Happy Friday! Here are a few great posts about biblical gender equality in the church, home, and world for you to enjoy and share with others this weekend.
Lipstick and Seminary, by Amy R. Buckley (SheLoves Magazine)
“During seminary, I paid close attention to ways men acted in and outside the classroom. Playing by their rules helped me fit in. On the downside, some men seemed amused by my efforts. They called me “kiddo” and “honey” and “sweetheart.” I felt upset, like on the playground when throwing my body into inefficient tosses. And I guarded what I considered feminine-seeming parts of my personality—creativity, emotion, and relational ways of perceiving and acting. I got A-s but my soul was wilting.”
Memo to the NFL: Real Men Don’t Beat up Women, by J. Lee Grady (Charisma Magazine)
“My prayer in the midst of the NFL crisis is that we will start teaching young men now that no matter how strong they are or how much testosterone is flowing in their veins, a real man will never use his strength to hurt a woman.”
Martha, Misunderstood, by Cara Strickland (The Junia Project)
“Martha goes on, in that passage in John, to give one of the most complete confessions of faith spoken by anyone in the gospels, right in the midst of her grief at losing her brother. Of course, Mary is there too. She also has a conversation with Jesus, and He weeps with her. But unlike the all too common modern interpretation of these sisters, no judgment is placed on Martha for walking out to meet Jesus, or on Mary for choosing to stay behind.”
Concerning Women’s Ordination: Speaking and Teaching, by William Witt
“As with the previous passages in Paul’s writings to which complementarians appeal, these two passages are beset with interpretive difficulties because we do not know the particular details of the situation that Paul was trying to address. As noted several times in this discussion, all attempts to understand such passages must rely on a certain amount of speculation in which interpreters necessarily must attempt to fill in the missing details.”
This Week on The Scroll
Ecclesial Care of Single Mothers, by Shaun Short
“I grew up the son of a single mother; she raised me on her own my first eleven years along with the fervent help of my grandmother. Speaking with my mother recently about those years I only expected to hear tale of how she was shunned by church and society, how she was left to fend for herself. While there may have been some of that I was greatly surprised by her account of all the love she and I received via ecclesial support.”
Worth It? A Single’s Story, by Hannah Rasmussen
“My friends from Christian colleges post facebook photos of engagements and weddings at alarming rates. I loved going to a secular college. Maybe I would have had more access to eligible Christians at a Christian school, but I didn’t actually want a ring by spring. So I feel behind and at a disadvantage in a game I never asked to play.”
New Testament Insights on Marriage, Singleness, and the Family (of God) – Part 4, by David Cramer
“In fact, when we look at Jesus’s ministry, we see that he was constantly surrounded by women disciples. Sure, they were not part of his inner twelve, but that doesn’t diminish their importance to his ministry. In Luke 8:3, for example, we read that a number of women “were helping to support [Jesus and the disciples] out of their own means.” These wealthy business women were not derided by Jesus for not staying in the home. Instead, Jesus allowed them to contribute their gifts to his ministry.”
What articles about biblical gender equality spoke to you this week? Share them with us 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.
