Assistance for Guardian Angel
I need a favor. You may be aware that there are several negative reviews of my book Guardian Angel circulating on the web. Art Cox, a minister in Illinois, offers a critical video sermon. I have written to him to suggest he invite me to his assembly for a live debate, but I have never had a response. Daniel Botkin wrote another review. I responded to that one but no further dialogue has ensued. Then there is a critical piece by Andrew McColl. I will be sending him a reply shortly. While the theological sophistication of these critiques varies considerably, in general they all attempt to support the current male-dominant ecclesiastical paradigm from the usual biblical texts. They claim that I have either misread or added to the biblical statements and therefore have distorted what the Bible clearly teaches. I have responded to that sort of critique (as have many other authors), but the responses are usually ignored. So, here’s where you come in.
If you have read Guardian Angel, I would like to ask you to do two things. First, write about what you thought of the book here, in the comments section. It doesn’t have to be long or theological. Just write about the impact the book had on you. Then copy your comments and add them to the Amazon review. Below is a picture of the page. All you need to do is search for “Skip Moen Guardian Angel Customer Reviews Amazon.” If you already wrote a review, thank you so much. Twenty people have added their comments. It would be nice to have 100, no matter how you felt about the book.
Once this exercise has collected some replies, I will forward it to the above mentioned authors just to let them know that I am not the only person in the world who thinks that the traditional Christian paradigm is destructive heresy.
I must admit that I found Guardian Angel answered many questions I had as a believer, particularly about the role of men and women. These questions had remained unanswered for about three decades! How incredible it was, to learn about the Hebrew meanings of words. My husband and I found the teachings that Skip presented in the book led us into a more satisfying, fulfilling,relationship with each other as we understood more about our roles and differences but knowing we complement each other. Anyone wondering why they have struggles in their marriage relationship, would benefit by reading and studying Guardian Angel!
Perfectly put! Ditto here in our home.
Guardian Angel was the first book I read by Skip and doing so opened up a whole new paradigm view for me. Personally that has led me for the first time to a joy of seeing the Word of God ‘click’. In the ensuing years of Bible study, the disjointed and outright conflicts I felt in reading the scriptures as I was taught (told) through ‘The Church’ have mercifully melted away.
On another note; As Lynda has described in a previous post, I to have recognized a newness in our relationship between my wife and I, yet ours in a different way. My wife has not joined me in my enthusiasm for the Hebrew world view that I have come to embrace and she at first recoiled at my embrace of wanting to learn more about the Jew, Yeshua (not about Judaism, although that has been a part) and the application of Torah in my life.
Yet, when I realized through ‘Guardian Angel’ that there was an applied disjointed view of my own towards my wife in our marriage, I worked to humbly accept the blessing of her position in our union that was designed by God. The women I am so desperately in love with was now a partner that I recognized had great gifts to bring to our lives with God, even outside of the position we personally were in concerning our walk with Him.
That tension of desire to be in the same spot in our walk with God has also melted away and I know my wife is experiencing a greater joy seeing I value her input, view and judgment at all times. Thanks Skip!
I already wrote a review on Amazon a long time ago. I wouldn’t worry about the negative reviews of the patriarchal and paternalistic male establishment; they are more evidence that these teachings are wrong and a source of frequent abuse, as we read about continually. I suspect, following civil rights legislation and a move to gender equality in the workplace and education, religion is the last bastion for the marginal white male. Do you really think they want this heretofore safe environment to become another place where they must compete? They need this illusion of superiority and control to survive. Ministries and churches would be decimated without the overwhelming demographics of women who act as the worker bees to the alpha male leaders.
It is interesting that Christianity has taught for almost 2,000 both hated of Jews, and that women are intellectually and morally inferior to men. A large part of the problem is women themselves; even intelligent and educated women who believe they are the ones who are so apt to be deceived by their emotions that they need the protection of men. With the idea that women need the protection of (good) men against (bad) men, it makes me think of the computer virus company that hired hackers to create viruses and a better market for his product.
I doubt any of these people will invite you to a debate, because they know they will lose. Daniel Botkin is another one of those wanna-be fake Jews. To give you an idea of what a coward he is, he made a comment that he would unfriend from FB (acting like a silly teenager) anyone who criticized Jim Staley. I made a comment that I didn’t know all the ins and outs of the scandal, but what I saw was troublesome. This is the sort of people you are dealing with. I’ve come to realize that the religious world is, by nature, unreasonable and dishonest, as their power exists in belief, not in reality – not that this matters.
You might want to put out a call far and wide asking for debate. This would bring out other important issues also, such as through what lens we view scripture.
Just FYI, in the US, despite their claims for the sanctity of marriage, evangelicals have the highest divorce rate of any religious group, with Pentecostals the highest of that subset, and if a person is not an evangelical and lives in an area where there is a large population of evangelicals, they also have a higher divorce rate.
