Gossip: The Plague of the Church (TBB)

The “TBB” in the name of this post means that it is part of The Big Box series. If you’re new to Scarlet Letters, read the introductory post to see what the Big Box is all about.

So I probably ought to admit up front that I’ve been dreading this lecture for the entire box. (And, yes, that is one of causes underlying the month-long posting hiatus. Hester will now don sackcloth and ashes and hang her head in shame.) No, it’s not because I was expecting Brown to say something earth-shattering that would require me to rethink my position on patriarchy. It’s because gossip is one of the favorite clubs of cultic groups against those who attempt to report problems, and let’s just say there’s been a lot of beatings lately.

But does Scott Brown use gossip this way? You’ll find out in today’s post. But first let’s take a look his actual handling of the Bible.

The Centrality of the Home in Evangelism and Discipleship (TBB)

The “TBB” in the name of this post means that it is part of The Big Box series. If you’re new to Scarlet Letters, read the introductory post to see what The Big Box is all about.

This is the first and only time in my Big Box that I’ll be interacting with Voddie Baucham, pastor of Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, TX. The brief bio on his church’s website should serve as a good introduction (emphasis mine):

A Home School Vision of Victory (TBB)

The “TBB” in the name of this post means that it is part of The Big Box series. If you’re new to Scarlet Letters, read the introductory post to see what The Big Box is all about.

It’s appropriate that I should be reviewing A Home School Vision of Victory this week, as I’m currently attending New England’s largest Christian homeschool convention and in fact, I’m posting this review from my hotel room. Unfortunately, Doug Phillips and Vision Forum won’t be making an appearance. But that doesn’t mean we can’t crack open the Big Box and take a peek inside…

How Modern Churches Are Harming Families (TBB)

The “TBB” in the name of this post means that it is part of The Big Box series. If you’re new to Scarlet Letters, read the introductory post to see what The Big Box is all about.

In the last installment of The Big Box, I complained that Scott Brown’s Equipping Men for Leadership in the Home and Church did not provide any detail about the day-to-day functioning of a Family-Integrated Church. Well, this week I got my wish, as John Thompson’s How Modern Churches Are Harming Families provides loads of detail on this point, so I recommend that this post be read in tandem with last week’s to get the full picture of the theology underlying Family-Integrated Churches.

Equipping Men for Leadership in the Home and Church (TBB)

The “TBB” in the name of this post means that it is part of The Big Box series. If you’re new to Scarlet Letters, read the introductory post to see what The Big Box is all about.

When I took Scott Brown’s Equipping Men for Leadership in the Home and Church out of my Big Box, I had high hopes. I was expecting a meaty, detailed look at the more practical aspects of Vision Forum’s theology of male headship, and perhaps a glimpse or two at the day-to-day inner workings of a family-integrated church (FIC). But as we all know, there are times in life when you are disappointed. This was one of those times.