Calvary Road Baptist Church

“HOW TO SPOT A FEMINIST: One pastor’s Opinion” 

Ecclesiastes 1.9-11 reads, 

9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. 

The essence of these three verses is that human behavior and conduct down through the ages is repetitive and not new and that succeeding generations will not remember the behavior of previous generations to learn for the future from things that have already occurred. Should you want to prepare yourself more carefully for what may be a jarring topical sermon, I will provide links to the Internet for you to examine and reflect on the issues I deal with. What I will present to you might very well trouble you, so I strongly advise you to take advantage of what I am offering you.

First, please watch the five-minute video titled “Bonhoeffer’s Theory of Stupidity,” which presents the opinion of the Christian martyr during World War Two named Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who reflected deeply on the nature of the evil that he observed in Nazi Germany.[1]

Next, spend a moment or two thinking about the towering intellect, C. S. Lewis’ observation commonly labeled Chronological Snobbery.[2]

Third, there is the Dunning-Kruger Effect, the tendency of ignorant people to wildly overestimate their intelligence and understanding of situations they are woefully uninformed about.[3]

Fourth, there is the “Semmelweis-reflex.” The label “Semmelweis-reflex” describes the automatic rejection of ideas without giving the slightest thought, inspection, or experiment simply because it challenges entrenched paradigms. Claiming that hand washing would save lives, Ignaz Semmelweis faced ridicule and strong opposition from medical colleagues.

I mention these four observations in addition to the passage I read from Ecclesiastes because far too many people behave in predictable, thoughtless, and profoundly unwise ways contrary to their long-term self-interests. Of all the topics I might focus on that fits into the predictable, thoughtless, and unwise category, there is an area of interest that I find most provocative, and that is feminism.

Feminism is so pervasive, so influential, and so utterly destructive that I must do more than offer passing remarks, criticisms, and observations about it from time to time. I must present a sermonic survey that I have titled “HOW TO SPOT A FEMINIST: One pastor’s Opinion.” Why would someone want to spot a feminist?

There are two reasons: First, if, after this message, you spot a feminist while looking in the mirror, you will be faced with the need for and the opportunity to repent. Or, if after this message you spot a feminist in your observations of others, you will know to be wary of those who are potential threats to themselves, to you, and to others as purveyors of demonic doctrine and a decidedly anti-Christian worldview.

Being a survey, I will lightly touch on issues on the fly. Do not imagine my remarks are not only documented but also mature from years of study, reflection, and observation. This brief message may serve as the foundation for a book. Still, for now it will serve as a skeleton for framing an introductory alert that I trust will benefit the young, the spiritually inexperienced, and those humbly receptive.

Six main points: 

First, IGNORE WHAT THE FEMINIST SAYS, ATTEND TO WHAT THE FEMINIST DOES 

Helen Reddy used to sing the song, “I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman.”[4] None of those things is true because according to the Bible, no one is strong, no one is invincible, and the political left can no longer identify a woman. Matt Walsh famously produced a movie last year titled “What is a Woman?”[5] He was unable to find professionals who could clearly and distinctly define what a woman is, though they loudly claim himself to be feminists. At the end of the movie, Walsh’s wife provides a definition, stating that a woman is an adult biological female.

Feminists proclaim their advocacy for women while urging upon women everywhere that they engage in the murder of their unborn, that they stridently oppose the spiritual leadership of their husbands if they are married, and that they engage in a deadening and life-destroying sexual promiscuity. Leaders of the feminist movement, such as Betty Friedan, pretended to be ordinary housewives who advocated for women but were, in fact, committed and determined Marxists set on the destruction of American culture no matter the cost to women.[6]

Regardless of what feminists say they believe, they are more often than not recognizable by their tendency to bristle in the presence of men who are not metrosexuals, not beta males, and men who are and who act like gentlemen. 

Next, NOTE THAT INFLUENCE IS NOT THE ISSUE FOR THE FEMINIST, BUT AGENDA 

The Bible is remarkably clear in prescribing the relationship God has designed for married men and women.[7] The relationship is not defined by intelligence, competency, or character. While the relationship is affected by those three traits, the spiritual leader in a marriage is supposed to be the husband, always, and never the wife.

While the Bible sets forth strong evidence showing the increasing influence of a wife with her husband over time, establishing that the mind of God has always provided for female influence in a marriage, it is supposed to be the leader who establishes the agenda. To state the matter in another way, the husband establishes the agenda for their marriage and their family. Regardless of the agenda that appears to be implemented by a determined and thoughtful wife, it cannot be a good agenda, nor will it be a wholesome one, if a godly husband does not establish it.

Regardless of what is obvious from a consideration of the Bible, and regardless of what the feminist says about loving God and wanting to exalt Jesus, if she drives family’s agenda and generally sets the course for the family, she is not exhibiting a love for God and is certainly not demonstrating an effort to exalt Jesus Christ. That is undeniable. 

