One phrase that kept popping up in the comments to this post about being a working mother was "keeper of the home." It's from Titus 2:4-5 in the King James version of the Bible: "That they [older women] may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
So here's my question for you - what does it meant to be the "keeper of the home," as mandated by Scripture? (For the sake of this discussion, I won't bring up the "obedient to their own husbands" section etc. as the resulting mutual submission or complementarian/egalitarian conversation might cause the Internet to explode.)
There is no shortage of opinions on this small phrase, "keeper of the home." A quick Google search results in many websites, books, blogs and even, yes, home school curriculum.
I have heard that it means women should have no outside interests to her husband and children. I have heard that it means that a woman's first obligation is to her home and family but she can have outside interests or work or ministry as long as the home is well looked after first. I've heard that it is exclusively domestic chores related (meaning that men should not have to do any work in traditionally female work like cooking, cleaning etc.). Others believe it concerns the "tone" or "spirit" of the home. I've heard that it's an archaic cultural more, an encouragement, a commandment and everything in between. There is a lot of liberality, not only in how it's interpreted but how it's practically lived out in Christian homes.
I, of course, have my own opinions (stop laughing!) but I thought I'd start here, with you, first.
So how do you interpret or live out being the "keeper of the home?"
(If you do a blog post on this, please leave the link in the comments as I'd like to read your perspective. And I am not interested only in people sharing an opinion that they think I share - those of you that feel differently that I do - or you think that I do - please feel free to share.)
