Tuesday, August 7, 2007

One reason we left a reformed church (more)

My husband and I felt that the church we left earlier this year appeared to us to be becoming more influenced by Vision Forum, and that worried us. We both have huge concerns regarding Vision Forum. Some of what they teach can be okay for some people, but to say that their way of life is *the* way God wants all Christians to live is unreasonable and legalistic.

Some key issues for me were disagreement with the issues of submission/headship and discipline. My and my husband's marriage does not follow the patriarchal model. Also, we do not believe that discipline = spanking. And even further, we do not spank our children or expect unquestioning first time happy obedience (they are great kids, btw :) ).

One thing that has attracted us to Lutheranism is that they don't have all the "rules" that many Reformed people have. Lutherans seem to be really big on the importance of following personal convictions.

So, for instance, if you have a conviction not to spank, then, since the Bible doesn't command us to spank, follow your personal conviction not to spank. There was a Q and A on one of the Lutheran sites where someone was asking what a husband should do if his wife doesn't believe in spanking. The husband was encouraged to support his wife in her personal conviction and not make her spank. I'll see if I can find the link again and post it here.

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