I am a skeptic, thanks to training from my next-oldest brother. When I first learned from Guardian Angel that there could be biblical reasons for disrupting my “the man is the head of the family” mindset, I was skeptical. However, Skip Moen patiently took me from verse to verse. And by the end of the book, all I could say was–This makes sense.
I tend to agree with Chaya. Until the leaders who promote patriarchal ideology (either vocally or implicitly by their silence) are blessed with true spiritual revelation, they will remain in the dark on this subject. Skip, you have spoken well and accurately about the subject, and their unwillingness (or inability) to refute you just furthers the credibility of the message (and its writer). The very best we can do, methinks, is to get Guardian Angel into the hands of more women (and sensible men) so they can learn this restoration truth.
I read “Guardian Angel” by Skip Moen recently and have a new appreciation for my wife as a special gift from God. By the way her name is Dorothy.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dorothy
Dorothy is a female given name. It comes from Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothéa) meaning “God’s Gift”
I was raised in a farming community with very traditional beliefs prior to becoming a Correctional Officer then Sergeant for the California Department of Corrections. Needles to say I can be “a little rough around the edges” at times but it has always been my wife who has been my greatest supporter and often has been instrumental in saving me from myself. I remember a pastor years ago who said that, “God treats you like you treat your wife,” Now I know what the pastor was talking about. During our 40 years of marriage I can truly say that my wife has always been my “Guardian Angel” through thick and thin. Thanks Skip for teaching us how it all works according to God’s divine design.
Thank you, Skip Moen, for writing this book! It is biblically sound and confirms what we’ve really known all along! The creative design of God is amazing! As a woman it has been sobering to realize what an awesome responsibility I have. I would encourage every married couple to read this book even if they think they’ll disagree with it. We all need to hear this perspective and let God teach us. If you know you’ve written what God placed on your heart, don’t give a critical review a second thought.
I’m not going to spoil the book but Biblical marriage isn’t what modern Christians teaches nor is it what most marriages look like. Go figure, out of all the denominations Christians have more divorces then any other denomination (its a sad statistic) . I’m getting married so I wanted to find out, what exactly was marriage suppose to look like because it doesn’t take to much of a deep thinker to take a look around at society and take a hunch it’s not exactly what we have going on that was the intended view. Skip lays out a very well lays out a well developed argument. If you think that it’s, “The man is the head of the house and the wife makes sandwiches for him all day” you might be surprised – it’s not that. The book looks at the creation story to prove this as well as N.T passages (lot’s of Paul surprisingly enough) to show this. What the book is not and doesn’t pretend to be is, “10 things to do to improve your marriage”, the book simply is showing through Biblical text (and hard to rebuke that) what the text ACTUALLY SAYS.
Skip’s argument is NOT a rogue idea, and is far from that. If you read, “Garden of Peace” written by Rabbi Shalom Arush or “The Beast That Crouches at the Door” by Rabbi David Fohrman it falls exactly in line, as well as the countless footnotes that Skip lays out. So don’t think for a second that Skip just pulled this out of thin air, FAR from the case.
Skip also isn’t trying to shove any idea down anyone’s throat. Try it out after you read the book, if it works keep it – if it doesn’t work clearly it’s not for you. My guess is however implement these points will make your relationship go to the next level. And Skip really has this tone through out it, he’s just trying to show that the Bible really does have the answer to some serious question (who would have thought).
To get the most out of this book you need to take your time with it. He does fortunately have a set of lectures that you can buy as well on his website that go over this book which make a great study companion which I would totally recommend. Marriage is a serious thing in life. As far as milestones go, there is life, death and some where in the middle marriage is there and is considered, ‘a big one’ so spending a few extra dollars and getting the lectures would be wise. There is a lot of information in the book, so take your time with it.
If you are married and have a great marriage this book can only make it better, if you aren’t married and are thinking about then this book is great for you too. Lastly if you are single and not looking for marriage at the moment, this is an excellent study on the creation story as well as other that will totally blow your mind. It shows the Biblical roles of man and women.
With all that said, I read it, I liked it (I bought it from his website not amazon) and believe that Skip does a great job laying out what Biblical marriage is suppose to look like. His idea is not a rogue idea (maybe compared to greek thought or modern Christianity) he has done his research and is diligent. He has a great track record with his other books and if you buy this book as well as the suggestions listed in this review you will be well armed for the ups and downs of marriage, the rest is up to you.
(Posted on Amazon as a review of Guardian Angel)
I’ve occupied an evangelical worldview for quite some time now. Moving in and out of Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, CMA churches since my college days. All the while I was learning the ropes, so to speak. However, some things, no, many things just didn’t sit well in my mind, my heart, and my life as I endeavored to work out all that I was learning “about God.”
