Bewitched

Many readers may remember the 1960’s sitcom with Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York. It was fairly clear that Samantha ruled the roost, and bumbling Darrin sort of did what he was told and otherwise stayed out of the way. This, we now see, was intentional role reversal, as well as nascent feminism. It was, as far as I can tell, deliberate – crafted for the sake of comedy, but also intended to help reshape the culture. Did it work?

We get our ideas on witchcraft from Macbeth and Halloween, and see witches and witchcraft as harmless and even comical. Ugly women stirring up something nasty in a cauldron, or Margaret Hamilton and her flying monkeys, unable to prevail against Dorothy and the “good witch of the North.” But God has something very different to say about it. Scripture equates witchcraft with rebellion:

So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

– 1 Sam. 15:22-23 NKJV (emphases added)

God told Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites. Saul thought he had a better idea. As we know, it did not end well for Saul or for Israel.

How about today, and today’s American witches? Because God says:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

– Ephesians 5:22-24 NKJV (emphasis added)

(I want to make one thing clear before I proceed – this is NOT to be construed as a requirement for a wife to submit to an abusive husband. NO woman – Christian or otherwise – is required or even advised to submit to physical, verbal, sexual or emotional abuse. If the husband is abusive, the wife should LEAVE HIM.)

A wife is supposed to be in submission to her husband. That’s God’s order. Today, that’s part of what “obeying the voice of the Lord” means. If a wife is NOT in submission, then she is in REBELLION. And this, my dear friends (or maybe former friends by the end of this post), is witchcraft. ANY married woman who is not in submission to her husband is practicing witchcraft. She may be pleasant, well-dressed, popular, and a regular church-goer. She may be beautiful, and she may even lead Bible studies. But she’s a witch.

Paul gives at least one practical application of a proper submissive spirit in 1 Cor. 14:35 because the plan was clearly for the believing husband to be the spiritual head over his wife. The wife’s spiritual head is NOT “the minister” or “the pastor” or “the lady who runs the women’s Bible study.” Peter gives a related admonition in 1 Peter 3:1 –

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.

Do not let your adornment be merely outward–arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

– 1 Peter 1-4 NKJV (emphases added)

Well, how about that? Chaste conduct, fear (reverent respect), and a gentle and quiet spirit – how anachronistic. How unAmerican!! And even if the husband does not obey the word, the wife is to be in submission to him! Women, and especially modern American women, really don’t like this. Their excuse is that their husbands aren’t spiritual, their husbands don’t go to church, or their husbands don’t love them so they’re released from this obligation. “It’s all HIS fault. He’s a jerk; he brought this all on himself.“

Okay, fine. You signed up to be his “suitable helper” and he turned into a jerk on your watch. Rebellion is still witchcraft, and you can explain it all to God when you stand before Him. American church leadership also will have some explaining to do. After all, they should be telling these women to be in submission to their husbands. Instead, they assume the mantle of spiritual leadership themselves. They usurp the husband’s legitimate, God-given spiritual authority, the rebellious wife is complicit, and God’s order is flagrantly disobeyed. The word of the Lord is rejected. Re-read 1 Sam. 15:23 above.

As an equal opportunity curmudgeon, I must also point out to you men that love is patient and kind; it is not arrogant or rude. It isn’t fault-finding, but rejoices in what is good and right. You’ve no doubt heard this – 1 Cor. 13:4 was probably read at your wedding. It its primary application, these verses are telling us how God loves us, but the secondary application is how we are to love each other. So even if she’s a witch, you must love her. Husbands must love their wives, and wives must respect their husbands (Ephesians 5:33).

Now, if you’re still with me, you may wonder what triggered that little tantrum. Actually, it was a short video entitled Elon Just Called Out Christianity by “Fight For Truth.” The bottom line is that American Christianity has basically become “toothless” (Elon Musk’s conclusion). Is this true? And if so, WHY??

Is it gutless and spineless pastors running popularity contests in seeker-sensitive churches? Well, that’s probably part of it. Sunday morning Christian rock concerts and TED talks don’t exactly transform anybody. But putting on your Sunday best and then sitting quietly (unless singing as directed) is not the sort of thing real men relish. So the church venue has already been badly – perhaps fatally – feminized, and real men are generally (eventually) repulsed. I hung on for years, not because I thought it was good for me, but because I thought it was somehow honoring to God. Or something.

But most probably not. Tom Wadsworth has pulled back the curtain on this one. He has done a well-researched video series on Why the Early Church Did Not Have Worship Services. The early church met in houses to build each other up. They did not gather to have “worship services” in any sense. They took the great commission seriously. We’ve converted Matthew 28:19-20 to an evangelism mandate, but it’s about making disciples, not winning the lost. Real Christianity takes patience, courage and maturity, ALL of which are sorely lacking, and NONE of which is fostered by American churches. Can we fix what’s badly broken, or is it too late?

I suspect that for our institutional churches, it’s too late. The folks running those programs like things the way they are: a liturgy, a paid professional managing things, with a nice building and paid staff. They generally want bigger audiences, better music, and more contributions. And I strongly suspect that a lot of the MEMBERS want the status quo. People are inherently religious even if estranged from God, and what better place for lost people to congregate than in an American church? Safe venue, clean and polite people, non-offensive message, entertainment, and it’s all superficial. No one pries into your business or meddles with your life. Speak a little Christian lingo, maybe put a bumper sticker on your car, and they will assume you’re saved. It’s understandable, but it is NOT Biblical Christianity.

But for families, I think there may still be hope. The man is still the head, to be submitted to and respected. He needs to provide love and leadership as best he can. The wives are still called to be helpers “meet” (that’s Elizabethan English for “suitable”) for their husbands, respecting them, following them, and supporting them as best they can. Husbands need to lead by example and love their wives, and the wives need to repent of their witchcraft and submit to their husbands.

Sadly, the whole culture pushes back against it. And many men no doubt simply don’t want the domestic strife that would most probably result if they tried to provide headship over a wife who is used to getting away with being assertive, impatient, unkind or unsubmissive.

I’m out of ideas. I don’t know where or how to begin. Maybe if enough of us are broken, God can use us. I sure hope so.

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