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Ordaining Women

2/18/2016

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Free Methodist founder B.T. Roberts made his case for female pastors in his 1891 book “Ordaining Women,” but women could not become Free Methodist elders until General Conference 1974 delegates unanimously approved a resolution giving men and women equal status in church ministry.

Support for women in the pulpit is far from unanimous, however, as many prominent evangelicals describe ordination of women as an unbiblical surrender to modern trends. Long before gender equality was popular, Roberts used the Bible to make the case that “there is nothing in the creation of woman or in her condition under the law which proves that no woman should be ordained as a minister of the gospel.”

Benjamin D. Wayman —an assistant professor of theology at Greenville College and a pastor at St. Paul’s Free Methodist Church in Greenville, Illinois — believes Roberts’ message deserves an audience throughout and beyond the Free Methodist Church. He is the editor of “Ordaining Women: New Edition With an Introduction and Notes” (fmchr.ch/owbw), which Wipf and Stock Publishers released in November.

“I hope this book reaches the broadest possible audience — not just women, not just Free Methodists. Unfortunately, women’s ordination has been wrongly cast as a women’s issue, and the book has been narrowly treated as a Free Methodist resource,” Wayman said in a Light + Life interview. “But Roberts’ vision of the gospel is broader than women and Free Methodists. It’s a pressing matter for all of God’s people in every faith community of the global church.”

Why release a new edition of Roberts’ book when a PDF of the original edition can be downloaded for free from the Internet?

“The ordination of women is arguably the most pressing issue for the church today, and Roberts’ handling of the issue is concise and compelling. The problem with the online version is that it’s in a 19th century style and format, which jars modern readers. For example, Roberts sometimes writes in all caps, is at times unclear about where his quotes end and whom he’s quoting, and he follows 19th century citation and formatting conventions,” Wayman said. “My main aim with the new edition was to re-present Ordaining Women in a format and style that is useful and readable for people in the 21st century.”

Although Wayman hopes to reach a wide audience of Christians, the new edition would not have been possible without the help of fellow Free Methodists.

“This book is a collaborative work of church and academy,” Wayman said. “The bishops of the Free Methodist Church – USA, the Committee on Free Methodist History and Archives, [former Gateway Conference] Superintendent Lucia Delamarter and [Ministerial Development and Credentialing Director] Jason Morriss were all lively supporters of the project.”

Wayman also credited Free Methodist scholars Christy Mesaros-Winckles and Howard A. Snyder, who co-wrote the foreword, and his supportive colleagues at Greenville College. He praised the research of Beth Armstrong, a Free Methodist elder who recently defended her Gonzaga University doctoral dissertation on gender equality among Free Methodist clergy.
“She argues that what’s needed are more ‘Benevolent Male Advocates’ (BMA),” Wayman said about Armstrong. “She’s surely right. It’s important to note that advocacy must have feet. It’s not real advocacy if women aren’t being placed and supported in positions of leadership in the church.”

Wayman said the ordination of women creates “a new kind of community” that exposes the lies of the world’s distinctions, classifications, hierarchies and values.

This post was written by Jeff Finley of Light and Life Magazine.  You can find his original post here:  http://fmcusa.org/lightandlifemag/ordaining-women-for-a-new-generation/


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Are you sabotaging your marriage?

5/15/2014

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“You’re going to vacuum before they get here, right?” Leslie asked in an anxious tone as we were pulling into the garage.

“I’ve got it under control,” I murmured.

We jumped out of the car; each grabbed an arm full of groceries and hurried toward the kitchen.

“I’ll take care of these groceries so you can get started on the vacuuming,” Leslie said.

The tension was rising because in less than an hour, two other couples would be at our doorstep expecting a dinner party.

“Don’t forget to light the candles and turn on the music before they get here,” Leslie hollered from the kitchen.

I heard what she said but didn’t reply as I walked into my study to look through some “urgent” mail.

Only a couple of minutes passed, it seemed to me, when Leslie came in to my study and in exasperation asked: “What are you doing?”

“Reading my mail,” I responded defensively and with the best look of confusion I could put on my face. She didn’t buy it. “Don’t worry,” I said, “I’ll take care of the other stuff.”

