Skip to content

Add your phone number?

Optional. Nothing is sent unless you choose it.
The Historic Faith
Sign in
All Questions
Question 6
After quoting 1 Peter 3 (Sarah calling Abraham “lord”), Bercot asks whether any prominent modern woman (Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Condoleezza Rice) would accept these teachings; what does that comparison expose about how cultural respectability pressures the church, and what might it cost a congregation to align itself with Scripture here?
Another way to ask: What does Bercot’s comparison to famous modern women show about how culture pressures churches to look respectable? If a church follows Scripture on this point, what could it lose or risk?

Direct Answer Bercot’s comparison exposes that modern cultural standards of respectability—across political lines—are often flatly opposed to the New Testament’s plain language about submission and a “gentle and quiet spirit.” The implied cost of aligning with Scripture is social disapproval and internal conflict, since even “Bible-believing” Christians may resist these commands.

Support from Transcript:

  • He reads 1 Peter 3:1–6, including that Sarah “obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord,” and commends “a gentle and quiet spirit.”
  • Then he asks: “Do you think…any prominent woman today would accept those teachings?” naming Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Condoleezza Rice, “liberal or conservative.”
  • He says “there is no way they would accept those teachings as they’re presented,” highlighting cultural rejection.
  • He notes secular feminists cite these passages as proof the Bible is “written by males” and can be ignored.
  • He adds the “sad thing” is that “the vast majority” of women—and men—who claim to be Bible-believing “aren’t going to accept what those passages say either.”
  • He predicts pastors fear “reaction…from their wives…sisters…[and] most of the men” if they preached them.
Discussion Follow-ups What kinds of backlash might a congregation face—inside and outside—if it taught these passages plainly? What would faithfulness look like while still showing Christlike love and patience?

Jumpstarter 6 of 10
Back Questions Next