A Culture of Rape in the Church

It's interesting to me that a secular movie network would choose to produce movies about Biblical characters. Lifetime recently aired a movie entitled The Red Tent, depicting the story of Dinah from Genesis 34. The movie did not get the story right by a long shot, but it did raise awareness. I'll trust you to read the entire chapter in your Bible; do not depend on script writers for theology or Biblical content. Here, for the sake of time and space, I'll summarize.

Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah. The Bible tells us that she "went out to see the women of the land" they lived in. While she was out, Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite,  the prince of the land, saw her, seized her and raped her. He then said he loved her and asked for her hand in marriage.

Her father waited till her brothers came in from the fields, then told them what had happened. They were angry, and rightly so; their sister had been raped. Shechem continued pursuing Dinah's father for her hand, then pursued her brothers. Shechem's father, Hamor, pled with them on his behalf.

Finally, Dinah's brothers came up with a plan. They deceitfully agreed to give their sister to him in marriage and promised to "become one people" with the people of that city (verse 16). The one condition was that the men of the city get circumcised, saying it would be "disgraceful" to give their sister to one who was uncircumcised. So, Hamor and Shechem agreed to this plan and convinced the men of their city to agree to it as well. They wasted no time.

All the men of the city had agreed to be circumcised and were lined up to get the deed done. It takes time to heal from such a thing and on the 3rd day, when they were too sore to fight back, Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed them all, took their wives and children and plundered their city.
They got justice for their sister.

Read the entire account, including how their father reacted to the brothers' acts of justice, in Genesis 34.

In studying this passage, I decided to do something I don't normally do. I decided to read a few commentaries on the passage. I read them for one reason and one reason only; I wanted to see what male commentators had to say about the rape of a woman.  (I do not consider commentaries to be Bible study tools and am actually amazed that some people do.) The tragedy of this story is the rape.

I was absolutely astounded that the vast majority of commentators blamed the rape on Dinah! In chapter 2 of the Alphabetical Exposition of the Bible published by Zondervan in 1988, one unnamed commentator said, "Had Dinah been content to remain a 'keeper at home' (Titus 2:5), a terrible massacre would have been averted, but her desire for novelty and forbidden company spelled disaster." No. This commentator is completely wrong. #1, Dinah could not read Titus 2:5 because it was not yet written, nor does it apply here. This is a gross misuse of Scripture. #2, the Bible does not indicate on any level that Dinah's going out to see the women of the land was wrong or sinful. It simply states that she went. #3, this commentator had the nerve to even blame the massacre on Dinah! She didn't massacre these men, nor did she come up with the plan to do so. #4, The sin here was rape! 

Matthew Henry said, "Young persons, especially females, are never so safe and well off as under the care of pious parents. Their own ignorance, and the flattery and artifices of designing, wicked people, who are ever laying snares for them, expose them to great danger. They are their own enemies if they desire to go abroad, especially alone, among strangers to true religion....Indulged children, like Dinah, often become a grief and shame to their families. She went to see the daughters of the land.....yet that was not all, she went to be seen, too." While Matthew Henry might seem to wax eloquent here, he's dead wrong. The Bible does not tell us she went to be seen. The Bible does not tell us that her parents objected to her going. The Bible does not tell us that Dinah was indulged. The sin here is rape!

The Pulpit Commentary states, "Dinah paid the full penalty of her carelessness." NO! The Bible does not tell us she was careless. She suffered rape. She was not responsible for what happened to her. She was a victim. The sin here is rape!

Why do these and other commentators blame Dinah for what happened? This tendency to blame a woman when she is raped is not confined to the 20th and 21st centuries. Many of the commentators I read wrote their works hundreds of years ago. Nearly all of them blamed Dinah in some way.

People, this has to stop. The Bible does not chastise Dinah. There is no record of her parents chastising her. For all we know, Dinah went out many times in the same way and no rape occurred. The sin is rape. Dinah is not responsible. Shechem is responsible; the commentators should be condemning him, not Dinah.

This way of thinking, to blame the victim in some way, fuels a culture of rape and it's even happening within the church. Women are not taken seriously, are minimized and set aside, them blamed for the sinful, disgraceful acts of men. Shame on these commentators. What I discovered through this brief research on what they had to say about Dinah is completely disgusting.

So, what's a girl to do? Stay inside her parents' house until her wedding day? Wear a Burqa with a screen in front of her face so she won't "tempt" a man or dare to be seen? Are we women such a threat to men that they cannot control themselves on any level and we are to be blamed if some man rapes us? Are we to believe that we bring shame on our families if someone commits any other crime against us? What about women who don't marry? Are they to be treated as undeserving spinsters and locked away in their father's house until he dies, then go live with a brother or uncle? Oh, my, how far this awful thinking could go.

