Last Sunday, I warned the heads of household about the error of “partriarchalism” and want to clarify what I mean by that.
First, the error I want to warn heads of household about is that fathers and husbands must be careful not to make household issues church issues. Perhaps the key would be the “ism” part of patriarchalism. I believe we should be patriarchal, but not overstep the bounds that brings with it.
For example, a father cannot rightly deny communion to a child who was fussy on the way to church – that is overstepping into the realm of the elders. I have not seen that problem at our church, but the warning is still worth mentioning.
There are realms of authority that we have and those lines should not be overstepped. Just as an elder should not tell the fathers of the church when their children should go to bed, so a head of household cannot put a member of his family under church discipline.
