MTM - Interview with Carlotta Jackson..What is a Strong Woman Part One

“What is a woman?” used to be a straightforward question. Now it can derail a courtroom, a classroom, or a family dinner and that’s exactly why we decided to talk about it plainly. Dr. Robert Jackson sits down with his wife Carlotta after she teaches a women’s message at a church luncheon, and we trace the deeper issue beneath the headlines: our culture has stopped trusting definitions that come from God’s design.

We start with a word that rarely gets airtime anymore: surrender. Not religious talk, not vibes, not “I believe,” but the kind of surrender that actually changes who we obey, how we love, and what we call strength. From there we walk through the confusion around womanhood, the waves of feminism that shaped modern expectations, and why division between men and women doesn’t liberate anyone, it fractures the family and the church.

Then we challenge the popular “strong woman” script: independence at all costs, self-first living, and leadership mocked as weakness. We share a different picture, strength that builds, covers, honors sacrifice, and makes a home a place of peace rather than competition. We also tease next week’s follow-up, where Carlotta plans to unpack women in Scripture and the traits that mark a truly strong woman.

Subscribe to More Than Medicine, share this with someone who needs a reset on the word “strong,” and leave a review so more families can find it. What definition of strength are you living by?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

To More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the hills, the plague of our culture. Hosted by authoring physician Dr. Robert Jackson and his wife Carlotta and daughter Annabella. So listen up because the doctor is.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

A ladies' tea? Now tell me what exactly do you mean by that?

SPEAKER_03 1:05

They asked us to wear gloves and hats, and it was just a little lot really floral, and we all wore nice dresses, and so it was just a group of ladies, and that's who I speak to. I don't speak to men. So but we had a good time. It was a a luncheon.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

I gotcha. I got you. So you had a a hundred or so ladies there?

SPEAKER_03 1:29

Yep. There were. They were from several churches.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Now what was your topic?

SPEAKER_03 1:34

My topic was bouncing off of a documentary in the last year or two. I called my topic what is a strong woman, bouncing off the documentary that was called What is a Woman.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:48

Because I think there's some confusion about what a strong woman is, and I wanted to clarify that. In fact, I told the ladies that I was here today to define those what is a woman and what is a strong woman.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

I got you, I got you. All right, well, let's just go right into that, and I want to hear what you have to say, and I'm sure my audience wants to hear what you have to say about that. Let's let's jump right in.

Why Surrender Still Matters

SPEAKER_03 2:12

So they did not give me a topic to speak on, so I knew that I could go back and look through some of my other messages, and I had already spoken at this church one other time, so I did not want to give my life story type of testimony. And I prayed about it, and one word kept coming to mind over my mind over several weeks as I thought about the topic and as I thought about my life, my family, the world, culture that we live in, and of course, scripture. And I just the word surrender just kept coming to my mind. And I don't I think that's a word that we don't hear very much of in church anymore. Do you think so? Not much. And I actually sang a line from the hymn, All to Jesus I surrender, all to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give. And I told him that when I became a Christian at age 11, I surrendered my life to him. I didn't really understand what that meant at age 11, but I remember very clearly using those words to give my life to the Lord. And, you know, we use lots of words to talk about receiving him as my savior. We got saved, we're born again. Of course, there's nothing wrong with any of those words, but sometimes we say we believe on him, and it made me think that even the demons believe in James 2 19, but they don't surrender.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

That's right. They don't, do they?

Defining Woman In Public Life

Marriage Roles And Biblical Differences

SPEAKER_03 3:50

In fact, they know very well that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit exist, but they're not about to surrender to him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They shudder, but they do not surrender. So at the conclusion of my message, I talk about ultimately what it talks about means to surrender to the Lord and our to Jesus. And but first I want to I ask my audience a couple of questions. And I said, What is a woman? And then second, and mainly, what is a strong woman? Here's a summary of an exchange between a United States Senator and a Supreme Court Justice nominee. During the questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Jackson received this question. Can you provide a definition for the word woman? Can I provide a definition? The judge replied, adding, No, I can't. You can't? Blackburn Blackburn shot back. Not in this context, Jackson said. I'm not a biologist. So you believe the meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you cannot give me a definition, Blackburn pressed. Senator, in my work as a judge, what I do is I address disputes, Jackson deflected. If there's a dispute about a definition, people make arguments, and I look at the law and I decide. And you might remember, Robert, that one reason Judge Jackson was nominated as a Supreme Court Justice was because she is in fact what? A woman. A woman. And now she is a Supreme Court Justice and she quibbles over the definition of a woman. And I I consider that to be alarming and disturbing and repulsive to me. That we live in a culture that is confused or pretending to be confused about the answer to this question, what is a woman? I suppose I shouldn't be shocked, and I'm not shocked by much these days. You don't get to be the mother of nine and the grandmother of twenty one and be shocked about very much in life. But quite frankly, this foolishness and this political correctness dismays me greatly, and I hope it does my audience as well. It should. And after how many years of marriage? Forty-four and a half. Let's see, yep.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