These commentators are wrong. Young men, beware, commentators like this are trying to seduce you into thinking that if you lose control of your impulses, it's perfectly fine because it's a girl's fault. You have the power; she bares the shame.

This makes me want to throw up. I have raised five honorable sons. They all respect women, defend women and treat women as equals. They do not think they are better than women or superior to women, nor are they threatened by women. My married sons are married to strong women who can hold their own and they do not need to depend on their husbands, my sons, for their womanhood or validation as a person on this planet, nor their spiritual go-between in their relationship with Christ. My three daughters, two of whom are married, are strong women who will speak their mind and hold to their own opinions even if they disagree with their husbands, or their dad, or anyone else. As their mom, I will forever defend and applaud them for doing so.

Parents, raise your sons to respect women and treat them as equals. Not "equal but different," but full equals. Raise your daughters to be strong women who take no nonsense from anyone. Never berate a little girl for being too bold or outspoken or independent. Jesus surrounded Himself with strong women who not only traveled with Him, but supported Him from their own independent resources. He was not afraid to talk to women and have friendships with women. He did not tell women what to wear or what to feel, nor did He hold women responsible for the sins of men.

If you want to study your Bible, then put the commentators away in a box out of sight, for they are not enhancing your study; they are hindering it and polluting it with the religion of Secular Humanism. Study your Bible, using the Bible as your Source. Then you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free. John 8:31 & 32 says, "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" He did not say, "If you faithfully read commentators." 

It's the Word of God that changes lives, not someone's comments on the Word. 

Get this. Understand this.

Settle for nothing less than the pure Word of God. 

~Tricia

The Priscilla Principle

For a long time, I've been working on putting my system of Bible study into an organized format that is easy to share with others. I call my system The Priscilla Principle. Since I developed this system more than 30 years ago, I have not used another. I learned the basic principles of Bible study in a college class while under the teaching of a wonderful professor who had patience and wisdom in leading his students. Dr. Wayne Knife was always above and beyond expectation in his teaching methods and he strongly impacted my life with his simple, yet effective Bible study methods.

Another man who has been very influential in my Bible study life is Pastor Lowell Spencer, the man who led me to Christ. He preached the Gospel the very first time I heard it and I never got over it. He showed me how to look things up in the Bible and also gave me the greatest piece of advice I've ever received in my entire life - to never take anyone's word for what the Bible says, but to look it up for myself. I still practice that to this day.

If I had to name one thing that has prevented spiritual abuse in my life, this would be that thing. I don't care who is preaching, I look up what they are saying and test it to see if it is in line with the Bible. If not, I confront it. If I'm not in a position to confront it, I simply don't listen to them ever again. This has saved me from spiritual abuse. I have removed my children from under the teaching of various people for this reason. I simply do not tolerate false teaching and to determine false teaching, I must test every teacher/preacher every single time they teach/preach.

The Priscilla Principle is designed to help people do just that. Last week, I finally took the plunge and bought the domain name ThePriscillaPrinciple.com so that I could go forward with the project and take it to the next level. The website gives a brief look into The Priscilla Principle, explains why I chose that name and gives an example on how to make observations of Scripture. I will be adding more and more information to the website in short order.

Also, my book, The Priscilla Principle, will be published on Amazon in the coming months!

My system is not the usual method of:

Observation > Interpretation > Application

My system is:

READ  >  OBSERVE  >  INTERPRET  >  PRAY

This method eliminates the application process of Bible study altogether. Misapplication of Scripture has been the main cause of spiritual abuse in churches all over the world. The Holy Spirit applies His Word to our lives; He's more than capable. 

The main premise of The Priscilla Principle is:

if I am focused on my own behavior, 

or the behavior of others, 

I am not focused on Jesus Christ, 

therefore, my focus is not where it should be.

In Acts 17:10 & 11, the saints in the church at Berea were commended for searching the Scriptures daily to see if the things they were being taught were true. They were called "noble" for doing so! You can do the same. You can search the Scriptures to see if what you are being taught is true. 

Priscilla was a woman grounded in Scripture and not afraid to use it. She and her husband, Aquila, were used mightily in the life of a great preacher, Apollos, when they took him aside after hearing him preach an incomplete message. Priscilla did not tolerate false or incomplete teaching. She confronted it immediately and her confrontation produced wonderful results. Read Acts 18 for the full story. This principle is named after her!