But, the tough thing was that I really couldn’t figure out the why’s of all the real questions I had concerning many doctrinal stances I was being indoctrinated with. ALL my cronies confirmed, over and over again, the mainstay dogma of my evangelical existence. I continued to walk along with them as well as with the reference books I was taught to read and study along side of my bible. All the commentaries agreed, well, except when they didn’t and I was consistently helped to overlook those particular entries. The disagreements were made minor in my mind by all my teachers and distractors.
Then along comes Skip Moen. Never dogmatic, never demanding, never dictatorial in his offerings of understanding. He simply begins with the original words of the books we deem sacred and attempts to dissect and discern what the original author was trying to say to the original audience in the original languages. A simple proposal but difficult task, indeed. Yet, Skip performs the challenge exquisitely, smoothly, and very much on task. He takes difficult or challenging verses and untwists simple and elegant truths from them by offering palpable nuggets of truth that actually ring true both intellectually as well as experientially. Very often, actually, usually I have “ah-hah” moments when reading what Skip writes.
Reading Guardian Angel is a book that created many “ah-hah” moments in my understanding of the foundational union of man and women. While I struggled to unshackle myself from my presuppositions of former years and finally understood what this book was postulating, that this man-woman relationship that has been taught for so long by the christian church might not be so, the “ah-hah” moment happened. Skip’s take on the relationship made so much more sense AND when I changed my views experientially in my marriage I began to view my wife very differently and much more respectfully. She was MY guardian, MY equal, MY ezer kenegdo, MY perfect companion to help deal with the realities of life and the fearful/awe-inspiring relationship we all should have with our Elohim.
Thank you, Skip, for your faithful and precise digging in to the treasures of the words and truths of those books we deem as valuable and sacred. Your writings, particularly Guardian Angel are a jewel to possess. This book is a treasured gift on my shelf, on my desk and in my hands for reading and contemplating.
As an ending comment, let me say this. I went to listen to Skip speak one time. I drove quite a distance to do so. Listening to him in person and meeting him was interesting. He is just a man. Just a regular person. However, he has an extraordinary desire to understand AND follow YHWH. In his teaching manner, he doesn’t TELL anyone what to believe. He simply shares his journey, his struggles, his digging in to the words of the bible and offers questions that he asks in order to understand. He leaves the conclusion to you. He is a simple person on a journey and extends a welcoming hand to anyone that would like to walk with him and dig with him.
Lastly, he is a Nikon man. Meaning he is a photographer. Notice I said photographer, not picture-taker. There is a difference. While I am a Canon man, through and through, I choose to overlook this one blight on his choice of equipment! 😉 I choose to look at it that he is a better photographer than me because he can take an inferior camera and make better photographs than I can. Bravo, Skip. Your mind AND eye are admirable. Again, thank you.
I own a copy of Guardian Angel. What an amazing book! Anyone who seeks to understand scripture by learning about the culture and context in which it was written is in for an eye-opening experience!
I have been learning about Hebrew for awhile before I purchased this book. What I have learned regarding man and woman’s roles has been life changing.
I find it very interesting that only God considers women to be such a crowning jewel for a man. Most religions tear women down and make them of far less importance than a man. Some equate women to livestock-to be owned and used.
Guardian Angel is an amazing look at God’s word thru Hebrew eyes. The very same eyes that much of scripture was written in originally.
I imagine that to some, this is unthinkable but since life is a journey and walking with God is also a journey, it stands to reason that things change as we learn the ways of Y-H. If one possesses a closed mind then the journey is over before it begins.
Y-H is a teacher of men. Why else would we need to actively follow Him?
We presently have 6 copies in our home (1 each for my husband and me), 4 of which still need to be gifted out. I’ve already gifted some proclaimed servants of the LORD with this LIFE CHANGER book. (How sad is it that the husbands won’t/haven’t read it???)
The Holy Spirit had ALWAYS taught me what Skip has put into words on paper but the church kept beating me with lashings of “thou shall submit [even tho I was a single mother]” and “thou shalt keep silent in church” and “the man is the head of the home”… [even tho my 1st husband didn’t know Yeshua from Aahchoo! Later, after the divorce, I was of course completely confused about the church’s idea of a divorced single parent!]
Skip, I thank you over and over and over again for shining light on the REAL BIBLICAL WORDS/MEANINGS. Wow. how freeing.
Let me tell you a little about The Guardian Angel…A few years ago when I ask my wife what she would like for her birthday and she said “why don’t you and your pastor friends get me a burka,” I suddenly got the deer in the headlight message about my Christian walk. When I realized that my King does not change and we started to “come out of her” I thought we had a good handle on things because we were doing the dietary laws, Shabbat, tzitzits, Torah study, the High Holy Days, and we love it. Then came The Guardian Angel book…It’s biblical precepts and teaching has changed and is changing me from just doing good bible things to having a true intimate relationship with my wife. We have never had that before. I’m 62 years old, I haven’t arrived yet, but the ride just got way better. I wish I knew this a long time ago. Thanks Skip.
