by Max Maxwell
All Rights Reserved.
Page 10
Socrates: Nothing could be more important for men, who believe they have a divinely appointed authority over their wives, than to seek the knowledge of the jurisdiction of this authority. For otherwise they show themselves to be no more than bullies fit for some kind of punishment. So far, we have been unable to discover any clear jurisdiction for this God-given male authority. This is not enough. Don’t leave me without a true knowledge of this divine gift to men. Tell me now, in what area do men have authority over their wives?
Paul: I am sick of discussing this in terms that make a man’s spiritual leadership over his wife seem like an issue that can be decided by a career counselor. A man does not need to be an expert in everything in order to have the right to make a decision. There are plenty of things a man can decide that do not require a diploma from a trade school.
Socrates: You mean decisions like what video to watch?
Paul: {silence}
Socrates: It seems we have again returned back to the trivial decisions. Do you remember earlier in the conversation when we found that male authority seemed to come into play only when there was a state of mutual ignorance, or when the decision was trivial in that it required no significant knowledge or skill?
Paul: I do.
Socrates: But do you really think that ignorance and triviality are an adequate basis for authority? Can you think of any other context where a Christian husband's authority over his wife is rightly able to assert itself? I must discover the proper jurisdiction and basis for this authority if I am to have any understanding of it.
Paul: I cannot stay. I have to go now.
Socrates: Please do not leave me without an understanding of a husband’s God-given authority over his wife. For those of us, who do not know the jurisdiction in which a husband's authority is valid, will be forced to ignore this divine principle and have the women we love share in the decisions made in our homes and lives. Don’t leave me with my lack of understanding. Just tell me what you know. Tell me the jurisdiction in which a Christian husband has authority over his wife.
Paul: Goodbye.
Socrates: Farewell then. I am sorry you are not inclined to share this wisdom. Perhaps your wife would tell us in what area you make better decisions. Too bad she is not here.
Paul: {Looks at Socrates and leaves}
Socrates: Have you had any new ideas on the jurisdiction of a man’s authority over his wife since you spoke up last?
John: To tell you the truth, I am more confused than ever. Yet, I cannot help thinking that there is something to what the Bible says.
Socrates: Millions of men and women do believe in the authority of men over women, so I suppose there is something to it. My poverty is that I do not know what that something is. And worse yet, those who have the knowledge of it seem unwilling or unable to teach. Those men who do not know the jurisdiction of a man’s authority over his wife would be right to abdicate this authority at once. For there is greater wisdom in acknowledging the poverty of our ignorance than in acting as if we know what we do not know.
John: As for me, I know it will be easier to plead ignorance than to convince my wife that I should be in charge of everything.
END
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© Copyright 2008 Kenneth J. Maxwell Jr.