1 Timothy 5:8 – How do you read it?
A good friend shared a video from Mark Driscoll on Facebook yesterday.
I saw it a while back and it got me worked up then… and when I saw it again yesterday (I need to work on that).
In it Driscoll and his wife discuss the role of a husband in “providing for” his family. He points to 1 Timothy 5:8 in saying that a man who does not provide for his family has lost the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
But I think we’re missing something when we read the verse in that manner.
I tend to believe there’s a lot more going on than the point Driscoll is trying to make.
1st, I don’t believe 1 Tim. 5:8 has to be read as gender specific as Driscoll wants us to believe. The ESV, KJV, NIV and other translations begin with “anyone” or “if any.” Our modern translations use “his” later in the verse but I don’t think we have to read this text as gender specific, simply because it’s been translated with “his” – which can also be used as gender neutral.
2nd, I don’t believe “provide for” has to mean working a paying job every day. Provide can simply mean “to make preparation to meet a need.” And I think a better explanation of provide in this use would be “care for” which is what several translations have opted for instead. When I read this verse I see a picture of a family working together to be sure all needs are met. If a husband has a journalism degree and doesn’t make much money – and his wife has a doctorate and makes loads of money – it might make a lot more sense for the wife to work while the husband stays home with the child — and vice versa.
Providing for and caring for a family can mean any number of things and I don’t believe we should be limiting ourselves (or others) in what it should look like in one another’s family.
3rd, I also think Driscoll is playing a game of proof-texting here. This verse takes on an entirely new meaning for me when you read it with the verses before and after it. When you read from verse 1, Paul tells Timothy to care for the elderly men in the community as fathers (or as family) and then he instructs Timothy to be sure to care for the widows as well. But… he adds, if there’s a widow in my family — I should be certain I’m caring for her and not expecting the church or anyone else to do that. “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. It’s after he makes these points that Paul says not caring for/providing for your family shows someone has denied the faith.
After all, our faith is the outer expression of God’s love in us. We are to show love to the world — but it’s really hard to show love to the world if we don’t first learn to show love to those at home.
But this is just how I read it… how do you read it?
15 albums that will stay with you forever
Via Stewart: There is a meme bouncing around Facebook at the moment…
The rules: Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums you’ve heard that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag fifteen friends, including me, because I’m interested in seeing what albums my friends choose. (If you’re on Facebook: To do this, go to your Notes tab on your profile page, paste rules in a new note, cast your fifteen picks, and tag people in the note– upper right hand side.)??
I’m breaking the rules. I’m not going to tag anyone (either) but if you feel like answering the meme either on your own blog or in the comments below. I’d be interested to know.
- They Might be Giants – Apollo 18
- Nirvana – Nevermind
- U2 – Achtung Baby
- dcTalk – Jesus Freak
- Weezer – Weezer (the Blue album)
- Green Day – Dookie
- Nirvana – MTV Unplugged
- Beach Boys – 20 Good Vibrations, The Greatest Hits
- U2 – Rattle and Hum
- George Straight – Pure Country Soundtrack
- The Beatles – 1967-1970 (The Blue Album)
- Audio Adrenaline – Don’t Censor Me
- Jars of Clay – Jars of Clay
- Aerosmith – Big Ones
- U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
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Today ends our campaign
BTW – Today is the last day of the campaign with charity:water to raise $5000 to build a fresh water well for those in need.
So far we’ve raised $150 — enough to give clean, fresh drinking water to 7 people for the next 20 years! That’s awesome! But I know that as Insurgents of Love we can do better than that.
It’d be great to reach our goal of $5000 by day’s end — but I’ll be realistic and admit that’s a really unlikely chance — but perhaps each you’ll prove me wrong…. (hint, hint, hint).
Yes, money’s tight. Yes, you’re being hit up for money from all sides… but if you could spare a few dollars today to get us one step closer to that goal, you can help us change the life of those in desperate need.
And my offer to give away a free e-book copy of my novel to everyone who donates, still stands. Any donation, of any amount today will receive an e-book (PDF) copy of my novel. Think of it as “name your own price” to help those in need and get a free novel along the way.
So — will you help? Will you donate?
Thanks in advance!
Donate now.
After Hours benefit for Portions for Orphans
After Hours Improv benefiting Portions for Orphans
Come join the fun – a portion of all ticket sales will go directly to helping the Portion for Orphans mission.
Google Baby
Yup, I’m so there.
Some link love
Some great posts you may have missed recently…
Faith:
The Colbert Report on the “Ground Zero Mosque” and whether Barack Obama is a Muslim or a Christian
Enjoying God’s Reality
Loving our Muslim neighbors unconditionally
Has Pro-Life Become Un-cool?
Living:
Launch Every Single Day
100 Ways to Simplify Your Life (and Make Yourself Happier)
How Many Wows Will You Miss Today?
Being Busy is Not That Important
Divine Interruptions
Technology:
Make Phone Calls Directly from Gmail
Kodak’s First Digital Camera
Google Tweaks Gmail’s “Undo Send” Labs Feature
A long time ago, before death by PowerPoint
30+ Twitter Usage Guidelines for Christians
Seasons of the Soul
Tracking The Companies That Track You Online
Work:
10 Creative Ideas for Different (Better) Business Culture
Finding a job that you love
You can see these links and more by following me on a regular basis Google Buzz.
Five questions with Tamison Lattanzi
Tami Lattanzi
What does an average day look like for you?
I wake up around 7:30… help get husbands stuff together for work (sometimes)… go clean some houses… do some housework… and then make dinner and hang out with my husband when he gets home
What’s been the best day of your life?
My wedding day
What’s been your greatest achievement in life thus far?