Leslie sighed and left the room.

Five minutes later I heard the sound of the vacuum in the living room. I’m almost done here and then I’ll go in and help her, I said to myself. Ten minutes later the vacuum stopped.

I bolted from my chair and walked to the living room. “I thought I was going to do this,” I said to Leslie.

“So did I,” she replied.

We’ve all weaseled our way out of our spouse’s “to do” list at one time or another. Haven’t we? After all, we’ve worked hard, we’re tired, busy, preoccupied, maxed-out, whatever.

However we defend it, subtle selfishness is a deadly for couples. It lurks just beneath the surface whenever we are tired and there’s a household chore to be done or an errand to be run. That’s when we pretend we don’t notice the chore or we “forget” about the task, hoping our spouse will take over so we don’t have to.

Subtle selfishness seeps into our marriage in a myriad of ways. I (Leslie) am the first to admit I can selfishly hoard my husband’s time, for example. I can complain to Les about his busy schedule but never consider adjusting my own calendar for his benefit.

Or, I might think nothing of spending extravagantly on a luncheon with one of my girlfriends and later snip at Les for indulging himself with another computer gadget he “doesn’t need.”

Let’s face it. In big and small ways we all squirrel away money, energy and time for our own advantage.

Here’s the problem with subtle selfishness: it cuts the heart out of marriage. We can rationalize our selfish ways all we want, but we are missing the point of our partnership when we do not pitch in with a generous spirit and help our spouse with the task at hand.

This blog post is from Drs Les & Leslie Parrott.  I encourage you to order their book, Trading Places


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Relationships built on equality

4/4/2014

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This diagram is taken from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project.  It is often called The Duluth Model.  Even though it is not blatantly from a Christian or other faith tradition, it offers much for how men, in particular Christian men, should view marriage.  I encourage you to download the pdf for this diagram.  Just click on the wheel and you will receive that file.

A messed up marriage is based on power and control.  However, if you notice, a marvelous marriage is one of equality and respect.  A Christian man will have a marriage that involves these eight factors:

1.  Non-threatening behavior - your wife is comfortable in expressing herself
2.  Respect - valuing your wife's opinion and being emotionally affirming
3.  Trust & support - supporting your wife's goals
4.  Honesty & accountability - communicating openly and truthfully to your wife
5.  Responsible parenting - sharing parental responsibility
6.  Shared responsibility - making family decisions together
7.  Economic partnership - making financial decisions together
8.  Negotiation & fairness - seeking mutually satisfactory compromises

What does the Bible say about marriage?
 - Marriage should be honored
 - God instituted and blessed marriage
 - A man who loves his wife loves himself
 - There is no fear in love
 - If we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us
 - Love is patient and kind

So, how does your marriage stack up to what the Bible says?
Do you honor your marriage?
Do you present a marital atmosphere of love and respect?
Are you patient and kind?

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


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The "real" gospel:  Elitism in the church?

5/17/2013

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Last month I heard a prominent leader of a national movement of mostly white Christians give a talk in which he compared his group’s beliefs to various other Christian groups (including more ethnically-diverse groups). While extolling the virtues of his group’s beliefs he proudly proclaimed, “We have the best version of the Gospel.” Now I’m not interested in busting any one person’s (or group’s) chops, and in fact, I give him a lot of credit for saying publicly what many of us say behind closed doors and in our hearts.  But as a minority group member sitting in the audience, I found his statement to be unfriendly to diverse voices.

Most blatantly, the statement violates the metaphor of the interdependent and multifaceted body of Christ.  How can a gospel that is mostly (if not entirely) interpreted and articulated by a homogenous group of people (in this case, white, well-educated males) be the “best version”? But in a more subtle way, his statement sent a clear and powerful message to all of the diverse people in the room (e.g., women, people of color, people without advanced degrees, etc.). No need to join our movement; we don’t need diverse voices. We’ve already got the best version of the Gospel and we only needed white, well-educated men to figure it out. Diverse people need not apply.

