“I Submit To My Husband”- Michelle Bachmann
It's been a little over a week ago since I have caught the clip of the nightly news where I listened to and viewed amongst many boos from the audience of a Presidential debate, heard Ms. Michelle Bachmann state; “ I submit to to husband.” She really seemed to gain a lot of undue attention not only from the Press Corp that day and for many days after, but she also that day got clobbered for her statement by the Feminists, Christian haters and all people like them. A few days later It seems Ms. Bachmann had a quick recovery and appeased many of her critics when she clarified her original sort of/kind of Biblical Scripture quote as meaning that only; couples “should have mutual respect.”
Call me a “stickler” for the need for proper Biblical interpretation and investigation and correction(I am after all, an ordained Christian Minister) and I also realize that there are going to be those that no matter what the Bible declares, and because of their own dilemma with fighting the flesh(sin) they will never agree with me or the Bible, but Michelle Bachmann I want to make the point Biblically, that Ms. Bachmann is only partially correct in her statement about her original statement regarding “submission.” Also, this applies as well regarding her sort of “recanting” and clarification statement that she meant “mutual respect” in a marriage.
To take a good look at where she is correct and indeed wrong will require us looking at the Bible as compared to Michelle Bachmann's religious belief system. Let's start with her religious belief system shall we ?… Ms. Bachmann's religious beliefs It would come from and to be until recently, to be that of a Lutheran doctrine as Ms. Bachmann and her husband attended a Lutheran Church. How much Bible training and or equipping can a person get at a Lutheran Church one might ask ? Depending on which Lutheran Church would be the correct answer. Many Lutheran Churches in the Untied States are “left leaning” in their theological beliefs to say the least. Some of the Lutheran leadership are calling for the allowance of homosexual marriage as an example. The Bible is said to be a guide in the ELCA website for all Lutherans (http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Statements-of-Belief/ELCA-Confession-of-Faith.aspx), but who is interpreting the Bible in it's original Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew language Text as well as sociological context can make a big difference between “doctrinal spin” and Biblical Truth. That also applies to those of the Lutheran Church belief system of course.
I have met some very good, Lutheran church attending Christians over the years and want to make it quite clear here, that I am not turning this blog into a “anti-Lutheran”(or anti-Bachmann) site but I do want the truth to be told. This is especially true when some politician blurts out about a Bible verse to the public and or the press. Now I do know that Ms. Bachmann and her husband left their Lutheran church after many years of attending-it made the headlines in the press. Apparently in a political move to gain Roman Catholic voters, Ms. Bachmann made a decision to leave the Lutheran Church based on a statement made by a Lutheran priest regarding the Roman Catholic's Pope . It was reported that a Lutheran priest made a statement that the Catholics Pope's decision making is as compared to the anti-christ. Ms. Bachmann disputes that the Pope's decisions are like that or should be compared to the anti-christ in any way, shape or form. The specific claim Michelle Bachmann claims are the statement made by a Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod to mean something else however.
What ever the claim may be, Ms. Bachmann made a clear choice to leave her long held theological stance to gain voters from an entirely different theological and religious belief. I believe she did the same thing when she talked about her “submitting” to her husband, then turned the matter into something else, all to appease the electorate and that is a problem. This complicates the whole “submission” matter as Roman Catholicism rarely agrees with “Protestant” dogma as well. See Roman Catholic beliefs of marriage; http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/p/Sac_Marriage.htm
Now to look at the Bible and all this stuff about a wife submitting to her husband, we must look at the Bible passage as it was written and why it was written. However, let's first read that the Bible teaches us that (2 Timothy 2:16-17) “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” That being said now lets move on to the key verse of what many feminists and God haters shun and object and look at what the Bible says about “submission” in marriage: In Ephesians 5:22-24 the Bible states clearly “ Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. “
Now I know that members of the Feminist elite including witches, members of NARAL and NOW are after reading this, all having their hair stand up on the back of their necks, but it is important as some would be surprised for a Christian to do, that we read on about husbands as well in Ephesians 5:22 and then addressing rules for wives as well as husbands in verse 33.... “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
You see, after reading the Bible scriptures, Michelle Bachmann got it partially correct, but her later “clarification” like as her political move to leave her church which was to appease an entirely different religion, was all said and made to minimize her Biblical role as a wife and her Biblical responsibility to her husband. In other words, Ms. Bachmann was trying to play “both ends against the middle.” She wanted to appease both the “evangelical” Christian voters as well as the feminists(that's gonna catch up with her in the long run !). I will tell you all that I seen right through her political maneuver like it was yesterday's underwear and you know what that smells like ! The shame of twisting around God's Word to mean different things to different people when all along, God said what He meant, and meant what He said. Can you say “ Money Hungry TV Evangelist” ???? Bingo !
After counseling many in couples or marriage, I often ask this question to both husband and wife; “Who is in charge of the marriage ?” Some women respond with “ my husband”, other wives respond with “women”, while some wives stay very quiet. When it comes to asking that same question of husbands, some “meat head” men will jump up with a loud demeaning and demanding voice stating; "that's Me !” While some men try to appease their wives while in the same counseling session with them and state “well, it should be 50/50.” But the Biblically correct answer to who is “in charge” of the marriage and family is(are you ready ???) is Jesus ! Yes, that's right ! Jesus and that means that if you follow the cross of Christ, wives and husbands both will follow the cross of Jesus and never of themselves ! You can easily find the relationship to one another so much better when you submit to Jesus as he instructed us all in Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” A burden to bear ? no doubt, but wives are indeed to submit to their husbands. Not in the of being a slave to a man or husband, no not at all ! It is a loving submission of both husband and wife to Jesus. If there is love, there is respect and if there is respect, the submission of a wife to her husband is willing and much easier for her. Bottom line though is, if a woman married a man, Christian or not, if he chooses to stay married to her, other than adultery, a wife must submit to her husband and remain married/faithful to him.
So next time when a politician blurts out a Bible verse that perhaps makes your “skin crawl”, or when someone boos a politician for quoting Bible scripture, find out what the Bible scripture truly means before you agree with the hecklers.
May I finally say to all husbands(so the wives don't feel to “picked on”), if you really love Jesus, you not only would take the time to make your own sandwich, you'd make your wife one also and serve her always first. Remember all, the cross of Christ ! You O man will be held responsible for how you treated your wife and family because God designed you O man to not only lead, but also to follow-Follow the example of Christ !
