It’s hard to understand from an Australian point of view how people can be against healthcare. It’s unimaginable to me how Christians can be against it. It seems complete cultural blindness.

Ellisa was sick a few weeks ago. We went to the doctor. It cost us… nothing. That’s right. We live in the free country of Australia and generally a trip to the doctor will cost nothing. I hurt my foot last year. I went to the doctors a few times and got got xrays… It cost me… nothing.

It gets sorted out at tax time I think (though I don’t yet earn enough). But we live healthy happy and safe lives because of our government’s excellent medicare system.

And there’s this
http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-richmond/intelligent-design-versus-animalculists
(long link might need carriage returns removed)

And I’m on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/arlon.staywell

On slavery, writing something like “slave DISOBEY your masters” would have been a death sentence for the author, the letter carrier, and the congregation keeping such a letter. Paul was wise and would not do something that explicit, instead he turned the institution inside out.

On spouses, there is no term “headship” in the Bible, what IS there is kephale/head which most often refers to the thing on one’s neck, but can also be used as a metaphor, the question is what does the metaphor mean?

Again, context is supreme, just because in the 21st century calling a husband a head of his wife may sound like head means boss or leader does not make it so in the 1st century, that would be teleporting ancient text and NOT recommended. And Paul TELLS us what a head does when the head is Christ, he serves the body, giving it life, etc. So a husband is to serve his wife. There simply is no concept of leading in the examples given in the NT except if one assumes there are there by reading the text with masculinist lenses.

P.S. I am egal.

Yeah, I always say that the ultimate anti-patriarchal statement is Jesus’ kenosis in Phil 2:5-8.

Seeing as you’ve just posted on Genesis, I’d be keen to hear from you on my posts on it!

Good thoughts, Joey! But we need to differentiate between slaves who are “forced” to be slaves and “bondservants” who willingly choose to serve.

In the OT God even put boundaries on slavery in commanding them to be free after 6 years of service.

And Jesus Himself changes the relationship of His servants when He said He would call them His friends.

John 15:15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Jesus also said He did not come to “be” served, but to serve. We serve Him willingly because He served in giving His life.

Paul definitely thought freedom for slaves was to be desired in 1 Cor. 7. And he reminded them that they were bought with a price (by Jesus) and not to become slaves of men.

Forced slavery is very different than willing service.

I’ve been pondering a bit about these questions on slavery. Around Christmas I read a book by Michael Card called “A Better Freedom” which deals in great detail with the issue of slavery. Card does a great job of showing that abolition is a shallow endeavor compared to the restructuring of relationships when Christ is involved. Paul never wrote to end slavery but he wrote in great detail about how for Christians slavery is different. He always seemed to take culture for what it was while focusing intently on how Christians can be both in the culture but not of the culture. Be a slave, but not the way that the world would have you be. Be a slave owner but treat your slave as a member of your family.

For me as an American I am in FULL support of abolitionist efforts in our history. The human rights violations of slaves in America (and all over the world/throughout history) is atrocious. The strongest case for me to end slavery, besides humanism, is II Corinthians, Jesus first sermon in Luke 4, and The Sermon on the Mount. If the gospel isn’t about reconciling people to God and, as a result, people to each other then it isn’t the Gospel that Jesus came to bring. Jesus advocated for the poor and the oppressed and as a Christian in America I have to look at my history and celebrate when Christians finally did the same.

At the same time I think we are all called to look at slavery and take notes. Jesus is master and we are his servants. The Christological Hymn of Philippians 2 is the story of a slave. The Magnificat of Mary is a slave spiritual – steeped in language like “bond servant” (doulos) and “master” (kyrios). Jesus takes the image of the slave and turns it into this beautiful image of the Kingdom. We are called to be servants to the master because the freedom He gives is better.