POLL: What Do You Think of the Emmanuel Baptist Church Sign?

A sign bearing the message, "God's Way to Home Improvement: Putting a Woman in Her Place" drew complaints of sexism against last week.

The Lemont church, located at 1191 McCarthy Road, is currently in the middle of an eight-week series on improving family life and relationships. On Sunday, Pastor Steve Meister delivered a sermon titled "Putting a Woman in Her Place," which was promoted through the church's large outdoor sign.

"The idea of the sermon was to go through the Bible and the word of God to show the woman's role in the church and the home," Meister said. "The title was designed to grab people's attention so they would stop in and listen to the sermon."

Meister said he received emails from some residents who were concerned the sign was derogatory toward women.

"The sign was simply meant to grab people's attention," he said. "Christianity has typically elevated women in their roles in the family, rather than viewing them as property (like other religions). That's what we meant by 'putting a woman in her place.' We in no way meant to put women down or promote a negative message."

The "We Believe" section of Emmanuel Baptist Church’s website states:

“The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation."

"I firmly believe in the old saying, 'The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world,'" Meister said. "The church views the woman's role as vital to family life."

Meister said he has used controversial messages in the past on topics like abortion to attract attention from those outside the church.

"I always hope people will have questions about what they see, and will stop in and listen," he said. "The message is positive."

What do you think of the message on the Emmanuel Baptist Church sign? Tell us in the comments.

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