Patriarch magazines

"Patriarch" magazine was published from 1993 to 2004 by Philip Lancaster, a former minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and a pioneer in the modern home education movement. The magazine's subtitle was "Equipping Men to be Godly Leaders in Family, Church and Society." Lancaster stated on his former website that "Patriarch's mission is to bring about a return to patriarchy, leadership by strong, godly men in every sphere of life."

Lancaster's theological perspective is Calvinistic/Reformed, but his primary mission in "Patriarch" was to explore the Bible's teaching on the role of men and apply that teaching to the family and the local church. In the process he became a strong advocate of a number of counter-cultural trends: home education, large families, a home-centered focus for women, family-oriented churches without age-segregated programming, gender-specific education, etc.

"Patriarch" magazine's arch enemy was modern feminism. In one article Lancaster wrote, "Christians are too busy trying to accommodate feminism. They do this by allowing women leaders in the church, by supporting the practice of women working outside the home, by encouraging unmarried daughters to leave home for college or career (thus promoting a spirit of independence), by teaching an egalitarian model of marriage, by sporting hyphenated last names, by importing "gender-inclusive language" into hymns and even Bible translations, and in many other ways. Feminism is winning the ideological battle for our civilization, and Christians are among its casualties."

Lancaster has authored one book, "Family Man, Family Leader", published in 2003 by The Vision Forum. [http://www.visionforum.com] .

While the magazine's web site is no longer functioning, many of its articles (and those with a similar perspective) can be found at the web sites of Patriarch's Path [http://www.patriarchspath.com] and Let's Learn Theology [http://www.letslearntheology.com] .

Lancaster's ideas about patriarchy have been the subject of many critiques. One is by K. W. (Pete) Hurst, Senior Pastor of Calvary Reformed Presbyterian Church in Hampton, Virginia, who in January and February 2004 preached a four-part sermon series entitled "Patriarchy: A New Legalism?"

The Patriarch's Path website, http://www.patriarchspath.org , owned by James and Stacey Mcdonald, is also no longer functioning as of March 2007. Internet searches are being redirected to the Family Reformation Magazine, http://www.familyreformation.com/.