We figured you're supposed to know that. I'm the one that's supposed to be confused, not you.

SPEAKER_03 6:33

We have figured that we're different, haven't we, darling? I respond differently to things in life than you do. And we have both played a different role in the life of our family, but with both very important to our family, aren't we? And to our children.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

That's right.

Four Waves Of Feminism

SPEAKER_03 6:51

I strongly believe there is a biblical answer, and because it's biblical, it stands a test of time, place, and societal changes. There have been several waves of feminism, three of them in my lifetime. The first one took place 1848 to 1920 and concluded with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. And I'm not going to say that everything that's happened in the women's rights movements have been has been bad. But we certainly have a lot of radical feminism these days, and I consider it to be radical. And a picture that I showed the ladies showed the four waves of feminism. First wave, it was described very briefly by this quote, we want to be equal to men. The second wave, when I did my research, was defined as being from 1963 to 1980, when Betty Frieden wrote up the book The Feminine Mystique, and she mocked the traditional homemaking role of women as wives and mothers, and the National Organization of Women was formed for the purpose of what?

SPEAKER_01 7:59

I'm not sure, you tell me.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Well, passing Roe v. Wade. That was their ultimate goal. At least I I understand that it was. And the third wave was they're saying, We are men. That's on that picture on that poster. We are men. And the fourth wave, we are women. And we are in the fourth wave of feminism now. You've seen pictures of recent the recent wave of radical feminism at the women's march in Washington. Ugly, profane, loud, angry women. And it was in conjunction with thousands of pro-abortion activists, actually.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

That's right.

Division, Socialism, And The Family

SPEAKER_03 8:39

And when I studied about women's days and women's marches and that sort of thing, uh the first purported Women's Day observance called National Women's Day was held on February the 28th, 1909, in New York City. And guess who it was organized by?

SPEAKER_01 8:56

No, we don't even know.

SPEAKER_03 8:57

The Socialist Party of America.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_03 9:00

Now why would that be the case? What's the goal of socialism? It's to divide us. They know that if they divide men from women, if if they divide uh us according to races, parents from their children, they will ultimately ruin God's plan for the family because the family is the foundation of society.

unknown 9:24

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 9:25

And they it plants seeds of division and gives them control when the foundation is destroyed.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Yeah. God's plan is always unity. Satan's plan is always division, divorce, and disunity.

SPEAKER_03 9:41

Yes. I told the ladies I am equal in value in the eyes of my Lord, but I'll never be the same as you. And personally I'm glad. We have different strengths, we have different abilities, we have different talents, weaknesses. Radical feminists aren't about fighting human trafficking, fighting for women inside the womb, fighting for the family, fighting for the female athlete, or even abuse at the hands of men, which is a terrible reality. There's none of us can deny that there has not been abuse.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 10:14

They may pretend to be, but that is not what we see. Their goal is ultimately to destroy men. One famous pastor, John MacArthur, said, Feminists in the modern world, of course, condemn husbands collectively as abusers and inhibitors of women. They disdain marriage, they celebrate childlessness, and they advocate lesbianism as the ultimate ultimate assault on men. Their desire is to rule over men, and as I said, to destroy God's plan for marriage and the family. And boy, does that sound familiar, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01 10:47

It does, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_03 10:48

Part of the curse in Genesis.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

Chapter three, that women would want to rule over men, and that the struggle between men and women would exist. For decades we have asked where are the good men? And I submit to you what I recently read that states my thoughts better than I can. When we explore possible reasons for the rise of wimpy, pushover, effeminate men, we often look in every direction but one, toward women. There's an old saying that behind every good man is a good woman. Today's society tends to think the reverse, that behind every strong woman walks an obliging, weak man. But what if this is the root of the question as to where all the good men are? Is it possible that we would have stronger, more masculine, good hearted men, providers, protectors, priests, willing to take the lead and be good husbands and fathers who provide for their families if there were more good, and I say godly women around? Now the writer admits she can't blame the lack of manly men solely on women, but surely she says we should consider this question seriously.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Mm-hmm. Exactly right.

