If you've read my previous two blog posts, you can see that I take issue with harsh or legalistic approaches to family life and child rearing, while still maintaining a very conservative outlook on it. This position comes from my adherence to two things: Truth and Love. Truth without love is Law, and it condemns. Love without truth is a lie and it excuses. Both truth and love are best found in Christ[1], and in His sacrifice. Mercy and grace mean nothing without authenticity to define them. Being authentic in all things, without guile toward anyone, and striving at all times to ensure a life of integrity, is the only safeguard against legalism on the one side and license on the other. However, as Paul wrote, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”[2] On these two pillars I will fight to the death. My hope in Christ is built on His love and His truth. I therefore will validate everything upon these. If there is a lack of either in my life, I will change myself until I am both loving and authentic. If there is something in the things I teach my children or the way I conduct my business from day to day that fails to align with this, then I will change it. I am not perfect, nor am I the supreme authority on any matter. I am only a man, and I will do my best to remain humble and open-minded. (Being open-minded doesn’t mean that I don’t fully embrace, and risk life and possessions for truth that is sure. Once I’ve settled on the truth of a matter, I am more than willing to trust it and live out its implications.) What I want to avoid is the pharisaical legalism and ensuing hypocrisy that is noticeably present in several of the more outspoken members of the QF movement, particularly the portion that calls itself “Biblical Patriarchy.”
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All comments are moderated and are subject to review for profanity or ad hominem flames or other personal attacks against the author of this blog or other commenters. I encourage you to attack my arguments on their own merit. If they're faulty, I want to know. An attack on the possition of a reference is not a personal attack. If you see me doing it in a post, let me know, because I don't want to be guilty of it myself.