I read the blog on a webzine called Boundless.org. They posted this on Mark Driscoll on 1 Timothy 5:8, But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Driscoll says that if a man in his church doesn't provide for his family, that is, forsakes his role as the bread winner and is a stay at home Dad instead while his wife works full time, he's up for church discipline!
I gotta disagree with him there. I think it's taking 1 Timothy 5:8 out of context. Why is being the stay at home Dad worthy of calling a man worse than an unbeliever?? I think Discoll's taken it a bit too far. The reason why a man should provide for his family is explained in the verses before that:
3Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame.
It is so that people are not led into sin by his actions and failure to provide for them. Let's say the wife is more able to find a better job than her husband and so they agree that she will work instead of him because it's better at that time, then they are still providing for the family and they can still take care of widows in the family. The wife is meant to be the helper to the husband and that doesn't necessarily mean that she stays at home. In this case, it means that she's helping by working instead of him because she is more able and it is better financially.
If a man's actions are causing people to sin, no matter what his actions are - staying at home, working, going to the pub, whatever! Then he ought not do it. The reason why a man should provide for his family is so that those family members in need (in this case, widows) are not destitute and turn to prostitution. That is the reasoning. It isn't right to take this verse away from the others and apply it as a blanket rule over all family units and say that it's a matter of church discipline.
That's dumb. Taking verses out of context = bad. Sinning and causing others to sin = bad. Burdening people with more laws that are superfluous = bad, especially when it is in NO WAY a salvation issue. *sigh*
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