Baptist Seminary Offers Homemaking Major

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It's not that men and women aren't equals, the professors and students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary explain to the Los Angeles Times. God has just given them different responsibilities in life: Men make decisions; women make dinner.

Starting this fall, the women enrolled in the internationally known seminary - one of the largest institutions serving the largest denomination of Protestants in America - will have a chance to get an academic degree in their special, God-given role.

The academic program includes lectures on laundering stubborn stains and a lab on baking chocolate-chip cookies, as well as more philosophical courses such as "Biblical Model for the Home and Family," which teaches that God expects wives to graciously submit to their husbands' leadership.

When one student enrolled in the class admitted she sometimes resented having to change diapers while her husband had a career, she then cheered herself up by quoting Ephesians: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, to the Lord." And from Genesis: God created Eve to be a "suitable helper" for Adam.

Of course, the paper notes that more moderate Southern Baptists - including Jimmy Carter, who has left the fold - don't agree with this line of thinking, and counter with some scripture of their own. When Jesus dined at the home of two sisters, he praised Mary, who spent the evening studying his teachings, above Martha, who did chores.

But this is unlikely to be emphasized at a seminary run by Paige Patterson, known for banning women from becoming pastors or teaching men theology during his tenure as convention president in the 1990s.

"I'm personally going to teach the course in table manners," Patterson told the LA Times, moments after sneaking scraps of poached chicken off his lunch plate for his black Laborador, Noche.

Something's Rotten In Dentistry (And It's Not Just Teeth)

These are great times to be a dentist, but rotten ones to have teeth, the New York Times reports.

With dentists' fees rising far faster than inflation and more than 100 million people lacking dental insurance, the percentage of Americans with untreated cavities began rising this decade. It reverses a half-century trend of improvement in dental health, the paper reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released figures showing that in 2003 and 2004, the most recent years with data available, 27 percent of children and 29 percent of adults leave cavities untreated. It's the highest level since the late 1980s.

Unsurprisingly, the poor and lower-middle class are the ones going without care. Why? Most dentists want customers who can pay cash or have private insurance, and they do not accept Medicaid patients. As a result, publicly supported dental clinics have the kind of multiple-month waits that don't really belong in the developed world.

Worse still, state boards of dentists and the American Dental Association have fought efforts to use dental hygienists and other non-dentists to provide basic care for people who do not have access to dentists.

"Most dentists consider themselves to be in the business of dentistry rather than the practice of dentistry," said Dr. David Nash, professor of pediatric denistry at the University of Kentucky. "I'm a cynic about my profession, but the data are there. It's embarrassing."

Phoning Home, Now With A Megaphone

Today is a historic day for radio waves. Not only are they probing new realms of inner space at the Phoenix airport (which is testing out its new underwear-revealing security x-rays starting today), but they're reaching deeper into outer space than ever before with the switching on of a new array of radio telescopes in Hat Creek, Calif.

The New York Times reports that astronomers are flipping the switch today on the Allen Telescope Array -- 350 antennas, each 20 feet in diameter -- which will, among other things, "extend the search for extraterrestrial life a thousandfold."

"It's like cutting the ribbon on the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria," said Seth Shostak, an astronomer at the Seti Institute in Mountain view, Calif. He added that this was the first radio telescope ever designed for the extraterrestrial quest.

The government stopped paying for this kind of thing in 1993, so rich, quixotic sci-fi geeks have been left to pick up the slack. Like Paul Allen, a founder of Microsoft who donated $25 million in seed money for the project.

"If they do find anything, they're going to call me up first and say they have a signal," Allen said. "So far, the phone hasn't rung."

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[billpl-2009]

I assume they include a course on how to pleasure your husband

[hwy71so]

"The difficulty with handling this subject in a secular article, is that there would never be enough room to fully address the theological principles behind the concept. I will however attempt to give an overview: First, the concept of Christian submission is not an issue of value, but of role. It is based on the fact that though Christ is one with God (Thereby equal) The son of God willingly chose to submit to the will of the Father. No One would ever accuse Christians of devaluing Jesus, just like biblical Christianity does not devalue Women, but actually exalts a Godly wife. Second, perspective is only brought when looking at the entire context of Ephesians 5 where this is taken. One would find instruction that we all submit to one another. (Christian submission is willingly looking to the other persons interest rather than your own) Also, there are five times more intructions to husbands about how to treat their wives, including- love her like Christ loved the church. I remind you that Christ loved the church so much, he gave his life for her. This is a self sacrificial, serving love, that communicates to one''''s wife- "I would give my life for you"

Posted by swbts0402408 at 12:12 PM : Oct 11, 2007"

Wow, VERY well said. You don''t see many these days properly orate the message written in the Bible, especially the epistles. The most abused is the book of Revelations.

