I would echo the comment in a later post about seeking out mentors! One of my mentors is a female rector in the Episcopal church where she find she is neither fish nor fowl. The conservatives hold her as suspect because she is a woman. The liberals want a certain verbiage from her because she is a woman. She has walked a gentle line between being a docile “whatever you want me to say” and a defiant “let me give it to you with both guns” preacher. She is a good sounding board for me because she doesn’t pull her punches, but she also is encouraging me to seek out those places I can and will serve God that a man will never “boldly go”.

By having this support and “sieve” for my own feelings, I am learning when to get concerned about the limitations placed on me (is it because I am still a student? or is it because I have ovaries??)
And I am also learning when to let it go as so much… ahem… FERTILIZER!

When it is the latter, remember it helps you to “bloom where you are planted” – - and God will bring His Kingdom to pass. We are willing participants in seeing that vision come forward. Those who deny our participation will, in the end, find that they gain only His chastisement…

I am walking and rocking -

Deb

I think the historical view of the traditions that have denied women a voice in the church is something that needs to be discussed more often. Without that perspective its easy to think that our sexist ways are the way things have always been and should always be. It’s hard to have hope if that is the case.

Can you imagine what it would be like for someone to read a book or magazine printed in 2007 a few thousand years from now without knowing much – if anything – about the culture it came from?

If they read one of those sex ‘n fashion magazines like Cosmo would they think all women are young, beautiful, and obsessed with embarassing sex stories?

If they read Hemant Mehta’s “I Sold My Soul on eBay” would they believe that an atheist holding a bidding war to determine which church he’d visit was a common cultural practice?

Would they read one of those annual books that are written to explain why liberals (or conservatives) are eeeevil and take it at face value?

Fascinating stuff.

I also have a series that shows the leadership roles that women held in the Bible: Career Woman of the Bible.

Chrisitans for Biblical Equality also have a lot biblical resources on women in ministry.

Women in the heart of God

which supports women in equal ministry roles to men and which gives a detailed Biblical defense of that position.

The author is a conservative Christian who accepted the complementarian (men lead, women don’t) position until he studied the Bible carefully for himself.

(I think having growing daughters also influenced him because he was going to be answerable to them for his views on women. I say that because I think I remember reading that this was dedicated to one of them)