The Wife with Boundaries: Changing the Conversation on Biblical Submission [184]

Is there poison in your home?No, I don’t mean rat poison or toxic chemicals or asbestos. It’s words. On pages. In a book. One that’s given as a wedding gift. When times are tough. When you’re desperate. When you’ve run out of ideas and options to help your marriage and somebody gives you 336 pages of “hope.”The poison is the answer ringing from every page of this book. You were, as Debi Pearl puts it, “Created to Be His Help Meet.” And lots of women have gulped it down, me included. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Sweet. Simple. Godly. Because double standards and coercive control and whitewashed tombs are biblical, right? In this interview with Chelsea Wells, she and I discuss the poisonous messages of Debi Pearl’s book before we toss them in the shredder.The summary we recover-y:Women are responsible for their husband’s bad behavior. Period.Husbands have the authority to tell wives what to wear, where to go, whom to talk to, and how to spend her time.Wives shouldn’t have close friends–only their husbands.Women should submit to their husband when he’s a sex addict, adulterer, physically abusive, or refuses to work.Husbands have tiebreaker power in every situation.Wives have no rights in marriage.Your looks and how your family appears to the world matter much more than your health or safety or life.Women who want equality are bra-burning heathens who want to take over the world.The pièce de résistance: Single moms are the worst (it’s the haircuts and the tiredness).Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here Related Resources:Connect with Chelsea on FacebookThis episode was like a cup of tea when there’s a whole steaming pot waiting for you. Grab the whole shebang on Amazon: Created To Be His Helpmeet Rebuttal by Chelsea Wells. If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriage, learn more at https://flyingfreenow.comI'll send you (free!) the first chapter of my book, Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage, which has an assessment to help you figure out if your relationship is abusive or not. All you have to do is hop on my mailing list at https://flyingfreesisterhood.com/free-downloadYou can also find out about our online education and support program for women of faith at https://joinflyingfree.comAnd finally, if you are a divorced Christian woman who wants to take back her life and get healthy, lose weight, have amazing relationships, get things done, build a business or career, and even find a good man (if you want one) - check out Flying Higher at https://joinflyinghigher.comChelsea Wells is a stay-at-home mom of three cutie pies, aspiring domestic queen, and amateur theologian. In her free time, she enjoys motorcycle rides with her husband as well as sipping iced chai lattes with a good book in hand. She is the founder of Table Salt Ministries, which aims to expose common false teachings in the church and demystify what the Bible is REALLY saying to women.