Catching Michael… just kidding… well maybe not. Greatest achievement is one I can take NO credit for and that is God redirecting my life and setting my path His direction. My life was in a bad way about 11 years ago and God came and totaly cleaned me up with His Son Jesus Christ and life has been so very awesome with trials since then.
What made the biggest difference in helping you achieve that goal?
Jesus Christ first and formost…then a couple of Ladies who God brought in my life who became close accountability and walked the road with me
If you could solve one problem in the world – what would it be?
The way we treat our adolescents as children….I do not agree. One looks just 50 maybe 100 years back and folks in the adolescent age range were not behaving as they do today…there is a reason for that. Society has stupified them. Dumbed them down and held them back. 50 – 100 years ago our adolescents were behaving as Men and Women….today not even close. God has still given them all the physical ability to do so but our society has become weak, shallow, stupid and w/out vision… The only way I can change this is to start with my own family.
Tami lives with her husband Michael in Mesquite, Texas. She recently began a part-time personal assistant service, Helping Hands. You can find her on Facebook.
A song for my unborn sons
Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in his sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world
#ICSEX: Why I support same sex marriages
This is part of The Idea Camp’s Sexual Orientation week, gearing up to next week’s unconference in Las Vegas. The Idea Camp will take place next month (Sept. 27 & 28) and will feature a number of speakers and conversations based around the Church and sexuality. Find out more.
Several years back, my sister Amy and I were driving somewhere and we ended up on the topic of politics.
I’m not sure how it happened but we began talking about abortion, stem cell research, same sex marriages and more. She never really voiced her opinions but asked a lot of questions about mine.
And at several points of the conversation, I think she was a little surprised by what I told her.
One in particular — same sex marriages.
I was thinking back on this conversation this week and wondering what I would tell her today.
Now more than ever, the same sex marriage debate has come to the forefront of our public debate.
And sadly, the same things that bothered me about the debate in 2004 still bother me today.
On one side, we have a vocal (religious) “right” who claim moral superiority and are fighting for the “sanctity of marriage.”
On the other side, we have progressives who claim political superiority and are fighting for “freedom and justice for all.”
As I told Amy that day, we can sit and debate the morality of same sex relationships all day. We can yell at each other, wave our signs and boycott companies who don’t agree with us and yet at the end of the day, very few (if any) of us will really reconsider our position.
The biggest hurdle I see is that my morality will never match your morality — and vice versa. I will always be convicted about things you’re not convicted about and you’ll always be convicted about things I’m not convicted about. My list of “righteousness” will seldom match your list (hence legalism in the Church).
However, as Americans, I firmly believe that the rights granted to one group of people should be granted to all people. If the government choses to recognize my marriage to the person I love — they should also recognize your marriage to the person you love — whether that be to someone of the same sex or the opposite sex.
Unfortunately, too many Americans have come to the belief that the government should legislate morality for all — and I hardily disagree with this idea.
First of all, I simply don’t believe it’s the role of the government — American or otherwise.
Second, cultural morality shifts from day to day. What’s deemed moral or immoral today may change next year.
Third, if I agree that the government is to legislate morality, what argument do I have when culture does shift and I’m in the minority and people are wanting to force their ideas of morality upon me.
Personally, I believe the role of the government is to protect it’s citizens from injustice and oppression — wherever that threat may come from.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…
This includes freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom to marry whomever you please.
That means we all need to recognize others are going to see the world differently that we do — and we should build spaces of grace around us instead of building walls of exclusion.
And because someone sees the world differently than us — we don’t have the right (or need) to constantly proclaim our opinions to the world — whatever they may be. Instead, we earn the right to be heard through loving others.
So, what about the morality aspect of it all?
Honestly, I’m still wrestling with the “moral/Biblical debate”
While I would have said same sex relationships were a flat out abomination years ago, my understanding of Scripture is that God is far more concerned about how we treat and love others than who we choose to love and marry.
We have been called as followers of Jesus to love unconditionally — regardless of all else. How can we really be “set apart” if we refuse to love those who see the world differently than us?
I also know there are a number of dear friends who have wrestled with their own sexuality and found peace in finding a loving God who accepts us just as we are — which is more than I can say about most of us.
And personally, I would much rather err on the side of recklessly over-loving than that of exclusion or under-loving someone. Or to adapt what the Dalai Lama has said, “My religion is very simple. My religion is love.”
Want more? Read my interview with Adele Sackler or listen to Thomas’ interview with her on our podcast (part 1, part 2)
Caedmon’s Call Raising up the Dead – initial thoughts
Caedmon's Call Raise up the Dead
Caedmon’s Call is back with a brand new album — Raising Up the Dead.
Derek Webb rejoins his “family” for this release and his influence is evident beyond just the production — with his writing and vocals taking part throughout the album as well.
Officially the album releases Sept. 14, 2010, but you can purchase a pre-release digital version of the album on their website today.
Musically this is a beautiful album — perhaps my favorite from Caedmon’s. You can hear the original sound that drew me to Caedmon’s Call in the first place, with an obvious maturity that comes with age and varied experiences.
15 reasons you should buy an iPhone instead of an Android phone
ip4 | Photo by The Juggler
A week ago, I flashed my G1 with the Cyanogenmod 6-RC2 Operating System for the 4th time in just a couple weeks.
It was starting to get a little annoying.
Thankfully, I finally decided to do a complete wipe and flash (essentially formatting the phone and reinstalling the OS from scratch) and I haven’t had any real issues since then.
However, I did tell Laurie (who’s a proud iPhone owner) that having to flash the phone several times made me know for sure that there were only a few people I’d recommend rooting and flashing their Android phone to.
So rather than recommending the process to you again — I thought I’d offer a change of pace — 15 reasons why you should buy an iPhone INSTEAD of an Android phone.
