Hello, my name is Luke,
I decided to join this community for a few different reasons, one of which being that I enjoy getting to see what some of y'all's perspectives are in regards to a lot of topics most Christians in my circles like to steer clear of. Thus far, I've really appreciated the resources herein and this seems like an excellent community to be a part of.
For that cause, I would like to introduce myself and explain a little bit of my journey here. I was actually raised Catholic in a Catholic family, that's pretty much all I knew for most of my childhood. During that time, I didn't really have a solid grasp on the gospel or of the faith or of anything, really. Around middle school, my dad got real mad at the preist or something and we became church gypsies for a while, eventually landing at a non-denominational mega-church in Texas. I believe that it was there that I got saved, but if nothing else that was at least where I began to desire to follow God, and really began to walk with Him. That was probably nine years ago, and God has grown me immensely since then. A few years after, we had moved across the country and I had lost everything I had built myself up in. This allowed me to be built back up in my relationship with God, since I had lost everything else. Years go by, and I'm growing more and more in my faith. Come high school graduation, and I left for Bible college, where I was really able to learn a lot and grow exceedingly as well. This was due to a lot of factors, not the least of which being that I was exposed to real scriptural study, and most things I was learning I had never really been properly exposed to before, having gone primarily to surface-level milky studies in the past.
A couple years ago, I moved to Montana with my wife, where I was able to grow and learn even more. I was able to apply much of what I had learned previously. One of these things I had learned at Bible college -- a real, applicable appreciation and valuing of my family in Christ. I can't thank God enough for this lesson. I was also able to question a lot of things I had been taught prior. Good friends I have made here have been able to challenge me on my beliefs in a lot of ways, and, over the past couple years, I have been able to change a lot of things I had previously held to, albeit improperly.
This brings me to why I'm here, lol. As you can probably imagine, one of these many things was the doctrine of polygyny. I had started really studying it a year ago (in all honesty, my intentions were to try to establish a biblical case against it), and have, over the course of a year, completely flipped in my view of the matter. I had realized I had persecuted a belief that characterizes the very God I serve. Now, of all the doctrines of mine that I have changed over the past four years, this one has come with the greatest price. After my good friends here became polygynists, I supported them in the matter. My wife asked me to completely cut off all ties to these good brethren of ours, and I refused. I had already given them my word that I wouldn't do such a thing, what she was asking me to do seemed entirely hateful and unloving, and I honestly believe that it would be wrong to cut off, cast our, and/or deny brotherhood to a brother or sister in Christ who is not in sin. For this, she left me. For this, I stand at odds with me parents and extended biological family. For this, I stand at odds with nearly all my friends and nearly my entire church community. But I will not compromise on God's truth.
My friends pointed out this site to me, I have found your resources to be quite intriguing and your sense of community quite admirable. So, here I stand, a recently-made-single/separated man with a heart for God and a desire to serve. I'm happy to be a part of this community, and I'm eager to see what God has in store.
In His blessings, in His name, Amen!
Oh, and that Bible question I mentioned earlier in the title -- I figured I'd start us off with a fun query. I haven't yet developed a side, but I'm quite curious to see what y'all's thoughts are on the matter!
So, the question involves how we as the church are to handle our widows, particularly those under the age of sixty who have not been married more than once.
What brought about this question was 1 Corinthians 7:39. Wherein this is the widow permitted to be married to whom she will, only in the Lord. Now, we know from 1 Timothy chapter 5 that it is better for the younger widows to remarry. Now, using Levirate marriage as a precedent and principle, with both ideas in application, should the widow be permitted to approach any eligible brother in the church with the expectation to be taken as wife? Now, 1 Corinthians 7:39 in conjunction with Paul's comment on Titus about not being concerned with genealogies, with possible support from Romans 7, I would say that she is not expected to marry a bilogical brother of the deceased (hence the "whom she will in the Lord, which makes sense anyway since that's a higher calling in Christ than our biological relatives). As well, as a concession she cannot force the chosen man to marry her, and, just like in Levirate marriage, the man has the ability to refuse. However, if we apply this this was, this could be to the man's shame, leaving a biblical expectation put upon the approached man to take the widow whom is his sister in Christ as a wife, thus fulfilling James 1:17, as well as Paul's wish in 1 Timothy 5:14.
Now, I have not fully developed this idea, but I encourage feedback! Do we as the church tell the widow to simply select a husband from the men available (obvious exceptions, those not available, would be those such as direct relatives, Leviticus 18)? Do we not implement such practice for the widows with sons who are able to provide for them? Is it preferred practice? Is this entire idea complete hogwash? Let's look into the Scriptures together!