~Tricia

The Blessing of Teaching

One of the highlights of my week is the Ladies Bible Study I teach at our church.  I LOVE teaching this Bible study!  I learn so much and seem to grow with each study we do.  When my husband and I prayed about starting this study just over five years ago, our goal was to ground ladies in the Word of God.  Being grounded and staying grounded in the Word is an ongoing process; it's not something any of us accomplish then get to walk away from.  Thus, this study keeps me as grounded as it keeps the ladies who attend.

The ladies who regularly attend this study are godly women who want God's best for their lives. They are committed to the Scriptures and the Truths which lie within those pages. I can't even tell you what a blessing that is in my life!

We don't use a "Bible study book" in our studies.  We use the Bible.  We use a concordance and a lexicon to help us in our studies.  We take a book of the Bible and go through it verse by verse, digging out what God would have us learn.  We've learned, and taught each other, that God's Word is alive and you can see His transforming power in the lives of each one who comes and commits herself to the uncompromised study of the Word of our Living God.

Thank you to all you ladies who come and have made such a difference in my life!

Praise Be.
I am so blessed.
~Tricia

It's ALL God...

Think about Jonah for a minute.  Take a look at his life.  Jonah did nearly everything wrong in his life.  God told him to go to Nineveh and he said no and ran in the other direction instead.  God dealt with him pretty dramatically by having a big fish swallow him up, then spit him out. Only then did he obey, but it appears his attitude didn't change because after the people of Nineveh repented, Jonah got mad and sat pouting under a bush.  Yet, God still used him in a mighty way.  God's love toward Jonah didn't change. God's plans for Jonah didn't change.  God's promises to Jonah didn't change. Nothing about God changed in light of Jonah's actions.

Jonah seemed close to God, though.  He was close enough to God to recognize His voice when He spoke to Him.  He told the truth when his ship was tossing dangerously in the waves.  He owned his bad behavior and was willing to take the necessary action to stop it by going overboard.  He prayed in the belly of the fish, believing God could hear him.

God used Jonah in a mighty way, even though he was rebellious.  Jonah's preaching had marvelous results, even while his attitude was bad.

I'm not saying we can/should have a bad attitude.  What I'm saying is, it's ALL God Who did what was done. Jonah was His chosen instrument, but what did God need from Jonah?  People tell us that God needs our obedience, willingness and cooperation to accomplish His will in our lives.  Really?  

God needs NOTHING from us.  Nothing.  He is God. He will accomplish what He sets out to do in our lives. Does this mean we can do whatever we want?  Sure...............if we want to end up in the belly of a big fish or some other situation unpleasing to the human condition.  

I'm only saying that God does not need me or my pathetic attempts at pleasing Him to accomplish His will in my life.

Praise be it's HIS doing.  There's not one ounce of credit I can claim for anything, not even the next breath I take.

I'm so, so very glad it's all HIM.

~Tricia

Application....Do We Own the Results?

I struggle with people applying the Bible to my life.  I've heard preachers, workshop leaders and event speakers be very adamant about how God's Word "should" apply to my life.  I'm not against the application process; I hope, pray, wish, believe, etc., that God will apply His Word to my life and grow in me thereby.  However, the application process in the modern church, as well as modern Bible study, has taken a disturbing turn toward a humanistic trend.

The bottom line is this:  God will apply His Own Word to my life in His Own way.  We, as teachers of the Word of God, cannot own the results our students have.

Case in point:  I once attended a scrapbook and crafting retreat on a weekend in which I was under extreme stress in my personal life.  The things on my plate were so overwhelming that I had spent quite a bit of time in prayer, thanking God for the opportunity for me to go to the retreat and praising Him for all the details that had fallen into place to allow me to go.  I love to scrapbook and the fact that this was a Christian retreat where the Word of God would be focused on was just bonus to me.  Before the first teaching session, I recall sitting at my table, looking out the window and breathing a sigh of relief over the beauty of the lake outside and my opportunity to be there.

Then came the first teaching session.  The speaker had chosen to speak about remembering God's Word and His great works in the lives of His children, and the Israelites' reaction of murmuring and being ungrateful. Very little of God's actual Word was used, other than to read the account of the murmurings, then the speaker spent the next 20 minutes telling us how ungrateful we are and how grateful we should be and how we should not be like the Israelite people and that we are not grateful enough in our lives and God is not happy.

Hmmm.  Ok.  I fully believe the speaker had the best of intentions.  You might be thinking, "Hey!  Maybe some ungrateful lady in that audience needed to hear that!  It's not all about you, Tricia."  But, I would disagree that anyone needed to hear that.  I would agree that it's not all about me.  No one needed to hear this speaker's opinion, but we ALL needed to hear more of God's Word and more about God, Himself.

