The shocking story of Hollywood pedophilia with child actors is just industry standard according to the story that broke last week. It was common knowledge and everybody knew about it. Nobody did anything about it because it affected their paychecks, their careers, and their reputation. Why should any other actor stand up and speak out?
The parents knew it, but they knew on which side their bread was buttered. The kid earning the money made them wealthy. So they turned their backs on their own child to keep the money coming in.
The other workers knew it, but they made their living by being in a successful television show or movie and they would not jeopardize their living for the sake of a kid.
The kid knew it, but how could he or she speak up? Who would listen. Kid actors like attention and according to the report, they were perfect targets for such an atrocity to start, and once started, could not end easily.
At first glance that is shocking. But it isn’t really. We all seek to protect ourselves and our jobs and security. If nobody else speaks up, I’m not going to. We put up with the most awful things because they are just industry standards.
Churches and denominations have industry standards. Someone sent me a link to a church in Canada that flatly says that women can’t read the Bible in Worship service because it is the Word of God and women can’t teach the Word of God. That, too, is shocking at first glance. But it shouldn’t be. When was the last time you heard a woman reading the Bible aloud in a Worship Service? Probably never. Because it is industry standard that a woman not stand before the congregation and read aloud from the Bible.
The Jesus Creed tackled this subject and you can read their comments. Pay particular attention to comment #59 because it spells out what we have been saying for a long time about the complementary restrictionists “industry standard.”
Will you help us shine a light on these practices that restrict women in a worship service? Will you speak up and tell them that we will no longer put up with these “industry standards?”
bWe Baptist Women for Equality's Blog 
:-O Corey Feldman was abused? That’s terrible! I liked that guy in his 80s films. I think we’d better pray for all the child actors who endured sexual exploitation, as well as those who endure it today. Maybe it’s a sign that children should learn what sexual abuse is from an early age. Often the perpetrators get away with it because they tell the children that the abuse is ‘okay’ or ‘natural’ and the kids believe them.
But on topic, the Challies idea is ridiculous. Like other comp doctrines, it focuses on a handful of verses as if they are the whole Bible, ignoring all other verses that contradict. The irony is that in his post Tim mentions the importance of really examining Scripture and the background to passages, as well as intended audience and general context. (More ironic is that on the side of the page is a recommendation for a book called “False Messages”). Mind you, there’s a red flag raised when he says that his church relies on the Bible as the “only” infallible way God speaks to his people. It’s not. The Holy Spirit speaks too. I’ve been taught quite firmly that to be sure something is from God, you need both the Bible and the Spirit to confirm the message. If one backs up the other and vice versa, it’s a green light. I wonder how many comp pastors actually try to discern the Spirit and listen properly when reading the Bible? After all, the Spirit is there to help us understand God’s Word.
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We close our eyes to lots of things because it affects our pocketbooks. I don’t think Challies is any different from most SBC churches, or other churches. They just don’t spell it out. But that is what they believe, too. Hopefully this will get people talking – and not only talking – but putting action to their words.
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If you read all the comments, there are actually people defending Challies, even tho’ their pocketbooks are not affected. They do not want to rock the boat of tradition.
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Come on over to my blog and take a look at a few links to the blogs of the women who have had enough Tim Challis and others like him who hate the feminine.
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Excellent! Thanks for pointing those out to us. There is probably only 2 churches in 118 SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) churches in this area that would allow a woman to stand up and read scripture. But even then you don’t see it.
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In my church women can and do read Scripture aloud, give testimonies and lead prayer, teach mixed Bible studies, serve communion, and baptise converts. But they’re still restricted from being an elder or senior pastor. Even one restriction is too many. But I’m grateful for what we do have.
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See, that is so silly for churches to do. Yours is not the only one. Its like they put a leash on women.
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