Mutuality | Blog + Magazine | Autumn 2002
The print + digital magazine of CBE International
Mutuality offers articles from diverse writers who share egalitarian theology and explore its intersection with everyday life.
Blog + Magazine ArticlesThe opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CBE International or its members.
Autumn 2002
Volume: 9 | Number: 3
Why Churches Embrace Equality
Contents
A church is like a group of cold porcupines, I once heard someone say: Each one needs the others’ heat to stay warm, but as they draw closer together, they run the risk of jabbing each other with their sharp quills. They are faced with a choice: freeze on their own, or forgive each other [...]
Whether it’s a church with about 85 members, one with 850 members, or one with around 8,000 members, three gift-based churches, as described by their pastors, practice a model of church life that is not typical, regardless of size.
Many people who believe in biblical equality find themselves in churches that don’t share their beliefs. How does one decide whether to stay and work for change, or leave to find a church with a similar interpretation of Scripture?
Now we’ve found a Southern fundamentalist church. And yes, we’re staying. We’re full members who have signed the roll, joined the groups and made friends. We take the classes, know the names and bring fruit salad to share at Sunday school. Let’s call our church “South Central.”
What makes Christians peculiar is our radical inclusion. We are nearer our brothers and sisters in Christ than we are to our own kin, culture or race. Newness in Christ works against the human impulse to exclude those culturally different from us. On this point CBE is clear.
Intended for single women and the churches they attend, Single Women: Challenge to the Church? tackles the unique challenges faced by single, Christian women through the eyes of nearly 100 women who were surveyed and interviewed for the project.
