Preface to the Motherwise Critique

2 Corinthians 5:13-15 - For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵ and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

I have poured over, read, re-read, and agonized over every line in the Motherwise: Freedom for Mothers women’s study. This book contains some considerable difficulties theologically, although she remains within the limits of orthodoxy. I can honestly say that the average woman will most likely have a better understanding of life in Christ after reading this book. As a result of doing this study, I see women encouraged in their faith and more obediant to the Word. Glen is clear that we trust God to do all things in us through Christ, although she is a bit hazy on the particulars of how that works out. Unfortunately, one of her greater oversights is the gospel of grace. To me, that is an unacceptable oversight. I would not recommend or repreat the study. The effort of the individual in sanctification is given greater emphasis than the work of Christ. Our daily undeservedness of God's mercy is somewhat glossed over in favor of a bit of self-esteem teaching. In addition, her anthropology is overly simplistic and could tend toward Gnosticism. She makes it clear in her video that she does not take it as far as true gnosticism, but someone who only read the book could be left a bit uncertain. In general, Glenn arrives at very Christian conclusions, but takes a few strange routes to get there. She is not a scholar or a philosopher and so her teaching is somewhat sloppy theologically. Denise Glenn is obviously a woman who deeply loves the Lord and sincerely wants to enable mothers to daily abide in the life of Christ. However in this study, she attempts to write a primmer on spiritual life and the subject is beyond her realm of expertise. In the following, I hope to clarify some of the greatest difficulties with the study, in order that those who read or facilitate it can be aware of potential pitfalls and errors that may arise from it.

As preface to why I am so painstaking in my critique of this study, we must understand why teaching the Word of God ought to be taken seriously and with much fear and trembling. Imagine how carefully a Roman slave would have spoken of her master, trembling lest any word imply ill of the one who held her life in His hands. Think of how lovingly you know you ought to speak of your spouse, every word filled with adoration as it was on your wedding day. These two images together begin to give us a picture of how we ought to desire to speak of our Lord: carefully, adoringly. James 3:1states “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” Any teacher ought to be held accountable for their words, especially a teacher of the Word! This does not mean we may freely criticize teachers without love and respect, but we may not excuse careless words with a wave of the “oh, I am sure she meant that” magic hand. A teacher of God’s Holy Word must strive earnestly to say what she means and mean what she says. All believers are expected to grow earnestly in rightly dividing the Word of Truth, but an official teacher must be all the more accountable for what she says, even if she is “just teaching women”. Any and every teacher must articulate the message of the Bible carefully and as accurately as possible.

Hebrews 2:1-4 - For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

Of course a teacher may use other words than the Bible uses, otherwise we would just walk around quoting the Bible and speaking nothing else. God’s Word certainly needs to be presented afresh for every generation and group of people. However, the meaning of what a teacher presents must match the meaning of God’s Word. If Bible says a+b=c then what a teacher says must also mean a+b=c. Words are very important; each one has specific denotations and connotations. Although there is unavoidable subjectivism involved in teacher to student communication and ultimately we rely on the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to Truth, still a teacher must be precise as possible and certainly accountable to answer for her words. I critique this study fully desirous that it might be improved upon by Glenn herself or individual churches facilitating the study and that Glenn's ministry to mothers might deepen and grow.

The General Difficulty

In order to understand the greatest difficulty in Motherwise: Freedom for Mothers, one must be clear that it presumes to present the Gospel to mothers. It is a primer on the Christian life. It presents itself as instructing mothers how to live out the Gospel. If the Gospel is then not sufficiently present, it is not enough to answer that the Gospel was assumed to be understood. If someone asks a believer how to be free from there sins, what ought they to answer? The Gospel! Denise Glenn is very clear that she is teaching how we as mothers can be free from sin and to abide in Christ. The whole of the book presumes to teach the Gospel, the good news of the freedom from sin and the eternal life we have in Christ by faith, as a daily reality for mothers. The book follows the following basic outline. Glenn appeals to mother’s felt needs for redemption in life, she shows the sickness of sin and the flesh and then says she will teach you how to be free of it. That is what Christ came to do, correct? That is the Gospel, correct?

I first consciously noted trouble with the study in Unit 5, beginning on pg 132. However, as I have poured back over the study, Glenn had clearly established what I hope to show is a misguided pattern for spiritual life beginning in Unit 1. Consider the sentence from pg 24 “If you will come to God hungry and ready to be filled up with what He can give you, you’ll be amazed at what He will do.” At first glance this sounds ok, right? However, it is imbedded with a subtle form of legalism. Note that I bring myself, hungry and ready, to God. The Bible is clear that it takes a miraculous act of God to make our stony hearts hungry for God. If you are hungry for God, He has already been with you long before you came to Him. The entire study follows the formula “If I do, then God can”. The focus of this formula is my work. My work in sanctification is prior to God's work. Glen very often repeats that it is Christ doing all things through me, but after she makes that affirmation, much of the rest of the study negates it. The focus of the study is what I do to get free. I align myself with the life of Christ so that it can flow through me. The Bible focuses more on grasping by faith what Christ did to make me free. What I see significantly lacking in Glen's study is a focus on the grace and mercy of God which works in us through faith, so that the Giver is glorified. I am a totally undeserving blessed recipient. The formula of God’s revealed Word is “What did God do. Respond with living faith.” It is a Gospel of Grace. The words "grace " and "mercy" are hardly ever mentioned in the entire study.

If Paul had to publicly rebuke Peter for falling into legalism, than we too, in our self-sufficient American culture, ought to tread carefully and not be arrogant in thinking that since we are not Catholic, therefore we are immune to the heresy of works-righteousness. Indeed, I would say that our culture is more than ripe for this error. However, I do not have the time or space to make social or ecclesiastical commentary, I only say that we ought not to be surprised at all if a legalistic teaching slipped into an Bible church. It is more of a generational disease in evangelicalism than the average church attendee ever imagined.

Reason

There are some truths powerful enough to make even a heart of stone cry out.