MRS degree is big shocker. Not.

Gavin at "Hit the Back Button to Move Fwd" has posted ("now your daughter can get her mrs. degree for real") about a report from Texas that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is offering a true MRS degree--it's only for women and is more or less a Home Ec degree on steroids.

Though the reaction from those coming from the Left side of things is a little predictable (even the article predicts it) I would encourage you not to be quick to take offense, folks.

First, this is a BA being offered at a seminary, and this seminary is Southern Baptist. It is pretty hard to argue from the Bible (though some will certainly try) that there aren't distinct roles for man and woman in a family. And Southern Baptists (particularly those preparing for the ministry) accept this general principle. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that this BA isn't for Gavin . . . or for anyone who wouldn't willingly register at Southwestern Baptist Seminary.

Some in Gavin's comments guffaw at the reference to divorce by the Southwester spokesman, but divorce happens most often (I think we can agree) because two persons are going different directions in their marriage. Accordingly, given the presuppositions of the faculty, students and spouses of students at this graduate school, divorce is not irrelevant to a discussion about providing this course of study to spouses of students at this seminary.

Likewise, the purported cold-hard-economic-facts references by some commenters presumes that both parents "have to" work in a family. But, as Mary Beth and even Gavin articulate, that isn't really all that factual. In any event, that kind of leads to the question of whether it is challenging or a high calling to simply "be[] a housewife."

For me, it is sad that many in our culture seem to have moved beyond seeing the value of "the home." It makes sense that these same people would underappreciate the challenge of managing a home, I guess. But in my/our case, this role includes homeschooling, living within a tight budget, creating a "launching pad" for impact, providing an hospitable oasis and a greenhouse of development and acceptance. In our home we're hoping to prepare/equip our family (especially our children) to make an impact and effectively serve others. That's no small task. And it kind of makes some yearn for a 9-5 job with adults and a paycheck and finite expectations.