How dare you expect me to pick up your smelly laundry?
I have gone to great lengths on occasion to refrain from harsh critiques and rantings on this blog. This is not one of those occasions. However, I would not necessarily categorize the following as a rant, but rather, a reflection of one of the many reasons I have become increasingly more turned off to Christian radio stations. The ride to work this morning was quite smooth for a change, and I managed to drive the six miles in under 25 minutes somehow. I stopped surfing the radio stations when I heard one of the local Christian stations giving the traffic report, and then just kept it there since I was nearing the end of my commute. The hokey DJ's - and I use the nicest of terms here given that they are, after all, promoting Christian music - were in the middle of their usual, silly dialogue back and forth. 
"Doug" began reading an article he read recently regarding husbands and their dirty laundry - not figurative laundry, but smelly, sweaty laundry. He prefaced that there was no research to support the facts given in the article, but he read that men supposedly refuse to pick up their laundry due to laziness. A husband and father himself, "Doug" admitted that he sometimes forgets to pick up laundry, but that such is rarely an issue due to his wife's consistent commitment to keeping the home orderly and clean. "Kim" then piped in and said something to the effect of, "But, Doug, that's so gross to just leave your icky socks around and expect your wife to clean up after you!" "Doug" then replied, stating that laundry is not some problematic issue in his home, and that it may be a little unfair for people to assume that men are always lazy and, thus, don't pick up after themselves. Here's where I almost pulled over and called the radio station -- "Kim" then responded, rather confidently, "Oh, Douglas, the Bible says that Christ served the Church, and that husbands should serve their wives as Christ served the Church." Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait -- served?? Okay, I can handle the Christian hits you hear played over and over again on local stations (and if you miss it you can just switch over to the other station where it's bound to be playing as well). But I always knew there was a reason I was turned off to most Christian DJ's. And I can handle individuals using various Bible translations when quoting Scripture; that's not a hill I feel is worth dying on most of the time. But, when you are on a public forum, attempting to promote Christian music and principles for living, please quote what the passage actually says! Christ-centered marriage is alien and, more often than not, unattractive and opposed by secular society. A conversation about smelly undies is probably not, in and of itself, worth fighting for, but YES it is when the real issue at hand is that of husbands and wives. "Doug" was simply communicating that his wife gladly performs responsibilities around the home, and some of those are, by nature, performed when he is forgetful and not aware of a mess he may have made. I'm not married yet, but I still cannot count on my hands the amount of times I have witnessed my boyfriend leave a sock on top of the TV at my apartment, or leave one (on one occasion it was three) of the kitchen cabinets at his parents' house wide open and not even realize that he has done so. Is it because he is lazy and just expects the women in his life to come in behind him and clean up his messes? No! He simply forgets. I doubt "Doug" walks around his own home thinking, "You know, if I leave this undershirt on the floor, the one that I wore to mow the lawn, surely my wife will pick it up. I don't care either way. It's her duty to do the laundry." And why is it that? Why did "Doug" instead try explaining the ways in which his wife does such things gladly and with great patience exercised towards him? Because the text actually says that Christ loved the Church, and that husbands should love their wives. Wives/mothers are specifically called as nurturers and caretakers of the home. Does this mean she begrudgingly goes through her daily duties, all the while thinking to herself, "My husband should be serving me! How dare he leave his socks on the floor and expect me to clean up after him"? Some may think I am being over-analytical, but call it what you may when it comes to a Christian radio DJ completely misquoting such a precious and crucial passage of Scripture. The framework of marriage is at stake in our culture, and I am only surprised that I didn't run into the curb when I heard "Kim's" contribution to the conversation this morning.
I have gone to great lengths on occasion to refrain from harsh critiques and rantings on this blog. This is not one of those occasions. However, I would not necessarily categorize the following as a rant, but rather, a reflection of one of the many reasons I have become increasingly more turned off to Christian radio stations. The ride to work this morning was quite smooth for a change, and I managed to drive the six miles in under 25 minutes somehow. I stopped surfing the radio stations when I heard one of the local Christian stations giving the traffic report, and then just kept it there since I was nearing the end of my commute. The hokey DJ's - and I use the nicest of terms here given that they are, after all, promoting Christian music - were in the middle of their usual, silly dialogue back and forth. 