The speaker made a grave mistake in her presentation:  She "owned" the results.  She had decided ahead of time what we ladies should learn from her - and from God's Word - and that's what she presented.  She fueled her talk on the expected results - results that were extremely humanistic and filled with anti-Biblical concepts.  I was incredibly discouraged as we went back to our work tables and I was quiet, which is rare for me.  I didn't get peace until I spent time in God's Word back in my room, focusing on His attributes.  But, I was still disturbed because of all the other ladies who had just been put through that.

I fully understand the lean toward results.  Our schools are built on results. I approach my home school with a results-oriented focus.  I approached Kindergarten with the expected result that my children would learn to read and I tailored their studies to that goal.  As they get older, I approach each year with results in mind.  But, that is academic and academic goals are necessary to academic success.

God's Word cannot be approached purely academically.  There are times when we can teach it from an academic standpoint.  For example, memorizing the books of the Bible is an academic goal, reading through the Bible in a year is an academic goal, most word studies are academic goals.  But, preaching and teaching the Word of God to an audience is different. It's not academic.

God, Himself, describes His Word using food examples.  He calls His Word the "sincere milk of the Word, " (Hebrews) and "meat," (Hebrews).   Now, just think about that for a minute.  When we consume milk and/or meat, we do not have a talk with that milk or meat and tell it what to do. Nor do we talk to a body part and tell it how to absorb that milk or meat.  We do not say, as we eat our meat, "Meat, my arms are feeling especially tired today, would you please direct yourself to them?"  or "I'm having a bad hair day, milk, so would you please direct yourself to my hair?"  Nor do we say, "Hair, I'm going to drink some milk, so take this milk and shine up with it!  Stop being so dull and difficult to manage!"  or "Arms!  Get stronger as I eat this meat!  Take this meat and apply it to yourselves and strengthen yourself with it!"

How ridiculous!  We do not do that!  We cannot even do that!  But, that is exactly what someone is trying to do when they attempt to apply God's Word to another person's life.  The result does not pan out as they expect, frustration ensues and the person whom the expectations is thrust onto is left feeling worse than before, and much like a failure.

The great thing about the Word of God is that we do not have to direct It in any way.  God knows the hearts of the listeners, hearers, readers of His Word and He will see to it that His Word accomplishes what he sends It to accomplish!  What a relief for any Bible teacher or preacher!  The results are not ours to own.

So, how do we present God's Word without a results-oriented plan?  Just give the Word. Just like a mom gives her baby milk. She knows the milk will cause her baby to grow without her directing it and telling it what to do.  It will fuel that baby and the baby will grow.  The same is true for God's Word.  Give the Word, not your opinions of the Word.  Give the Word, not what you think the person listening should do, think, say or feel.  Just give the Word. It is enough all by Itself.  God owns the results and they will always astound!

More on this to come.
~Tricia

It's Been a While

I haven't blogged in over a month!  Well, at least not on here.  Summer is a busy time for all of us. As the fall schedule approaches, things tend to settle down into a more predictable routine.  This fall, I'll be teaching in 2 different school districts' community education programs, working part-time in our church office, home schooling my 2 youngest sons and working my direct sales business, Thirty One Gifts.  Not to mention my continued work in free-lance writing.  But, I will find time to blog!  After all, I teach my writing students the importance of blogging, so I must set a good example.

This summer, I was introduced to yet another "Bible Study Book" put out by a popular author of women's Bible Studies.  The problem with these "Bible Study Books" is that they really aren't true Bible studies.  They really are commentaries.  Bible study involves the Bible and a study tool or two such as a concordance or a lexicon.  Bible dictionaries are also useful and important.  I may have to start a movement away from "Bible study books" as they are frustrating me more and more.  I don't buy them; they are usually given to me as a gift. I don't like to re-gift them and pass them on simply because I don't approve of them and don't consider them something I could give someone in good conscience.

Women need to be grounded in the Word. Period.  We don't need someone's ideals, suggestions for easy Christian living or ways to organize our lives.  We need to be grounded in the Word.  Priscilla (of Aquilla & Priscilla, the Book of Acts) was grounded in the Word.  She was able to minister right beside her husband and be a huge help because she was grounded in the Word.

I've made a few observations about women's Bible studies that I'd like to share with you:

1. Women's Bible study books are generally focused on people, not God.
2. Women's Bible study books are generally result-oriented rather than God-oriented.  A certain response is sought and the author feels good when that response is given. The response does not represent the heart, it represents the emotion of the moment.
3. Women's Bible study books often build on one another, making the reader feel that she has to buy the next one, or "must have" the previous one.

This blog writing is not complete on this subject, but I'm tired and it's late so I'm going to stop before I say something stupid in my exhaustion.  However, I will be coming back to this topic more and more because women need to be grounded in the Word, not fed fluff and stuff.

~Tricia