Again, this guy simply said aloud what a lot of other people say privately or inwardly. But whether we make such audacious statements aloud or not, people of all cultures run the risk of alienating diverse people if they mistakenly believe that their homogenous group has basically figured out how to think, worship and live.

We might say we want diverse people to participate in our group but we are often too enamored with our own culture (e.g., our version of the Gospel) to invite diverse people to influence it. Rather, than actively seeking input from diverse people, we require them to assimilate to and bow down to the dominant culture. This approach might work to attract people who look diverse (in terms of race/ethnicity, etc.) but it will repel people who offer culturally-diverse perspectives.

Non-majority members who attempt to exert diverse cultural influence are often ignored — or worse, silenced and shunned. How dare they try to change our little utopian culture? we ask ourselves. How dare they challenge our perfect version of the Gospel? HOW DARE THEY?

I think we adopt a defensive and uninviting posture towards diverse others when we idolize our cultural group identity. When this happens, minority group members are not truly invited to participate in the community as valuable members of the all-inclusive we. Rather, they are invited to participate in the group as them—subordinate group members and second-class citizens.

Is cultural idolatry the source of this problem? If so, how do we avoid it?  If not, what is the problem?



This post was written by Cristena Cleveland.  For the original post with comments, go to:  http://www.christenacleveland.com/2013/05/we-have-the-best-version-of-the-gospel-diversity-repellent/



BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Having a terrific marriage

3/14/2013

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Picture
This diagram is taken from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project.  It is often called The Duluth Model.  Even though it is not blatantly from a Christian or other faith tradition, it offers much for how men, in particular Christian men, should view marriage.  I encourage you to download the pdf for this diagram.  Just click on the wheel and you will receive that file.

A messed up marriage is based on power and control.  However, if you notice, a marvelous marriage is one of equality and respect.  A Christian man will have a marriage that involves these eight factors:

1.  Non-threatening behavior - your wife is comfortable in expressing herself
2.  Respect - valuing your wife's opinion and being emotionally affirming
3.  Trust & support - supporting your wife's goals
4.  Honesty & accountability - communicating openly and truthfully to your wife
5.  Responsible parenting - sharing parental responsibility
6.  Shared responsibility - making family decisions together
7.  Economic partnership - making financial decisions together
8.  Negotiation & fairness - seeking mutually satisfactory compromises

What does the Bible say about marriage?
 - Marriage should be honored
 - God instituted and blessed marriage
 - A man who loves his wife loves himself
 - There is no fear in love
 - If we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us
 - Love is patient and kind

So, how does your marriage stack up to what the Bible says?
Do you honor your marriage?
Do you present a marital atmosphere of love and respect?
Are you patient and kind?

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


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No more maleness at the University

12/4/2012

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A political science professor at Butler University asks students to disregard their “American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality, middle-class status” when writing and speaking in the classroom – a practice the school’s arts and sciences dean defended as a way to negate students’ inherent prejudices.

The syllabus of the course at Butler, a small Midwestern liberal arts institution in Indianapolis, spells out that students should use “inclusive language” because it’s “a fundamental issue of social justice.”

“Language that is truly inclusive affirms sexuality, racial and ethnic backgrounds, stages of maturity, and degrees of limiting conditions,” the syllabus states, referencing a definition created by the United Church of Christ.

The syllabus of the class, called Political Science 201: Research and Analysis, goes on to ask students “to write and speak in a way that does not assume American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality, middle-class status, etc. to be the norm.” It is taught by a black, female professor.

In an interview with The College Fix, Jay Howard, dean of Butler’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, denied this practice essentially presumes every student who walks through the door is a racist or misogynist.

He said students must be told not to assume such prejudices because such assumptions are ingrained into the culture and remain there until questioned. With that, a liberal arts education questions these assumptions, and such questions can make for uncomfortable situations, he said.

“Sometimes in order to broaden the conversation and broaden the understandings you’ve got to risk making people uncomfortable,” Howard said. “There’s nothing about a college education that guarantees you won’t be made uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, if you’re never made uncomfortable in your college education, you’re not really getting a college education.”

Howard said the college he oversees does not want students to continue to harbor such assumptions without question, “but neither do we want to exclude the dominant group in society in our attempts to make sure that we’re leveling hierarchies.”

