As we celebrate the strong and faithful examples of many women in the Bible, we also recognize that their stories have too often been left untold. 

Missionaries often speak of the invisibility of culture. By that they mean that most of us are not conscious of our own cultural idiosyncrasies. What is more, we are tempted to insist others adapt to our culture, because we view ours as normal and good! 

How many times have you gone to a women’s Bible study on Proverbs 31? It seems that discussions on this passage usually turn to how to be a good wife, mother, and house cleaner. 

Sometimes the gap between egalitarian belief and egalitarian practice can be hard to bridge. Is it really possible to have an equal marriage?

While the church often continues to describe ministry (and life) in pink and blue roles, the truth is that God’s purposes for human beings far exceed narrow gender stereotypes.

In fact, I have come to the conclusion that the kind of patriarchal worldview Jesus and Paul condemn is simply the culture of the fall.

Sam had a hard time with the concept at first. He grew up as a Southern Baptist, so the idea of a woman pastor seemed sort of heretical to him. 

Gospel hospitality offers us a powerful experience of God’s welcome. Abraham and Sarah were both touched and changed. God has welcomed us, too, into new life, into life that is free from expectations based on cultural stereotypes and roles.

Being made in the image of God, both male and female, has very little to do with modern notions of appropriate men’s and women’s roles.

A few years back, I spent a week assisting third graders as they traveled through “The Great Adventure,” the theme of my local church’s Vacation Bible School. After beginning each morning singing the books of the Bible to the tune of “La Bamba,” we settled down for Bible story time.