Making Civilization, Not History

SPEAKER_03 11:57

Several years ago I read another article entitled A Well-Behaved Woman in World Magazine. In it, a rallying cry for the current wave of feminism is this well-behaved women seldom make history.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 12:13

That statement caused me to ask myself, do I want to be a well-behaved woman or do I want to make history? How sad to think that in order to, quote, make history in our country today, one must well misbehave. I guess it is obvious that misbehavior, profanity at any level, immodesty, throwing things, spitting, obscene gestures, pursuing traditional male roles, et cetera, et cetera, earns attention on the radio, the internet, television, and in offices and in schools. This article was a response to the behavior of some of the women at those annual women's marches in Washington. And the writer of the article compared them to her mother. And she reminded me of my own mother. I showed a picture of my mom at the beginning of this little tea luncheon. My mom is 102, a gentle, pure-hearted, quiet woman who loves Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Amen. I know her well.

SPEAKER_03 13:12

The author's mom and my mom will not have Wikipedia spots on the internet. And they will not make history. But the author said they make civilization. And if they disappear, the outlook isn't good. I wish I had written that line first, but I'm just not that smart. Nevertheless, I can recognize a powerful powerful statement when I see one, and it bears repeating. I also had up on one of my slides this quote. It's not mine, but I this is powerful. The world has enough women who are tough. We need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse. We need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude. We need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune. We need more women of faith. We have enough greed, we need more goodness. We have enough vanity, we need more virtue. We have enough popularity, we need more purity. That reminds me of my father's word that he loved to use to describe my mother. And I I honestly don't know of anyone else in my life that would fit this word. But mama, I mean my daddy called my mama pure hearted.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 14:41

I mean, her she did not look at evil. She did not think evil. She did not speak evil.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

She didn't.

SPEAKER_03 14:48

She has no I mean, you know, mother, we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And I know mama was born with a sin nature.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

But um But you'd be hard pressed to pin a sin on that donkey. Bless my mama.

The Culture’s Strong Woman Script

SPEAKER_03 15:08

As far as Gunt would say, that's all I have to say about that. And moving on. So what is your definition of a strong woman? I asked the ladies in my audience. And then I proceeded to answer typical answers to that question. Number one, a strong woman is independent, right? Able to stand on her own two feet, doesn't need a man. They are probably college educated. Most people would say that they are. They pursue a career and financial success. She follows her own path, is true to herself. She considers who she is and what she wants for herself. She follows her heart. And lately I've been hearing this word self-care. She makes sure she has self-care. Now I understand needing a break sometimes. I certainly needed a break from my nine children, but this emphasis on personal appearance and personal physical fitness and giving yourself breaks from life and oh oh, just over the top.

unknown 16:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:15

And they're calling it self-care. I just think that's interesting. A strong the world would say that a strong woman does not let others define her, especially a man, and she often has masculine ambitions. She pursues the pleasures of this world with abandon sometimes, and the process abandoning the home, recklessly spending money, living above her means, overly pursuing leisure and vacation time, beauty, and reproductive freedom. And what has been the consequences? We are loud, unkind, aggressive, and immodest. Men don't see us as needing protection, provision, and spiritual leadership. I just recently read this that college educated women now initiate approximately 90% of divorces. Men have become renegade, which their lower nature tends to lead them to do anyway, because we've set them free to pursue their own drives in whatever hobbies they have, fishing and golfing, hunting, I'll be me and you be you. I also, I did not read this at the T, but I also read where women who are the primary earners represent only 16% of the United States households, but account for 42% of divorces, with divorce rates three times higher compared to marriages where the man earns more.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

That's very interesting.

SPEAKER_03 17:42

Yes, it is. We have forgotten who God made us to be because the culture rejects his creation, which is femininity and its power and influence on civilization, and teaches another thing called feminism, which is often very radical. We have forgotten that as a part of the church, we are interdependent. We need one another. We're not supposed to be independent.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

No, no, we're not.

