Do you know of any doctrinally sound resources for dealing with eating disorders in a biblical way?
This is not my area of expertise, so I asked a theologically solid friend who is a certified biblical counselor, and who was gracious enough to point me in the right direction. I have not personally read any of these resources. As with any Christian resource, read discerningly, compare everything to Scripture, and reject anything that doesn’t line up with God’s word.
Women Helping Women:
A Biblical Guide to Major Issues Women Face Edited by Elyse Fitzpatrick* and Carol Cornish
This is a topical discipleship book which covers a
wide variety of issues including eating disorders.
Biblical Counseling Coalition has several resources on eating disorders.
(You may also wish to use their search bar for more specific terms,
such as “anorexia,” “bulimia,” etc.)
Christian Counseling and Education Foundation
has several resources on eating disorders.
(You may also wish to use their search bar for more specific terms,
such as “anorexia,” “bulimia,” etc.)
*I am recommending only these two resources from Elyse Fitzpatrick, and no others. Concerns have come to light about her theological trajectory in recent years (which I will address in another article). These are two of her older books.
If you have a question about: a well known Christian author/leader, a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy hit the big time several years ago with his “You Might Be a Redneck” one-liners. He frequently introduced the bit by saying, “I’ve found that there are rednecks all over, but sometimes people don’t know they’re rednecks. So, I came up with this little test…” and continued with such gems as:
“If you’ve ever had to carry a bucket of paint to the top of a water tower to defend your sister’s honor, you might be a redneck.”
“If your wife has ever said, ‘Honey, come get this transmission out of the tub so I can take a bath!’ you might be a redneck.”
“If you’ve ever been accused of lying through your tooth, you might be a redneck.”
It was a routine that a lot of us in the South found hilarious because we knew someone (or were someone) who fit nearly every one of Jeff’s jabs.
Like rednecks, there are apostate false teachers all over the place out there, only a lot of them (and their disciples) don’t know they’re false teachers. And the fruit of their lives and ministries is far wackier than anything a redneck has ever dreamed up. That fruit is a sign that we’d better examine the root of doctrine from which the fruit sprang.
So if any of the preachers and teachers you’re following have ever said or done the following things (or something even crazier), watch out, because they Might Be Apostate.
If you feature a Naked Cowboy impersonater (aka- your youth “pastor”) at your “Christian” women’s conference, you might be apostate.
If you’ve ever purposefully applied the pronoun “herself” to God, you might be apostate.
If you celebrated your 35th birthday by preaching at the “church” of your mentor, T.D. Jakes, and placing a $35,000 check in his offering wheelbarrow, you might be apostate.
If you’ve ever said, regarding your church’s worship service, “I probably wouldn’t have a stripper on stage…” but leave the door open to the idea because “God told Isaiah to walk around naked for three years,” you might be apostate.
If you say you’re a trinitarian, but think the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three “manifestations” of God rather than three Persons, you ARE apostate.
If your senior pastor father sexually abused boys at your church and paid them off to keep them quiet and you, as the subsequent pastor, knew about it but didn’t speak up, you might be apostate.
If you think that between the cross and the resurrection Jesus went to Hell and that Satan and the demons jumped up and down on His back, you might be apostate.
If a currently practicing homosexual couple wants to serve in leadership at your church and your only problem with it is that one of them isn’t yet divorced from his wife, you might be apostate.
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. Jude 3
What does the Bible say is the role of women in the church?
Is Jesus the only way to Heaven? Why?
Why is a literal, historical Adam and Eve crucial to the gospel?
What does God say about homosexuality?
Ladies, do you know the answers to these questions? Do you know and understand the Bible well enough to provide accurate scriptural support for your answers?
If not, you are not alone. Sadly, many Christian women are lacking in fundamental apologetics skills, the ability to defend even the basics of what they believe.
And part of the problem is that we often settle for being little girls in the faith instead of striving to become strong Christian women.
We pick churches where the pastor spends most of his time telling jokes or regaling us with personal stories because it makes us feel good instead of finding a pastor who is dedicated to rightly handling God’s word, sticking closely to Scripture, and feeding us copious amounts of it.
We pick women’s devotional books and Bible study groups that center around our emotions and building up our self esteem instead of building our esteem for Christ by leading us deeper into His word.
We build women’s ministries that focus on fluff instead of the Father, fun instead of faith, and where older women are left out instead of taking the lead and becoming spiritual mentors to younger women (Titus 2:3-5).
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a little joke from the pastor from time to time, or an occasional feel-good story, or fun ladies’ activity. It’s when these things make up the bulk of what we call “church,” “Bible study,” or “edification” that our sanctification can be stunted and we can end up as spiritual Peter Pans, refusing to grow up in Christ and remaining children in the faith perpetually.
And when we’re children in the faith, we fight for the faith like children.
When someone challenges our beliefs, emotional outbursts, name calling, unsubstantiated opinions, and personal preferences can take center stage because we don’t know our Bibles well enough to plant our feet firmly on the word and confidently and correctly declare, “Thus saith the Lord.”
Can you imagine Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) going like this:
And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
“What?! How dare you question who I am! You’re just a divisive hater!”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
“Well, that’s your interpretation. That’s not what those verses mean to me.”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Hmmm, I know God wants me to be happy and successful. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt, just this once…
No, time and again, here and throughout the gospels, Jesus answered, “It is written.” No ruffled feathers, no indignation. He calmly and firmly appealed to Scripture when God and His word were being maligned.
