For the uninitiated, the Vision Forum is an organization much-beloved by a certain segment of the home-schooling community, particularly those interested in a reformed soteriology but not a presbyterian ecclesiology. Or much of an ecclesiology at all, as, so far as I can tell, there seems an unarticulated but clearly evident conviction that the nuclear family is pretty much all- and self-sufficient, so long as the father is willing to act all patriarchal and the womenfolk wear long dresses.
I mention the latter because this, according to the pictures in the the catalog I did not ask them to send me, is the standard dress code for the fairer sex. I should mention that the blurb for a DVD on "Biblical Femininity" (only $15!) clearly states "It doesn't matter how 'girly' a girl's clothes are...." But if that's the case, then how come all the girls in said catalog are dressed more girly than the average American Girl doll?
Methinks they dost protest too much: one rather gets the impression that purchasing the sufficient number of items from the Vision Forum catalog, and, of course, dressing appropriately, is all one's family needs to do to realize the vision of reforming and reviving the American family through the wonder of one-stop shopping.
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Amusing, yes, but also helpful: Why have I looked at some of those catalogs myself (knowing Mrs. Curmudgeon's and my son-in-law's negative opinion of them) and _thought_ "What's wrong with that?" but _felt_ vague dis-ease? Ah, yes! No church!! Plenty of human brides, but never the bride of Christ except dismembered. Thank you, Matthew.
Your Curmudgeon-in-Law
And another thing that bugs me, and as you implied, it seems that the 'doctrine of the family' supercedes the Doctrine of the Church.
I would be interested in hearing more of your thoughts along these lines.
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