Wayback Machine Fun: From the Biblical Womanhood Archives

[silvia]

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Crystal Paine, who currently heads up the mainstream blockbuster site moneysavingmom.com. What some of you may not know is that in her previous incarnation, she was an ultra-fundamentalist blogger who almost made the Duggars and Zsu look liberal. I remember reading her old blog, biblicalwomanhoodonline.com, years ago with a mixture of fascination and horror. The blog has long since been taken down, but in a moment of boredom last night, I decided to see if any of those old entries still existed somewhere in the bowels of the internet. Lo and behold:

Quote

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Daddy is the King of Our Home!

Your husband may never be a King of nations or peoples, but he can be the king in your home!

In recent weeks, in trying to keep my focus on pleasing and honoring my husband, I have been seeking to also instill this in our precious daughter, Kathrynne. Although she isn't even 4 months old yet, I realize that my attitudes and actions towards her daddy effect how she will view him. She is the type of child who likes to be held a lot (I think it is a typical firstborn thing!) and so she is often in my arms, in the front carrier, or in the sling as I am working around the house. I have been talking to her and explaining to her what I am doing and why I am doing it. (As in, "Mommy is folding the laundry. Mommy folds the laundry so that we can have clean clothes.") Well, recently, I have been telling her, "Mommy is making Daddy's lunch for him because Daddy is the king of our home." or, "Mommy is folding laundry so that Daddy can have clean socks when he goes to work. We want to please and honor Daddy by having clean socks for him because Daddy is the king of our home." Now, mind you, of course I know she doesn't understand everything I am saying, but the attitude towards her Daddy I am communicating to her will begin to come across as I continue to tell her this. And you know what? As I reiterate this to her, it helps to constantly remind me why I am here and why I am doing seemingly menial tasks like laundry and dishes. Why? Because God created me to be a help meet to my husband and dirty socks aren't fit for a king!

Well, I'm off to do some laundry and finish dinner. My king will be home shortly and I want to tidy up so that our home will be a haven for him!

Monday, May 30, 2005

...As wives, we have the ability to be a glory to our husbands or a public disgrace.

The Lord has been teaching me so much over the past month about this. He has completely changed my heart from one that was selfishly pursuing my own interests (without even realizing that's what I was doing!), to one who is seeking to honor the Lord through being a true Help Meet to my husband...

Created to Be His Help Meet is one of THE BEST books I have ever read. I think every wife in America needs to read this book. It changed my life and my outlook. It changed our marriage. If you want a heavenly marriage, you MUST, you MUST, you MUST, read this book! Even if your husband is a complete loser, this book will provide you with the tools to turn a difficult marriage into a glorious marriage! You will not be disappointed. My husband has said more than once that I NEED to offer this book to people because he is so excited about the change the Lord has used it to bring about in my life and in our marriage...

(available at http://web.archive.org/web/200708071509 ... chive.html)

Monday, July 16, 2007

Does college guarantee less risk of divorce?

...As anyone who has read my blog for some time knows, for many reasons, I am not a big proponent of sending your children off to the hostile and often unGodly and anti-Biblical environment of many of today's secular universities and, sadly, even some Christian colleges. I am even more wary of a child going off to college if they don't have a very express and God-glorifying purpose for doing so, if they are not equipped with a Biblical worldview, and if they have not proven themselves to stand alone in the face of peer pressure...

(available at http://web.archive.org/web/200710120032 ... chive.html)]

There are countless other similar entries, as Crystal posted constantly about her life and beliefs at the time; the site is a gold mine. She seemed to have a big thing for Doug Phillips and Jennie Chancey (who it sounded like was a personal mentor to her).

I'm curious if Crystal still holds to the views she championed back then but just keeps it quieter these days, or if her worldview has genuinely evolved since then. I'd like to think the latter—especially as she once commented on FJ and referred to her “journey out of legalismâ€â€”but since she hasn't elaborated much about that journey publicly, it's hard to say. Anyone have any inside info?

[Curly Girl]

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Crystal Paine, who currently heads up the mainstream blockbuster site moneysavingmom.com. What some of you may not know is that in her previous incarnation, she was an ultra-fundamentalist blogger who almost made the Duggars and Zsu look liberal. I remember reading her old blog, biblicalwomanhoodonline.com, years ago with a mixture of fascination and horror. The blog has long since been taken down, but in a moment of boredom last night, I decided to see if any of those old entries still existed somewhere in the bowels of the internet. Lo and behold:

There are countless other similar entries, as Crystal posted constantly about her life and beliefs at the time; the site is a gold mine. She seemed to have a big thing for Doug Phillips and Jennie Chancey (who it sounded like was a personal mentor to her).

