Earlier this year, Pete Hurst (Pastor of Calvary Reformed Presbyterian Church in Virginia and administrator of Patriarchy.org) delivered a series of four sermons in opposition to a form of patriarchy. These sermons were made available to the general public through SermonAudio.com and links were provided in various contexts including the forums of Phil Lancaster's Patriarch.com.
The sermons named Lancaster and Doug Phillips of Vision Forum and also dealt with issues raised in Lancaster's book, Family Man, Family Leader. The series provides listeners with a clear indication that Lancaster and Phillips promote a patriarchy which is nothing short of legalism.
Mr. Lancaster took time to review the sermons and provided a few comments through the SermonAudio.com function. I was particularly impressed by his general tone and posture toward the matter:
"I am thankful for some of his criticisms that will help improve and clarify the message of biblical patriarchy. However, much of what he attributes to me and others of like mind is simply not an accurate portrayal of what we teach ... Charity requires that we grant the most generous interpretation to a brother's position and refrain from the hasty attachment of negative labels to those who may differ from us." - Lancaster
I'm not seeking to make a point here about Pastor Hurst or Mr. Lancaster in terms of whose version of patriarchy most closely reflects the Scriptures. I would simply like to see a right effort at charity more widely represented within the modern Church. Certainly I include myself, as I have not achieved a perfect balance of charity and zeal, my imbalance having been evidenced on this very blog on more than one occasion I'm sure.
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