“Submission without freedom is oppression…” Gretchen Ronnevik

The context of this quote.

Gretchen Ronnevik:  The Bible calls each and every one of us to submit, in some capacity.

It doesn’t really talk about making others submit to you, in any capacity.

 

Pastor Becket:  Correct. It is all mirrored after Christ’s own submission to the Father (1 Cor 11:3). The Father does not demand the submission of the Son; the Son freely and lovingly submits to His Father. So it is with wife to husband, and all other forms of submission.

 

Gretchen Ronnevik:  As you’ve just read in my book, submission without freedom is oppression. That freedom is essential. That freedom is only possible through the gospel.

 

Pastor Becket is communicating the error of eternal submission of the Son. High control religion. It’s one-sided, wives submit to husbands. In high control communities, ESS is used to bind women’s consciences into practicing one-sided submission. If Jesus can practice one-sided submission to the Father, so can wives to husbands. It sounds spiritual, because isn’t the goal to be conformed into the image of Christ? Submission without freedom is oppression. In the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are submitting to one another. 

Wives & women in high control communities are told that they can only say no, or that they don’t have to submit, IF the husband/man is asking them to sin. 

That is submission without freedom, and it is oppression. 

In Christ, wives & women are free to say no, even if they are not being asked to sin. The same is true for men.

The grooming in high control spaces is the air that we breathe.

In healthy communities, both men and women practice submission. Authority, respect, and honor are shared among the body of Christ.

Adopting a language of open permission is how God relates to us in Christ, and how we can relate to each other.

Pastor Mark Anderson leads the way into freedom by adopting this language of having open permission.

Romans 12 – appeals to a freed conscience. This class has been one of the most edifying teachings regarding living the Christian life.

Sanctification and Becoming Holy – is another favorite that sets my mind on the Spirit, and helps me walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

Enjoy your life in Christ.

 

Related:

Women & Submission

Examining Gender Roles

You Are Called to be Free