In twenty years, white people will no longer be the majority, but they will still be the largest ethnic group, Howard said. He said using inclusive language would help students prepare for a changing world as America becomes more diverse.

He added that American culture makes speaking inclusively difficult, and the English language is partly to blame.

“Our language doesn’t make it easy to write in ways that are inclusive,” Howard said. “We don’t have a generic singular, I mean we have he and she. There is no pronoun that is gender-neutral there.”

However, not all writing- and language-intensive classes at Butler University mandate students use such “inclusive” language.

Nancy Whitmore, director of the journalism school in the College of Communication, said in an interview with The College Fix that students in her department are encouraged to use diverse sources with a wide variety of opinions, but are not mandated to use so-called inclusive language.

Whitmore said she is unsure what educators in Butler’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences mean when they ask students to write without assuming certain things to be the norm.

“I don’t think I could ever write from a black woman’s point of view because I’ve never been a black woman,” Whitmore said.

Indeed.

My name is Ryan Lovelace, and I dropped that politically correct political science class.

Clearly, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University believes its students were raised as racist and misogynist homophobes who have grown to harbor many prejudices, a stance that is both offensive and hostile to any student’s ability to learn.

As a student at an institution predominantly focused on the liberal arts, I expected to hear professors express opinions different from my own. I did not expect to be judged before I ever walked through the door, and did not think I would be forced to agree with my teachers’ worldviews or suffer the consequences.

Being judged and forced to act a certain way is antithetical to how any institution of higher education should conduct itself.

As a journalism major, I will now strive to avoid the liberal arts college as much as possible, not because the college fails to provide its students with any practical knowledge, but because the college seeks to indoctrinate its students with a hostile paradigm that views people like me—an American, white, heterosexual male from a middle-class background—as evil; whitey-righty need not attend.

Many consider higher education to be in turbulent waters because of rising tuition costs and student loan debt, but students who actually graduate may struggle even more if they view the world as Butler’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences does.

The liberal arts college seeks to include people, but someone will always be excluded, as it is impossible to always include everyone. Furthermore, I’m not sure how to write assuming any other persona but my own. Any attempts to do so would only be offensive to people different from myself.

Lastly, the idea that people have different views from mine is not what makes me uncomfortable. The idea that I must walk, talk and act as the liberal arts college pleases does. I’ll speak as I always have and conduct myself in the way I deem fit. I think paying $40,000 a year should give me that basic right.

This post was written by Butler University student Ryan Lovelace.  You can find this post at:  http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/12062

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Honoring your wife spiritually

10/26/2012

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Gentlemen, your wife wants you to love the kids. She wants you to help raise them. She wants you to love them, to pursue them. She wants you to get guy time with your sons. She wants you to get daddy dates with your daughters. She wants you to do Ephesians 6 and be their pastor. She wants you to read the Bible with them. She wants you to pray with them. And you know what? You should want that too.

DO YOUR JOB

So many guys who are Christians think “I pay for Christian school, I send the wife and kids to the Christian church. I’ve done my Christian duty.” No, you’ve abdicated your responsibility to others. 

It’s your job to love your kids. It’s your job to pray with your kids. It’s your job to teach the Bible to your kids. 

It’s your job to encourage your kids. It’s your job to discipline your kids.

Christian, husband, father, employee. Those are your first four duties; it’ll take most of your life. You’re not going to have a lot of time.

A wife will be so forgiving of so many things if she actually knows her husband desperately loves their children, that he serves them, that he cares for them, that he’s tender with them, that he’s Pastor Dad for them. So few children actually have a father. So few of those actually have a Christian father and how few of those actually have a dad who’s doing his job.

And I’ll tell you what, guys, this is not something you have to do; it’s something you get to do.

This is wonderful. Every night, my daughter Alexie, blond hair, blue eyes and looks like Tinkerbell says, “Poppa Daddy, I need a piggyback ride and a Bible story.” You know what? I do too. I need that as much as Alexie. I weep thinking of the day that I’m not going to be giving her piggyback rides, so I give her as many piggyback rides as I can because it’s a great season and a wonderful opportunity.

