Patriarchs to Predators -'Now Make Me a Sandwich'

Our country is embroiled in a national sex scandal. Males are being removed from employment, censured publicly, and sometimes even prosecuted for sexual crimes in the workplace.

Women who've been sexually abused by men are speaking out.

Today, TIME Magazine named the #METOO movement Person of the Year. 

The rampant sexual abuse and objectification of women in the workplace is tragic.

Evangelical pastors and churches bear some of the responsibility. 

The false doctrine called patriarchy, a belief held by many evangelical pastors and churches, is the root that blossoms into the fruit of sexual predation. Patriarchy is the belief that males hold all the power and privilege and females and children are merely property and possessions who must submit to male authority.

Sadly, many evangelical pastors actually teach patriarchy.

These Christian ministers say they believe the Bible, but their views of biblical Christianity are skewed and they unwittingly feed the monster of abuse. These ministers speak of the spiritual authority of males over females, husbands over wives, and male pastors over parishioners - as if the alleged spiritual authority of males is something honorable. 

Dipping patriarchy into the sweetness of spirituality only disguises the deadly poison. 

Years ago I wrote the forward for Jon Zen's book What's Up with Paul and Women. I wrote:

"The viper known as 'the doctrine of male authority' has bitten the church. The toxin emitted by this errant teaching affects the females within our assemblies. It debilitates their God-given gifts, denigrates their Spirit-led ministry, and downplays their role as New Covenant priests. The modern institutional church has misconstrued and misinterpreted Paul's writings on the subject, while at the same time ignoring Jesus's words and life on the same subject."

Jon points out in his book that the church's adherence to the false doctrine of patriarchy has led to the sexual and physical abuse of women in culture and the institutional church.

Since women were seen as "lower beings," husbands were granted the right to correct or chastise their wives. This "gave religious and legal sanction for the absolute control of the 'male mind' over the 'female body,' in the form of physical violence."Thus a perverted theology led to the church's sanctioning of wife-beating. The Council of Toledo in A.D. 400 "decreed that [clergy] had the right to beat their wives more severely than ordinary fellows: 'A husband is bound to chastise his wife moderately, unless he be a [clergy], in which case he may chastise her harder.' A later passage states that 'if wives of clergy transgress their [husbands'] commands, they may beat them, keep them bound in their house and force them to fast but not unto death.'" [What's With Paul & Women, page 56]

Lest one thinks such thinking is relegated to the ancient church, I give you the case of Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey.

On Tuesday, December 5, 2017, the Moore Police Department released video footage of Senator Shortey caught in a hotel room with an underage boy. Senator Shortey has pleaded guilty to federal charges of child prostitution and possession of child pornography.

Senator Shortey is an evangelical Christian. He is a leader at his evangelical church. He is a "committed Christian" who works in volunteer ministry through his church.

When the Senator opened the hotel room door he was wearing a T-Shirt with a verse reference of Ephesians 5:22. 

"Wives submit yourself unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." 

Underneath the textual reference were the words:

"Now make me a sandwich." 

Whether it's the sexual abuse of women or the sexual predation of children, evangelical males who set themselves up as "lord" over others - demanding actions by others to gratify one's sensual or sexual desires - is a false and tragic representation of true Christianity.

The Bible teaches mutual submission and mutual service. Christ gives no Christian any pass for taking advantage of another human being by claiming authority over another person, whether it be spiritual, marital, or patriarchal authority.

Anyone who "lords" over another person is the antitheses of what it means to be a Christian. Listen to Jesus:

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant." (Matt. 20:25-27)

It's time for evangelical leaders and churches to awaken to the dangerous and damaging consequences of propagating the false teaching of male patriarchy.

It creates men who demand sex and sandwiches from the objects they possess.