Third, OBSERVE THE TACTICS EMPLOYED BY THE FEMINIST, AND THE STRATEGY BEHIND THE TACTICS 

At this time, consider only the tactic employed by the feminist mother of an infant or toddler when dealing with her husband, or the father of her child. Notice how frequently her conduct demonstrates her view that she does have, and certainly ought to have, the final say concerning the child’s disposition. She, and only she, serves as the final arbiter for the child’s welfare.

If there is a disagreement regarding the activities of the child, regarding the welfare of the child, regarding the recreation of the child, regarding the nutrition of the child, regarding the correction and discipline the child, when push comes to shove the feminist demonstrates her tactical approach to the child's father with regard to ultimate authority. That is her tactic.

What is her strategy? Her strategy is to establish herself as the ultimate authority in the life of the child, in that child’s life at all costs. By establishing herself as the ultimate authority in the life of child, of course she diminishes the authority of God in the life of the child by diminishing the authority of her husband in the life of the child, the child's father. The feminist deviates from the established biblical chain of command as a strategy, using various tactics. The strategy employed has the effect of replacing God, God’s designee, as the head of the household, with his wife described in the Bible as his helper.

Thus, feminism emasculates men in their homes, in front of their children, and society as a whole, with the court system in our country all in concerning the replacement of fathers as heads of the household with mothers. It has proven to be an effective strategy. 

Fourth, SOME BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF FEMINISTS 

My working definition of a woman who is a feminist is a woman whose actions undermine the role God has assigned to men, usually her husband while exalting herself to a position in the marriage and the home that God never intended.

First, of course, there is Eve. We see her insubordination in Genesis chapter 3, in the Garden of Eden, where she presumes to ignore her God-assigned role as Adam’s helper. Without deferring to her husband as she ought to have, she made a fatal error by exercising authority she did not legitimately possess. She compounded her error by offering the forbidden fruit to her husband.

Next, Potiphar’s wife. We are introduced to this character in the life of Joseph, the son of Jacob, and great grandson of Abraham, after he was sold into Egyptian slavery and was serving in the house of Potipher. Potipher’s wife attempted to seduce the young man, tempting him to not only commit sin with her but also commit the sin of betraying her husband. Potipher’s wife attempted to sin against her own body, sinned against Joseph, and undermined with her disloyalty the position of her husband in his household and in their marriage.

Third, David’s wife, Michal. After the sweet psalmist of Israel killed the Philistine giant Goliath, he was taken into the household of Israel’s first king, Saul, who gave to David his daughter Michal to wife. After Saul’s jealousy drove David away for fear of his life, Saul gave his daughter to a second husband because he was confident he would succeed in his efforts to kill David. He failed. David became king. Now restored to her first and rightful husband, David, Michal publicly ridiculed her husband for dancing with delight before the Ark of the Covenant as it was being moved.[8] Rather than being the helper God designed her to be as his wife, Michal destroyed her own marriage with her out-of-control mouth, which is somewhat typical of feminists. No wonder Solomon wrote a great deal about such mouthy wives in Proverbs.

Fourth, Jezebel, the wife of Ahab. Jezebel is the virtual prototype of the manipulative and controlling wife who overwhelms her pathetically weak husband with the power of her personality. Jezebel was a condescending and arrogant wife, treating her husband as the adolescent he too often behaved like. So many marriages these days are arrangements between an adult man-child and a grown woman who treats the man she is married to more like her oldest son than deferring to him as the spiritual leader and the head of the household.

Fifth, Athaliah. Most people do not recognize this woman, who usurped the throne in Judah when her king's son died. Like so many of the feminists before her, Athaliah was ruthless. She sought to murder everyone in her son’s extended family to preserve her position, but failed in her plan when her grandson’s life was preserved.

Had I more time, I could flesh out the explanations of these feminist’s efforts that denigrated the men in their lives, usually in a very public way, while giving no thought to the plan and purpose of God when He established the family unit. 

Fifth, SOME BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF FEMININITY 

Be careful to note from the examples I will share with you that none of the women mentioned are examples of perfection. Just as there is no such thing as a perfect man other than the Savior, there is no such thing as an ideal woman. The women that I will list for you, whether named or described, are women whose lives were touched by the grace of God, showing what can be in the life of a godly woman.

First, Sarah. At first, her name was Sarai, bitterness. But God changed her name and heart, and Sarah became an example of faith. Mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans twice, Sarah’s faith is also mentioned in Hebrews 11.11. And in First Peter 3.6, she is held up by the apostle as an example for all wives to follow.