Jesus fought like the God-man, and we must follow in His footsteps and fight temptation and false doctrine like godly women. How?
We recognize and embrace the fact that, as Christians, the Bible -not our preferences, what’s convenient, or the world’s mores- is the final authority for our every thought, word, and deed.
We compare all things -even things that carry the label “Christian”- to God’s word and reject anything that conflicts with it.
We study our Bibles to learn about God- His nature and character, His plan of redemption, His requirements for us- not as a self-help book.
We learn from Scripture- not from our own or others’ opinions- what the role of godly women is, inside and outside the church.
We stand firm on God’s word when “the faith once for all handed down to the saints” is challenged, understanding that this will take humility, meekness, love, and boldness.
We warn and help our friends and loved ones who are being seduced by unbiblical teachings and personalities.
Every strong, godly Christian woman starts off as a little girl in Christ. There’s no shame in being there. There’s only shame in staying there.
Welcome to our brand new Wednesday’s Word Bible study! Over the next several weeks, we’ll be studying the book of Ezra. Many of us feel like our knowledge of the Old Testament – particularly the post-exilic writings – could use some beefing up, and Ezra is a perfect book to study for that purpose.
But is Ezra relevant to us as Christians today? As we study, I think you’ll find the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Second Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
God’s people are God’s people, B.C. or A.D. We love God, love His word, and struggle with many of the same sins. And, of course, God Himself never changes.
So let’s roll up our sleeves and start digging in, shall we?
Introduction to the book of Ezra:
Before we begin studying a book of the Bible, it’s very important that we understand some things about that book. We need to know…
Who the author was and anything we might be able to find out about him or his background.
Who the audience of the book is: Jews or Gentiles? Old Testament Israelites or New Testament Christians? This will help us understand the author’s purpose and approach to what he’s writing.
What kind of biblical literature we’re looking at. We approach books of history differently than books of wisdom, books of wisdom differently than books of prophecy, etc.
What the purpose of the book is. Was it written to encourage? Rebuke? Warn?
What the historical backdrop is for the book. Is Israel at war? At peace? In exile? Under a bad king? Good king? Understanding the historical events surrounding a piece of writing help us understand what was written and why it was written.
When the book was written. Where does the book fall on the timeline of bibical history? This is especially important for Old Testament books which are not always arranged in chronological order.
So this week, before we start studying the actual text of the book of Ezra, we need to lay the foundation to understanding the book by finding the answers to these questions.
Read the following overviews of the book of Ezra, taking notes on anything that might aid your understanding of the book, and answer the questions below:
1. Who wrote the book of Ezra? What was his profession? His background and lineage? What do these things tell us about his position in society, his knowledge of Scripture, his approach to writing, or anything else about him?
2. Who is the intended audience of the book of Ezra?
3. Which genre of biblical literature is the book of Ezra: law, history, wisdom, poetry, narrative, epistles, or prophecy/apocalyptic? What does this this tell us about the approach we should take when studying this book versus our approach to books of other genres?
4. What is the theme or purpose of the book of Ezra?
5. Who are the leaders and significant personalities in the book of Ezra?
6. What is the historical backdrop of the book of Ezra? When did the events of the book of Ezra take place on the timeline of biblical history (ex: before the Flood, during the period of the judges, during or after the exile, etc.)? What are the historical events immediately surrounding the events of the book of Ezra? Where do the events take place? (Sometimes, a good Bible map like this one or this one can be helpful.)
7. What else did you learn about Ezra or the setting of his book that might help you understand the text of the book better?
Hillsong holds an annual conference for women called the Colour Conference. This year at Hillsong- New York’s (yes, unfortunately, this blasphemous organization masquerading as a church has made it from Australia to the U.S.) Colour Conference, the organizers decided it would be a great idea to feature a “Naked Cowboy” impersonater. (If you don’t know who the Naked Cowboy is, Google at your own risk.)
Now let that sink in a minute: a mostly naked, good looking young man. On stage. In front of thousands of women.
What do you think was the reason for that?
It wasn’t during a regular Sunday morning “worship” service. Or at a men’s conference. Or at a youth event.
It wasn’t because the Naked Cowboy is known for leading any sort of biblical worship.
Hillsong had their youth “pastor” impersonate someone whose claim to fame is being nearly naked in public. In front of a crowd of women.
I can’t imagine any way you could spin this to convince people he was there for any reason besides being an object of lust for those women, like a male stripper at a bachelorette party.
A nearly naked “pastor” on stage to be lusted after. At a “Christian” conference for “Christian” women.
I’d like to take a moment here to remind you that this is the “church” that produced Christine Caine, and that she, Beth Moore, and Priscilla Shirer – false teachers, all – have all been featured speakers at past Colour Conferences.
When your church uses Hillsong music in your worship service or buys other Hillsong materials, this is the organization your offering money is supporting.
If it wasn’t enough that Hillsong teaches heretical Word of Faith theology (and it should be enough), is this enough to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for your church when it comes to using Hillsong materials?
Lots of Christians are boycotting Target over something as Kingdom-inconsequential as bathroom equality. Nobody’s going to spend an eternity in hell because of the bathroom he uses. But people do spend their eternities in hell for believing the false doctrine Hillsong and other Word of Faith organizations peddle. Isn’t it time for us to sweep around our own front door and give heresy the boot? When are we going to start boycotting false teachers and heretical “churches” like Hillsong?
Find out more about Hillsong’s false doctrine and disobedience to Scripture here.
