At This College, A Course On Homemaking

A Baptist Seminary In Texas Offers Classes That Stress Traditional Marital Roles

(Christian Science Monitor) 

The sun slants low, casting long shadows across the lawn at Pecan Manor, the Pattersons' home at Southwestern. Seated at the dining room table, Patterson speaks candidly with the students, using the book of Ruth and examples from her life to illustrate her point: leaving your comfort zone, submitting to God's will, and committing to faith and marriage leads to redemption.

Scripture is paramount in class, and most students bring Bibles, marking passages that explain God's plan for women and their role in the home, the church, and creation. Three other books are required, one detailing the principles of family, one focusing on the calling of wives and mothers, and the third stressing ways women and men are different, yet equal.

The students, who also take Greek, Latin, and theology, say they enjoy the class and are frustrated by the negative publicity it has spawned. "Feminists think we're taking women back to the 1950s, putting that yoke back on us, but we don't see it as a yoke," says Emily Felts. "Being a helper is a beautiful thing, and we want to learn how to do it the very best we can."

Still, she admits, well-meaning friends and family have told her she's limiting herself by studying homemaking. Other students say they learn a lot, not only from Patterson, but from their married peers, such as Heather Dalton. Her husband, Billy, in his third year at Southwestern, is considering mission work. She attends school and cares for their two children. She says he encouraged her to take the course, and it's strengthened their six-year marriage.

"I was brought up as an independent person, but when I finally stepped back from leading and became a helper, he stepped up and became a Godly leader," she says. "I studied the Bible and realized I'm distinct and fulfilled in that role, and a lot of tension was just gone."

The students say they understand how hard women fought to enter the workforce, but they should have the same right to stay at home if that's what's best for their families. "When both halves are doing what they're supposed to do, there's a balance," says Ashley Mills.