Next, Abigail. If you have been at our Church for very long, you know that Abigail is one of my favorites, being a sterling example of how to make a biblical appeal to someone occupying a position of unassailable authority. Abigail was not without her issues, related to the fact that she was married to a fool. That said, in most respects, she is an example for women to follow.

Third, Bathsheba. Our introduction to Bathsheba in the Word of God raises many questions about the wife of Uriah the Hittite, such as her complicity with King David, their act of adultery, her failure to cry out in the city, David’s subsequent murder of her husband, and her willingness to participate in the cover-up of her pregnancy. At the end of David’s life, however, we see Bathsheba cooperating and collaborating with the prophet Nathan, going the extra mile to honor her now feeble and aged husband and suggesting that, in many ways, she was not at the end of her life anything like the young woman she was at the beginning of her life. There is evidence of her growth in grace over time.

Fourth, Proverbs 31.10-31. Much could be said about the virtuous woman of this chapter, but for lack of time. She is an example of an accomplished woman whose conduct in no way detracted from her husband's reputation.

Fifth, Esther. The Jewish girl who became the queen of Persia could not have survived if she had been as explicitly obedient to the Mosaic Law as the prophet Daniel had been. Nevertheless, while she is a flawed individual (and who is not flawed?), She demonstrated wisdom in her dealings with her husband. There is much about her conduct as the wife of Ahasuerus that women of all ages might benefit from.

Sixth, Dorcas / Tabitha, and Lydia. The woman in Acts chapter 9 was likely a woman of low station. The woman of Acts chapter 16 was likely a woman of high station, a businesswoman. Yet, whether occupying a humble or high station of life, nothing is said about either woman that would even slightly suggest they were not exemplary of Christian womanhood.

Seventh, Titus 2.1-5: 

1  But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

2  That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

3  The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

4  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

5  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 

This passage only scratches the surface regarding womanhood, being a wife, and being a mother. So much generational knowledge needs to be passed from experienced, aged, godly women to young women who know nothing about womanhood, nothing about being a wife, and nothing about being a mother. Yet feminism produces females who imagine there is nothing for them to learn from others.

Eighth, First Peter 3.1: 

“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.” 

Of course, the passage that begins with this verse runs through verse six, but I want to point out a single truth. The Christian woman who’s married to a non-Christian man or an unspiritual and disobedient Christian man is provided with a directive. Notice what the directive does not do. It does not direct the wife to take the reins of leadership in the marriage or the home. At no time is the Christian woman authorized to seize control of the family because her husband is lax in the performance of his duties, obligations, and responsibilities as the spiritual leader in his home. This the feminist cannot abide. 

Finally, SOME BIBLICAL ADVICE FOR DEALING WITH THE FEMINIST THREAT 

This is good advice for dealing with any spiritual threat, but the focus at this time is the threat of feminism, which has overthrown the established roles of husbands and wives in marriage and men and women in society:

First, seek advice. Most of what I am saying about feminism is to men while recognizing that men are the least likely to seek advice when needed. People laugh about a man behind the wheel who is lost and refuses to ask for directions, but it is a reminder of the tendency among so many men to think it is more important to act out your idea than to make the right decision. Much of what comes into a man’s mind is just really stupid, and the reason so many men don’t want to talk about what they’re thinking about doing is that in the back of their minds, they know that when they put into words what they’re thinking about doing the words coming out of their mouth will sound stupid because it is stupid. Men need to seek advice. It is not beneficial to anyone for men to refuse to seek advice when making important decisions. In the multitude of counsel, there is safety.

Second, don’t expect what you don’t inspect. This runs parallel to that great theologian, Ronald Reagan, who always urged people to trust but verify. Sometimes things are happening in a man’s house that he knows nothing about because he is not paying attention. They make the notoriously bad decision that their wife’s actions and decisions do not need any oversight. Excuse me. The importance of oversight in no way suggests that your wife is not intelligent, is not wise, and might not be a better decision-maker than you are. But you are abandoning your God-given role as a spiritual leader if you do not oversee every aspect of your marriage and family, including your wife's decisions. If she is making good decisions, and you take note of those good decisions, it will only enhance her value to you and the level of confidence you have in her wisdom.

Third, let me recommend this book, “A Theology of the Family.”[9] No matter how long you have been married or how much you think you know about marriage, raising children, and being the man or woman you and your wife ought to be, you cannot help but be blessed and improved upon by reading this book.

Finally, immerse yourself in the company of the godly men in your Church. It is certainly not a wise wife who seeks to discourage her husband’s participation in the body life of the Church with other men. Such shortsighted feminist selfishness only deprives men of the fellowship and experiences that can only make them better men, husbands, fathers, and grandfathers. The man who does not recognize the benefit to himself and others of him spending time in and around the company of godly men identifies himself as spiritually immature and unwise. The woman who does not recognize the benefit to her and to her husband of him spending time in and around the company of godly men identifies herself as selfish, shortsighted, and possibly a feminist. Remember, the man should set the agenda, not the wife. 

