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Supporting your Sisters in a “Go Home” Sub-Culture
The evangelical space of the internet erupted last month when prominent pastor and theologian John MacArthur mocked author and speaker Beth Moore, telling an audience full of male pastors she should “go home” rather than use her gifts in the church. MacArthur later clarified his views on women in ministry in an hour-long sermon, stating “empowering women makes weak men,” and women serving in leadership positions are a “disgrace” and exude “flagrant disobedience.” The aim of this post is not to weigh in on the role of women in ministry except to point out that, despite MacArthur's dogmatism on the issue, arguments have been made on both sides of the complementarian/egalitarian spectrum by theologians who adhere…
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“She Was a Pretty Good Prophet…for a Woman”?
A seminary-class grader once wrote this comment on an assignment turned in by the female who would go on to become his school's first female professor: "Your questions are really insightful for a woman." Recently one of my female seminary students told of feeling she did not matter to God. She described seeing herself as the less-favored one as compared with men. She said she constantly grapples with questions, such as, ‘Does God really love women the way he loves men?’ ‘Does God see women as inferior to men?’ and ‘Why did God allow women to be treated so poorly?’” Some of her questions stem from how she has heard…
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Is Peter Insulting Women? (Part I)
Was the apostle Peter a misogynist? In response to this question one writer said, “99% of people in his culture were—so sure.” If we take Peter’s words at face value, we might think so. In his first epistle he writes some instruction that can trip up the twenty-first-century reader. After telling slaves how to deal with unjust masters, he adds this word to the wives: In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.…
