Model Christian Households

Hi Church.

This sermon features video from @revbrandanrobertson (https://www.tiktok.com/@revbrandanrobertson?) on TikTok.

This video is included as an example for the purposes or Education and Criticism under Canadian Fair Dealing and US Fair Use provisions. HHBF do NOT endorse this view, and condemn this heretical presentation in the strongest terms.

Brandan's original video is here: https://www.tiktok.com/@revbrandanrobertson/video/6936268413010464005

For the avoidance of doubt -- this is a gross misrepresentation of what the scripture teaches here.

First, Jesus does not call her a dog, personally, but makes an example of the way in which God's abundant blessing, though it began with the Jews, overflows to those outside of the Jewish world, and a metaphorical symbol of the way that, through Jesus, the message of hope that was once bound to a geographic and ethnic group was about to spill out beyond the boundaries of God's people.

Second, the language of "dog" here does not, in any way, carry the same cultural and gender baggage it does in our society. It is not, as Brandan implies, equivalent to calling someone a female dog in our society. The greek word used here κυναρίοις. (Kunarious) is the word for a small domesticated dog, or "puppy". It is a term of endearment for a beloved household pet, not the kind of racist, sexist, offensive language Brandan implies it is. Essentially, it is the picture of one who lives among the family, who the family feed and care for, even love, but who is not actually a member of the family by birth. Anyone who has owned a beloved family pet will understand the picture here.

Third, the woman does not "speak truth to power" and Jesus does not "repent", "change his mind", and "do his work". When the woman responds to Jesus, she is not confrontational, she agrees with him. Her response is "Yes, Lord". She agrees with him. She understands fully, Jesus is the promised Jewish messiah, and at this point, Jesus ministry is still first to the Jews. She understands that the messiah would come first to the people of Israel, and that therefore, Jesus ministry is to proclaim this to his own people. But she also understands the scriptures well enough to understand that the promises do not end there. Although it begins with the Jewish nation, once the messiah fulfill his mission, it will overflow to the gentile nations. This is the picture throughout the Old Testament, (eg, Genesis 12:3), and so, after acknowledging that he is the Jewish Messiah, sent to the house of Israel, she also recognizes that all people share in the overflow of this blessing. And Jesus does not "repent" and "do his work", but blesses her faith. It was always Jesus' intention and desire to heal her daughter, but it was also his plan, as is so often the case, to use it as a teaching opportunity for his disciples. Their response was to "Send her away" whereas Jesus uses this woman to teach an important message about the way in which the Gospel is going to go forward to the gentiles once Jesus is gone, and the mission is theirs to carry forward. Jesus uses this woman's faith to demonstrate to the disciples why they must not seek to withhold the Gospel from the gentiles, even if, in the first instance, the message was for the Jews.

For a full biblical response to this, we recommend Pastor Mike Winger's video "When You Throw Jesus Under the Bus For Your Social Agenda" on his Bible Thinker channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpGGSodsD7s

For a fuller understanding of the way that these progressive views infiltrate the church, and pervert the scriptures, you may also want to watch the following:

Pastor Mike's video "When Your “Progressive Christian” Heresy Is Really, Really Clever" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkNKW7Dj0l4

Alisa Childres' video "What Sets Progressive Christianity Apart from Historic Christianity? With David Young" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R4zPAoY9yw

Sean McDowell's Video "Progressive vs. Evangelical: A Dialogue for Clarity" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXjWhEHpxP0

It is true, that moving away from a biblical understanding of the roles and responsibilities within the church, household, family unit, and society does not necessarily lead to this kind of extreme form of progressive "christianity" (which I would argue has abandoned all of the core tenants of christianity, and is no longer truly christian at all) however, what you will hopefully notice is that this is often a starting point for these kinds of faith "deconstructions". We must not be uninformed -- culture and society is going to continue to challenge our views and understandings of these things, and the further we drift from the scripture on these matters, the more likely it becomes that we will fall for these deceptions.