I will admit that over the last several years, I was captivated by YouTube videos rehearsing the lives of two couples, Prince Harry and his wife Megan, the cable TV actress and actor Johnny Depp, and his ex-wife Amber Herd.

My interest in those two couples is related to my conviction that both women are cutting-edge third-wave feminists and that they are married or were married to what I referred to as manageable men. The only kind of man a feminist can tolerate is a manageable man. If the man demonstrates manliness, his manliness is labeled by feminists as toxic masculinity. So, Prince Harry and Johnny Depp are manageable men.

I have formed the additional opinion that feminists, whether wildly promiscuous and secular or prim and proper churchgoing professing Christians, believe that a well-ordered universe demands that men be manageable and that women manage them. They insist on managing their sons as they are growing up, being outraged to discover a son who is as controllable as a wild horse, and being happy only with sons they can push around and boss.

The Bible teaches us that he that findeth the wife find of the good thing, but the feminist has no interest in being found by a man. Such an event violates her understanding of the way the universe ought to operate, with her in control, with her doing all the planning, with her doing the deciding, and with the man she has selected being manageable. So long as a man is manageable, like Prince Harry is proving to be, his wife will be quite happy as she makes his decisions for him and, one by one, cuts all ties with anyone who might influence him more than she does.

This is the pattern with the feminist. She wants to get him out of his neighborhood, away from his classmates, away from his longtime buddies and pals, and, if necessary, away from his Church. Why is this? Because only she should control him. In time, she will get him away from his family, parents, and siblings so she and only she can be the dominant influence and controlling force in his life. She will brook no interference with her determination to establish the agenda.

If it turns out that she cannot control her manageable man, which was the case with Johnny Depp because he was such a dissolute drunkard and fornicator, then the feminist is left with no alternative. The man who is not manageable is the man who must be destroyed. The problem with Amber, of course, is that she attempted to destroy a very passive individual. Still, one who had almost inexhaustible financial resources to hire the best attorneys money can buy. If Johnny Depp were not a multimillionaire, his ex-wife would have succeeded in her destruction of him for not being manageable.

I have seen this dynamic for many, many years. From personal attire, to preaching style and sermon content, to permission to begin the worship services, I have seen women control men in every conceivable way. I know pastors who are manageable men whose wives expertly dominate and control them without them having a clue that they are being manipulated.

I am also aware of girls growing to be women in Churches who have decided that they will not expose the manageable man they have chosen to marry to the pastor (they may like, perhaps love, but dare not expose their husband or husband to be to) for fear that he might learn to become unmanageable, which is to say manly.

It has happened here as well as other Churches, usually taking the form of the feminist not exposing her manageable man to a masculine congregation or a feminist determined to remove her manageable man from a masculine congregation. So, how does a feminist cut the ties? Because she must cut the ties. We see it happening with Prince Harry, his wife having cut herself off from her father, half-sister, and half-brother and keeping her mother only because her mother was controllable. Then, she turned her attention to Prince Harry’s family, one by one destroying his relationships with his brother, his father, his grandmother, his grandfather, and his cousins by rewriting the family history.

I have seen it happen in Churches. The feminist (and I first saw this at my first pastorate) must accuse the congregation of being unfriendly. The friendliest Church in existence must be redefined as unfriendly, because once you define a congregation as unfriendly you can reinterpret every action and comment made by everyone, including every in action and no comment made by everyone, as being unfriendly.

Understand the process. Every single time, once the Church has been redefined as unfriendly, the individual friendships will be severed, followed by coworker relationships, followed by family relationships, and then come to the suggestion that you relocate. The goal of the feminist is to get you from where you are to where she wants you to be so that she and only see the controlling influence in your life. Not your mom. Not your dad. Not your siblings. Not your lifelong friends. Not your congregation. Certainly not your pastor. Only her.

This has been a survey. It is superficial. It is primarily opinion. It is worth further consideration, which would include seeking the advice and counsel of others.

__________

[1] https://youtu.be/ww47bR86wSc

[2] “The uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited.” - C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy. London: HarperCollins, 2012.

[3]“Dunning-Kruger effect, in psychology, a cognitive bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general. - https://www.britannica.com/science/Dunning-Kruger-effect - https://youtu.be/GJz66wm95-M

[4] https://youtu.be/ZrVLL7soS1U

[5] https://youtu.be/42ivIRd9N8E

[6] https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/betty-friedan/

[7] Genesis 2.18; 1 Corinthians 11.9; 1 Timothy 2.13

[8] 2 Samuel 6.16-23

[9] Jeff Pollard & Scott T. Brown, editors, A Theology Of The Family, (Wake Forest, NC: The National Center For Family Integrated Churches, 2014)

 

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