““why don’t you and your pastor friends get me a burka,”” I LOVE IT!
I LOVED the book, GUARDIAN ANGEL! I have served in my church for more than 25 years, fully satisfied with my roles as mentor, teacher, administrator, and using my gift of hospitality and never felt stifled as a woman in the church. What this book did for me, personally, was more clearly identify my role as a wife in my marriage, as protector/encourager to my husband, and it clarified how God made my husband as the one who has the God-given responsibility to remember his covenant obedience with the Lord. I felt freed up to love my husband in a more God-honoring, God-fitting way. The book inspired me to encourage, nurture and lift up my husband to become the man of God he was made to be, and without pressuring or nagging him, but through prayer and joy and encouragement. God took those little steps of faith and has blessed me with a marriage that is finally in sync, finally fitting together as “one flesh” (after 32 years of marriage).
Skip has this amazing way of thinking outside the typical “church” box, and that can threaten some within the church who don’t want to know anything differently than what they have known their whole adult lives. But the word of God is living and active. It still should breathe fresh air into our souls and mold our thoughts (understanding), our hearts and our actions. I love Skip’s openness to look at God’s word with a zeal and courage that few have. Biblical teachers who imagine new ways of looking at Scripture, as great theological thinkers of our past have, will be criticized because they are not status quo, but we must continue revisiting Scripture with fresh, new eyes and a fresh, new mind because it is how we keep God’s word alive and active.
Personally, I think God quite enjoys discourse about His word. He knew that ancient rabbis Hillel and Shammai would debate about divide about what the Torah meant, and when Jesus came on the scene, He addresses their debates and points out that sometimes Hillel got things wrong, and sometimes Shammai did, but what is interesting is that Jesus never rebuked these rabbis for debating, for them seeking to know and understand God’s truth more. He scolded the religious leaders who thought they knew everything and acted in arrogance and stubbornness, that which stood in direct contrast to His word.
Skip, your God-given role is to seek God with all your mind, heart and soul. You are are gifted teacher. You just keep on keeping on. You are blessing so many with your teachings. May God bless you and protect you and comfort you.
I am blessed by reading your reply, Gaynor. Especially first graph. You obviously had faith to take refuge in Yah during times of testing in the early half of your marriage… and that faith has been multiplied! A wonderful picture of a powerful journey with Yah. Thank you!
I have just reread Guardian Angel, after reading Daniel Botkin’s rude remarks about it. But I respect Botkin, for other true statements and artistic expressions of Yah’s awesomeness, so decided to read Guardian Angel more critically. Second reading is more challenging than the first, but through this I am being led deeper into the Hebrew and further into my love walk with Yah, Who feeds me with the Bread of LIFE and I am LOVING IT!!! For instance, I do not really know Hebrew but I have a Biblica Hebraica published in the 30s and I have both a magnifying glass and a responsive friend who is an expert in Hebrew and Aramaic so I can attempt to “prove all things.” I ascertained that ISHSHAH does not really have two SHIN, as Skip Moen’s valuable footnote on Page 90 implies to the reader who doesn’t understand his description “doubled SHIN”… My friend Jeremy Chance Springfield of Yada Elohim ( http://www.randomgroovybiblefacts.com ) told me that “what ISHSHAH has is one Shin between the aleph and heh for אשה ISHAH. The “dot” in the middle of the letter is called a Dagesh, and typically makes the letter in which it appears a very light “double-sound.” But rather than getting all high and mighty against Skip for not saying exactly that, I choose to listen to what Skip is trying to articulate. So the “consumerdestroyer” concept is more fathomable to me now that I’ve studied it out and tried to pronounce that “double-sound” … my mouth has to get involved and it’s not easy but in the process I have to almost bite my tongue and THAT PROVES SKIP’S POINT!!!! The woman who is here to oppose the man when he is getting out of OUR parameters must use her MOUTH and express herself (or she can express herself with her eyes just as well, if her man is paying attention) to destroy the greed-inspired action that her man wants to embark on. Another thing I noticed when “proving all things” with magnifying glass in hand is that the word ISH is not used prior to the ISH describing himself as ISH. So that would indicate that his Creator had already taken time to teach the ZAKAR some vocabulary and that this ISH remembered and understood something about himself… he seemingly very proudly proclaimed his own tendency toward greedy grabbing to consume the gifts his Creator provided. Apparently he was already slobbering to grab that fruit, even before he received permission from his ISHSHAH. Then later in “proving all things” I noticed that the first time the NAME “Adam” is given it is in Gen 5:2, and it is given by Yahweh to THEM, the male and the female, not just to the male. So now I see that the name Adam is for the One Flesh unit and although the male named his ISHSHAH “Havvah,” the male has no name of his own… he shares it with his ISHSHAH. This is similar to how our Creator shares the name of His Father yet has his own name, Yahshua, when He’s functioning to redeem us… which is the whole message Skip makes in this totally Yahsome book about mutual submission to The Father. If that message will not be listened to by an ISH, could it be that said ISH is still greedily grabbing and not fully submitted to Yahweh? The good news is, as Paul said in Acts 17:26 and 15:17, that we all have THIS time to seek Yah’s face and die to self daily. Myself included. And after two readings of Skip’s book (read in light of two marriages that I left because I couldn’t stand the resistance from my ISH) I am quite sure I don’t have the strength or gifts or “doubled shin” necessary to be a good kenegdo. I’m a fine ezer, but an ineffective kenegdo — and I am sure it has a lot to do with the culture that trained me “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” I do much better being the Bride of Messiah and simply interceding for others in private. And Skip’s book has surely helped me be at peace with this reality. I recommend people study this book privately and teach their children its nuances. The world will become a better place.
