chances in life.

Human Depravity

There is something common we share with the biblical characters. What we read of these male characters is just what all of us are –sinners. Apart from Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life to die to save sinners who come to him in faith, the Bible, without exception, judges all human beings as sinners separated from the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The heart (of men and women), the bible tells us “is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9). If at any point in our lives we compare ourselves to the biblical characters and reckon we are better than them, we slip into the sin of self-righteousness (Luke 18:9-14).

Sit down and match up your flaws against that of these men … pour yourself a glass of wine and drink up to your flaws.

Drink up to your flaws?

Pepperdem is advising women to celebrate their flaws— after all, they are unlike the men mentioned in the Bible: “you are a saint by all standards” No! Woman with flaws, you are not a saint by all standards. You are wretched by the only standard that matters: God’s standard of holiness: “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:11). The Bible doesn’t teach us to celebrate our flaws. Neither does it call us to compare ourselves with ourselves and be complacent in our rot. Rather, the Bible calls men and women unto repentance (Acts 17:30; Titus 2:11-12).

Missing God’s Grace In The Biblical Narrative

This statement, “Solomon gets to be still favoured by God in his whorish behaviour” is simply an affront to God and his grace. It misses the whole point of God’s grace in Scripture. Pepperdem is playing God and choosing to determine who gets favoured and who doesn’t. Solomon doesn’t deserve God’s favour is what I get from this statement. Now, despite what we read of these sinful personalities, their biography is without editing and embellishment to present them as perfect. You see, the Bible is the story of a Holy God reaching out to sinful –fallen– humanity. Right from the garden of Eden, when Adam disobeyed God; a plan of salvation was set in place. (Genesis 3:15). What God had to work with was sinful humanity.

The Messiah came into our human history through Mary and the genealogy of Christ traces him through the line of all these wretched souls — David, Solomon, Jacob, Tamah, Rahab and the list continues. This is the story of the Bible; God working with imperfect human beings to accomplish his purpose. We must note that God didn’t normalise their sins. God was displeased with David’s sin for instance (2Sam 11:27; 12; Ps. 51). Not only that, David’s sin attracted God’s discipline and punishment. It is wrong to say this of Solomon; “He didn’t have to repent his ways. He didn’t even have to feel remorseful” when indeed, God punished him (1Kings 11:9-11; 11:14).

Finally,

Look To Christ For Your Second Chance, Not Men.

What exactly do the daughters of Eve want a second chance for? I suppose a second chance for their flaws. Whatever it may be, they should look to Christ for that second chance. A woman caught in adultery was brought to Christ. He dismissed her accusers and got a second chance. Christ encountered a woman battered by broken relationships. She has lived with five men when she encountered Christ. She got a second chance (John 4). Ultimately, even Eve got a second chance together with her Adam. God clothed their nakedness (Gen. 3:21).

I will end by saying I am not against empowering women. However, when the Bible is to be used for any such agenda, we must be faithful to sound biblical interpretation.