We’ve got a wonderful line-up of posts for you this week about marriage, men in ministry, women of the Bible, Jonathan Crombie (aka Gilbert Blythe), and peek at Carolyn Custis James’ new book Malestrom.
“Marriage is not a Democracy,” by Tim Fall
“Marriage isn’t anything like a democracy. The Bible says that in marriage the woman and man become one, and that means they act together. There’s no tie-breaking vote because there’s no vote taken in the first place. It’s about working together at all times, mutually submitting to one another at all times, and going through life together at all times.”
“I Don’t Believe in Men in Ministry,” by Patrick Oden
“I don’t believe in men in ministry because men are untrustworthy, given to insecurities or grandiose self-praise, they make rules and patterns, enforcing their own voice while dismissing others. They categorize and use the systems of society to determine the shape of the body of Christ.”
“Messy Women Lead Me Back to Jesus: A Guest Post” by Mary DeMuth (SarahBessey.com)
“Each woman taught me to see Jesus in a completely new way. I fell in love afresh with the God-Man who off-kiltered the self righteous, who crossed racial and gender barriers to have his longest conversation with someone. I wish I had seen His impossible eyes dance when He healed over a decade-long illness and ushered an outcast into community. And oh how I wanted to hear His words of affirmation over this Mary, that perhaps I had chosen the part that won’t be taken away.”
“On Jonathan Crombie, Gilbert Blythe, Anne Shirley, and Stay at Home Daughters,” by Sallie Borrink
“I am fortunate that after many years of prayer and waiting I ended up marrying my own Gilbert. He doesn’t look anything like Jonathan Crombie and he’s a graphic designer (not a doctor). But my David has the same fierce loyalty to me and my gifts. He delights in seeing me engage in an intellectual sparring match and knowing my satisfaction of being used by the Holy Spirit to encourage someone else. Like Gilbert, David has said many times he was drawn to my independence, my tenacity, my sense of humor, and, above all, my commitment to Christ. He wanted a strong woman who would challenge him and be his equal in life. David is not intimidated by my strengths but instead, like Gilbert, revels in them.”
The Manhood Crisis, by Carolyn Custis James
“I’m not the first to raise the alarm about patriarchy. But Malestrom raises the alarm about how patriarchy is not only bad for women, it’s bad for men and boys. This book takes the unusual approach to examine the pressures patriarchy brings to bear on men in which they lose their God-given identity and purpose.”
What articles about biblical gender equality encouraged 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.