This is AWESOME!
Glad you think so. Please keep me in your prayers. I’m invited into prisons to teach men returning to society all about the garden covenant and I’m teaching them to plan on regarding the ezer kenegdo with trust. May Yah’s love dwell in their hearts as they go forth into a renewed life!
What a wonderful comment Melissa – said and reflected on with so much maturity, so much understanding and so much clarity. There has been so much abuse and misconception of what the Holy One intended our functions to be … that I give Him glory for bring MORE attention through Skip’s book to bring TRUTH back to a basic foundational belief that we should all be searching for.
It is amazing and inspiring and a little overwhelming at how the Holy One brings people into your life at ‘such a time as this’. As another (like Gaynor), who has been involved in church leadership, teaching, mentorship and even building up ministries/churches for the past 30 years after learning that the King I served was ‘Jewish’ (raised Catholic), all of my gifts were offered and I tried to serve as well as I knew how. That being said, there was still that place in my heart that always wondered ‘why am I not good enough’? Why are my words cast aside – knowing full well, that if given by a ‘man’ they would have been accepted or at least acknowledged? This new ‘messianic’ world didn’t seem that much different than the hierarchy of the church I came out of.
And then after years of serving men in leadership, and at the height of my joy of being ‘in’ ministry and yet at the precipice of receiving the left foot of disfellowship – the book Guardian Angel by Skip Moen came into my life by a good friend. She said ‘I needed it’. Being a fast reader, I went thru it almost overnight…gleaning so much and learning the pitfalls that we have all fallen into by simply ‘listening’ to others and not studying it out as we should. I then read it the second time, highlighting, studying, and examining the quotes.
Then, the 3rd time….as my husband is not a reader, I read it to him on a trip … at first he was skeptical – thinking his authority was being called into question. Years and years of ‘tradition and doctrine’ clung to us like wet blankets. But after going thru the book on that trip….all my husband said was…”I can’t argue with him – he’s right”. And our world was transformed and thrown upside down in more ways than imaginable! So much so that when I was offered an opportunity to teach a breakout session, I knew that Abba wanted me to teach on the ‘functions’ of men and women as HE designed them to be – and were so validly presented in the Guardian Angel book. What a blessing and a breakthrough of being set ‘free in Him’ it was to those who received it!
For the naysayers out there, for those that are not able to receive the truth wrapped so eloquently in the Hebrew language, all we are able to do is pray that there will be more that say YES! than those that say NO and cling to the traditions of man! For only then can we come together as He has instructed us to do … to submit ONE TO ANOTHER (no hierarchy), to appreciate and learn and live with the functions that the Creator has given to each of us – THEN we will be able to help heal the wounded, lift up the discouraged and free the ones imprisoned! May it come quickly!
