The 's' word

There has been a lot of media attention this week about the role of husbands and wives in marriage, and particularly the idea of submission. I hope you had a chance to read this piece by Archbishop Peter Jensen in SMH yesterday. He expresses a Biblical point of view in a loving tone, which was confirmed again on ABC's 7:30 Report last night. Not all participants have been so loving - a number of my colleagues and old friends were published in letters to the editor, and have been publicly 'burned' for expressing their views. Sounds a bit like Daniel 3...

I suspect when I write to you about this matter that you have been taught a sound Biblical pattern, and see where the media cuts the Bible short... The newspapers quote Paul saying 'wives, submit to your husbands' (Eph 5:22, Col 3:18, 1 Pet 3:1) yet fail to read further on. These passages instruct husbands to love their wives like Jesus loved the church, not to be harsh with them, instead to be considerate, respectful and loving protectors. Nowhere in the Bible do we see the media's characterisation of the tyrannical husband enforcing his wife's submission: in fact, we see the opposite. This is how Christopher Ash describes godly submission in his excellent book:

"The wife's submission in marriage is to be a voluntary and joyful submission, not an enforced one. She submits to her husband as the the church submits lovingly to Christ, not as rebellious powers in the universe submit reluctantly to Christ. Nowhere is the husband told to  make sure her wife submits, and only tyrannical husbands will try. Neither Paul nor Peter writes: 'Husbands, make sure your wives submit.' If, as a husband, I were to try to make my wife submit, her proper response would be: 'Mind your own business! Your calling is to love and serve me. My submission is my free response to the God who loves me. It is up to me to submit, not up to you to make me submit!' So the submission of the wife in marriage is to be a glad and willing submission." (Ash, Married for God, p89)

There is much more to say about this and I recommend Ash's book as a great starting place. And remember to pray for our sisters and brothers in Christ as they put this view out there in the public forum. Many of them will receive substantial abuse as they stand up for God's pattern of living in a sinful world. But the shape of the Christian life is the shape of the cross - the loving service of the other at great personal expense...