New Covenant Patriarchy

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and Idolatry

Most of the so called “polygyny movement” is in fact idolatry.  One correct doctrine does not a friend of God make.  Mohammedans believe in polygyny as do sects of Mormons and others.  What good does it do them?  Nothing more than believing in strict monogamy does anyone.

This is why Jesus has given Satan the authority he has in the state, the church, and the other institutions of our society as well as over individuals and families. His curses inevitably follow where stubborn men (and women) refuse to kiss His feet and lay face down before Him with His foot on their neck and surrender completely to His LawWord.  If you rebel against the King of Kings expect to suffer as you are cast out of His court and His garden and into the hands of even greater rebels.  There you will find out how much God hates the sinner and his sin.

So do not blame this doctrine for your woes when the fruit of your sin overwhelms you and brings death and destruction.

Monday, September 27, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and Feminism

Choice Tidbits from the Book: Page 252

For those who may be prone to excuse feminists because they think that feminist scholars are simply ignorant of the Bible and the issues involved, rather than consciously attempting to subvert the message of the Bible, consider these comments of Russell:

“Feminists of the Jewish and Christian faiths are faced with a basic dilemma. Are they to be faithful to the teachings of the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian Scriptures, or are they to be faithful to their own integrity as whole human beings?”— pg. 137 (emph. supp.)

Note well that Russell clearly sees that there is a choice to be made, indeed a “basic dilemma,” and a distinction to be observed, either fidelity to Scripture or fidelity to feminist “integrity as whole human beings,” whatever that means. Russell is expressly cognizant of the fact that “authority” is a theme that surfaces constantly in this book...

“Whether or not feminists choose to discuss this issue, it is pressed upon them every time they propose an interpretation or perspective that challenges a dominant view of scriptural authority and interpretation.”—pg. 137

It should come as no surprise at this point where Russell’s loyalties lie and that fidelity to Scripture is made (at best) subordinate to her fidelity to the feminist cause. Amazingly, and without any indication of intended humor, Russell titles her next section, “The Biblical Basis of My Theology”! But, of course, from the hermeneutical strategies already endorsed by Russell, and the explicit admission that feminism involves a choice to be made between fidelity to Scripture or fidelity to feminist “integrity as a whole human being,” it is manifest that the Bible is no “basis” at all of her theology. It is, from the feminist perspective, simply a negative force to be reckoned with. Thus we see that Russell, with a crystal clear apprehension of the issues involved, self-consciously and deliberately chooses a path of lies and deception.

Russell continues:

“In spite of the patriarchal nature of the biblical texts, I myself have no intention of giving up on the biblical basis of my theology...In spite of its ancient and patriarchal worldviews, in spite of its inconsistencies and mixed messages, the story of God’s love affair with the world leads me to a vision of New Creation that impels my life.” —pg. 138

Well, those are a lot of weighty “in spite ofs” to overcome! Russell acknowledges as much:

“Perhaps it would be more useful to give up on the Bible as a normative source of my theology, but I don’t seem to be able to do that. The biblical witness continues to evoke my consent, even as I reject many of its teachings as well as its patriarchal context. And, as Mary Ann Tolbert has pointed out...feminist biblical scholarship is profoundly paradoxical because ‘one must struggle against God as enemy assisted by God as helper, or one must defeat the Bible as patriarchal authority by using the Bible as liberator.’ ”—pg. 140

Comment on these remarks is hardly necessary. Here, out of their own mouths, is what “biblical feminism” is all about in all its stark naked blasphemy. Many of the teachings of the Bible are to be rejected! God is an enemy to be struggled against! The Bible must be defeated by using (i.e., subverting) the Bible! 

Russell continues:

“No interpretation of authority that reinforces patriarchal structures of domination would be acceptable for feminist interpretation. The Bible is understood to be a ‘dangerous book’...The Bible is especially dangerous if we call it ‘the word of God’ and think that divine inspiration means that everything we read is ‘right.’ ”—pg. 140-141

It is clear from statements such as these that Russell and her co-conspirators do not know God, that they are no Christians at all, but the emissaries of Satan, false prophets and false teachers “taken captive by the devil at his will.”

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and the Advantage to Women - II

Choice Tidbit from the Book: Page 228

"A single woman may, indeed, lawfully covet, desire and have an already-married man."