HONOR YOUR PRIORITIES

What this means, gentlemen, is your priorities will be Christian, husband, father, employee. Those are your first four duties; it’ll take most of your life. You’re not gonna have a lot of time. You're probably gonna need to put down your tools, your hobbies, your car, your projects, your golf clubs, your Xbox and probably going to need to put down the remote control, and your laptop, and your iPod to honor your wife parentally. You’re not going to have a lot of time for a lot of other things.  

Gentlemen, your goal is not to stand before God and tell him what level you got to on “World of Warcraft”.

HONOR HER SPIRITUALLY

All of this comes down to this point.

There are between 11 and 13 million more Christian women than men. Many women go to church on their own. They have to drag their husband to church, they drag their children to church. It is your job, men, to lead spiritually.

 You pray with the family. You read the Bible with the family. You pick a good church, become a member of it, submit to it. 

You pick the community group or midweek class you will be in. You are the one to lead the family spiritually.

START WITH A PRAYER

Some guys say, “Well, I don’t know what to do.” 

Just start by praying with your wife. 

There are women who will read this sermon and deep down in their heart, this is what they want the most, “If my husband would just pray with me.”

There are some of you guys, you pray with all kinds of people, you don’t pray with your wife. Do you pray with your wife? Do you pray with your kids? Do you read the Bible with your wife? Do you talk about Jesus with your wife? Do you talk about Jesus with your kids? 

Leading spiritually is the foundation of everything else.

This post is adapted from The Mars Hill blog.  It can be found at:  http://marshill.com/2010/12/14/how-to-honor-your-wife/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Honoring and loving your wife

10/22/2012

2 Comments

 
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When a woman marries a man, she’s trusting him with the rest of her life that he won’t hit her, cheat on her, that he’ll work hard, that he’ll pay the bills, that he’ll love their children, that he’ll finish the race well, that he’ll walk with Jesus until the end, that if she gets sick, he’ll look after her, that if she is dying, he will be faithful to her. 


Gentlemen, it is a terrifying thing for a woman to trust a sinful man.

Every man who reads this, even the best men among us, has areas of repentance and growth that are required.

As a man, I don’t think I fully understood this until I had daughters, and now I have some understanding of that fear. The thought of taking one of my daughters and walking them down the aisle and handing them to a man and trusting that he will love them and protect them and serve them and care for them and look after them, it causes me fear and grave concern.

DON'T GIVE WOMEN A REASON TO FEAR

Women have legitimate fears, and what Peter is saying is that men need to be a particular way so those fears are alleviated. And I love his words, “in an understanding way, showing honor.” 

That’s a man.

Now as I say this, many of you guys will nod your head and say, “Yeah, that’s me.”

No, you’re not. So let me practically unpack this for you. 

Every man who reads this, even the best men among us, has areas of repentance and growth that are required. 

This week, I want to talk to you men about some ways to honor and love the woman that has committed herself to you.

This post is adapted from The Mars Hill blog.  It can be found at:  http://marshill.com/2010/12/14/how-to-honor-your-wife/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Be Somebody?

10/16/2012

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Have you ever felt the pressure to "be somebody"? I have, and I hated it. I still hate it. Have you noticed how subjective and relative "being somebody" actually is, depending upon who is telling you to "be somebody"?

The measure of success differs among varying standards of individuals. For example, to some people, being a doctor, nurse, lawyer, insurance adjuster, realtor, business owner -- or any other number of professions -- constitutes "being somebody." To others, as long as people are wealthy, they imagine themselves as "being somebody." The Kardashians come to mind immediately. 

But who, really, are the Kardashians? What is their claim to fame -- money? Does wealth define a person? If someone is wealthy, is that an indicator of worth or prestige or honor? Is an individual finally "somebody" if he or she is wealthy or famous?       

One of Jesus' half-brothers was a man named James. Certainly being the half-brother of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world and Son of God Himself, indicated that he was "somebody." Not only did James call himself "a servant [or slave -- doúlos] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (James 1:1), but he also wrote: "Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field" (James 1:9-10 NRSV). James was unimpressed with wealth and social status or prestige.

