Pairs Figure Skating... Sermon Illustration?

This article, which was shared with me by a friend, began to pop up in my twitter feed today: An Olympic Lesson for Husbands and Wives.


 Rachel Held Evans replies:

Egalitarians: Urging female figure skaters to toss male figure skaters through the air since *never*. (http://t.co/IKMuzsyrF3)
— Rachel Held Evans (@rachelheldevans) February 12, 2014

Dianne Anderson replies:

What? https://t.co/IWfBojhZJB I mean, seriously, WHAT?
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

I mean, if you're basing your marriage philosophy on ice dancing I…I don't know what to tell you.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

That article becomes a lot weirder once you realize that a TON of the couples figure skating pairs are siblings.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

"The gold goes to that couple which has most mastered the skill of male leadership and female support making one glorious whole." …*blinks*
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

Basically, what I'm gathering from this article is that John Piper knows nothing about pairs figure skating.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

"If he makes a mistake, she pays the larger physical price; he pays the larger emotional price. She falls, but he fails!" …Um.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

"No one yells, 'Oppressor!' as he leads her around the arena, lifting her up and catapulting her into a triple spin." Someone's mad.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

"No one, least of all him, minds that the roses… thrown on the ice when they have collapsed into each other’s arms at the end, are for her."
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

I just. Uh. This is one of the most absurd takes on pairs figure skating I've ever seen.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

Here's what I know about athletes who work together like pairs figure skaters do: rarely does one partner "lead" and the other "follow."
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

Esp. in pairs figure skating, a reading of "man leads woman follows" ignores specific rules that require them to match each other, equally.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

Pairs skaters, from what I know, are required to have set parts of the routine where they do the same moves at the same time.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

If the woman is "following" the man by "copying" his moves after him, THEY ARE DOING IT WRONG.
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

Also: whoops, here's a woman "leading": http://t.co/CgTjL6UN6B Oh my, it looks like he's following here: http://t.co/tpBWxgP7oO
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

Context Matters: On Femininity, Figure Skating, and John Piper http://t.co/iXd7Ey8t96
— Dianna E Anderson (@diannaeanderson) February 12, 2014

I love reading Dianne Anderson's twitter posts. Kudos on her blog post too. When I first read John Ensor's post, I thought it was a joke. My friend had the same reaction. Watching my partner's face as he read it was priceless. In short, this article is hilarious... except someone wrote this in seriousness and people somewhere will agree with him and pass this on as good advice. Future sermon illustration? *shudder*