I decided to join this community for a few different reasons, one of which being that I enjoy getting to see what some of y'all's perspectives are in regards to a lot of topics most Christians in my circles like to steer clear of. Thus far, I've really appreciated the resources herein and this seems like an excellent community to be a part of.
For that cause, I would like to introduce myself and explain a little bit of my journey here. I was actually raised Catholic in a Catholic family, that's pretty much all I knew for most of my childhood. During that time, I didn't really have a solid grasp on the gospel or of the faith or of anything, really. Around middle school, my dad got real mad at the preist or something and we became church gypsies for a while, eventually landing at a non-denominational mega-church in Texas. I believe that it was there that I got saved, but if nothing else that was at least where I began to desire to follow God, and really began to walk with Him. That was probably nine years ago, and God has grown me immensely since then. A few years after, we had moved across the country and I had lost everything I had built myself up in. This allowed me to be built back up in my relationship with God, since I had lost everything else. Years go by, and I'm growing more and more in my faith. Come high school graduation, and I left for Bible college, where I was really able to learn a lot and grow exceedingly as well. This was due to a lot of factors, not the least of which being that I was exposed to real scriptural study, and most things I was learning I had never really been properly exposed to before, having gone primarily to surface-level milky studies in the past.
A couple years ago, I moved to Montana with my wife, where I was able to grow and learn even more. I was able to apply much of what I had learned previously. One of these things I had learned at Bible college -- a real, applicable appreciation and valuing of my family in Christ. I can't thank God enough for this lesson. I was also able to question a lot of things I had been taught prior. Good friends I have made here have been able to challenge me on my beliefs in a lot of ways, and, over the past couple years, I have been able to change a lot of things I had previously held to, albeit improperly.
This brings me to why I'm here, lol. As you can probably imagine, one of these many things was the doctrine of polygyny. I had started really studying it a year ago (in all honesty, my intentions were to try to establish a biblical case against it), and have, over the course of a year, completely flipped in my view of the matter. I had realized I had persecuted a belief that characterizes the very God I serve. Now, of all the doctrines of mine that I have changed over the past four years, this one has come with the greatest price. After my good friends here became polygynists, I supported them in the matter. My wife asked me to completely cut off all ties to these good brethren of ours, and I refused. I had already given them my word that I wouldn't do such a thing, what she was asking me to do seemed entirely hateful and unloving, and I honestly believe that it would be wrong to cut off, cast our, and/or deny brotherhood to a brother or sister in Christ who is not in sin. For this, she left me. For this, I stand at odds with me parents and extended biological family. For this, I stand at odds with nearly all my friends and nearly my entire church community. But I will not compromise on God's truth.
My friends pointed out this site to me, I have found your resources to be quite intriguing and your sense of community quite admirable. So, here I stand, a recently-made-single/separated man with a heart for God and a desire to serve. I'm happy to be a part of this community, and I'm eager to see what God has in store.
In His blessings, in His name, Amen!
Oh, and that Bible question I mentioned earlier in the title -- I figured I'd start us off with a fun query. I haven't yet developed a side, but I'm quite curious to see what y'all's thoughts are on the matter!
So, the question involves how we as the church are to handle our widows, particularly those under the age of sixty who have not been married more than once.
What brought about this question was 1 Corinthians 7:39. Wherein this is the widow permitted to be married to whom she will, only in the Lord. Now, we know from 1 Timothy chapter 5 that it is better for the younger widows to remarry. Now, using Levirate marriage as a precedent and principle, with both ideas in application, should the widow be permitted to approach any eligible brother in the church with the expectation to be taken as wife? Now, 1 Corinthians 7:39 in conjunction with Paul's comment on Titus about not being concerned with genealogies, with possible support from Romans 7, I would say that she is not expected to marry a bilogical brother of the deceased (hence the "whom she will in the Lord, which makes sense anyway since that's a higher calling in Christ than our biological relatives). As well, as a concession she cannot force the chosen man to marry her, and, just like in Levirate marriage, the man has the ability to refuse. However, if we apply this this was, this could be to the man's shame, leaving a biblical expectation put upon the approached man to take the widow whom is his sister in Christ as a wife, thus fulfilling James 1:17, as well as Paul's wish in 1 Timothy 5:14.
Now, I have not fully developed this idea, but I encourage feedback! Do we as the church tell the widow to simply select a husband from the men available (obvious exceptions, those not available, would be those such as direct relatives, Leviticus 18)? Do we not implement such practice for the widows with sons who are able to provide for them? Is it preferred practice? Is this entire idea complete hogwash? Let's look into the Scriptures together!
