Today at the post office I was packaging up some of my booklets “Dethroning Male Headship – because it doesn’t have a leg to stand on” to send to Jocelyn Andersen (co-founder with me of Freedom for Christian Women Coalition www.FreeCWC.com .
I spent some time taping down the box and then helped another woman as she taped her box. It is a small post office and there were about 5 women customers, and the male clerk. When I proudly took my box up to the clerk for the postage, he went through his spiel “does this contain any liquid, any glass, or anything potentially explosive?”
“Yes!” I said.
“It is a box of books about women’s equality in the churches, and there will be some people who might explode when they read it.”
He didn’t crack a smile. So I said, “you don’t mind a little humor, do you?” and he agreed that we all need humor.
As I turned to leave, I said to the women who had heard all this “remember, equality for women in our churches.”
One of the first things that a little child learns is to put his fingers together and to say ‘This is the church, and here is the steeple, open it up and here are the people.’
Even though we know better, we cling to that idea that the building is the real church, not the people.
There is a Methodist hymn that goes like this:
I am the church,
You are the church,
We are the church together
All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we’re the church together.
The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place,
the church is a people.
In this series we will discuss the modern day ‘church’ and call for a new song for Baptist churches and other evangelical churches that do not recognize women fully as ‘the people.’
Lord, create in me a new song. A song of reformation. A song that will speak to women who are free and ultimately equal.
I look forward to this journey with you as we discuss how to create a new song.
bWe Baptist Women for Equality's Blog 
Ah, now we’re getting to “consistent egal”. I’ve long considered the male/female divide a subset of the clergy/laity, “chain of command” divide. I think that instead of pushing for female “church club CEOs”, we should push against male ones.
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The male/female divide comes from the heart, and this bias manifested itself in a ministry divide which goes beyond the clergy/laity hierarchy. At times, both genders may serve in the same capacity, but only men get the titles. I do point this out to my church leaders, who now must answer some tough questions I posted to them, in writing. Until we can convincingly educate people on the will of God and the character of God, who is no respecter of the flesh, nothing is going to change. I agree with Shirley that we should spread the word everywhere we go. I have talked gender with people in conferences I go to, in the airport, on the plane, in social occasions, through emails to church members, posting egalitarian articles on FB (hoping some comps will read them) and of course, asking tough questions (always do it in writing) to my own church leaders. I also put my money where my mouth is, and try to support egalitarian organizations. I am meeting with someone from Fuller Seminary to see how may I help them bring Fuller into my own town, which is the turf of DTS. I heard from a reliable source that my own church is definitely, slowly but surely, heading toward the egalitarian direction. This is a spiritual battle, not just a battle of words. It is a battle for heart and soul. I am impatient and lack grace, character flaws I need to work on. I also need to pray more. Of course, don’t just pray, take actions also.
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Thank you for this. Yes, the next in this series is about a conversation on a plane. I speak up everywhere. In our Sunday School class someone said that if a person buys a blue car, then he will suddenly see blue cars everywhere. I use that same philosophy. If someone hears about women’s equality, it tunes their ear to hearing it again. And even if they only hear it once more, they will begin to think that they are hearing it everywhere. Good for you. This is what is needed.
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In the movie I’M NOT THERE (a fictional telling of Bob Dylan’s life as played by 6 different characters/actors), the young kid playing the “Woody Guthrie” Dylan has a guitar case with the words “THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS” written on it.
Maybe get a Bible cover that says: “This Book Neuters Sexists”
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Yeah!
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Maybe get a Bible cover that says: “This Book Neuters Sexists”
I like that!
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