Lots of good stuff over at Quivering Daughters...Eric Pazdziora's Broken, David Orrison's Humiliation Manipulation, and Hillary's weekly series and link exchange on Grace.
Jenny has some interesting thoughts on missionary dating.
A post from Bethany Bassett that'll make you apply the brakes and think a bit.
Rachel offers a very poignant look at the product of formula and spiritual role-playing.
Leanne looks at the mixing of Christianity and politics.
The Bad
Over at Stuff Fundies Like, they came across the staff handbook of A Beka Services, a ministry of Pensacola Christian College and a bigwig in homeschooling. Among the nuggets gleaned...
Page 19
“We expect Our personnel not to…watch movies rated PG,R,or X whether on cable, Internet, regular TV, video or DVD. When personnel are seen at video rental places, it can hurt the person’s testimony and the ministry’s testimony”
Page 22
“God’s hand of blessing has been on this ministry, and we think one reason is because we, the faculty and staff, have chosen to live a life dedicated to God rather than follow the lifestyle of the world…A big area of temptation today is Hollywood movies in the PG, R, and X-rated categories…Hollywood movies always dull the appetite for spiritual things and eventually lead to a defeated Christian life, causing casualties to the temptations of the flesh. In time, that person will either leave the Lord’s work or at least be non-productive in the Lord’s work.”
“God’s hand of blessing has been on this ministry, and we think one reason is because we, the faculty and staff, have chosen to live a life dedicated to God rather than follow the lifestyle of the world…A big area of temptation today is Hollywood movies in the PG, R, and X-rated categories…Hollywood movies always dull the appetite for spiritual things and eventually lead to a defeated Christian life, causing casualties to the temptations of the flesh. In time, that person will either leave the Lord’s work or at least be non-productive in the Lord’s work.”
Page 24
“Walking shorts and culottes should not be worn for shopping malls…Walking shorts and culottes should not be worn on Sundays, whether you are going for a walk on the beach or going for a picnic after church. Instead you could wear a casual dress or skirt…we ask that personnel daughters abide by these policies beginning on their thirteenth birthday.”
“Walking shorts and culottes should not be worn for shopping malls…Walking shorts and culottes should not be worn on Sundays, whether you are going for a walk on the beach or going for a picnic after church. Instead you could wear a casual dress or skirt…we ask that personnel daughters abide by these policies beginning on their thirteenth birthday.”
Page 28
For your spiritual well-being as well as the sake of the corporate testimony of this ministry, you are expected to attend Campus Church services regularly Sunday Morning (including Bible Study), Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening.
For your spiritual well-being as well as the sake of the corporate testimony of this ministry, you are expected to attend Campus Church services regularly Sunday Morning (including Bible Study), Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening.
Certainly we would expect our personnel attending the Campus Church to also support it with their tithes and offerings.
Sunday is considered a day of rest–not a shopping day to go to the malls, shop for groceries, or participate in music benefits…sports activities…are to be reserved for days other than Sunday. Children should not play organized ball games on Sunday.
Nah. No legalistic overkill there. No focus on the externals there.
The Ugly
Well...There's this.
Maybe one of my single, female readers would be willing to marry this guy amen.
Ohhhh I am laughing so hard at your last line.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, the manual makes my spirit grieve....
The "ugly" was pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteI'd watch a PG-13 movie just to see what happened...
ReplyDeleteuuuuuh
ReplyDeletelet me think about that.
NO!!!!
Anonymous...You sure about that amen? I mean, the guy IS a doctor amen.
ReplyDeleteOh, my. The "Evanglist" is hilarious! My favorite: His "Exegesus of Isah 27:1." In his words (the closing paragraph):
ReplyDelete"The KJB says that the elect will beleve a strong deluson amen. That refers to the Calvansts amen what calls themselves the elect. They wont be taken up with the Rapture amen becuse there hareticks and not saved amen becuse there not born of incruptable seed, which is the KJB. The strond dillusion is the modern perversons like the NIV, ESV, NKJV, NASB, RSV, Living Bible, HCSB, ecksetra. But the KJB will stand ganst the Grate Hore and kill Levithan amen."
Wow. I'll let all my female friends know that can belch out their favourite Bible verses in a single breath.
ReplyDeleteCan I call Poe's Law amen? Please amen?
ReplyDeleteInteresting that there is apparently no temptation in PG-13 or NC-17 movies.
Word. Poe's Law it definitely is.
ReplyDeleteWow. Reading the requirements for Pensacola brought back memories. Not good ones though....lol. I graduated from Tennessee Temple University years ago and they had stupid rules just like that. We weren't even allowed to go to movies period as that would be a poor testimony. You could get kicked out of school if caught. That didn't stop students from sneaking out and going though...lol. The college was just inside the TN line and so students would just drive over into GA and go to the movies there...lol. Girls could not wear pants at all, not even in your dorm rooms. Culottes and gauchos were permissible only for P.E. but not in the dorms or anywhere else. Hemlines had to touch the knees. The guys had to keep their hair just above their collar and no facial hair. They checked for all this too.....lol. You'd get demerits for infractions. You could not listen to any rock music or contemporary music. They had the right to turn on your radio to see what you were listening to. No TV's in the dorms. They rules changed quite a bit years on down the road after Dr. Roberson, the founder, retired or resigned his position. I won't talk about the dating rules....lol. I DO NOT know how I stood it all that junk but I did. I didn't agree with the rules but I endured it to get my education. Everything was about protecting the testimony of the school and those who happen to drive through the campus. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteThe "ugly" has a Doctorate??? I thought a kid wrote it...lol. Lewis, maybe that Japanese missionary guy on my FB page might be able to hook Dr. Phil up with somebody.....lol.
