Apparently troubled by accusations that Independent Baptist pastors were covering up cases of spousal rape, Ron Hamman of Independent Baptist Church of Wasilla took to the local newspaper and wrote a compassionate and thoughtful response (Or, you know, whatever the complete opposite of compassionate and thoughtful is).
He said in part:
I, for one, have never had any woman make such an allegation against her husband to me. But even if these accusations are as vast as alleged, there are major problems with them from a Biblical standpoint.
For instance, there is the problem of truth. That is, this kind of allegation becomes her word against his word. And while I understand that in Alaska the lone female is able to convict her alleged perpetrator, this goes contrary to the Bible. In the book of Deuteronomy we find the following: “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”
While this may be a problem for some in that this is Old Testament, this is carried over into the Christian era in Matthew 18: “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one of two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”
The purpose for this is the preservation of justice. The truth is that people, including women, can lie. Thus, in not requiring two or three witnesses to the event, Alaska statute proves itself to be unjust, and likewise those legislators responsible for it. But then again, what more can we expect from the lost?
But this is not the only problem. The next question we need to ask is to whom does the body belong? While in our day of feminism it is asserted that a woman’s body is her own. Biblically speaking, this is only true prior to marriage, for in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians we read:
“Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”
The truth is that God has given to us physical needs we commonly refer to as a “sex drive,” and he has designed for these to be met within the bounds of marriage. The trouble comes when one spouse or the other decides to exact retaliation against the other because of some offense and withholds him or herself from his or her mate. This is wickedness, and such is a violation of the spirit of marriage on the part of the withholder.
Thus, if these allegations of spousal rape are due to the wife withholding herself in attempt to control or punish her husband, she is out of line with God. And it doesn’t matter how many laws are passed, it will just be another reason why God will not bless America.
But then again, this is how far out of line with God America is.
I just love to see a man of God being salt and light in his community, don’t you?
The paper has since printed an apology which contains a rather ambiguous quote from Hamman by way of clarification of his position. Then again, one is not exactly sure why a paper would continue to print the ramblings of a pastor whose list of past topics includes “Will The Antichrist Be A Homosexual?” and “King James Bible critics speak in catchphrases.”
The Gospel practically drips from every sentence this man writes.
And yes, I know that Wasilla is where Sarah Palin is from. I also know that I’d rather not distract from this actual story by invoking a discussion about her so lets not do that.
The problem is that the city’s most famous family will draw even more attention to this story. I doubt this would have gotten the attention it has, nationally, if it was not for her connection, no matter how tenuous.
That said, this managawd had better be more pure than the snow because his life is about to go under the microscope.
This is why I support free speech for idiots: because it helps us find out who they are.
Or, as the the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman editorial staff wrote in their response: “Ideally, the process of public discourse itself will winnow the wheat from the chaff.”
And for any would-be menagawd reading, I will remind them that the injunction is: “Blameless as doves and cunning as serpents,” not the other way around.
this story has made national news?
Hamman (and why do I want to reach for a gragger when I type that name?) has gotten and continues to get attention across the nation.
+4 for the gragger reference.
Erster! (First in German)
Zweiter!
“I, for one, have never had any woman make such an allegation against her husband to me.”
Ladies, let’s see a show of hands. How many of you would report a spousal rape to this guy? C’mon, don’t be shy, put your hands up. Somebody? Anybody?
Okay, wait. I am still stuck on the having witnesses thing. Um, does anyone else see a problem here? Who is going to rape his spouse before witnesses? How could there EVER be witnesses? Why is this mental midget in a pulpit???? Oh, yeah, that’s right, because those sacred desks are crying out for mental midgets…
Yes, I’d like to ask this writer how many rapes, especially spousal rapes, he thinks are committed in front of two or three witnesses.
Really!!!!
An ad for “Front Sight Firearms Training Institute” appears next to this post. Hmmmmm. …
My ad is one for mattresses! 😯
This makes me so mad. How many different ways can you misuse the Bible to support abuse? 😥
I want to describe that abominable being with so many unprintable words right now.
