UK’s Methodist Church: Ministers Should Avoid Saying “Husband” and “Wife”

Now, of course, Scripture, from the very beginning, is filled with “gendered” language. In the creation account, we’re told that God created male and female, and then the use of language throughout Scripture mirrors and fleshes out the biblical truth that there are men and women, boys and girls—and that’s a wonderful thing! It’s part of God’s “very good” (Genesis 1:31) design.

Jesus was called the “friend of sinners,” yet he never watered down his message or excused or explained away sin in order to be less offensive to sinners.

Will some people be offended by the biblical truth that God created male and female and designed marriage for one man and one woman for life? Yes, some will be—but the truth is offensive to sinners! Jesus was called the “friend of sinners,” yet he never watered down his message or excused or explained away sin in order to be less offensive. He loved people (loved them enough to die on the cross for their sin!) and boldly and consistently called them to repent. We, as his people, are to do the same thing. And we are warned not to add to God’s Word!

The way to bring people to Christ is not to water down biblical truth or adopt a supposedly “Christianized” version of the thinking of our day. The answer to reaching people today is the same as it’s always been—boldly, uncompromisingly, with authority, and lovingly proclaiming God’s truth (the whole counsel of God) to all who will listen, while trusting that God will produce the growth in the hearts of men and women.

Learn More About God’s Good Design of Women

If you’re a woman and would like to learn more about God’s good design of men and women and how we can live it out and defend the truth, I encourage you to check out our Answers for Women conference taking place at the Ark Encounter, April 1–3, 2024. The theme this year is Reclaim: Overcoming the War on Women for the Glory of God. And if you can’t join us in person, we are live streaming our duplicate (sold-out) conference, April 4–6, 2024, so gather a group together at your church or in your home to enjoy the three days of biblical teaching together. You can see a list of speakers and find all the details at AnswersForWomen.org.

Get More Answers on Answers News

This item was discussed last Wednesday on Answers News with cohosts Roger Patterson, Avery Foley, and Dr. Gabriela Haynes. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum, broadcast on our Answers in Genesis YouTube channel and posted to Answers TV. We also covered the following topics:

• Which is better for determining sports performance—sex or gender identity?
• Are plants evolving to self-pollinate?
• A pro-life group loses its appeal and faces fines of $16 million.
• And more!

Be sure to join us each Wednesday at 2 p.m. (ET) on YouTube or later that day on Answers TV for Answers News. You won’t want to miss this unique news program that gives science and culture news from a distinctly biblical and Christian perspective.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.