LAF Theme Articles
The War on Fathers
Contempt for male authority – as if to say, "Give me a break, father sure didn't know best in my life" – is everywhere around us. We're swimming in it. You see, men, boys and masculinity itself have been under withering national assault for decades. On today's secular, matrix-like world stage, where God's reality is seen as discredited myth, and alien philosophies and sexual obsession embraced as enlightenment and liberation, we simply have lost sight of who and what we actually are. Men are meant to be Christ-like – righteous, strong, courageous, assertive, butt-kicking, sacrificial doers of what's right. Women are meant to be their righteous, strong, courageous, noble helpers and partners. [This is a fabulous article that clearly states so much of what we stand for here at LAF. Do note that it deals with some serious issues that are not suitable for young readers.]

Jesus promised that it would “be well” with honorable sons and daughters, and that there would be nothing but sorrows and heartaches for dishonorable sons and daughters. [Note: We have been asked time and time again to comment on this or that controversy in the modern church, particularly when it comes to rumors about leaders and/or their families. This article sums up why we do not contribute to the ongoing Internet fracas of gossip, innuendo, and strife. Matthew 18 says it all; sadly, many use the faceless entity of the Internet to mask their unwillingness to confront brothers and sisters personally, privately, and charitably. All of us are guilty of enjoying gossip's "tasty trifles," but we need to repent and behave honorably.]

Four months have never seemed so short. It is hard to believe that I last posted at the beginning of August, then shut things down to take what I felt would be a brief sabbatical to tackle a writing project. But, once started, the sabbatical wasn't something I was in a hurry to bring to a close. I shut down my LAF e-mail account, ignored all but "real" e-mails, and put myself on a media "fast," reading only items that my husband passed along to me. I cannot tell you what an utterly refreshing and wonderful time it has been! [Note: some topics touched on in this editorial are not suitable for very young readers. Moms, read first!]

We've received notes from a few people who wonder why the Terri Schiavo case is so important to a website dedicated to refuting feminism. After all, feminists aren't on the forefront of the fight to end Terri Schiavo's life. We must acknowledge the fact that all ideas have consequences. What we do individually impacts others and directs our culture. [Not for young readers.]

Careful stewardship requires thought, prayer, and hard work. It will also be painful to practice in a culture built upon unbiblical economic methods (excessive taxation, fiat money, etc.). But we must face materialism head-on today and deal with it in our own homes if we hope to see change in the next generation.

One complaint we often hear at LAF is that we know nothing about feminism and that what we claim feminism stands for (or has stood for in the past) is not true. We'd like to take the time to let feminism speak for itself.

We are often asked if LAF promotes materialism or believes in middle-class consumerism (the pursuit of things for the sake of having them). The answer is an unequivocal "no." We hope that this article series will help our readers understand the biblical principles of wealth and stewardship as opposed to the unscriptural curses of consumerism.

Pinning feminism down to a single definition is extremely difficult, if not impossible. There are almost as many definitions for feminism as there are feminists, since many of the men and women involved in feminist issues disagree philosophically, theologically and over the application of their beliefs.

What is womanhood? What does it mean to be feminine? Is there an unchanging standard for the woman’s role in the world? These questions puzzle us more in our modern culture than perhaps ever before.

We must not lack discretion; rather we must seek to understand Who defines womanhood and how that definition can be applied to our lives on a daily basis--not just at occasional tea parties or costume balls.

Quotes upon our theme! (Latest quotes added February 24, 2004)

I've been attempting to catch up on the backlog of articles here in the Article Manager (some going back nearly two years--oh, my!), and I've run across quite a number of original pieces that provide no way to contact the author. It is our policy not to publish original works (that is, entire articles rather than ones linked to a blog or other online source) that come through without an email address. When we cannot contact the author, we cannot be sure that we have permission to print or reprint a piece, so we (regretfully) just have to delete the article. I've deleted at least a dozen articles already that really should have seen the light of day, but without the contact information, I had no other choice. If you submit an article, please be sure to put your contact information in the Summary box so that we can get in touch with you! Thanks! Mrs. Chancey

Kurt and Santina S. are the winners of the two new CDs from the Genevan Foundation for Cultural Renewal . Congratulations! And thank you to everyone who entered the drawing this week. We had over 80 entries!

How the weeks and months slip by! LAF has sat for six weeks while our family tackled projects and traveled, and the computer simply languished. Which, as you know if you've read some of my past articles, is often a very good thing! Computer time is always something that has to fit into odd cracks here and there, but there are times when completely putting it away for long stretches is, well, wonderful! I can only encourage you to try it from time to time, using a "media fast" as a way to stay connected to what is REAL in life -- namely the people under your own roof, in your church, and in your broader community. The online world never sleeps, and I think that sometimes creates a false sense of urgency to stay "up" with what's going on there. And pretty soon, the computer has turned into a beast that eats up time and energy and priorities. Taming the beast is so important, so when LAF just sits here, I hope you'll be encouraged to think of that as a positive thing. ;-) At any rate, there are a lot of wonderful articles that folks have submitted in past months that I'd love to upload and share, so I'll do my best to squeeze LAF into the cracks again! Do check the sidebar link to Mrs. Sherman's marvelous new book about growing up on the frontier in Alaska. It's a treat not to be missed -- extended review coming soon! Warmly, Mrs. Chancey