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Newsletter Contents: 1.
Where is the
Greatest Excuse for Abuse Found? by Barbara Collins
In the Bible, mistranslated, of course! When scriptures are clearly seen in the same light in which they were written, then truly we possess a lamp for our feet along the treacherous path that life becomes. When scriptures are twisted in such a way that what was originally intended is lost, then the door for profuse abuse swings wide open. Think of it. If I can claim scripture for my need to control another individual, then the end justifies the means. I may pat myself on the back for having overcome racial hatred while nurturing misogyny in my inner man. Misogyny is simply a hatred of women, especially by a man. What really happened is those charged with watchcare over the sacred scriptures have allowed them to be manipulated in such a way that man comes off definitely as superior while woman is thrust into the inferior position as a second-class citizen by default, all in the name of the Lord. Thus, the concept of hierarchy was birthed. When will divine revelation or the unveiling of Christ be given to the Body of Christ on gender equity? Holy Spirit, where are you in the stripping away of the veil that covers our eyes? Come, Lord, Jesus, come! Come in your accuracy. Come in your truth. Come in the equality your servant Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:9—“. . . there is no partiality with God.” No favorable treatment. Yet, man uses this same book of Ephesians where wives are called upon to “submit” to their husbands. Never mind that the word “submit” is not found in the original Greek language. Never mind that without it dependence on the previous verse which says, “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” is mandatory. What? Submission is actually mutual and voluntary. When it is reciprocal, it works! Actually, the word “submitting” in v. 22 is grammatically tied to the previous participles which lead us back to the verbal phrase, “be filled with the Spirit” in v. 18 or onward to v. 21. Also, in Colossians 3:18 "Wives, be supportive of your husbands" instead of "submit" which literally means "to stand under" and suggests subordination, obedience, submission, subservience as well as subjection. Although error has been multiplied in the proliferation of so many translations of late, Eugene Peterson in his paraphrased version, The Message, gets it right by translating v. 22 as “Wives, understand and support your husbands . . .” Now, you have the theological background, and here you’ll find the experiential background in Cheryl McGrath's testimony. “For the husband is head of the wife AS also Christ is head of the church, . . . the body.” What is the meaning of the Greek word for “head”—kephale? Does it mean “superior to” or “one having authority?” Is the husband the “boss” of the family? Not according to the Mickelsens in their article, “The Head of the Epistles.” In fact, the article concludes: “Can we legitimately read an English or Hebrew meaning into the word “head” in the New Testament, when both context and secular Greek literature of New Testament times seem to indicate that “superior rank” or "authority over" were not meanings that Greeks associated with the word, and probably were not the meanings the apostle Paul had in mind? Has our misunderstanding of some of these passages been used to support the concept of male dominance that has ruled most pagan and secular societies since the beginning of recorded history? Has this misunderstanding also robbed us of the richer, more exalted picture of Christ that Paul was trying to give us?" Let me commend the article to you as you determine whether Paul meant “head” as “the source,” or as “authority over” which is so commonly used in the church today. Are you still leaning on excuses for abuse that certain translators have misused in their prejudiced translations? Or, has the Holy Spirit quickened your heart, set you free from being a bondwoman to tradition and the law of man, and placed you into the realm of the freewoman? Truly, "there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
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Shortly after the first of the year, we received an email from Gayle Chellis, stating: "I am the great-great granddaughter of Sarah Bushnell McCaleb, eldest sister of Katharine Bushnell. I thought that you may be interested in having a copy of this picture taken of her in California in about 1930. Katharine is on the right. I believe I also have a post card sent by Katharine when she was in China. I can send you a copy of that if you would like." We immediately responded and she sent us not only the post card, but another picture. Gayle told us that Sarah and Katharine were very close and lived together for a time in California around 1920. As a child, Gayle was told about having an aunt who was a medical missionary to China, but she "did not know until recently that Katharine was a woman of such note." She also said that "the strength of the Bushnell women has continued to this day. Each of the women that I know of from the Bushnell line have been or are very strong women." Gayle told us that she believed that Katharine's birthday was December 5th rather than February 5th. Also, Bushnell Park in Hartford, CT is named for this branch of the Bushnell family Until Gayle contacted us, the only picture we had ever seen was the one on the book cover. Katharine Bushnell has made a dramatic impact on so many lives, and yet we desire to know more of the person behind the teaching. Thanks to Gayle, we know "Kate" a bit better.
The post card needs to be bigger to be read. Click on it to link to a page where it is larger and you can read both sides.
Make a Copy to go in Your Book of the
In the last Newsletter, we told you about the work and research that Rebecca Snyder did to give us a color chart of the Hebrew word teshqua. The chart was originally done by Katharine Bushnell for her book God's Word to Women. It traces the use of the word teshqua from the translation "turning" as it moved to the current translation "desire." In the original chart, the "Ten Curses of Eve" were partially blocked by a drawing of the Bible. Rebecca expanded the page so these curses could be clearly seen. Seeing the "Ten Curses" helps us understand the tremendous prejudice against women that influenced the translation of Genesis 3:16. To see the chart, click here.
We highly recommend that you make a copy and put it in your GWTW book for future reference.
This
latest by Gene Edwards is a great resource for anyone
new to the subject of the biblical equality of men and
women in the Kingdom of God. Edwards provides concise
and readable information about history, the Bible, and
its mistranslations in order to both encourage women and
to challenge those who continue to subjugate them.
Edwards begins the book with gut-wrenching historical
quotes about women, then swiftly guides the reader
through facts and revelations on the subject. He rounds
his treatise out with suggestions and testimonies of
church gatherings that exercise the full freedom of all
its members. Fast-paced.
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