My wife and I are both Licensed Professional Counselors and more importantly we practice from a Christian worldview. Although, our best training is our 32+ years of marriage along with being intentional about our individual growth and our coupleship. We counsel from an integrated approach with an emphasis on soul care which is more Hebraic focusing on the whole person rather than current Greek evangelical thought that permeates cultural Christianity. The best test of the religious life is always life. We believe “redemptive intimacy” is the way marriage is designed rather than the “false intimacy” offered by our current cultural mindset and “churchianity”. This book, Guardian Angel, was a breath of fresh air and a paradigm shift for me, both personally and professionally. I have read many books in my journey – clinical books, theological books, marriage books – and I am hesitant to say that any book changed by my life. But, Guardian Angel is one of those books. To understand the original design in the order of creation and the establishment of how marriage between husband and wife is supposed to function is a fundamental rethinking of what we have been taught about covenant relationship. The critical element of trusting my “ezer kenegdo” as the boundary setter and strength of relationship has created a new place of personal and relational freedom, not only in our marriage relationship but also in what we are able to offer other couples that have struggled to find the “redemptive intimacy” they are longing for. We see so many couples that are good “Christians” that struggle greatly in their marriage – they have seen other counselors, read the marriage books, listened to the sermons, practiced the principles, tips, and techniques, all to no avail. And we were one of those couples – we always say we do what we do now because we spent a lot of time “on the couch” ourselves! This shift in how we view Eve and her role is, I believe, the hinge point on having the marriage God intended. I offer this not only professionally but from personal experience as well. This “power” struggle that ensues in every marriage is an intimacy killer. Trust, mutuality, and interdependence is the original design of our Creator – and we have seen the fruit of this in our own coupleship and many of the couples we work with. It is an amazing thing, a great privilege, to see this process of change actually work and have a front row seat watching a marriage begin to function as it was designed. We recommend this book to every couple and are currently facilitating a group with three other couples using Guardian Angel as our framework. It has had a huge impact on them as well. As we know, ingrained strongholds die hard and the modern day Pharisees will fight hard even when experience, truth, and reality all indicate otherwise. The definition of denial is a false system of beliefs not based on reality – that seems to be our current state of “churchianity”. Thank you Skip for continuing to help us see the deeper reality of the heart of YAHWEH!
“churchianity” …LOVE IT!
Any man who has been married over a decade to a Godly woman and does not at least instinctively know that his wife is his guardian angel, is a fool.
This idea of a woman’s true role as it relates to the Church and marriage is nothing new. I wonder what some of these critics say about Gordon Fees work on this subject? He is the gold standard of textual criticism. What about the work of Dr. Roy Blizzard? What about all the work that has been done on the female apostle Junia by very competent scholars, or the fact that Nestle – Aland has give the name Junia an A rating since 1998 when previously they gave Junius an A rating…with NO explanations? Talk about politics being involved with bible translations!
But it doesn’t matter what the facts are … there is a vested interest for the organized Church in keeping women where they are. There is also a several millennial long history of bias against women serving in their biblically appointed roles. Nothing short of a revelation from God will open they eyes of most men to the blessings their ezer kenegdo was meant to be. I’m convinced this is one of the primary reasons the Church continues to be a miserable failure. How can a body function properly when half of the body is kept from functioning?
“Any man who has been married over a decade to a Godly woman and does not at least instinctively know that his wife is his guardian angel, is a fool.”
The world is full of fools… and deceivers.
I love this book. I have bought multiple copies and given them to all of my children and my wife also. We have a running serious joke about ‘ezer kenegdo roles! Nobody knows me and my ways on earth except my wife. My son and daughters have been given a great gift.
When I first read this book, my son was deploying a business plan that I was helping with and we suspended the entire process. I told him that he needed to set this aside and not move forward until he could explain it to his wife and she agreed to the plan. This was not met with joy. This caused us to have a hard conversation. They are still working thru that conversation but she is included and he is potentially protected from himself. Abba has another voice into the heart of the man. God is magnified and meekness is being cultivated in the heart of a husband. This is difficult; This is good.
I intuitively knew that this was right, but I don’t have the language and my evangelical background allowed for a less gentle expression in our marriage. I feel a new freedom in how I make decisions, I am more thoughtful, I express my ideas AND stay open to input from my wife of 35 years. Her heart is enlarged because she has a seat at the decision and planning table to speak into the things that affect our lives. this is leadership in a much better form. We are stronger because of this. I was given doctrinal permission from my teachers to be a braying ass and oppress the heart of my wife for decades and also cut myself off from the best insight a man can have in the flesh.
I believe that this has an eternal impact on our lives, the lives of our children and subsequent generations. I exaggerate not! Thanks to the author for having the stones to speak truth. Thank you Abba for pulling back the curtain just a bit and let the light of your truth come forth to us out of the doctrinal rubble that our forefathers have produced.
AMEN, DAVID!
” I was given doctrinal permission from my teachers to be a braying ass and oppress the heart of my wife for decades and also cut myself off from the best insight a man can have in the flesh.
I believe that this has an eternal impact on our lives, the lives of our children and subsequent generations.”
Yes, our families, nation, world and our own souls are blackened by the braying asses of theology who play not only with people’s heads but hearts as well. Many a family, ours included, has been fragmented or even shattered into a billion pieces because of false “bible” teaching.
If you look hard at the marriages and relationships that are really working, you will see that the couple understands this idea of the woman being the guide, even if they don’t voice it, they know it and feel it. Just for fun, I invite you to watch some silly game shows, like Family Feud or watch the Property Brothers and you will see over and over again, the man really turning to the woman for direction. I’d say 90% of the time.
I challenge you to try this. Also, this book has shown me a much more respectful way to treat a husband.
“really working” being the key here. Many a facade covers the homes of the churched.
