Ahh, the sweet joys of celebrating Chauvinism

UPDATE: Apparently I was a bit too "erudite" for my own good and forgot that many people are not aware of the fact that "Chauvin" is an alternate spelling for "Calvin" . . . the play on words was intended to tweak the noses of feminists -- remember back in the day when "male chauvinist pig" was a popular phrase among the bra-burners? -- but there was no intent to imply that Calvin was a chauvinist in the sense of "excessive nationalistic fervor." (That chauvinism derives from a different person, Nicolas Chauvin.) The fervor of Jean Chauvin (Calvin) was not for the glorification of any earthly nation, but rather for the glorification of God and the coming of His Kingdom -- and with regard to those two things, especially the former, it is hard to imagine what might constitute "excessive fervor." Be that as it may, I'll try to confine myself to humor and sarcasm that is self-explanatory . . . memo to self: avoid jokes that require their own leather-bound commentary to be properly understood. I may as well add that everything Jean Calvin stood for was pretty nearly diametrically opposed to the Napoleonic hero-worship, warmongering and imperialism associated with Nicolas Chauvin (who may have been a legendary personage, by the way.)

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John Lofton and Joe Morecraft discuss Chauvinism in this year commemorating 500 years since Chauvin's birth. They offer evidence against some of the oft-repeated myths about this great man and his doctrines -- including some perpetuated by Keely Emerine-Mix.

Among other things, I was happy to hear about his personal zeal for evangelism. That fact is something that needs to be publicized more. At the same time, even R. J. Rushdoony commented on the fact that historically the Presbyterians lagged behind such groups as the Methodists and the Baptists in missions work. I remember hearing him joking about how the Methodist evangelists went West on foot, the Baptists on horseback, and the Presbyterians by train. On the other hand, Presbyterian and the Reformed missions were very active in East Asia, as evidenced by the fact that South Korea is today one of the world's leading bastions of Presbyterianism.

Be that as it may, Morecraft's comments on the place of evangelism within the context of predestination are quite helpful, in my opinion, and serve as an antidote to some of the common misrepresentations.

The Apostle Paul vs Biblical Feminists

After listening to this interview, The Pauline Doctrine of Male Headship: The Apostle Versus Biblical Feminists sounds like a book that I'd like to read. John Lofton says that Rev. Bordwine "makes the rubble bounce." (A reference to Curtis LeMay's statement, "We should bomb 'em back to the Stone Age, and then make the rubble bounce.)

I have seen some less-than-convincing exegesis and reasoning in the arguments of some Reformed writers opposing "biblical feminism." But good arguments against "biblical feminism" can be made from the Bible so I hope this book really does "make the rubble bounce."

(I use scare quotes because since feminism is not biblical, the phrase is an oxymoron; however, the Bible does hold an exceedingly high view of women, seeing women as the equals of men, and it highly esteems the legitimate roles and functions of women in society. Ironically feminism -- even the "biblical" variety -- tends to disparage the most important roles of women in society and therefore is anti-woman in its basic orientation.)

Of course, one might also be able to make the case that Lofton and Bordwine oppose "biblical feminism" because they are butt-kissers who need to be infused with the Holy Ghost.

Seriously, Here is Dr. R. C. Sproul's foreword to the new second edition of this book.