"Equal" is not "the same"

The "sly ways" (2 Corinthians 2:11, The Message) of Satan, who is always "[prowling] around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour," (1 Peter 5:8, NKJV) are foiled by Christian soldiers who do not bow to his deceitful teachings. Secular humanists are fond of saying that men and women are "equal." What they mean is they are "the same." There is a vast difference between two things being equal and their being the same.

For example, an ounce of lean meat and an ounce of refined sugar have roughly "equal" caloric content, but I don't think anyone would say they are "the same." A ton of bricks and ton of feathers are "equal" in weight. If they are "the same," I am sure you would just as readily agree to having a ton of bricks dropped on you as a ton of feathers.

The fact is that men and women are "equal" in value in God's economy. "There is neither...male nor female; for all are one in Christ." (Galatians 3:28, NKJV) But men and women are not "the same." Beyond the physical differences, there are recognized differences in brain chemistry, not to mention readily observable differences in temperament. God tells us that women have "...the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4, NKJV). He tells us that husbands are to "...dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life..." They are not "the same."

Desmond Morris, in his book "Intimate Behavior," (Random House, 1971) wrote about the universal sexual progression that he observed in many diverse cultures worldwide. That progression from recognition to sexual consummation, according to Morris, universally follows this pattern:

1. Eye to person. (He notices her)
2. Eye to eye. (Their eyes meet. Magic in the air.)
3. Voice to voice. (Getting to know you. No overt sexual overtones. Happens in group setting.)
4. Hand to hand. (We are a couple. This is the first “sexual” contact.)
   
5. Arm to shoulder. (This is the first signal that “I want to protect you.”)
6. Hand to waist. (Vision, deeply held beliefs, values and life goals are shared. This is an opportunity to know one another rather intimately without sexual pressure.)
7. Face to face (Mouth to mouth. Kissing occurs for the first time.)
8. Hand to head. (This signifies complete confidence. Whom do you allow to touch your head? Only those you trust completely.)
9. Eye to body. (This is not sexual in nature. “I’ve grown accustomed to the tent you live in.”)
10. Hand and mouth to breast.
    
11. Hand to genital.
12. Genital to genital.

As you can see, Morris designates the first "sexual" contact to be holding hands (step 4). I seriously doubt that secular humanists consider this to be sexual. Why? Because it fits their agenda which is expressed succinctly by a Planned Parenthood staff member:

...the goal of Planned Parenthood is to help “young people obtain sex satisfaction before marriage. By sanctioning sex before marriage, we will prevent fear and guilt.” (Faye Wattleton, “Reproductive Rights for a More Humane World,” The Humanist, July/August 1986, p. 7.)

This is very different from the Seventh Commandment : "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14, KJV) God knows that sexual union is more than a mere physical experience. It is the engine that drives the biblical family. It makes a man and woman "one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) It creates an emotional bond that is real, no matter how much the secular humanists try to deny it.

All of the above is about bringing me to the point of this post. As reported by Jim Daly of Focus on the Family:

Last week, Cassy Herkleman was scheduled to wrestle Joel Northrup in the first round of the Iowa state high school wrestling tournament. But as you may know by now, Joel refused the match, walked off the mat and forfeited the round and his chance at a state title.

Why?

"As a matter of conscience and my faith,” he wrote in a statement, “I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner."

Joel, who is home-schooled, is also a pastor’s son. His father, Jamie, was strikingly blunt when speaking with the Des Moines Register about his son’s decision:

"We believe in the elevation and respect of women, and we don't think that wrestling a woman is the right thing to do. Body slamming and takedowns -- full contact sport is not how to do that."

[ESPN reporter] Rick Reilly was not convinced. He wrote that Joel was “wrong” to refuse the match and that “If the Northrups really wanted to ‘respect’ women, they should've encouraged their son to face her.”

Why? Because men and women are "equal," according to the prevailing cultural view. By refusing to wrestle Cassy, Joel was essentially saying, in the secular humanist view, that they were not "equals." In fact, by standing for the biblical view, Joel was not saying Cassy was not "equal" to himself, but rather that she was not "the same" as he is.

In our sex-saturated culture, the idea that two teen-agers of opposite sex should roll around on a mat, with their bodies in intimate physical contact and covered with sweat doesn't even raise an eyebrow. But given Morris's culturally universal observations about the power and meaning of physical contact between persons of opposite sex, I wonder if the secular humanists are not overlooking the obvious. Couple Morris's observations with the biblical assertions that men and women are indeed not "the same," and I think there is every reason to think that Joel did the right thing, no matter what your religion.

Did Joel disrespect Cassy, because he stood his ground where biblical truth is concerned? Or did he, rather, show deep respect for her in protecting her from making a spectacle of herself through inappropriate touching for unwed people of the opposite sex? The secular humanists, who by definition choose to value human wisdom above the divine (just as Eve did in the garden, at the behest of Satan), surely will have different answers to those questions than Joel did, standing on biblical truth. Chalk up one more for a soldier of Christ.