Welcome to the second edition of the weekly CBE Scroll Links Up, where we point you to blog posts around the web proclaiming biblical equality*. It’s amazing how wide and deep is the community of believers who are committed to gender equality in the church and home. It is such an encouragement to me, and I hope to you too, to read the various perspectives and stories from ordinary people passionate about mutuality. There were some great posts this week! Enjoy!
Woman of Valor: Harriet Tubman, by Ruth Meharg (RuthMeharg.com)
As a child Harriet Tubman’s story was about freedom. Instead of playing house with my dolls I played runaway slave. I would rescue them and we would run for freedom, hiding from the pursuing imaginary dogs in closets and under beds. The story of Peg Leg Joe and the Drinking Gourd and Harriet’s story merged in my memory and I saw slaves following the North Star and heard the lines of Drinking Gourd rolling through my mind, over and over.
View from a Dig: Uncovering the Wise Woman of Abel Beth Maacah, by Gail Wallace (The Junia Project)
I don’t remember being aware of the Wise Woman of Abel Beth Maacah until a friend sent me an article connecting her story to a dig site in Israel that we were working to fund. I’m pretty sure I had never heard any sermons about this biblical woman, who successfully confronted a top military commander and ended a siege on her city.
In which I admit that I didn’t like Paul, by Sarah Bessey (SarahBessey.com)
The truth broke through. I wasn’t fighting AGAINST Paul – I was fighting WITH him.
I read Paul’s words in Scripture and I began to realise I had not known him. I had been silenced or shut down by people putting words in his mouth or intent in his words that he never intended and I had missed so much. I had to repent.
Winds of Change: Speaking Up for Women in Ministry, by Brian Wiele (JennyRaeArmstrong.com)
My desire is that women and girls will feel empowered by God to lead, speak, and serve. But a desire is not enough; it has to be matched by a willingness of others to speak up for them and to speak against unjust systems that hold them back. It is not enough to agree with a theological doctrine and then ignore someone whose life is impacted by it.
Egalitarianism a modern concession to secular culture?? Historical exceptions may surprise you. by Laura (Enough Light)
Did you know that the earliest Baptists during the time of the Reformation gave women surprising liberties? Early English Baptist congregations elected women for service. Although most were not ordained, they could teach, preach, serve as deacons, and shared in their church’s congregational decision making.
This Week on The Scroll
On Submitting to One Another, by Paul Adams
At its core, submission is the willing alignment of one’s own will under the will of another. And believers do it for the sake of living after the manner of Christ.
Rebekah: The Guardian and Protector of Israel, by Anne Vyn
Tradition has not been kind to Rebekah and I believe she is one of the most misrepresented and misunderstood women of the Bible.
I am Sarah, Fully Human, by Sarah Schwartz
In that discussion, I was not a person with stories and gifts and thoughts. I was not Sarah. I was a topic to be discussed.
Read any excellent articles or blog posts about gender equality this week? Share the title, author name, and URL in the comments.
*Note: Linking to these posts is not a CBE endorsement of previous or future written work or statements made by the authors.
