Greetings in name of the Lord our Savior!
In this issue:
1) Biblical Families news
2) 2008 Retreat schedule
3) A message from Pastor Randy: Christian Nobility (The Call to Biblical Chivalry)
Biblical Families News:
1) Over 110 people have signed up for the forums or newsletter to date, and over 400 messages have been posted in the forums.
2) We’ve recently done AP interviews on Christian polygamy, are awaiting the resulting article – pray the author represents our position faithfully, and we are hoping for a BiblicalFamilies.org mention.
3) Most importantly: We held our first official Biblical Families retreat! We had 44 in attendance, representing 9 different households, and 6 states. Everyone was blessed and made new friends. Pastor Randy brought some timely and "on-target" messages on family unity and vision. Kids had a blast, and some people threatened to never go home! See some Orlando retreat pictures here. Read about or post retreat experiences here.
4) If you are interested in the Oregon retreat in less than 3 weeks, reply to this email now, and let us know!
2008 Biblical Families remaining Retreat schedule:
These retreats are a great way to meet like-minded Christians, and receive support for you or your family. Don't miss the chance to attend at least one retreat this year! Our retreats are very interactive – there won’t be classroom-style “teaching”, just sharing from those who have lived in, or spent time studying the Word about, plural families, and the Biblical foundations for such families. There is NO cost for attending a retreat – an offering will be taken to help cover any meeting-room or other expenses. We want you to come and be blessed!
West Coast, Salem, OR area retreat, June 20th-22nd
Actual location: Silver Falls State Park
We have a hotel for retreat attendees who aren't camping or live in the area – email us now for details.
This retreat is also a special event for “christianpolygamy2@yahoogroups” members.
This will be an outdoor retreat, due to the beautiful Oregon June weather – plenty for the kids to do.
Fellowship, worship, and getting to know each other – also separate men and women’s sessions.
We will met at 7pm Friday night, then basically all day Saturday, and again Sunday, if people desire.
Salem or Portland airports are fairly close by.
Central US, Dallas, TX area retreat, October 24th-26th
Contact us for retreat location.
This will be the “signature” Biblical Families retreat for 2008. We already have commitments for this retreat from a number of families and individuals.
There will be worship and fellowship, AND breakout sessions on topics important to plural families and those considering it – let us know what you’d like to hear discussed. If you want to be involved with a larger group, and hear what God is doing among like-minded believers, and be encouraged – this is a must-attend.
Sessions will run from 7pm Friday night, to Sunday 4 pm. A hotel group discount will be made available.
Drop us an email to let us know of your interest.
A message from Pastor Randy:
Christian Nobility
(The Call to Biblical Chivalry)
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [your wife(s)] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7)
Chivalry[1] is a term “associated with the ideals of knightly virtues, honour and courtly love”.[2] Today we apply the term to describe courteous behavior of men towards women. There was a time that chivalry was broken down into Warrior Chivalry, in which the knight’s chief duty was to his lord. Religious Chivalry, in which the knight’s chief duty was to protect the innocent and serve God; and Courtly Love Chivalry, in which a knight’s chief duty was to his lady.[3] These knights represented a noble class of people who were considered trusted servants of their king. It was their duty to give honor not only to their leaders and God, but to also give honor towards their lady.
As men of God, we husbands, like the knights of old, also represent a noble class of people. We are not only part of a chosen generation, but we are also part of a royal priesthood,[4] and are considered trusted servants of the King of kings. As trusted nobility we have a specific calling from God towards our wives, which brings me to “The Call to Biblical Chivalry”. Although chivalry isn’t mentioned in the Scripture, the practice of chivalry is encouraged by the passage above, that is, the practice of “giving honour unto the wife”.
What does it mean to give honor to our wives? “Honor” comes from the Greek word “timē ” (pronounced tee-may'), to “esteem”, give “dignity” and to give “recognition”. In fact, it is the same Greek word the angels use when describing the worth of God in their worship.[5] Ancient Greece used the word to ascribe “regard” or “respect” to “an exalted personage”.[6] It means God expects His Royal Priesthood, His Christian Nobility, to honor their wives as if they were honoring God! Is this really what God expects? Absolutely! Do you remember when Christ was sharing about the difference between the sheep and goats in Matthew 25? He made it abundantly clear that how we treated others was how we treated our King! He said “…inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.”[7]
In practical terms, it is the act of showing deference for the needs of our wives over our own needs.[8] Let me tie the above concepts together for us. If the King of kings came to live with us, would we open the door for Him when getting into the car? If He asked us to take out the trash would we tell Him, “I will get to it later?” If He came from the store after buying groceries, would He need to ask us to help Him bring in the groceries? If during a televised football game He asked us to do something, would we tell Him that we would do to it later? I know that I certainly wouldn’t!
We are called to be “continuously giving honor”(Gr.)[9] to our wives. This isn’t something that we are to do only when we are at church, or a retreat, or in public. How we treat our ladies not only reflects upon how we treat our king, it also reflects upon our king. Just as the knights were reflections of their king, we are reflections of our King! So, showing honor is “Biblical Chivalry!” It is the act of Christian Nobility selflessly deferring to our ladies by loving them as Christ loves the Church!
[1] It is derived from the French word chevalier, indicating one who rides a horse (Fr. Cheval).
2 Chivalry. (2008). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved May 31, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalric
3 Chivalry. (2008). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved May 31, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalric
4 1 Peter 2:9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
5 Revelation 7:11-12: And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
6 Kittel, G. (Ed.). τιμή, τιμάω. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Grand Rapids: Vol. VIII). Wm.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
7 Matthew 25:40: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
8 Matthew 25:40: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
9 απονέμοντες = nom. pl. masc. Part. Pres. Act. from απονέμω. The Present Tense includes the concept of “continuous action”.