The relevance of the Song of Solomon should be considered here. For there we have described, in the most glowing terms conceivable, the desire of the Shulamite woman for Solomon. As pointed out earlier in this work, the Shulamite woman was about to become the 141st wife of Solomon! It can safely be said, therefore, that Foh’s conclusion in this regard is erroneous. A single woman may, indeed, lawfully covet, desire and have an already-married man.

I was told one time by a very irate person that my views on polygamy represented a “double standard” which is essentially very permissive for men and restrictive for women. The fact of the matter is, however, that there are two sides to this coin. There is a complementarity to the Biblical doctrine of patriarchy that just simply is not appreciated by monogamy-only adherents: the Law severely restricts men’s choice of women exclusively to available single women. All married women are prohibited. But it is very permissive in this regard toward women. A single woman may desire and have any man whether that man is single or married.

It is a simple fact of everyday observation that truly desirable women, whether those traits are in regard to physical beauty or character traits or both, tend to have a lot of competition for their affection and commitment from men. There is a certain truth in the proposition that “all the good ones are taken” in regards to women, as well as in regards to men. In a patriarchal law-order, it is more difficult for a man to find a good woman than it is for a woman to find a good man. The advantage in this regard is clearly in favor of women.

How many times amongst us Christians have we witnessed godly women winding up with unsaved men because “all the good Christian men are taken?” I can think of several examples from amongst Christians I have known, and I have no doubt that everyone reading these words can cite examples of such from their own acquaintances and fellow church members. There are virtually always more women in any given church than men—usually by a wide margin. I think all of the statistics will bear this out uniformly, and it has certainly been true of the churches I have attended. This presents a serious dilemma for Biblically-based congregations who understand that it is against God’s will to marry the unsaved. How are we to counsel single women looking for a husband when their choices of “available” Christian men are so limited and their competition from other Christian women so pervasive?

New Covenant Patriarchy and First Wives

What is the concern over and over again in Scripture with regard to men and their wives: do not deal treacherously with the wife of your youth.

Malachi 2:14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.  2:15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 2:16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

Monogamy as practiced today does nothing to alleviate this problem.  Men still deal treacherously with the wife of their youth, trading her in for a younger model, leaving broken lives in their wake. 

When a relationship is broken it must be restored and healed.  That is what confession, repentance, restitution, and reconciliation are all about.  But what God is talking about here is the systematic, pre-meditated destruction of a marriage covenant by a man.  When this is the case God Himself takes up the cause of the woman so victimized.

So the concern in Scripture is not that a man would take a second wife, as Tom Shipley makes clear in Man and Woman in Biblical Law, but that he would break covenant with his first wife.

It is false righteousness when our Christian culture is quite accepting of such treacherous men, but totally intolerant of men who want to be faithful to the wife of their youth when they desire another in addition.  What kind of monstrous evil is this!?  We say to a man who desires another wife, "Yes, you can have her, only be sure to get rid of the wife of your youth first."  Thus, through our man-made definition of sin (having more than one wife at a time) the church has, in effect, decreed the exact thing that God abhors and brings the severest punishment upon.

In this the church has sinned against God and we have been made subject to our enemies as a result.

Malachi 2:9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.

The mouth of the Lord has spoken it.

When you remain silent when faced with evil, you are partakers of it and will be judged accordingly.  Beware the doom of God. Confess, repent, make it good, and be reconciled to God.

Monday, September 20, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and The Ultimate Source of Authority

Tom Shipley responding to Jay Adams: “The doctrine of monogamy is treated as an unquestionable premise and first principle.”

The commentators treat polygyny as a pariah that must be avoided at all costs. Adherence to Scripture goes out the window and all things must bend to avoid polygyny. Nowhere in the culture, Christian or secular, is Biblical polygyny allowed to be portrayed; and if it is even referred to it is in the context of things that are clearly defined as perversions by Scripture such as incest, sodomy, bestiality, and pedophilia.

So, to the list of common false gods we may add one more:

• The authority of the church trumps/interprets/amends Scripture - Roman Catholic - traditionalism
• That part of the Bible is something we can just dispense with - dispensationalism
• The state defines right and wrong - statism
• God's Law is like water but the interpretation is like wine - Phariseeism
• As long as my wife approves - matriarchalism, feminism
• The father's word is law beyond appeal - patriarchalism
• To each his own - relativism
• Lets vote on it - democracy
• As long as it feels good - hedonism
• Whatever works or Oh that will never work - pragmatism
• Go along to get along - peer pressure - group level humanism
• Why change anything or Don't rock the boat - existentialism
• I don't believe it so its irrelevant - solipsism

and now:

• Polygyny (one man with more than one wife) is wrong no matter what - monogamania

In opposition to all of these we stand on Sola Scriptura (the Bible alone) as the revealed Word of God and thus our ultimate source of authority which altogether we call theonomy.  It is upon the enscripturated word of God upon which we base our doctrine as did Christ, the incarnate Word of God.  It is the two-edged sword of this Word that we bring to bear in our battle for the truth.