I'm curious if Crystal still holds to the views she championed back then but just keeps it quieter these days, or if her worldview has genuinely evolved since then. I'd like to think the latter—especially as she once commented on FJ and referred to her “journey out of legalismâ€â€”but since she hasn't elaborated much about that journey publicly, it's hard to say. Anyone have any inside info?

Crystal was one of my gateway fundies and I am dying to know how she is different.... She sure is silent about her personal life on her blog....

[emmyfair]

If she got out of it, I'm really glad for her. For the record, I told my husband about the "Daddy is the king of our home" thing, and he thought that was the most stupid thing he'd heard all day.

[Not That Kind of Dr]

Here's what Crystal Paine had to say on this topic on November 22:

When I began blogging back in 2005, I thought I pretty much had life figured out. Now, 7 years later, I feel like there are very few things in life that I have figured out, but I know one thing: blogging has been the catalyst for life-transformation for me. It’s brought me from a place of insecurity, legalism, and being a people-pleaser to a place where I feel whole, free, and truly happy in who God has made me to be and what He has called me to.

And you’ve been a part of that journey with me. Someday, I may be ready to blog more about all that life transformation.

I suspect that her definition of having mellowed in her fundamentalism still leaves her pretty churchy by my standards. At the same time, seeming to have become more religiously mainstream is in her financial self-interest. Money Saving Mom can't be so fundamentalist Christian that secular readers won't stop by. At the very least, she wears pants now.

[silvia]

Here's what Crystal Paine had to say on this topic on November 22:

When I began blogging back in 2005, I thought I pretty much had life figured out. Now, 7 years later, I feel like there are very few things in life that I have figured out, but I know one thing: blogging has been the catalyst for life-transformation for me. It’s brought me from a place of insecurity, legalism, and being a people-pleaser to a place where I feel whole, free, and truly happy in who God has made me to be and what He has called me to.

And you’ve been a part of that journey with me. Someday, I may be ready to blog more about all that life transformation.

I suspect that her definition of having mellowed in her fundamentalism still leaves her pretty churchy by my standards. At the same time, seeming to have become more religiously mainstream is in her financial self-interest. Money Saving Mom can't be so fundamentalist Christian that secular readers won't stop by. At the very least, she wears pants now.

NTKoD, interesting--I must have missed that post. I hope she does blog more about her transformation. I similarly suspect I'd still consider her pretty fundamentalist, but I'd like to hear exactly what has changed from her perspective.

[snarktastic]

"Mommy is making Daddy's lunch for him because Daddy is the king of our home." or, "Mommy is folding laundry so that Daddy can have clean socks when he goes to work. We want to please and honor Daddy by having clean socks for him because Daddy is the king of our home."

We want to please and honour Daddy by having clean socks for him?! :lol: :lol: :lol:

If I'd read that without an FJ explanation I'd have assumed it was satire.

[DistantStar]

So being under four months and wanting to be held is a firstborn thing? Silly me, I thought it was a baby thing. And I don't have kids!

[Convicted Blossom]

I have my doubts that Crystal's views have evolved at all since these early blog posts.

Yes she is quieter about her personal life but when she mentions it I find myself gritting my teeth at how punitive her life is. Some months ago she wrote a series about getting more done in your day or some such thing -- she and King Jesse get up at 4.30 or 5 to exercise together. KJ heads off to work in his clean socks with his lunch box then Crystal deals with the kids, the blog and home business, homeschools etc etc.

She lives in a state of perpetual exhaustion from, I suspect, the early rising, appalling diet and late nights. The two girls seem to be in servitude to the King and to Prince Silas, the three year old seems to run the household in the King's absence.

[silvia]

I have my doubts that Crystal's views have evolved at all since these early blog posts.

Yes she is quieter about her personal life but when she mentions it I find myself gritting my teeth at how punitive her life is. Some months ago she wrote a series about getting more done in your day or some such thing -- she and King Jesse get up at 4.30 or 5 to exercise together. KJ heads off to work in his clean socks with his lunch box then Crystal deals with the kids, the blog and home business, homeschools etc etc.

She lives in a state of perpetual exhaustion from, I suspect, the early rising, appalling diet and late nights. The two girls seem to be in servitude to the King and to Prince Silas, the three year old seems to run the household in the King's absence.

CB, you may be right, although I do get the impression that Crystal would be the hard-driving type regardless of her level of religiosity--it's just how she's wired. She said something pretty self-aware in one of her old blog posts--that if she weren't a Christian, she would be some kind of high-powered feminist businesswoman looking to outdo all the men. (As it is, I think she fits that description pretty well, although she would of course disavow the "feminist" label.)

