The Tulip Driven Life

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365 Days of Male and Female Piety

365 Days of Male and Female Piety What is male and female piety? What is true, godly masculinity and femininity? Our churches have largely followed the world into what I will call a feministic egalitarianism. In other words, the sensibilities of the female sex are now meant to rule over the home, church, and government. This pervades every sphere of life, and all in the name of “equality” or “fairness”. The quiet (or not so quiet) assumption is that women have been suppressed for too long, their voices unheard, their faces unseen in the public square, their influence non-existent in the course of human history. History has been too brutal and bloody without women having at least an equal share of leadership and opportunity. So in the doctrine of feministic egalitarianism, it is safer when women balance out men and keep them in check. Men must be civilized by women, and this is the real “help” that the woman gives to the man that Scripture speaks of. Woman as helpmeet becomes wom...

John Angell James on Female Piety in the Home

If I am right as to the nature of woman's mission, I cannot err as to the PROPER SPHERE of it. If she was created for man, and not only for the race of man, but for one man, then the easy and necessary inference is, that HOME is the proper sphere of woman's action and influence. There are few terms in the language around which cluster so many blissful associations as that delight of every English heart, the word home. The paradise of love—the nursery of virtue—the garden of enjoyment—the temple of harmony—the circle of all tender relationships—the playground of childhood—the dwelling of adulthood—the retreat of old age—where health loves to enjoy its pleasures, wealth to revel in its luxuries, and poverty bears its rigors —where best sickness can endure its pains, and dissolving nature expire—which throws its spell over those who are within its charmed circle, and even sends its attractions across oceans and continents, drawing to itself the thoughts and wishes of the man who w...

Declaration on Race, Natural Affection, the Local Church, and Related Matters

* THE FOLLOWING DECLARATION REPRESENTS THE VIEWS OF THE SESSION OF HERITAGE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (HRPC) ONLY, AND DOES NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE FULL VIEWS OF THE COVENANT REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH DENOMINATION, OR ANY OTHER DENOMINATION, ORGANIZATION, OR BODY OF CHURCHES, THOUGH IT IS THE DESIRE OF HRPC THAT THIS DECLARATION WOULD BE HELPFUL TO AND EVEN ADOPTED BY OTHER CHURCHES, PRESBYTERIES, AND DENOMINATIONS. HRPC IS ALSO GLAD TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK ON OUR DECLARATION TO FURTHER IMPROVE AND REFINE IT. Declaration on Race, Natural Affection, the Local Church, and Related Matters In 2005, the Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church (CRPC) unanimously adopted Distinctives summarizing what sets her apart from other Presbyterian bodies. Under “Civil Magistrates,” the CRPC affirms: “We further acknowledge that God’s work at the Tower of Babel and His gathering of men into distinct tribes, nations, cultures, races, and language groups has its divine purpose in hinde...

Thoughts on Rev. Samuel Ketcham's Unjust Excommunication by the RPCNA

I was not present for the RPCNA's Synod meeting, but being present at the presbytery that first excommunicated Rev. Ketcham, I can say that the ignorance really is astounding and many Elders and Pastors in NAPARC are not to be trusted. The deposition and especially the excommunication of Rev. Ketcham is a gross injustice. To be clear, Rev. Ketcham, Rev. Spangler and the Southern Presbytery to which they now belong know that I do not agree with them on everything, from exclusive Psalmody to how we would minister to minorities/other races in our local churches to certain political matters and policies. These and possibly some other matters would prevent us from being in the same denomination, and therefore they are not trifling differences. But this does not at all mean that you cannot pray for their ministries to be blessed by God and faithful to Him. I do not at all believe that Rev. Ketcham has any sinful malice toward anyone of any race, beyond sinful anger that we all must exa...

Matthew Poole on the Parable of the Minas in Luke 19

Ver. 12-27. The parable of the talents, which we had, Matthew 25:14-30 , is of great cognation to this parable, and the doctrine of it in many things is the very same; but the circumstances of that and this relation are so differing, as I cannot think that both Matthew and Luke relate to the same time. I know nothing that hinders, but that our Saviour might twice repeat a parable which in substance is the same. Not to insist upon the examination of the words used in the Greek, (which is a work fit only for critical writers), for the right understanding of this parable we have three things to do: 1. To inquire what special instruction our Saviour did in this parable intend to those who heard him at that time. 2. Who the persons are, represented in it under the notion of a nobleman and servants; and what the things are, represented under the notion of going into a far country, to receive a kingdom, distributing his goods, &c. 3. What general instructions from it may be collecte...

On Races, Cultures, and the Local Church

Our church has a declaration of affirmations and denials on race, nationhood, the local church, etc., that at some point I will likely make public. But for now, I will just say that it is evident our nation has massive problems on most all scales, whether familial, civil, racial, cultural, or ecclesiastical. Local churches that might be intentionally homogeneous or mono-racial in certain contexts to promote the best arrangement to minister to all is permissible and wise. Dabney preferred keeping the blacks in their churches with them (still recognizing a social order and hierarchy) to help minister to them. He said he would support them if they started their own black presbyteries, and would labor hard to help them form their own seminaries, churches, black pastors, and so on, and that these would basically be sister churches. But he did not think that would be wise because of the needs among the blacks to be ministered to and trained up by the white ministers who were...