Mark Driscoll posted an interesting video about being a stay at home dad, which I STRONGLY disagree with.
Video summary: according to the Bible (1 Timothy 5:8) being a stay at home dad is wrong. Driscoll, and his wife, use some pretty strong language to point out why they believe the woman should stay at home with children and why the man should work.
Personally, I believe that a husband and a wife should decide which situation fits their own household best and they should seek God for his guidance in “providing” for the family.
The problem I have with Driscoll’s view, is that it shoehorns their own personal interpretation of the word provide into this issue and they come across very arrogantly and forcefully about why they are right and people who choose otherwise are wrong.
1 Timothy 5:8 says, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” (KJV)
“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (NIV)
According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the word “provide” in 1 Timothy 5:8 means:
1) to perceive before, foresee
2) to provide, think of beforehand
a) to provide for one
b) to take thought for, care for a thing
It has nothing directly to do with working outside the home. A man is a man because he has the foresight to do what’s necessary to take care of the needs of his family. For some that means working outside the home, for others that means working from home. For others, it means supporting his wife as she brings in the primary source of income. My wife makes more than I do. Does that make me unbiblical?
I think the reason I disagree with the Driscoll’s is because they are buying into a lot of stereotypes.
A man can’t dress kids or fix their hair right?
A man can’t make dinner or prepare lunches?
A man isn’t a man unless he clocks in and out somewhere and brings home the bacon?
A woman isn’t a woman unless she is “nurturing” her children from home?
A woman stays home and cooks, cleans, and births babies?
Granted, I know there ARE Biblical descriptions of virtuous men and women. I agree with them all. But I don’t think the verse in 1 Timothy 5:8 can be used as narrowly as the Driscoll’s are using it.
Personally, I want to be a stay at home dad. I don’t have kids yet, and that may change when they come, but I love the thought of working from home so that I can shape and mold my children’s character daily.
The bottom line is that what makes you worse than “unbelievers” is that you don’t have the foresight to take care of your family, NOT whether or not you are a stay at home dad or not.
My other thought when listening to them “teach” on this subject is whether or not they (or anyone else who uses this verse to push this concept) provides for all of their relatives…since it is pretty plainly written that if we don’t provide for them (and our immediate family) we are like infidels.
What do you think?
(ht: Joel Klampert)
