S.S. Enlightenment

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm a big fan of Athol Kay's Captain/First-Officer model to explain the roles of husband and wife in a Christian marriage. (Language Warning: the post contains the S-word, "submission"...and a couple truly "colorful" expressions.)

Today, I thought it would be fun to imagine an aircraft being flown by a more "progressive" (egalitarian) flight crew...

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(We are aboard S.S. Enlightenment, a starship located somewhere in the Whirlpool Galaxy and cruising at just under 3 light-years per hour...)

Captain: Check fuel pressure, please.

First-Officer: (quick sigh) Yes, sir.

Captain: In five minutes, we will reduce speed to Idle, and then have Maintenance double-check our thrusters are clear before going into Warp.

First-Officer: This would be a triple-check, sir. (rolling eyes)

Captain: Is that so? Something tells me you're unhappy about that...

First-Officer: With permission to speak freely, sir, reducing to Idle adds 4 hours to our trip. And we've already been put behind schedule after stopping in Andromeda to take pictures of the billboard.

Captain: (chuckles to self) "Rent this space."

First-Officer: (dead pan) Hilarious. But, you are aware we will be turned away from the docking bay if we don't make it to base on time.

Captain: I am also aware we will not make it to base at all, if space particles clog our thrusters and the entire ship goes down in flames...  Thank you for weighing in, co-Pilot, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

First-Officer:  Okay...but.  Um...

Captain: Is there something else?

First-Officer: (trying for delicacy) It's just, well...you did it again.

Captain: Did what?

First-Officer: You asked for my input and then totally disregarded it. Plus, you referred to my lesser-rank. That's a shame technique, I think. 

Captain: Sincere apologies, co-Pi--er--I mean, Other Captain. Like I've told you before, your presence is valuable...and I'd hate to make you feel less powerful than I am.

First-Officer: You say that. But your actions speak louder than words. When it comes to how you run this ship, it's like my feelings don't matter.

(looooong pause) 

Captain:  ....Oh, uh, my turn again. Well, if I've done something to upset you, I truly am sorry. And even though I don't always remember to thank you, it's a real privilege to sail the Cosmos with you.

First-Officer: I appreciate that, sir.

Captain:  I mean it! You're making me a better Captain, by showing me how to be nice. Anytime you want to discuss your feelings, just let me know.

First-Officer: Aw, shucks, sir.

Captain: Now, I believe our 5-minutes are almost up. So if you would kindly begin initiating speed reduction--

First-Officer:  Say WHAT?!  You literally just finished saying you are sorry for upsetting me. And now you're going to continue with the plan I said I didn't like?! That's exactly what I'm talking about--treating me like I'm worthless!

Captain: Sometimes I take your advice, Other Pilot. But I've been given command, and it's difficult to do my job when I have to justify every decision I make.

First-Officer:  You're not in the team mindset, Captain.  You act like a solo-rider on a one-man vessel sometimes. But, when you work on a ship with a crew, you have to value their input... you have to talk and talk and talk and talk until everybody agrees on the strategy, and then everyone can tackle problems together. There is unity and nobody feels inferior.

Captain: (scratches head) I guess I see what you're saying. My only question is...why call me Captain if I don't make any calls?

First-Officer: Again, thinking of yourself... It's not true leadership to flaunt titles and demand authority. Good leaders make plans that other people want to follow. And, right now, I don't want to follow your plan.

(One of the crewmen notices a red light flashing)

Captain:  Boy, when I stop and think about how much I've expected trust and loyalty...it's kind of embarrassing! I think you're right, Other Captain. I need to earn the respect of my crew. And since that won't be accomplished through a display of competency, like I once thought, I'm going to be a good leader by letting a more qualified person handle it.

First-Officer: (startled) Wait. No, you can't mean--

Captain: That's right, co-Pilot.There is no one I trust more than you to steer the ship in my absence.

(Smoke has begun rising from a control board. Crewmen are punching buttons, scurrying for water, and trying to get the attention of the quarreling pilots.)

First-Officer: But you're not absent, sir! The Command Post appointed you Captain, and I would never dream of usurping that power...