[hoipolloi]

I have my doubts that Crystal's views have evolved at all since these early blog posts.

I've thought this too. She is a marketing phenomenon now, making big bucks off that website, and too much fundie wack out in the open would be bad for business. Doesn't mean, though, that she doesn't still believe all that crap and, worse, push it on her kids.

[silvia]

Crystal also put up some... ahem, interesting articles on her old site. Case in point:

A Keeper-at-Home

by Mrs. Crystal Paine

"That they [the older women] may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed" (Titus 2:4,5).

What is a "keeper at home"? In many Christian circles today, this phrase has been passed around numerous times and translated to mean many different things to many different people.

The Greek definition for this phrase is "guardian of the home." In 1 Timothy 5:14, Paul says, "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house . . . ." The Greek word for "guide" means to "rule a household; manage family affairs." Therefore, as writer and homemaker Jennie Chancey says:"A woman cannot be the ruler of her home if she is rarely there or if her chief concerns lie in a career that requires her to give her children to someone else to raise, neglect her role as helper to her husband, and let the culture of the home be guided by others (pop culture, peers, television, etc.)." 1Many parents have recognized God's design for women to be fulfilling their God-given roles as a guardians of their homes and are seeking to raise their daughters with a vision to fulfill this calling. In training their daughters accordingly, they quickly run into the issue of whether it is wrong for a young woman to be earning money.

In Scripture, we find examples of women who earned an income while still fulfilling their God-given roles. The "Virtuous Woman" described in Proverbs 31 was certainly the ideal wife and mother ("The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her . . . ." "Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." Proverbs 31:11a, 28). Not only was she an exemplary wife and mother, she also managed a small home business. Proverbs says, "She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant" (Proverbs 31:24).

In the New Testament, Lydia is described as "a seller of purple," but more importantly, she was a worshipper of God (Acts 16:14). Scripture also gives us a beautiful example of a husband and wife team working together. Aquila and Priscilla served the Lord, while at the same time working jointly as tentmakers (Acts 18:2-3).

However, these Scriptural examples do not give a young woman license to go out and pursue a career. Rather, I believe there are some basic principles which must be followed in order for any young woman to be earning money in a God-honoring manner.

She Must Have a Home-Centered Mentality

As stated above, a woman cannot be the "guardian of her home" if she is rarely there. Not only must she be there physically; her heart must also be there. It is vitally important that daughters are trained to have a home-centered mentality. If they can learn sweet contentment in domestic duties now, they will be equipped to be wonderful wives and mothers in the future. For this reason, any job or business a young woman is to have should not take her heart or her focus away from her home.

She Must Not Neglect Her Own Home and Family

Before a young lady ever pursues starting a small business or God-honoring job, she must make sure that she is not neglecting her own family’s needs. Having a home business can be a wonderful endeavor, but it should never interfere with the responsibility she has towards those who ultimately provide for her.

She Must Work Under the Proper Authority Structure

[italics mine] I cannot stress this point enough. There is great danger in a woman working for a man who is not her husband or father. A staggering amount of marital infidelity has been caused by women working in such situations. God has established protection for women through their Biblical authorities.

During my life, I have held a number of different jobs but one thing has always been the same in each instance: I have either been working for my authority, for a Christian woman, or had my own business. I could never, under any circumstance, feel safe and protected doing otherwise.

It is also imperative that young women first seek the counsel and blessing of their authority before beginning any new business. If your authority has no desire for you to be earning money, I would advise you to pass this book along to someone else. God will only prosper those efforts done with the blessing of your authority.

It may appear at first that there are no jobs which would ever fit the above criteria. In actuality, there are hundreds of different opportunities and jobs perfectly suited for a Godly, virtuous young woman. All it takes to find one is a little creativity and determination.

Excerpted from Crystal Paine's book, The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions. This 32-page booklet includes ideas, personal testimonies, and encouragement for young women and women desiring to earn an income in a God-honoring manner. To order this book, visit: http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com

1. Chancey, Jennie, Can A Woman Ever Do Work Outside the Home?,

August 19, 2004

Crystal Paine is a 24-year-old homeschool graduate from Topeka, Kansas. She is the blessed wife of Jesse and joyful mother of Kathrynne. Visit her site, Biblical Womanhood, for books, articles, encouragement, and inspiration!

A woman must never work for a man who's not her husband or father? WTF? This is a level of nuttery I didn't know existed in the fundamentalist world.

Edit: And of course she blames the "marital infidelity" on the woman. Men aren't equal participants in illicit relations--they're powerless against the pull of a vile temptress's siren song, don't'cha know...

[JesusFightClub]

What.

I've got a male boss. Three in fact. There is no fancying going on at all.