Guardian Angel is phenomenal. While I do not agree with everything Skip teaches, this book (and many other things) happen to hit the nail on the head. Beyond that, I take him to not only preach this, but live it out as an active part of the Body of Messiah helping restore women to the role that God intended as His Son’s joint-heirs, not anything more or less than men.
I’ve always wanted to get to know Roseanne. Nobody knows us (or at least SHOULD know us) better than our spouses. Come on, Roseanne, tell us about our teacher.
Rosanne (one e) will be traveling with me to Philadelphia, New Jersey and Port St. Joe (and Dothan) this year and to South Africa (for the first time) next year. Come along to the conferences and meet her in person. She has already been to England and Virginia Beach and she will be back.
The book Guardian Angel has completely changed the way I view marriage. The in-depth study of Scripture and Hebrew in the Guardian, along with confirmation from the Holy Spirit, has taught me that marriage is about role, not rule. God has confirmed that my inborn instincts to guard and protect my husband are how HE made me. These instincts should be embraced and nurtured by the husband, not crushed along with the wife’s God-given spirit.
Thank you Skip, for this important revelation of the ‘ezer kenegdo. As a divorced woman hoping to remarry one last time before the Lord takes me home, I am certain that God is laying the groundwork for my marriage to be not only a success, but redeemed. I will wait on HIM to bring the right man to my doorstep.
Guardian Angel Comment:
My Wife & I read the Guardian Angel together, a few pages at a time, while discussing what Skip wrote. It took us over a month to finish the book with much discussion and some Biblical research. Growing up in the Catholic/Methodist Faith, his book was an eye opener for both of us and has become truly a blessing in our lives and in our marriage. It seems to me, the many Pastors/Preachers that I have listen to, teach from a Greek mind set vs. a Hebraic mind-set and miss or misinterpret the point(s) in the Creation of Man and Woman by God as found in the Bible. God’s role for man and woman are distinctly different. Unfortunately man has corrupted God’s plan for the woman and man in a marriage relationship. Typical books on marriage come from a different point of view and miss the target. Christian teachings on marriage can be good though they usually do not cover the Creation Story which is the basis of a Marriage. Western thought is much different from Eastern thinking, as is men’s thought process as compared to a woman’s. Bottom line…If you want a Joyful life & Marriage, read the book and practice the suggestions, listen to her and do as best as you know how. I saw a difference in our relationship starting the first day we opened the cover.
Jim C.
This is not the first book I’ve read on on this subject. It is actually the second witness, the first being
“A Mighty Warrior” by the excellent author Frank Seekins which I also highly recommend.
Frank’s book came to my husband and myself after our marriage was miraculously healed by God himself instructing us on how to walk in the strengths that He had given both of us. By honoring His choice to mold each of us the way He had, we became able to function as a single unit in our complimentary roles. To other people we appeared to have a backwards none biblical and yet amazingly marvelous marriage.
“A Mighty Warrior” gave us permission to continue in and develop what God had given us.
At a particular point in time we were asked to participate in a biblical counseling course for the purpose of helping struggling couples. When we went to the teacher and explained that the model we were being taught was one that we had personally found to be unsuccessful in our own attempts to function in unity, we were simply told that we could counsel in different areas other than marriage. In oher words, “You guys are a cute couple but ……………..”
Many years later we were introduced to Skips work. We were among the first to purchase “Guardian Angel” when it came out at which point we came to realize that God had not put together a tailor made for the two of us plan for a thriving marriage, by that the design had been drawn up from before the foundations of the world and He had simply guided us in our desperation to honor Him and remain married, into the design which He had ordained from the beginning.
We now teach unashamedly the principles that He gave us knowing that He is honored as we walk in His ways and teach others to do the same.
Thank you Skip for going out on a limb and for being willing to suffer the pain of scoffing and ridicule from your peers for publishing this liberating information that sets captives (both men and women) free.
I think the only book I’ve read of Skip’s that didn’t IMMEDIATELY take me to a closer relationship with my LORD (I gave up reading “churchy” stuff a long time ago) was the one that I think was his dissertation for his doctorate. What was that called? I was completely lost.
One more comment on The Guardian Angel: I’m not crazy about the title. Personally, I think it sounds like a stuffy, churchy phrase. it might turn many who have walked away from “systematic theology/doctrines” off. That is a shame. EVERY PERSON IN THE ENTIRE WORLD should read it… and read it again… and live by it.
My husband and I have agreed for some time that submission of the wife works just as you have described it in Guardian Angel and without pain providing that the husband is walking out his role as the Father intended it to be—as Christ loved the church. I was delighted with your description of the ezer kenegdo as using the woman’s God-given gift of intuition for her husband’s protection. “Yes!” and “Amen.” In 56 years of marriage to one husband, I can think of probably two times when I accepted a decision that I didn’t fully support, and God used it to give me favor with my husband later.