Interdependence And One Another Living

The Philippines Post And Fatherless Systems

SPEAKER_03 18:08

I just cringe when I see online where I have someone's mom whose daughter is graduating from high school that I've raised my daughter to be strong and independent. That is the byword. But I cringe when I hear that because Hebrews 10, 24 and 25 says, Don't forsake your own assembling together. This is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. We are to love, stimulate one another to loving good deeds. We must practice the one another's love, encourage, be kind to, build up one another, live in harmony with one another, honor, be devoted to one another. Also, I don't follow my path. I don't follow my heart. I'm not true to myself. I follow the Lord and his direction through the word of God, and I'm true to him. I read what the scripture has to say about marriage, to say about children, about managing our homes, about helping our husbands financially, if necessary, about hospitality and ministry, about laziness, about our tongues, and so much more. So I recently saw a post on social media, and it was interesting. It said this Filipino woman who came who I I think she must have been living in America and her own home was broken by divorce. But she said that in the Philippines, the family is a sanctuary, and it is the one thing you don't abandon, that it is the foundation that holds everything else together. Now I've never been to the Philippines and I haven't done a great study on the Philippines, so I'm assuming that this lady knows what she's talking about is reflection of what is truly going on in the Philippines. Anyway, she said that children in that culture grow up watching fathers lead. They grow up watching mothers support. They grow up understanding that a man's sacrifice is not something to mock, it is something to honor. They grow up seeing the mothers respect their husbands. I call that wisdom.

SPEAKER_01 20:09

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 20:10

It's biblical.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

It's biblical, all right.

SPEAKER_03 20:12

That is not toxic masculinity for a man who sack who sacrifices. That is civilization. And while America spent the last 30 years tearing that structure apart and calling it progress, other parts of the world have been building it up.

unknown 20:29

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 20:30

She said when a man's leadership is mocked and his sacrifices are taken for granted, it is not progress. It is a tragedy. It's not a celebration, it's not liberation, it's a tragedy. And she had seen what happened in her home own home when the father's role is erased. She saw the cost up close. And I really like this statement. She said a woman's strength should be the wind and her husband's sails, not the storm that capsizes his boat. That's the entire argument in one sentence. A strong woman is not a threat to her husband's leadership. A strong woman is the force that makes his leadership possible. She builds him, she covers him, she makes the home a place he fights to protect because he knows what is waiting for him when he walks through the door. That's what the Philippines still produces, she said. And that is what the American culture systematically destroyed. And whether that's true in the Philippines or not, I'm not sure. But I do believe that that is true in America, that we have destroyed that structure called the family. And let me finish saying this, wrap this up on this what this Filipino woman said. The American system was not built to help men, it was built to replace them. This woman confirmed what the data already shows. When a man's leadership is mocked in the home, he eventually stops leading. When he stops leading, the home breaks. When the home breaks, the children suffer. When the children suffer, the government steps in with programs. Policies and payments designed to replace what the father used to provide. That's not an accident. A dependent family needs the government. A strong family does not. The system was never designed to build families. It was designed to dismantle them and make everyone dependent on the state instead of each other. And the American man has been paying for it ever since. And tax dollars and alimony and child support and in dignity.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

That is insightful.

Next Week Teaser And Closing

SPEAKER_03 22:33

Those were not my words, but I agree wholeheartedly because that is my observation. And but anyway, then I went on to talk about so what is a strong woman? And I gave several women from scripture a little bit of their stories. Seven women and seven Ds. Wow. I had seven words that started with D's that um I believe make up a strong woman.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

All right. Well, how about let's wrap it up for today's lesson? And can you come back next week and let's talk about the seven women in the scripture who illustrate a strong woman? Sure. All right. Well, if you're listening to More Than Medicine, my guest today is my lovely bride, Miss Carlotta. And she's been sharing with us a lesson that she taught at a local church uh just last weekend, matter of fact. And she's gonna come back with us next week and she'll share the conclusion of that message and she'll talk about seven women in scripture who illustrated the qualities of a strong woman. And I'm already interested to hear the conclusion of that message. Thank you, Miss Carlotta, for being my guest today. You're welcome. All right. Uh, you're listening to More Than Medicine. I'm your host, Dr. Robert Jackson. Please remember that Jesus loves you, your doctor loves you, and until next week, may the Lord bless you real good.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, Instagram, or webpage at JacksonFamily Ministry.com. Also, don't forget to check out Dr. Jackson's books that are available on Amazon. The Family Doctor Speaks. The Truth About Life. The Family Doctor Speaks. The truth about speech.