"Dad, what's a concubine?" How do you answer that? Especially if it is your seven year old daughter asking the question? My daughter decided to read through the bible when she turned seven, and when she came to Genesis 22:24 she found the word concubine. Oh boy -- she came to my room to have me explain it...and...uh...I...sent her straightway to her mom. For those of you who don't know what a concubine is, here is the definition: "A woman who lives with a man but has a lower status than his wife. A mistress." Now you know how to answer your seven year old daughter. I also bring this word up because I am currently reading a book about Martin Luther (the 16th century reformer), and during his day the Roman Catholic Church offered special indulgences and absolutions for people and clergy who broke the Church's morality laws. As long as they paid, they were let off God's purgatorial hook. It was also a great way for the church to bring in revenue and keep control over the peasantry. One payment in particular that the author highlighted, and I have never heard of before, was a "'concubinage fee' payable by parish priests to their bishops for the privilege of ignoring their celibacy vows." So if a priest wanted to have a weekend on the town, he would go to the local bishop, pay some cash that he probably got from that morning's offering, and received a certificate of grace to go and have a good time with a concubine of his choosing. He also probably got a devious smile and slap on the back from the bishop as well. Crazy, huh? What is interesting, this same type of behavior must have been prevalent in 18th century Russia because Fyodor Dostoevsky touches on it in his book Brothers Karamozov. He talks about how the church actually liked to be the arbitrator between God and man's sin because it gave them tremendous control and favor with the people. Listen to this statement in his book: "Did we (the clergy) not love mankind when we admitted so humbly its impotence and lovingly lightened its burden and allowed men's weak nature even to sin, so long as it was with our permission." In other words, the church knows people will sin, in fact they can't help sinning; but it's O.K. as long it is with the church's permission. As the author of my book says, "The 'deal' men struck with the institutional Church left them free to be religious without the burden of being devout." You know something, things haven't changed. In fact, in some evangelical circles, "concubinage privileges" are handed out all the time in the form of twisting the scriptures to allow same sex coupling, & ignoring scripture when hetero-sexual couples decide to have a family and live together outside of marriage. Pleasing people and sanctioning sin through bad or non-existent exegesis is the modern clergy's new way of gaining power and control. Instead of power coming from a top down dictate like a Church magisterium, the modern evangelical power comes from giving sanction to the cultural whims of the day. "If you tell us what we want to hear, you're hired, your books will be bought, and we will give you the power of the pulpit." Timothy calls this "tickling ears." For instance, when a popular ministerial leader like Rob Bell discusses his views on homosexual marriage and says, "I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs – I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are..." he is inferring that pastors who disagree with him are stuck on a ship to nowhere. He and teachers like him, love to give permission to a new ethic and morality, because the people he gave permission to will return the favor by giving him cultural popularity and power. Popular voices of culture (especially political progressives) love to be the new arbiters between God and man....and the curious carnal crowd will love them for it. Pastors, priests and church leaders are not called by God to give people permission to sin. We are here to be faithful witnesses...no more and no less. Deep down, people really do want to hear from God, even if they are violently against his truth the first time they hear it. If we don't speak truth, regardless if people like it or not, the peace and power of God will be forfeited - - his light will be snuffed out. If we are only here to make people happy, after awhile they will have no use for us anymore because that isn't our purpose. So pastors, teachers, and parents...speak the truth and don't give people permission where God hasn't given it. Never forget what God told Jeremiah in 15:19 - "If you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them."
1 Comment
Tyler Imhoff
11/3/2014 08:43:26 pm
Well said. Galatians 1:6-10 sums it up as well.
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