It is interesting to hear some in depth discussions on this subject.
There are some things people are not aware of - for example, the woman chooses her husband, as you pointed out. Nowhere does the New testament endorse forced marriages.
Also, in teaching wifely submission, Paul is not speaking to all women everywhere in the world. He is speaking to Christians as we see in Ephesians 1:1.
Moreover, a Christian husband and wife who have a shared belief in the Bible and a shared commitment to Christ, will agree naturally on many important subjects.
And, a Christian husband who genuinely does love his wife is interested in her thoughts and feelings and wants to know them. He does not just give orders as if she were a non-person, which is what some people imagine.
As Christ is our head, he is not a drill sergeant - his authority is one of loving concern.
And, there are three places in the Bible where the wife was right and the husband was wrong. Pilate's wife warned him because of her dream. Abigail's treatment of David and his men was right, and Nabal's was not, she was wise and he was foolish. Samson's father was afraid they would die after having seen the angel, but his wife reasoned that God would not have shown and told them such things if he was going to kill them.
Also, once I read in a book about an American man in the 1920's or 30's who wanted to go work in the Soviet Union. That country was actively recruiting skilled workers, and many people still imagined that the USSR was the most progressive country on earth.
His wife begged and pleaded with him not to go, but he went, and brought the family with him. It was a disaster and catastrophe. The whole family suffered greatly.
A truly classic post, Sir Rev Matt! And much appreciated!
It is interesting to hear some in depth discussions on this subject.
There are some things people are not aware of - for example, the woman chooses her husband, as you pointed out. Nowhere does the New testament endorse forced marriages.
Also, in teaching wifely submission, Paul is not speaking to all women everywhere in the world. He is speaking to Christians as we see in Ephesians 1:1.
Moreover, a Christian husband and wife who have a shared belief in the Bible and a shared commitment to Christ, will agree naturally on many important subjects.
And, a Christian husband who genuinely does love his wife is interested in her thoughts and feelings and wants to know them. He does not just give orders as if she were a non-person, which is what some people imagine.
Yea, a marriage is a relationship between two people with a will. We both need to reign ourselves in.
As Christ is our head, he is not a drill sergeant - his authority is one of loving concern.
And, there are three places in the Bible where the wife was right and the husband was wrong. Pilate's wife warned him because of her dream. Abigail's treatment of David and his men was right, and Nabal's was not, she was wise and he was foolish. Samson's father was afraid they would die after having seen the angel, but his wife reasoned that God would not have shown and told them such things if he was going to kill them.
Also, once I read in a book about an American man in the 1920's or 30's who wanted to go work in the Soviet Union. That country was actively recruiting skilled workers, and many people still imagined that the USSR was the most progressive country on earth.
"In the first 8 months of 1931, a Soviet trade agency in New York advertised 6,000 positions and received more than 100,000 applications. 10,000 Americans were hired in 1931, part of the official 'organized emigration'." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forsaken:_An_American_Tragedy_in_Stalin%27s_Russia
His wife begged and pleaded with him not to go, but he went, and brought the family with him. It was a disaster and catastrophe. The whole family suffered greatly.
"By 1937, many of the Americans were arrested alongside untold numbers of Soviet citizens. Some were executed. Others were sent to "corrective labor" camps in the Gulag where they were worked to death." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forsaken:_An_American_Tragedy_in_Stalin%27s_Russia
The ultimate decision was the husband's, but he should have taken his wife's feelings into account.