He also argued against prejudice and favoritism, implying that such people are not true believers in Jesus Christ, and thus not saved:
My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4 NRSV) James could abide no semblance of what culture perceived as "being somebody." He explained that God has chosen "the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him" (James 2:5 NRSV). Treating the unfortunate with disdain or dishonor is a dishonorable and despicable act in God's view.

James added, "Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?" (James 2:6 NRSV) Sadly, too many believers grant preference to wealthy and "notable" persons while neglecting the poor and needy every day. Daily we pray, in the sets of Suffrages, "Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; nor the hope of the poor be taken away" (BCP, 98). The "poor" and "needy" deserve our full attention, not the wealthy and famous. 

The apostle Paul was no advocate for favoritism either: "For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves" (Gal. 6:3 NRSV). If Christ, the Savior, is "everything," then we are free to count ourselves as "nothing." If we think we are "somebody," when actually we are "nobody," we only deceive ourselves.

Jesus is somebody. I am nobody. "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). You are loved not because you are somebody but because He was, is, and always will be somebody -- somebody who loves His creation. You are loved not for your accomplishments but because your worth derives from the Worthy One Himself.

Though I am a sinner whom Jesus saved, by grace through faith in Him, compared to Christ I am nobody and nothing, nor do I care to be somebody by the standards of this culture. "I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked" (Ps. 84:10 NLT). Christ alone deserves all honor, prestige, preeminence and worship.    

This post was written by William W. Birch.  For the original post go to:  
http://www.wpfences.com/2012/10/be-somebody.html


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Building monogamy

8/16/2012

2 Comments

 
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Men and women in lasting relationships share four fundamental connections: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. However, men and women establish these connections in different order and give them different priority.


Men build monogamy upon a foundation of physical connection. By that, I don’t mean touching, necessarily. Physical connection involves much more. Men need to be physically present with a woman in order to bond with her emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. He wants to be near her, to share time and experiences with her, to see her face and hear her voice, even before touching her for the first time. Physical connection is both primal and primary, which explains why men commonly dismiss long-distance relationships as futile, like having no relationship at all. This is not to suggest that men are fundamentally shallow; they simply experience the deeper aspects of intimacy by means of their physical senses.

Because physical connection comes first, physical connection remains foundational to intimacy. According to Willard Harley, author of the now-classic His Needs Her Needs, the top three relationship necessities for men are sexual fulfillment, recreational companionship, and a pleasing appearance—all sensory in nature.

Women, on the other hand, build monogamy on a foundation of mental connection, which is no less primal or primary than a man’s need to experience his mate through the five senses. In the beginning, when a woman is drawn to a man she finds interesting, she wants to know all about him, his character, his ideas, his interests, his goals. Being in his presence merely serves this need, but letters and long discussions by phone will do just as well. Generally speaking, a woman can tolerate a long-distance romance much better than a man, as long as she continues to experience a rich mental connection with her lover.

It should come as no surprise then, that this mental connection remains foundational to a woman’s experience of intimacy. According to Harley, she needs affection, conversation, and honesty/openness more than anything. While men automatically assume that affection means touching, women think of affection in terms of its mental and emotional significance. A tender note or an unexpected call “just because” are no less meaningful than a hug or a peck on the cheek.

In addition to affection, a wife needs conversation and honesty/openness from her husband. This mental connection to her husband is crucial to her sense of well-being.

To feel secure, a wife must trust her husband to give her accurate information about his past, the present, and the future. What has he done? What is he thinking or doing right now? What plans does he have? If she cannot trust the signals he sends . . . she has no foundation on which to build a solid relationship.

A woman experiences intimacy at its deepest levels when she enjoys complete access to her man’s mind. She feels closest and most secure when she can trust that he holds no secrets from her and when he freely shares his unfiltered, unedited thoughts with her. Even better when she enjoys exclusive access to his innermost self. So, when this connection is broken or violated, the fracture affects the entire foundation of her world.

The author of this post is Mark Gaither.  The original post with comments can be found here:  http://www.covenanteyes.com/2009/07/27/is-porn-the-same-as-adultery/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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