For anyone *cough* who happens to think that Christianity is repressive towards women, consider this passage on the essence of an excellent wife and marvel at her industry, compassion, and wisdom.
Proverbs 31:10-3110 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Nice, but it hardly makes up for Paul's woman:man::church:Christ analogy. Taken together, the passages are reminiscent of one of my brother's (facetious) lines: "I think women are great. Everyone should own one."
X: Ah, whatever. You're just looking for things to object to. There's no convincing you.
This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It encourages women to care for their families, run a successful home business, be real-estate savvy, and engage generally in the sort of good things Paul advocated in Philippians 4:8. Thanks for posting it and reminding me of it, Michael!
Your mileage may vary, readers, but I find that the passage XLRQ objects to, when taken in conjunction with this one and all the other passages about women in the scriptures, creates a picture of women who are strong, spiritual, and influential in an extensive sphere. Hardly oppressed!
It is only the cultural traditions of people across the ages that have oppressed women, because the scriptures themselves do not advocate oppression of women. Everyone puts their own "spin" on the scriptures, and XLRQ's "favorite" passage has been "spun" to justify the oppression of women in the past. But if you study the entire volume and don't focus too hard on particular words (which are translations of translations of transcriptions anyway) and try to find the ideas behind the words, a great eternal plan for men and women emerges.
You're right, Michael, there is no convincing me that up is down, that black is green or that the Gospel According to Paul isn't sexist. It's not as though I'm out looking for stuff to object to, either. That passage was you blogged about not too long ago, leading to the discussion which I presume inspired the "cough" link on this post. It was also one of the ones that got shoved down my throat when I was a kid.
BTW, I don't remember if you said last time, but does your church require its women to cover their heads and refrain from speaking in church? If not, why not?