I like them and we have a professional relationship. What is wrong with fundies that they assume everything is sexxay times?

[Convicted Blossom]

Isn't Jennie Chancey the half wit that is ripping off the indigenous workers in her African business? Why should we listen to her? Or did her headship advise her to rip them off?

[Peas n carrots]

I know she's backed off the legalism a bit in the past 8 years but this line killed:

Even if your husband is a complete loser, this book will provide you with the tools to turn a difficult marriage into a glorious marriage!

WTF??? I get the drift that your husband is only a complete loser because you are not Godly enough. Christ on a cracker at is complete batshittery.

[julie paradox]

What.

I've got a male boss. Three in fact. There is no fancying going on at all.

I like them and we have a professional relationship. What is wrong with fundies that they assume everything is sexxay times?

Once again we see that it's all they ever think about.

[mkitten]

Once again we see that it's all they ever think about.

Fundies think about sex more than anyone else on the entire planet. Who would think about sex more, an auditorium full of teenaged boys vs. an auditorium full of fundies? Hands down the fundies. The teenagers might talk about sports or movies or whatever pop culture thing is going on at the time. The fundies would be in their auditorium talking in hushed voices about who is wearing the most defrauding outfit and why are the seats so close together? OMG! Our elbows might touch! Boys on one side, girls on the other, quick, put up a curtain so that they can't see each other! NIKE!!!!!

[starfish]

Crystal's old blog is a veritable goldmine of fundie nonsense.

I don't know about her beliefs, but the diet she foists off on those kids still leaves something to be desired.

[JesusFightClub]

Fundies think about sex more than anyone else on the entire planet. Who would think about sex more, an auditorium full of teenaged boys vs. an auditorium full of fundies? Hands down the fundies. The teenagers might talk about sports or movies or whatever pop culture thing is going on at the time. The fundies would be in their auditorium talking in hushed voices about who is wearing the most defrauding outfit and why are the seats so close together? OMG! Our elbows might touch! Boys on one side, girls on the other, quick, put up a curtain so that they can't see each other! NIKE!!!!!

THIS.

I had a meeting with my boss today. We sat close together so we could look at some papers and work out an action plan following on from those. Neither of us were remotely near being overwhelmed by lust. We were, well, just thinking about the papers and the action plan.

I also have different categories of people that I like. There are friends. There are comrades. There are friends who are also comrades. There are people I fancy who may be friends and they may be comrades, but they could be neither. Nuanced human relationships, a weird concept in fundieworld.

Fundies sound positively dangerous. If someone can't think about anything but GETTING IT ONNNNN in any situation, that is, er, troublesome.

[starfish]

I wonder how Jesse's law firm business is doing. She acts like it's been going great guns since he took over the retiring lawyer's yellow page ads.

[famof4]

Today I found that Crystal has a Christmas how to e-book for sell on Amazon. The reviewer that gave the book 3 stars says it has no religious themes.

[starfish]

Interesting considering she does not do Santa Claus with the kids and has had a tree only once.

I'm not sure if she does the "Jesse" tree business or what.

[Austin]

What.

I've got a male boss. Three in fact. There is no fancying going on at all.

I like them and we have a professional relationship. What is wrong with fundies that they assume everything is sexxay times?

Same here. And not if they (I work for business partners) were the last men on the planet.

Just. . . no.

[silvia]

Interesting considering she does not do Santa Claus with the kids and has had a tree only once.

I'm not sure if she does the "Jesse" tree business or what.

starfish, do you know Crystal in real life? Does she see Christmas trees as idols or not Jesus-centric or some such?

[starfish]

I don't know her, I've just always read the various incarnations of her blog over time.

She's made it clear in past posts that they do not "do" Santa Claus, and when the kids ask about it, they say "he's a silly man that's made up". (not an exact quote but close).

I think that last year was the first year they had a Christmas tree. She mentioned it on her blog that they finally decided to get one.

They seem to be trying to do more Christmas stuff, but she has always been a little Jehovah-witnessy about holidays. She's probably too cheap too enjoy anything but birthdays and anniversarys. (She's not JW, I'm just being silly).

Some fundies do something called a "Jesse" tree at Christmas.

I have no clue what it means.

It's like that weird thing they do at Halloween where they dress up like Bible

characters. Reformation Day or something.

Perhaps her sponsors told her to get with the Christmas spirit or else!

[julie paradox]

The Jesse tree is a biblical thing - Christ's genealogy from Jesse the father of King David. Isaiah has "then shall come forth a shoot from the house of Jesse" or something (I haven't been very disciplined in my memorization of God's Word).

There's a lot of art on the subject.

Apparently it's quite the thing nowadays to do one for Christmas:

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/ ... cfm?id=545