New Covenant Patriarchy and the Law of Moses

Choice Tidbits from the Book: Page 211

"the attempt to repudiate polygamy is to take a stand against God."

Smith believed that the Law of Moses “sought to bring the people up to the pure standard of moral law.” To which it must be asked: Does Exodus 21:10 make an attempt to bring the people up to the pure moral standard of monogamy? Or Deuteronomy 21:15-17? Or Deuteronomy 25:5-10? Or Exodus 22:16-17? Or Deuteronomy 22:28-29? Or Deuteronomy 21:10-14? No, rather it is clear that each of these laws establishes a standard of morality which includes the institution of polygamy as integral to God’s Law. And since this is so, the attempt to repudiate polygamy is to take a stand against God.

Exodus 21:10
21:10 If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

Deuteronomy 21:15-17
21:15 If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:
21:16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:
21:17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

Deuteronomy 25:5-10
25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.
25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
25:7 And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
25:8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her;
25:9 Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.
25:10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

Exodus 22:16-17
22:16 And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.
22:17 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

Deuteronomy 21:10-14
21:10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,
21:11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
21:12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
21:13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
21:14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

Saturday, September 18, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and the Purpose of History

What is the purpose of life anyway?  You have always wanted to know.  Well here it is.

God is in the process of making citizens fit for His Kingdom - that is, the place where Christ will rule in the hearts and through the thoughts, words, and deeds of His people, one local jurisdiction after another.  Since God totally controls history there is no question about whether He will be able to bring His Kingdom to pass, but the timing and events that bring it about are His business, not ours.

These citizens will have the laws of this kingdom written on their hearts.  The laws of this kingdom are revealed to us now in the enscripturated word of God.  It is the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit that makes it possible to take law-breakers like ourselves and transform them into law-keepers.

For now two kingdoms co-exist: Satan's kingdom which is granted limited power and authority over sinners (law-breakers), and God's Kingdom which is granted greater power and authority and which we are told will roll back Satan's kingdom till it is out of power and whose last vestiges (death) Christ himself will come to defeat and then manifest His Kingdom fully.

In the meantime all of our reality is put in place to provide a kind of boot camp for God's soldiers; it is a training ground for us to prove our metal.  What do you learn in boot-camp?  In a word, obedience.  Obedience to proper authority - God's enscripturated LawWord.  Obedience that is heart-felt and whole-hearted.  "Not my will, but thy will be done."  We are not here for our own pleasure and reality is not a mechanism for our convenience but for the production of citizens each of whom is a walking Torah of God.

Imagine if a foreigner came to the United States in 1800 or so and everyone he met could not only tell him the laws of land but would go out of his way to help him understand how to fully obey them and enjoy the freedom they gave him to work within those laws an benefit from them.  There would be no police (there weren't actually) to make sure everybody kept the laws because in effect everyone was his own policeman and a policeman to others if need be.  So was America a police-state in 1800?  Hardly.  Was it a self-policing society?  Quite so.  Self-propagating self-government was the order of the day.  Parents taught their children and tithe agencies taught new immigrants to be Christian through and through.  We need to do the same with an even better understanding of what it means to be Christian.

So where is a tithe agency when you need one?  Since few people tithe anymore, and even then give it to polite social clubs and their building programs, there aren't any.  But there are a few people who tithe.  That is what created and published this website and the book it offers.

So welcome to boot-camp.  Now straighten that spine, get your training manual, and lets get cracking soldier. Because we are going to take you bunch of ladies and turn you into patriarchs worthy of the name!

Thursday, September 16, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and Divorce as Punishment

Choice Tidbits from the Book: Page 171

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and the Advantage to Women - I

Since, by definition, Biblical patriarchy presumes the LawWord of God is written on the heart of the true patriarch, the wife of such a man lives free of fear of abandonment, real or virtual.  She will always be provided for and her needs met.  This is the law of God.