[jankebenz]

What horrid and detestable forms of primitive life would attempt to draw women back to the dark ages by teaching them home making. They better put a stop to this nonsense or before you know it the U.S. economy will nosedive. The fastfood industry would collapse first as meals are made at home, then childcare facilities will suffer immensely when these mislead women decide to raise their own kids. The lucrative law institutions would hard hit with the resulting decrease in crime and divorce rates as dads and juveniles are more apt to stay home now that a mom and wife are to be found. Oh please lets not go back to those dark days of families and noisy, children infested neighborhoods that reek of fried foods and baked pies

[jankebenz]

What horrid and detestable forms of primitive life would attempt to draw women back to the dark ages by teaching them home making. They better put a stop to this nonsense or before you know it the U.S. economy will nosedive. The fastfood industry would collapse first as meals are made at home, then childcare facilities will suffer immensely when these mislead women decide to raise their own kids. The lucrative law institutions would hard hit with the resulting decrease in crime and divorce rates as dads and juveniles are more apt to stay home now that a mom and wife are to be found. Oh please lets not go back to those dark days of families and noisy, children infested neighborhoods that reek of fried foods and baked pies

[Krazcarl]

Where can I buy one?????

[misands]

I also have to add that I would much rather have a woman who will speak her mind instead of mindlessly submitting to my will. It''s *** and makes the relationship more passionate.

[misands]

I think nothing is sexier than a smart professional woman who is strong and self-assured. Most women I''ve known who stay at home seem to just get fat and lazy over time.

[revlb-2009]

It is truly amazing to me how eductated people can be so ignorant on the subject of the Bible. The quote is incorrect to begin with. I can see that the writer did not research the verse of Scripture used. The actual Scripture quoted correctly is, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord", not "to the Lord but "as to the Lord". That makes a huge difference in meaning wouldn''t you say? That Scripture is immediately preceded by Ephesians 5:21 which says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
I have the utmost respect for any man or woman who wants to discover what God created them for and is willing to fit into that role and find their niche. Isn''t it a shame that so many women have lost the skills of being a home maker and managing a home simply by not using the skills because they can''t or think they can''t? My wife worked most of her career longing to be at home with our four children. She finally made it and couldn''t be happier. If that''s what she wants I''m all for her. I''ve been all for her since the day I met her. The reason is that I submit to the God who requires us to submit to each other because we deeply revere His design for us and His presence in our lives.
God knows what He''s doing. Trying to make it sound like some kind of slavery isn''t working with most of us out here. The writer should do a little more research before writing.

[missingamerica]

Hmmm...this is probably going to come out wrong no matter how hard I try, but what the heck.

I personally greatly value women who can make a house into a home. I don''t begrudge any woman their desire to do whatever they wish to do, but in terms of value to myself personally and to the world at large, the often-derided "homemaker/caregiver/mother" figure ranks as high as, if not higher than, any other "occupation" for a woman.

To me.

Women long were the true core of our civilizations; through them came the morality, compassion, and mercy children learned when they were most teachable.

I know that we men are supposed to be picking up the burden of bringing children up through the stages from unthinking, egocentrical consumers into mature and rational adults, but I suspect many men lack certain necessary skills in that area - high among them being empathy.

After all it is we men who, for all of recorded history, are the ones who start the wars.

What can be more the opposite of the caring, nurturing figure that a child-rearer must be than one who would use his powers of pursuasion and even outright subterfuge to convince others to maim, kill and destroy either with him or for him?

So if you run into a woman who wishes to take courses such as those this article mentions, hold back your criticism.

You may be doing the world a favor; that woman may raise the boy or girl who finally reins in the warlike tendencies of man.

[yoopermom]

Lydiasings;
I am so happy that this works for you. Unfortunatly with one son in collage and two more right behind him, I do not have the option of staying home.