"Doug" began reading an article he read recently regarding husbands and their dirty laundry - not figurative laundry, but smelly, sweaty laundry. He prefaced that there was no research to support the facts given in the article, but he read that men supposedly refuse to pick up their laundry due to laziness. A husband and father himself, "Doug" admitted that he sometimes forgets to pick up laundry, but that such is rarely an issue due to his wife's consistent commitment to keeping the home orderly and clean. "Kim" then piped in and said something to the effect of, "But, Doug, that's so gross to just leave your icky socks around and expect your wife to clean up after you!" "Doug" then replied, stating that laundry is not some problematic issue in his home, and that it may be a little unfair for people to assume that men are always lazy and, thus, don't pick up after themselves. Here's where I almost pulled over and called the radio station -- "Kim" then responded, rather confidently, "Oh, Douglas, the Bible says that Christ served the Church, and that husbands should serve their wives as Christ served the Church." Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait -- served?? Okay, I can handle the Christian hits you hear played over and over again on local stations (and if you miss it you can just switch over to the other station where it's bound to be playing as well). But I always knew there was a reason I was turned off to most Christian DJ's. And I can handle individuals using various Bible translations when quoting Scripture; that's not a hill I feel is worth dying on most of the time. But, when you are on a public forum, attempting to promote Christian music and principles for living, please quote what the passage actually says! Christ-centered marriage is alien and, more often than not, unattractive and opposed by secular society. A conversation about smelly undies is probably not, in and of itself, worth fighting for, but YES it is when the real issue at hand is that of husbands and wives. "Doug" was simply communicating that his wife gladly performs responsibilities around the home, and some of those are, by nature, performed when he is forgetful and not aware of a mess he may have made. I'm not married yet, but I still cannot count on my hands the amount of times I have witnessed my boyfriend leave a sock on top of the TV at my apartment, or leave one (on one occasion it was three) of the kitchen cabinets at his parents' house wide open and not even realize that he has done so. Is it because he is lazy and just expects the women in his life to come in behind him and clean up his messes? No! He simply forgets. I doubt "Doug" walks around his own home thinking, "You know, if I leave this undershirt on the floor, the one that I wore to mow the lawn, surely my wife will pick it up. I don't care either way. It's her duty to do the laundry." And why is it that? Why did "Doug" instead try explaining the ways in which his wife does such things gladly and with great patience exercised towards him? Because the text actually says that Christ loved the Church, and that husbands should love their wives. Wives/mothers are specifically called as nurturers and caretakers of the home. Does this mean she begrudgingly goes through her daily duties, all the while thinking to herself, "My husband should be serving me! How dare he leave his socks on the floor and expect me to clean up after him"? Some may think I am being over-analytical, but call it what you may when it comes to a Christian radio DJ completely misquoting such a precious and crucial passage of Scripture. The framework of marriage is at stake in our culture, and I am only surprised that I didn't run into the curb when I heard "Kim's" contribution to the conversation this morning.
7 comments:
You are right! The Bible gives us great charge when we "teach" the Word to others and we will be held accountable when the time comes for what we have miss taught. That passages has been used "against" people for years. That one and the verses that are coupled with them about wifes serving. I don't think you are wrong in your outrage! I think your righteous anger is just. I just wish the people that really needed to hear it could! On another note, thanks for the book list. I will try to get some of them this weekend. I really need to find a good pdoc. We have a good therapist, he used to be the youth minister at First Baptist. If you have an recommendations or know of someone who does, please pass it along to me. We need someone to help us with the correct meds. The one now just doesn't seem to care what is going on anymore or has quit trying as John would say. Nick is a mystery to everyone. John thinks he has something "new" that no one has figured out yet. Who knows, but God!
~Colorado Dreamin'
You go girl. . .
I have about wrecked a number of times while listening to redonkulous banter between christian radio hosts. SO SILLY! I seriously cannot stand it. What is so stupid is that they so obviously talk about things that their target audiences will want to hear (target audience being stay-at-home women).
You are right to get to the heart of the matter. I am unable to see past the stupidity of the topic. WHAT IN THE WORLD does that have to do with the music you are playing?? I hate it when I hear a really good song, and I am worshiping and singing and then when it goes off an idiot DJ makes some utterly silly man-centered remark (usually about driving the kids to soccer or laundry or something), and tells the listeners that they can just have "me time" while listening to that station. AUGH!!!!!!
I join you in your frustration. I am so happy that my commute now consists of walking 6 minutes across campus!
okay, my comments were strong.
I don't want to be the woman yelling at the man with the dirty laundry.
I guess the hosts probably don't MEAN to be so shallow . . . they probably intend to minister to their listeners.
I will try to with hold judgement!
Great post! Thanks for stopping by, I recognized your pic from Panda Mom's blog. And yeah! I agree Swingkids is great....one of the best kept secrets in the movie world! :)
You preach it, sista! DRIVES me NUTS when Scripture is misused, twisted or used for someone's own retarded ways! I am sure you weren't the only one repulsed by that lack of concern for the Word today. Maybe others called in and said so. ; )
Whew... too right. That was some rant, friend! But for a good purpose, I think. Seriously, this is why we need theologians working at radio stations -- because the earnest, young believers who seem to populate the "Christian" airwaves, though they have the zeal to keep playing those silly songs over and over, don't necessarily have the doctrinal acuity or discernment to filter out sloppy theology, whether in the music itself or the banter between songs.
Ugh.
Oh, can I also encourage a more general rant about the fact that there is no place for banality in Christian life? Simplicity, yes. Banality, God forbid.
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