Now there’s an idea! Where do I sign up?

I’ve always got a kick out of the idea of a “Moscow” in Idaho. It’s almost as though Joe McCarthy missed a spot somewhere in the North West :)

In the past a friend and I have tossed around the idea of showing up at the Trinity Fest one of these days (but it is, after all, a 1.5 day drive).

Nice comments! I agree. I think its a good thing for a young lady to persue an education.

First, as you and others ably mentioned, it will be so useful in being able to teach her children.

Second, getting a job is not the only reason why it is good to get an education. It functions to sharpen us is many different ways, especially in some areas that aren’t likely to be developed in the routines of everyday life in and of itself.

Third, as has also been mentioned, in God’s providence she may not marry/have children, or may even become a widow some day. She may one day have to fend for herself, and in that case the more qualified she is the better.

Fourth, I believe in a way it is an interesting and unique testimony to the world and other Christians when this Christian woman who is clearly smart, educated, and could have a good career, choses her family as her central priority. It also helps to dispels some stereotypes as to what Christan women and Christians in general are like.

Fifth, there are probably a plethora of other ways that a wife can bless her husbands and others by having somewhat of an education!

As a single guy, I find a women having an education to be attractive. Not that I would make it some sort of requirement, but it certainly is attractive for the reasons I’ve mentioned. I don’t understand the mentality that forces girls to not get an education. I understand the fear that it could detract from homeward duties, but I fear those fears are somewhat misguided.

Unfortunately, someone in my office actually understood the reference to BSG. Ugh!

I really don’t see the logic in making Evangelical wives more like concubines. They will have enough economic disadvantages in the marketplace without lacking a college degree (I’m quite willing to reconsider the the value of the degree in general, but our target seems to think it is valuable for men, so I’m assuming it is valuable for this argument). Husbands die. Husbands get disabled. Repudiating the two-income household is not enough to justify leaving women more vulnerable than they already are.

And how many men are going to know who they want to marry by the time they graduate from high school. Lots of my classmates got married to someone they met in college….

Furthermore, women don’t *know* that they are going to get married when they graduate from high school. That is not entirely within their control. Staying a daughter in the house forever is not going to add to their chances of becoming a good wife.

Finally, when we read in the Bible about women killing evil men they never do it by grabbing a sword and shield and going to battle (Worst BSG episode ever: boxing match with Starbuck going up against Apollo and not getting killed in the first five seconds; they even switched to kick boxing without explanation just to give her something to do). Rather, she uses cunning and lies and then takes advantage of vulnerability. All things being equal, I would expect women to gravitate toward “knowledge work” rather than hard labor. Thus, men I think are probably *more* likely to find a calling that doesn’t involve college than women.

FWIW

As I tried to make clear in the post, the most important aspect of this conversation has very little to do with money, and much to do with the impact women have on God’s kingdom. To make it about money – whether in terms of the cost or the paycheck – seems to trivialize the importance of education.

And yet he married a woman who was not college educated. Emma was homeschooled, in fact. ;-)

I agree that being educated is an objectively good thing. I don’t think it requires a degree, however, or four expensive years of college coursework. And I cannot fault a family that makes an economic decision to choose college education for its sons and not its daughters, especially if it has also made economic decisions to provide for the needs of any daughters as long as they remain unmarried. To quote (or perhaps misquote…I’m going by memory) Miss Woodhouse, “It is only poverty that makes celibacy contemptible.”

Can’t blather more now ‘cuz I’m at work, but I’ll try to get back and flesh out my thoughts some more.