Luke 24:1-12 is the story about the women finding the empty tomb of Jesus. The Scripture identifies the women as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James.

Women were the first ones to discover that Jesus had risen.  I was wondering how this speaks to the value of women in God's eyes and within Christianity. Also, even though the women did discover this first, it didn't seem important until Peter came and discovered that Jesus was gone.

Sincerely, Femininely Focused

Dear Femininely Focused,

Women are given great value within the Scriptures – exactly the same value as men. Indeed, it was women that first found the empty tomb (Lk 24:1-2). Entire books are written about faithful women (Book of Ruth & Book of Esther). Several women are listed in Hebrews chapter 11, the ‘hall of faith’ chapter (Heb 11:11, Heb 11:23, Heb 11:31). The fact that the news of Christ’s empty tomb didn’t begin to spread until His apostles began spreading the word of it, doesn’t make the tender act of the women bringing spices to His grave any less meaningful. His apostles’ report of an empty tomb would have carried more weight than anyone else’s.

The Bible is clear that men and women have different roles within the church. Men are to lead the congregation as elders and deacons (1 Tim 3:2, 1 Tim 3:12). Women are to teach in more private settings and by their godly demeanors (Tit 2:3, 1 Tim 2:9-10). Husbands are to lead their families in sacrificial Christ-like love (Eph 5:25), and wives are to bind together their families by their respect for their husbands and love for their children (Tit 2:4, Eph 5:24). Yet, in all these differences, God makes it clear that neither male nor female is greater than the other (1 Cor 11:11-12). They are equals and joint-heirs of salvation in Christ (1 Pet 3:7).

We are instructed not to take the name of the Lord in vain, but can the word ‘god’ really be considered the Lord’s name? We do not know how to pronounce the Lord’s name, so we refer to the Lord as ‘God’, ‘Father’, and ‘Lord’, but aren’t those just classifications? God is what the Lord is; Father is His relationship to us (as is Lord), so should we consider those the name of God or just classifications for Him?  I know this doesn’t apply to Jesus or the Holy Spirit, for we are given Their names, and we know how to pronounce Them.

Sincerely, Name Recognition

Dear Name Recognition,

There is more to treating God’s name as holy than just avoiding the word ‘Yahweh’. It is true that the Jews didn’t pronounce the name ‘Yahweh’ (the name God gives Himself when He talks with Moses – Ex 3:13-14), considering it to be such a holy name that it was best left unsaid. The technicality of not being able to pronounce a particular Hebrew word is missing the point though.

The command to not use the Lord’s name in vain comes from Ex 20:7, otherwise known as the Ten Commandments (Ex 34:28). This is an Old Testament verse, but it is just as applicable to New Testament Christians because the concept is reiterated in the New Testament as well. Not using His name in vain is about more than just God’s technical name of ‘Yahweh’; it is about treating God as holy. Peter said it best when he said that you and I are to “show forth the excellencies of Him who called you” (1 Pet 2:9). We are to treat God with reverence (Heb 12:9). You would never use your parents’ names as swear words or exclamations of disdain. You would never speak ill of your friends or treat their names as bywords and cursing. When you say ‘God’ or ‘Lord’, everyone knows who you are referring to. Be very careful that you only use His name with the utmost respect. Sanctify all the names and terms you use for God as holy (Lk 1:49). God will not be mocked (Gal 6:7); if we don’t treat Him with respect and admiration – no technicality of pronunciation will save us on the Judgment.

My husband and I will be having our baby boy soon.  We still don't know if we should circumcise him.  What does the Bible say about this topic?

Sincerely, Concerned Parent

Dear Concerned Parent,

There is nothing wrong with circumcising your son as long as it isn’t for religious reasons. In the Old Testament, a Jewish boy was circumcised on the eighth day of his life (Lev 12:2-3), or he was to be cut off from his people (Gen 17:14). The reason for this was circumcision was a token of the contract God had between Him and Israel (Gen 17:11), and without circumcision, you could not be considered an Israelite.

When the New Covenant (a.k.a. the New Contract) began in Christ, circumcision was no longer mandatory for men. To Christians, circumcision means nothing (1 Cor 7:19). Baptism has replaced circumcision as the token of the new covenant. Just like you couldn’t be a Jew without circumcision, you can’t be a Christian without baptism (Mk 16:16). Of course, the difference is babies are circumcised, and adults are baptized.

There are medical reasons for why some doctors recommend circumcision, and it may be worth consulting your physician on the subject. However, from a spiritual standpoint, it makes no difference either way. So congratulations on the new addition to your family, and rest easy. Whatever decision you make will be fine.

     What kind of fallacy argument would you call it when someone says the following:

"You don't believe what I believe because what you believe is how you were taught to believe."

"It's because you never went to any other church."

"It's because you were raised in the church you go to."

Secondly, how would you convince someone that you are open-minded and unbiased when it comes to interpreting Scripture for what it says versus what you want it to say?

Sincerely,
Open-Minded

Dear Open-Minded,

A fallacy argument is any argument that isn’t based off of facts, but instead, some other persuasive and unreasonable argument.  In this case, the argument is a personal attack.  When someone says that you are wrong because you were raised in a certain church or because you haven’t seen every other church, it is the same as saying, “You’re wrong because I don’t like your parents”… whether or not you have good parents is irrelevant to the issue.

Just because you were raised in a church doesn’t mean that church is by default wrong.  People are raised in all sorts of environments, and wouldn’t it make sense that at least some of the population would be raised in good ones, AND if some people are raised properly, wouldn’t that also mean that some of those people would grow up and stay in the right church?

The way to handle this argument is to get back to the real issue – what does the Bible say a church should be?  Regardless of our backgrounds, we need to look at what the Scriptures actually say.  When you are having a religious discussion, they don’t have to trust you or your “interpretation”, they need to see the verse themselves, and then you can use the text as your standard of measure.  That is how to handle that argument; remind them that the Bible is the standard, and all you are asking for is to look at it and compare your religious beliefs to it.  No personal interpretation necessary.

As stated in the fifth commandment, you are to honor your father and mother. Yes, as a child growing up in the home, children are to be obedient and respectful and do as their parents say - whether that be cleaning up the room or completing chores. Yet, I have heard it said that once that child turns a certain age or moves back in after college, the parents should have less control and say over that child. For example, the child should be allowed to come and go as they please. So how much do they need to listen to their parents? Yes, as a respectful person helping out around the house as they would do in their own home as well as picking up after themselves in communal areas as agreed upon. However, do they need to make their bed every day or clean their room to their parents’ liking? And do parents have a right to demand these things or threaten to take away their child’s personal things (things that the child has bought on their own) as punishment?

Sincerely, Too Old For Spanking

Dear Too Old For Spanking,

You are old enough to no longer heed your parent’s wishes when you are old enough to move out. The transition from parental oversight to honoring (but not necessarily heeding) your parents’ wishes is most visibly seen at the point of marriage. When someone gets married, they leave their parents and cleave to their spouse (Mk 10:7). Even if unmarried, when a child is old enough to “leave the nest”, it has the same effect as ‘leaving and cleaving.’ It sounds like your parents’ rules may be stricter than is appropriate for your age, but the fact remains that you are under their roof. Time has not made you equals, and they may have a good reason for those house rules. Take the time to understand their reasoning (Pr 23:22).

No rent, free food, free utilities, etc. gives them authority to set some ground rules regardless of age. If you are out of college and in your twenties, you have the ability to change that relationship… by moving out. Until then, you have a responsibility to abide by their house rules. Otherwise, you can always talk to them and hope to alter the house rules in a way that better suits both of your needs.