Linda Reynolds
It just occurred to me--the omission of PG-13 and NC-17 makes sense if they're following the version of ratings that existed before 1983 or so. I've often suspected that many legalists are caught in a time warp, so this is intriguing...
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. I just don't even know what to say about your last link. Poor guy - that rapture sure is coming soon! Gotta get merried!
ReplyDeleteEric - yeah, that confused me at first, too. :) It reminded me of my Gothard-loving grandma who, when we would come home with R rated movies would check the back and go "But this is Rated!!" Not sure where she got the idea that R stands for Rated, but... ? However it happened, we were informed that Rated is NOT acceptable. :P
So the more I hear about legalistic groups the more I am curious to delve into the atmosphere at the campus we're on and see how legalistic they really are. I know the Seminarians are all forbidden to drink (I do anyway) and aren't even *allowed* to keep cooking wine in the house.
The college students were kicked out for smoking or drinking. Secular music is not allowed, there is a strict dress code (for girls) and a tightly enforced curfew of 10 on the week days and 12 on the weekends. They even have fobs that record when they enter the dorms. You cannot watch a PG-13 movie without express permission from your authorities and NO R RATED MOVIES ARE ALLOWED. You can't stay overnight anywhere unless you have previous permission and you are staying with family.
All of this in the name of avoiding all appearance of evil, of course.
Oh yeah, I also just found out that girls aren't allowed to attend Expository Preaching class.
Yay.
most certainly sure about that!
ReplyDeletethe answer is still
NO!!!
ROFL at that last one! :-D But I agree with Anon above me. :-D
ReplyDeleteThe blog in that last link is a joke, right? It is truly funny if it is a joke. If the guy is for real--then, just--WOW!
ReplyDeleteLewis, Just read through most of your blog. Thank you so much for exposing the fallacies patriarchy. I was one of those quivering daughters like your ex. My heart aches for you and also for the man who loved me while I was still in my father's home. He tried hard, but despite the fact that I loved him as well,at the time I couldn't grasp that I could break free and marry someone outside of my parents wishes. 15 years later I've broken free and am happily married to someone else (without my parents blessing), and the last I heard he is married as well (I hope happily). I have no idea where he is now, but reading your blog makes me want to reach out and tell him I am sorry for all the pain I know I caused him...
That last link is supposed to be a joke, right? That can't be a "real" blog, can it?
ReplyDeleteLet's hope not, although it's pretty darn close to a few people I've seen.
ReplyDeleteAs a Homeschool graduate who received a "scholarship" to PCC, your ABeka rules made me so thankful that I chose a secular education. I will never forget watching the recruiting video for PCC with my parents, the girls were wearing Culottes and long hair and walking an approved distance from the boys. At the end of the video I looked at my parents and told them I would live at home if they would allow me to go to the local State University. Even though the clothes and no dating policy was what turned me away I am sure that I dodged some major spiritual issues at the same time.
ReplyDeleteKJ
Lewis and all,
ReplyDeleteContra the PCC rules, I spent a semester in the dorms at Berkeley in the early 80's. The dorms were CO-ED. Yes, you read that right. Not mixed roommates, but co-ed floors with, ahem, co-ed bathrooms. Yup. Toilet stalls, showers, lav areas. All co-ed. My floor used to be a men's dorm, as there were a row of urinals right next to the door. A few of the clown guys made sure to use the one right next to the door in case a girl walked in. Well, I'm a bit shy, so it was all a bit embarrassing to me.
Any kind of music and dress was allowed. All decibel levels. Sleepovers, too. If you invited the RA to your party, you could have as much liquid as you wanted.
On campus was a 24/7 freak show, with all the protests and demonstrations, the loonies, crazies and leftover hippies from the 60's. Combat clad punks with neon magenta spiked mohawks and body piercings, real live communists, and engineering geeks too. It was the #1 crime campus in the nation. There was even one guy who went to class with no clothes at all for quite a long time. He was known as "the Naked Guy" and received national news attention.
Yeah, Berkeley was just a bit different, and I wasn't a Christian at the time, but I'm glad I went there rather than a fundie religious school.
Love the last line, Steve Scott! =)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter went to a co-ed dorm, though they did have separate men's and women's bathroom/showers. It was no different than living in a home with brothers. You get dressed before you leave your room. Not that hard.
You all need to go to your Independent, Fundamental, Dispensational, King James-only, Calvinist tearin', culotte wearin', straight shootin', loud hootin', truth taught, blood bought, sin hatin' BAPTIST CHURCH!
ReplyDelete(Yah. I have some experience, here.) ;-)
I will say that I send my son to a private Christian school that uses the Abeka curriculum. All the kids do very well. The teachers aren't legalists at all. We have a few basic rules, like no chewing gum and uniforms, but nothing extreme. I've been happy with the results so far.
-Susanne
oh geez! ... someone make me stop reading the horrible blog from the "ugly" link ... lol-sigh
ReplyDelete