Captain: Nonsense. Command has always said we're equally smart and equally valuable in our roles on this ship. (walking away) So why don't you take the wheel?

First-Officer: (spinning between desperation and anger) But...but...but, you can't abandon me this way!

Captain: If you need me, I'll be in my cabin, beating my Pong score.

(The ship shakes and cracks. Two, female crew members watch the Captain walk out the door and begin whispering to each other.)

First-Officer: (to the females)  See? I TOLD you he was lazy! (continues muttering to self) And how am I supposed to lead when he's left the ship in such bad shape?...

(The door closes, but the First-Officer gives the Captain one last piece of her mind.)

First-Officer: You're supposed to lead!!!! ...Just do it like I would!!!!!!

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For more on the topic of power-hungry church ladies, see today's post on The Woman and the Dragon. The story is satirical (yay!), but the author swears the part about the Ladies' Bible Study is totally true...

The Manosphere

Essentially, there is no reason for me to post here ever again, because I've found another blogger who coherently says everything I've ever tried to express about biblical marriage, dominance/submission, Feminism (blech!), and our wayward, selfish culture. The author is a member of the manosphere--and since I doubt you are familiar with the term, I encourage you to keep reading.

 Long-time readers know I've ranted on a wide array of topics, from the tragedy of modern marriage to the evil S-word, Submission. From the thinly veiled insecurity of "comedian" Tina Fey, to the self-worship promoted by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. From the importance of a father, to the necessity of sacrificial motherhood (and here), to the irritating celebration of out-of-wedlock births... and, all along, even I didn't know these things had something in common (besides calling out human selfishness).

All along, I belonged in the manosphere...

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"Since the advent of the internet thousands of men have compared notes, shared stories, and made various philosophical, political, economic, and even scientific observations, resulting in the millions of pages of wisdom that compose The Manosphere today.  These millions of pages are slowly coalescing into theories, laws, and rules that make for an entertaining social 'science.'  But most importantly this body of work has provided...an explanation as to what has happened to society since the feminist revolution of the 70's..."

"There is no core or nucleus to The Manosphere...nor is there any "mission statement."  The blogs that compose that Manosphere range quite widely, including women authors...However, they all have one thing in common - they are here to help...by exposing the lies foisted upon you, me and everybody else for the past 50 years--primarily by feminists--about how men and women 'should be' instead of accepting how we actually are." --Captain Capitalism, manosphere blogger.

Now, pause for a warning. Much of the social/scientific theories being explored in the Manosphere are rooted in evolutionary biology--so, it's a "secular" movement. Many of the bloggers are vocal Atheists--and their language and subject matter is anything but holy.

But any Christian who truly recognizes the Shepherd's voice can't help but notice key places where manosphere bloggers have stumbled upon overarching Truth.

As Captain Capitalism says: "You will see a lot of anger, crass language, cursing, and vulgarity.  However, The Manosphere doesn't care about your feelings, your political motivations, your ulterior motives, or maintaining a status quo.  We are just concerned about one thing: Truth."  

Some bloggers will say "evolution has given men/women very different roles."  I say God did it. But, once you get passed that little discrepancy, the observations about gender roles, sex, parenting, and our messed-up society are pretty spot-on.

Who would think evolutionary psychologists and traditional Christians could find so much worldview overlap?

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Anyway, if you're interested in "taking the Red Pill" and diving into the Manosphere, start with this link. And read the comments at the bottom. (That's how ideas get advanced in the 'sphere.) Several Christians explain how Post-Feminist principles have encouraged their faith.

Then, move to the blog I mentioned in the first paragraph: The Woman and the Dragon. It belongs to a married, Christian woman, who explains why it's not a sin for Christians to employ this tool, though it was developed by evolutionists...  (Note: Sunshinemary now blogs at THIS address.)

Dalrock, a married, Christian man, wrote an excellent post along those lines here: Why Christians Need Game.

Finally, check out Athol Kay's blog, if you don't mind that the language gets rough, especially in the comments. He's one of the leading voices on "married game," but He isn't a Christian. For that reason, it's interesting how perfectly his "Captain/First-Officer" model describes biblical marriage.