I love how he quotes this verse:
“Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”
and completely ignores the first sentence. How idiotic and hypocritical does a leader have to show himself to be before people will eschew his teachings??
Not only does he skip the first sentence, he completely forgets the last half of the last one. Apparently, women are supposed to surrender their bodies to their husbands for him to do with as he pleases, but we can just leave out the fact that the husband’s body is also the wife’s.
That’s because good wimmenz don’t have teh sex drive.
right. and he said if there is any abuse going on here (not that he has heard any complaints of such), it is the woman who is punishing her husband by not giving him sex.
Outrage. 😡
Agreed. If his wife decided she needed his body. and a 2′ MagLight, in order to have some fun, I wonder if he’d just bite the pillow, and quote the verse?
Wow, just wow. 😥
that man is the devil, and if his wife needs a place to stay, I will be a safehouse for her.
So the moral of the story is, if you’re going to be a victim of a crime, make sure you have trustworthy witnesses present.
Or, every time Ron has sex with his wife, there should be at least two witnesses to make sure there’s no wrongdoing involved. Does he know he just made a very strong argument supporting amateur porn?
You just really know a man of God when you read one.
This makes my heart hurt. Ouch.
Lesson #66 on how to make sure your abused wife will ALWAYS be abused. Stack the rules against her so she can never prove your guilt. Then tell her that your abuse is her fault.
Wait. I’ve read these things before in an article on a domestic violence site… Hmmm.
Bingo.
Wow. I love (*sarcasm*) how he used a passage on church discipline to apply to a private marriage situation. Wow. I literally feel sick.
I could send a photo of his church. I drive by it almost daily. It’s a small store front beside a gun store 😕 He is known for his outrageous articles in the Frontiersman. They are so separated they can’t even fellowship with other IFB’s in the valley. We have several here, 5 or 6 at least with less than 50 people. They are nice folks just clanish in their little circles.
Too bad we don’t have more IFB stuff printed in local papers. The world needs to see these folks for who they are.
We really don’t need any more reporters snooping around. Ugh, what happened to my sleepy little town?
Lesson #66.6 on how to make sure your abused wife will ALWAYS be abused: Tell her her body is not hers anyway. Of course, there can be no offense where you can either a) just take what you want (b/c it’s “yours” anyway), or b) burden your wife with the oppressive shame of being an ungodly woman if she even attempts to deny satisfying your “forgetting” sex drive. Disgusting.
1 Corinthians 3 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
Marriage is a Holy union made by God, and should be treated as such. Love in a marriage is not about the physical..for lucifer is attached to this realm. Yes, physical closness is a part of the union. It is a connection as becoming one flesh. Which is God’s temple. First and formost. Never to be abused by “wants”. The physical is an act of love ,yes, but when one would not care for this at one point the other should not be demanding, but understanding and show mercy. It is only lucifers way to demand.I pray for this lady, and that both talks with Jesus. Only through Jesus Christ will their hearts be guided in Love. I pray Jesus keeps everyone safe in these times which are about to begin.
Colossians 3 5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
I guess this clown is unfamiliar with the McMartin Preschool case. There were PLENTY of “witnesses” and the plaintiffs turned out to be innocent! I could also mention the number of “witnesses” in the Salem Witch Trials, but he probably actually believes that the poor slobs who were tried and convicted really were witches! 👿
Wow. His letter is so full of epic fail, but the following paragraph really stands out for me.
“The truth is that people, including women, can lie. Thus, in not requiring two or three witnesses to the event, Alaska statute proves itself to be unjust, and likewise those legislators responsible for it. But then again, what more can we expect from the lost?”
It is nice that he includes women as people. Who knew? Also, the implications in his last sentence are absurd; “the lost” are just as capable of being decent human beings as Christian men are capable of being rapists. I know plenty of people who self-identify as non-christians and they are no worse in their behavior — and are often better than — those who self-identify as IFB.