Singles’ World May Edition’ 25

                           The Contemporary Thought on Christian Marriage 2

I am delighted to welcome you to the May edition of the Singles’ World for 2025. In the last edition, I discussed with you the influence of modernism and secularism on Christian marriage. I discussed the gradual attempt that is being made to decolonise and Africanise the Bible and thereby superimpose the doctrines of the African Traditional Religion on the infallible Word of God. I hinted that the Bible doctrines are being subverted and liberalised which I believe portends danger for the Pentecostal Christian theology.

In addition, polygamy is now being touted as the indigenous African culture which the Bible forbids because the Europeans, which purportedly wrote the Bible, want to reduce the population of the Africans. We insist that the Bible is the Word of God, and it was not written by the Europeans to enslave Africans. In this edition, I will discuss another influence of modernism and secularism on Christian marriage. This influence has continued to potentially impact negatively on the Christian marriage.

1. Independence for Women: One of the modernist trends today, as taught by the feminist activists, is to ask women to fight for their independence even in the Christian marriage. This is against the background that when such women have husbands that enforce their submission, they should fight for their independence even if it means walking out of the marriage and move on in life. According to the Christian theology, the woman was not created to live independent of her husband but to submit to her husband according of Ephesians 5:22. In fact, 1 Cor. 11:9 says that the woman was created for the man.

According to the order of God on the Christian family, the man is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church- Ephesians 5:23. Just as the Church cannot live independently without Christ who is the head of the church, the wife cannot live independently of her husband as the modernist false teachers teach. These false teachers believe that the Bible is unfair to women in its doctrines on marriage where the wife is under obligation to submit to her own husband.

Submission to these modernist scholars means subservience and slavery, and therefore, women are being told to stand up and fight for their independence. This is an attempt to vitiate and secularise the Word of God and also make our Christian women to be stubborn and unruly to their husbands. I say often that women feminists cannot become good wives as they believe in gender equality.

In the family setting, the husband and the wife are not equal; they may be equal in other climes though. The position of the Bible is not for women to live independent lives. That is why some Christian wives cannot endure, and they are not willing to bear anything in the marriage; their solution is to get out of any marriage that is opposed to their independence or fight the man until they are independent. That is a demonic doctrine and stand.

2. Assertiveness: Another trend in many homes today is that wives are being trained and taught to be assertive in their homes. They are taught that men don’t deserve much honour and respect or else they will maltreat you and turn you into slaves. So, assertiveness is one of the ways by which women can liberate themselves from the dominion and authority of men. I am not in support of the oppression of women, and the Bible is vehemently opposed to it.

Men are under obligation to love their wives and not to tyrannise them. But assertiveness in the feminist parlance means standing up for your right. This is not possible without some confrontation. There is no way a woman can stand up in defence of herself against the position of her husband without causing altercations and unimaginable crisis in the family. While there is nothing absolutely wrong for a woman to express her feelings and thoughts, such should be done clearly and respectfully without obviating the place of submission in the home. Unquestionably, this strange feminist thought pitches the husband against his wife through radical activism which is a rebellious attitude.

What we see eventually in the family according to this advocate of assertiveness is that we will have “two men” living together rather than a man and a woman. Like a preacher remarked, “a man loves the one he serves and the one that serves him, he fights the one that is at the level with him.” That is, the wife that is rubbing shoulders with him under the mantra that she is equal to her husband. We cannot have two masters in the same home.

The Christian marriage today is being endangered by these evil modernist thoughts. Hence, the prevalence of broken homes in society today because many Christian wives are seeking independence and freedom by hiding under assertiveness to confront their husbands in the most militant, atrocious and despicable aluta language. This modernist thought erodes the most treasured Christian ethos that exudes godliness and the sacredness of the Christian marriage.

Modernism and secularism have impacted negatively on the Christian marriage. These evil thoughts must be resisted if you want to enjoy your marriage and get the best of God. Proverbs 22:29 says “Don’t remove the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” This is the Word of God.  Proverbs 14:1 says “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” Are you building your house or plucking it down? Do you want to build your house or pluck it down?

By the grace of God, we will continue from here next month. Please do not forget to send me your comments and testimonies. If you are not born again, please surrender your life to Jesus Christ today. Tomorrow may be too late. Until then, God bless you. Amen.

Pastor Jide Ajidahun