A Woman Who Was Angry At God
Have you ever gotten really angry with God for making you who and what you are? If you are female, it’s entirely possible you’ve gotten as mad at God as one of the writers in this issue. Funmi Josephine Para-Mallam fell head-over-heels in love with Jesus Christ as a college student and thought the injustices she experienced as a young woman had become a thing of the past. But she abruptly came face to face with reality in the church as many of us have come to know it. Read her journey of faith, beginning on page 12. You will be inspired to walk alongside Funmi into a new experience of victory and peace.
This issue of Priscilla Papers has a little something for everyone. We begin by sharing a challenging meeting of the San Diego CBE chapter two years ago when they listened to Glen Scorgie dissect the then-new book of feminist author Germaine Greer. I would have enjoyed being a mouse in the corner listening to the discussion that followed the presentation. The views of this “aging warrior” do not differ in some ways from those of us in CBE . But Scorgie’s question, “Are We on the Same Page?” is relevant to all who have a heart for issues of gender equality.
This issue also presents the first of ten questions of challenge for proponents of the subordination of women. First presented at the CBE international conference in Dallas last June, Gilbert Bilezikian has thrown down the gauntlet, asking for responses from Scripture to his questions. If you have acquaintances who disagree strongly with the truths of biblical equality, you may wish to call their attention to this first challenge and invite their response (see information on p. 8).
In this issue we also take another look at the issue of Southern Baptist women preachers—one year after the historic changes to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Baptist Faith and Message, which included limiting the office of pastor to men only. Two articles, one by a woman who has recently moved into a pastorate outside the SBC, and one a thoughtful remembrance of a grandmother called to preach, once again question that action. And don’t miss the article by Jon Trott, a founder of Jesus People USA in Chicago, who has written what he describes as “tangled thoughts from a communitarian” on the subjects of mutuality, equality, and intersubmission.
Finally, you will miss the column “The Woman Beside the Man” by our CBE board chair, Dan Gentry Kent, that usually graces page 22. Dan had successful heart bypass surgery in July, but suffered a setback as he recuperated. CBE greatly values Dan’s leadership, and we covet your prayers for him and his family as he travels the road to recovery. In place of his column in this issue, we are pleased to present a chapter from one of Evelyn Bence’s books, Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns. I hope you will enjoy the brief study of Frances Ridley Havergal, who gave us the text to the familiar hymn “Like a River Glorious.” Happy reading!