Thus secure, such a wife would welcome the companionship of other godly women into the marriage.  Rather than seeing other potential wives as competitors she will see them as blessings to her husband and herself.

For the Godly women who long for fulfillment in their calling to be wives and mothers, Biblical patriarchy means they may ask the true patriarch with whom they would be equally yoked, to take them as a wife.  Whether he is already married or not is no longer the pertinent question but whether he is in fact a true patriarch, a mature man of Godly character who has shown that he has the LawWord of God written on his heart.

Thursday, September 09, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and Prerequisite Reading

1. Theonomy and Christian Ethics by Greg Bahnsen
2. Institutes of Biblical Law by R J Rushdoony
3. Principles of Conduct by John Murray

Also note that the context for the practice of Biblical polygyny is a theonomic law-order encompassing the families and churches involved.  In other words, do not try this out of context.

Furthermore, this book is only one of a series that will go on to make the cases for:

• arranged marriages (the fathers are responsible with the consent of all),
• the Biblical dowry (three years wages paid by the man for a virgin),
• covenantal patriarchy (it is not just for the Old Testament after all),
• and the one-flesh nature of marriage (the disestablishment of church and state from marriage).

To help Tom make progress in this work to which he is called please donate to this cause.

Friday, September 03, 2004

New Covenant Patriarchy and the Division of Labor

Outside of theonomic polygyny men have two basic choices: 1. Have big brass ones and be self-sufficient, or 2. Be virtually castrated and cooperate with others under a nanny state.  Many swing in frustration from one to the other.

Home Depot is a phenomenon that can be attributed to the truth of the above statement.  If I want an addition on my house I would normally hire this work out to an expert in building additions.  I do what I do very well and a builder does what he does very well.  We should trade services.  But we don't.

The nanny state requires that I charge double for my services and give half to the state.  Same with the builder.  So I pay double and the builder only gets half.  No wonder we are a nation of "do-it-yourself-ers."  The state does not tax you to work for yourself.  So you end up climbing unprofitable learning curves that lead nowhere.  "Yep, now that I am finished I could do it again in half the time and with a lot less waste."  So we are forced to rob ourselves of the benefits of the division of labor.

Either way we are frustrated in being unable to exercise dominion and end up living lives under a lot of stress.

Theonomic polygyny overcomes this in the home and shows the way for other relationships as well.  In a polygynous home the husband is submitted to God's LawWord and teaches it and models it to his wives.  They do the same to their children.  Submission to God's LawWord provides a context of authority that is not onerous but loving and completely in-sync with our God given natures, giving of oneself for the good of others.  As in the larger economy, bearing one another's burdens is much easier than bearing your own alone.

We all live in two contexts: the home and the world.  In the world we are highly specialized in order to be productive.   In the home we have the same duties as every father and husband.  But there is a chance for a division of labor with our wives.  With one wive you have a great benefit - a 50% or so division of labor.  With more than one wife in the home you all have that much greater room for specialization in work and attention to children and help in the crises of life. The reality and the benefits of this economy make a theonomic polygynous household a truly blessed place.

Thus, within true Biblical Patriarchy, men can have big brass ones and all the health, and material, and spiritual benefits of being manly men as well as have all the benefits of a full division of labor that is profitable and peaceful and blessed for all.

I am a prisoner of this hope and work to its realization. Please join us in this Godly endeavor.

New Covenant Patriarchy, i.e. Theonomic Polygyny; Not Just Polygyny

Like all of God’s institutions - in civil, church, and family life, marriage outside of God’s LawWord has failure built in.  We must live theonomic lives to be blessed by God. 

What is amazing about our society's divorce rate is that it is not higher considering the near universal hostility to any overt proclamation of God LawWord as such.  We must still be coasting on the faithfulness of earlier generations.

Since God's LawWord as our source of morality (i.e. theonomy) is the mediator between man and man, it is required for smooth low-friction relationships within marriage.  When there is more than one wife in a marriage we would expect the necessity for theonomy to be even greater since there are even more relationships involved, and it is. Non-theonomic cultures which practice polygyny are only able to maintain such marriages by arranging "multiple-monogamy" living arrangements and/or the most tyrannical authoritarianism.  It is the latter that makes for some strong anti-polygyny feelings among some.  They attribute the horrors of man-made tyrannical authoritarianism to polygyny rather than to antinomianism (being at war with God's Law).

Thus we do not advocate polygyny as such, but Biblical theonomy with marriage that is potentially polygynous.