In this issue:
1) Biblical Families news
2) 2008 Retreat schedule
3) A message from Pastor Randy: Christian Nobility (The Call to Biblical Chivalry)
Biblical Families News:
1) Over 110 people have signed up for the forums or newsletter to date, and over 400 messages have been posted in the forums.
2) We’ve recently done AP interviews on Christian polygamy, are awaiting the resulting article – pray the author represents our position faithfully, and we are hoping for a BiblicalFamilies.org mention.
3) Most importantly: We held our first official Biblical Families retreat! We had 44 in attendance, representing 9 different households, and 6 states. Everyone was blessed and made new friends. Pastor Randy brought some timely and "on-target" messages on family unity and vision. Kids had a blast, and some people threatened to never go home! See some Orlando retreat pictures here. Read about or post retreat experiences here.
4) If you are interested in the Oregon retreat in less than 3 weeks, reply to this email now, and let us know!
2008 Biblical Families remaining Retreat schedule:
These retreats are a great way to meet like-minded Christians, and receive support for you or your family. Don't miss the chance to attend at least one retreat this year! Our retreats are very interactive – there won’t be classroom-style “teaching”, just sharing from those who have lived in, or spent time studying the Word about, plural families, and the Biblical foundations for such families. There is NO cost for attending a retreat – an offering will be taken to help cover any meeting-room or other expenses. We want you to come and be blessed!
West Coast, Salem, OR area retreat, June 20th-22nd
Actual location: Silver Falls State Park
We have a hotel for retreat attendees who aren't camping or live in the area – email us now for details.
This retreat is also a special event for “christianpolygamy2@yahoogroups” members.
This will be an outdoor retreat, due to the beautiful Oregon June weather – plenty for the kids to do.
Fellowship, worship, and getting to know each other – also separate men and women’s sessions.
We will met at 7pm Friday night, then basically all day Saturday, and again Sunday, if people desire.
Salem or Portland airports are fairly close by.
Central US, Dallas, TX area retreat, October 24th-26th
Contact us for retreat location.
This will be the “signature” Biblical Families retreat for 2008. We already have commitments for this retreat from a number of families and individuals.
There will be worship and fellowship, AND breakout sessions on topics important to plural families and those considering it – let us know what you’d like to hear discussed. If you want to be involved with a larger group, and hear what God is doing among like-minded believers, and be encouraged – this is a must-attend.
Sessions will run from 7pm Friday night, to Sunday 4 pm. A hotel group discount will be made available.
Drop us an email to let us know of your interest.
A message from Pastor Randy:
Christian Nobility
(The Call to Biblical Chivalry)
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [your wife(s)] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7)
Chivalry[1] is a term “associated with the ideals of knightly virtues, honour and courtly love”.[2] Today we apply the term to describe courteous behavior of men towards women. There was a time that chivalry was broken down into Warrior Chivalry, in which the knight’s chief duty was to his lord. Religious Chivalry, in which the knight’s chief duty was to protect the innocent and serve God; and Courtly Love Chivalry, in which a knight’s chief duty was to his lady.[3] These knights represented a noble class of people who were considered trusted servants of their king. It was their duty to give honor not only to their leaders and God, but to also give honor towards their lady.
As men of God, we husbands, like the knights of old, also represent a noble class of people. We are not only part of a chosen generation, but we are also part of a royal priesthood,[4] and are considered trusted servants of the King of kings. As trusted nobility we have a specific calling from God towards our wives, which brings me to “The Call to Biblical Chivalry”. Although chivalry isn’t mentioned in the Scripture, the practice of chivalry is encouraged by the passage above, that is, the practice of “giving honour unto the wife”.
What does it mean to give honor to our wives? “Honor” comes from the Greek word “timē ” (pronounced tee-may'), to “esteem”, give “dignity” and to give “recognition”. In fact, it is the same Greek word the angels use when describing the worth of God in their worship.[5] Ancient Greece used the word to ascribe “regard” or “respect” to “an exalted personage”.[6] It means God expects His Royal Priesthood, His Christian Nobility, to honor their wives as if they were honoring God! Is this really what God expects? Absolutely! Do you remember when Christ was sharing about the difference between the sheep and goats in Matthew 25? He made it abundantly clear that how we treated others was how we treated our King! He said “…inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.”[7]
In practical terms, it is the act of showing deference for the needs of our wives over our own needs.[8] Let me tie the above concepts together for us. If the King of kings came to live with us, would we open the door for Him when getting into the car? If He asked us to take out the trash would we tell Him, “I will get to it later?” If He came from the store after buying groceries, would He need to ask us to help Him bring in the groceries? If during a televised football game He asked us to do something, would we tell Him that we would do to it later? I know that I certainly wouldn’t!
We are called to be “continuously giving honor”(Gr.)[9] to our wives. This isn’t something that we are to do only when we are at church, or a retreat, or in public. How we treat our ladies not only reflects upon how we treat our king, it also reflects upon our king. Just as the knights were reflections of their king, we are reflections of our King! So, showing honor is “Biblical Chivalry!” It is the act of Christian Nobility selflessly deferring to our ladies by loving them as Christ loves the Church!
[1] It is derived from the French word chevalier, indicating one who rides a horse (Fr. Cheval).
2 Chivalry. (2008). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved May 31, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalric
3 Chivalry. (2008). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved May 31, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalric
4 1 Peter 2:9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
5 Revelation 7:11-12: And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
6 Kittel, G. (Ed.). τιμή, τιμάω. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Grand Rapids: Vol. VIII). Wm.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
7 Matthew 25:40: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
8 Matthew 25:40: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
9 απονέμοντες = nom. pl. masc. Part. Pres. Act. from απονέμω. The Present Tense includes the concept of “continuous action”.