When I first began putting together material on being an Excellent Wife, it just seemed like another important topic on which the Bible provides a great deal of information. It never occurred to me that people would object to having a man put together such a class. But they did.
In fact, it has been one of the most common questions I receive. Shouldn't a woman teach this? Isn't it wrong for you to teach this? Well, yes and no.
First, of course women can and ought to teach on being an Excellent Wife. Titus 2 makes that point abundantly clear. As we all know, the reality is that this happens very seldom in our churches. Too often, people interpret Titus 2 to mean "have a video series shown on Wednesday night." Actually, Titus 2 envisions a very different world of teaching and learning, one in which teaching is part of the testimony of the older women and is not limited to schedules and church buildings. But, still, women certainly can and should teach women how to love their husbands.
But, secondly, that does not mean men cannot teach what the Bible says as well. As a teacher of God's word, I am to teach all of God's word. I am not to say to God that some topics are not teachable, because all topics are teachable. I am not to tell God that I just will not do some things, but I am to teach what is needed in my church. Paul says that older women are to teach. He never says men are to keep silent.
There are three very good reasons for me to teach on this topic.
First, as I noted, I am a teacher. That is what I do. I teach God's word to men, women, and even children. I teach all that is in God's word, leaving out nothing. To try and separate things out as being "not teachable" is not my job.
Second, the Bible gives me an abundance of material for the Excellent Wife. As you will see from the website, there are a lot of truths provided to us. In addition to Titus 2, we have Proverbs 31, multiple individual verses in Proverbs, and multiple stories and images from throughout scripture. To simply ignore all these things, gifts from God to us, would be foolishness.
Third, I am a married man. Some people think that being a man disqualifies me, but that is absurd. Who better to teach about being an Excellent Wife than a man? As a man, I know how men feel much better than the women who teach on the topic, so I can give specific guidance on dealing with men and understanding men and coping with the oddities of men. I can explain, better than most women, why men act as they do, and help women learn how to "do them good and not evil all the days of their lives."
In short, I can teach this topic because God has gifted me to teach, because God has given me extensive teachings on the topic, and because God has given me the experiences and understanding to explain and elaborate on those teachings.
I honor those women who teach on this topic (as with all worthwhile topics), but the reality is that any Excellent Wife must, by definition, have a husband, a man, with whom she deals. Sometimes, having a man explain things is a great advantage. Sometimes, I am afraid, wives come to believe that being an Excellent Wife is just a "woman issue," when it is not. It is an issue for the church to address, a problem for the church to solve, and a glorious gift for the church to redeem.
In fact, it has been one of the most common questions I receive. Shouldn't a woman teach this? Isn't it wrong for you to teach this? Well, yes and no.
First, of course women can and ought to teach on being an Excellent Wife. Titus 2 makes that point abundantly clear. As we all know, the reality is that this happens very seldom in our churches. Too often, people interpret Titus 2 to mean "have a video series shown on Wednesday night." Actually, Titus 2 envisions a very different world of teaching and learning, one in which teaching is part of the testimony of the older women and is not limited to schedules and church buildings. But, still, women certainly can and should teach women how to love their husbands.
But, secondly, that does not mean men cannot teach what the Bible says as well. As a teacher of God's word, I am to teach all of God's word. I am not to say to God that some topics are not teachable, because all topics are teachable. I am not to tell God that I just will not do some things, but I am to teach what is needed in my church. Paul says that older women are to teach. He never says men are to keep silent.
There are three very good reasons for me to teach on this topic.
First, as I noted, I am a teacher. That is what I do. I teach God's word to men, women, and even children. I teach all that is in God's word, leaving out nothing. To try and separate things out as being "not teachable" is not my job.
Second, the Bible gives me an abundance of material for the Excellent Wife. As you will see from the website, there are a lot of truths provided to us. In addition to Titus 2, we have Proverbs 31, multiple individual verses in Proverbs, and multiple stories and images from throughout scripture. To simply ignore all these things, gifts from God to us, would be foolishness.
Third, I am a married man. Some people think that being a man disqualifies me, but that is absurd. Who better to teach about being an Excellent Wife than a man? As a man, I know how men feel much better than the women who teach on the topic, so I can give specific guidance on dealing with men and understanding men and coping with the oddities of men. I can explain, better than most women, why men act as they do, and help women learn how to "do them good and not evil all the days of their lives."
In short, I can teach this topic because God has gifted me to teach, because God has given me extensive teachings on the topic, and because God has given me the experiences and understanding to explain and elaborate on those teachings.
I honor those women who teach on this topic (as with all worthwhile topics), but the reality is that any Excellent Wife must, by definition, have a husband, a man, with whom she deals. Sometimes, having a man explain things is a great advantage. Sometimes, I am afraid, wives come to believe that being an Excellent Wife is just a "woman issue," when it is not. It is an issue for the church to address, a problem for the church to solve, and a glorious gift for the church to redeem.
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