We women are primarily responders by design: we function best in response. Given that, men are primarily initiators: therefore, if something goes wrong, shouldn’t we be looking to men to take the primary responsibility for it?
There is a reason that feminism rose up (well, two or more reasons!), but surely the main one was that men were already dropping a ball. If they hadn’t been, then women would not have responded like they have been. There is something really wrong between men and women; and no, unfortunately, feminism did not create the dysfunction. It was already there (just ask any woman). Feminism has been an attempt on the part of women to address the dysfunction, but if men really have all the true authority, then that would also make it all the mens’ fault, would it not? Therefore, if men would fix it, then women, by their nature, would surely promptly respond to that fix, would they not? But can anyone point to any new answers proffered by men; particularly by men in the Christian church, that are very much different than what men in any era – for that matter, most any civilization – have ever had to offer? Further, if women were not the cause of the problem, then they would prove unable to fix it, and can anyone anywhere say that feminism is the ‘answer’ to the problem? Well: if we want women to share some of the responsibility, then perhaps men are going to have to scoot over and share some of the authority in the relationship, too!
Guardian Angels is a fresh look at the roles between men and women; specifically married ones. It invites us to take another step back and consider the possibility that perhaps we need a better paradigm within which to assign blame for the problem as well as to find answers that both men and women could implement. Guardian Angels also gives us a different way to look at how men and women were created equal, but different. The traditional view, both in the world as well as within the church, simply does not give us a realistic way to understand the multitude of verses in the Pauline Epistles and other Biblical books, both Old and New Testament, where women are clearly listed as equals to men (which is the only true basis for a win-win, by the way) in the sight of God. There just is no true room for a win-win for the sexes in our current roles as carried down in our culture, but if we cannot find a way for a win-win in an institution that is supposed to create a one-flesh single entity, then I believe that humanity could well be running the risk of ending up collectively down the tubes as one huge lose-lose, for as the family unit goes, so goes humanity itself, and marriage is the very definition of that family.
It should be clear to us by now that the ‘answers’ provided for us in our culture, including the culture within the church, are not working well at all. If we cannot go back to the Bible to solve the dilemma, then there is really no other place left for us to go. I believe this requires both bravery and a willingness to temporarily suspend enough of the paradigms we all operate out from to come together and have a true debate: both with the Word of God and with each other, as well as within ourselves. Perhaps one of the main reasons we have not come closer to a solution than we have is because we have yet to find a way to correctly define the problem, and surely we desperately need a better way to understand the problem if we are to have any hope for a real solution: but, hey! perhaps it may even be a solution we were given from the very first get-go! Guardian Angels is a courageous journey back to that place. Within its pages, through a much more rigorous examination of what the original text really looked like, Skip Moen takes the time to share, piece by piece, a new foundation of understanding for the origins of both men and women, as well as the very institution, marriage, that they were created WITHIN the context of.
Correctly understood, this book could well be a way to look at how to take the pressure within a marriage off the places it was never intended to be, and instead, to find a way to be able to include God within the marriage unit on an entirely new and better framework: a framework that moves away from hierarchical contention and into a true super-function between a man and a woman. This super-function was built into a very specific framework that, when implemented correctly, provides for a unique relationship between not only each of them severally with God, but also with them together, as one flesh with their Creator, at the highest levels creation ever was meant to reach.
Laurita Hayes
P. S. One of the biggest side bonuses to reading Guardian Angels for me was an entirely fresh and challenging way to go back and take another look at the true role God intended for His Bride, the Church, to share with Him. If you have been looking for a new empowerment of your place in the Kingdom as a Christian, this may well be it!
Guardian Angel is incredibly important for young women today (and young men) to understand who they are and what their true role is in the Body of Christ as well as the world around us. What a partnership of trust and unity would do for the generation coming up if they understood. As Laurita, I also was and continue to be encouraged and intrigued by the role of the Bride in the world – knowing He is counting on me to fulfill my role.
Guardian Angel is probably the best books I’ve ever read on the role of women, both in the home and in the Biblical community. It took me several weeks to read through the whole book, not because it wasn’t fabulous, but because there is so much meat to chew on! I read and reread and researched and reread. I’ve photocopied passages of this so that I could tape them into my Bible next to challenging verses, to remind myself of what the language means, what’s been added, what’s been changed, and what this wonderful book says. Is the view controversial? Maybe. But, as a woman, this book is challenging because it reminds us of the awesome responsibility we have. It’s also a wonderful reminder that we, too, are created in God’s image and made to be an ezer-kinegdo (spelling?) like him. I loved it so much, I’ve bought 3-4 copies, because every time I lend out my copy, it never makes it back home! 🙂 Thanks Skip for writing a book that encourages and challenges women everywhere!