Does the Bible allow Christian women to have authority? Our patriarchal culture, our fathers and mothers, and our churches have often told us no. But what, in fact does the Bible say? Should we shrink back and silence ourselves, or does God allow us to break the silence? I tell a story in my Redbud post, and then I ask…
Piper’s comments that women shouldn’t teach at seminary have been everywhere, it seems. As a seminary adjunct and co-coordinator of seminary chapels, I’ve felt no real urge to respond, surprisingly. I’m used to ideas like his and perhaps I’ve become numb. I find my time is often better spent just doing my job and being faithful. A simple, yet powerful response…
I keep bracing myself for the next story of sexual misconduct. I don’t know why I’m surprised. As a college-professor-hearer-of-student-stories, I’m no stranger to the fact that statistically a large number of my female and male students have been sexually violated. Why am I surprised that I keep hearing that people whom I formerly respected are perpetrators? I want the…
I fasted once this week. I don’t say that for a pat on the back. In fact, I’m not a good faster for several reasons. First, I wasn’t fasting primarily for spiritual reasons. Last week was Thanksgiving and, well, I ate. Also, I’m about to quit breastfeeding, and, well, that burns calories. I still have about 10 more pounds of…
I miss you. I really do. And I’m not ignoring you. I’m really not. We used to hang out. . . A LOT. We used to get coffee and dinner and hike and go to concerts and. . . I miss that! I realize that you wanted to give me privacy those first couple of months of marriage, but it’s…
Though some might look at my life’s journey and consider it great, I am unfortunately more attuned to what I do not have than to what I have. Many times I would have traded my years of single adventures for a family, and my drivenness for a more relaxed life. Certain events I wish had never occurred, and other hoped-for…
Today I’m hosting Ann Duncan, a fabulous friend and current seminary student. She asks the question, “What is femininity?” and comes up with a non-boxy answer. Here’s her take. Every day I wake up to different voices on the tv, radio, ads online pulling me towards their style and type of woman, but what does it really mean to…
I did it again. I compared myself to her, and I lost. I lost big, and now I feel crappy. I innocently opened up a copy of the academic journal and saw that she just published another article. Rather than “Wow—I should read that,” my response was “She just had a baby, too—how did she have time to do another…
She told me of a sexual action she took that she knew was probably not the smartest decision. “But YOLO,” she said. I was reminded of ROLOs, that yummy caramel center wrapped with milk chocolate. I didn’t get how ROLOs helped her to come to this unwise decision. Suddenly needing chocolate and caramel, I asked, “YOLO?” “Yeah. . . You…
I’m standing in my yard, trying to figure out where to put a fire pit. I’ve walked the perimeter, surveyed the land, and I think I want it over by the fence, just beyond the shade of the pine tree. We probably won’t camp this summer, but if we can eat outside and cook some marshmallows over a fire, it…