On Tuesday night I spoke to a women’s group at church about one of my favorite passages for women: the Armor of God. Whenever I read Ephesians 6:10-20 I like to think of myself as a mighty woman warrior for God! (And not in the dogmatic, “attack people with proof-texted Bible verses” sense, but in the “fighting against the powers …
Some Thoughts on Empowering Evangelical Women
As you can probably tell, it’s been one of those weeks! Sorry I haven’t been on here since last week–life has been busy, but busy with good things. This week I want to share an interesting tidbit from my academic research that may have implications for evangelical women. I say “may” because more research is needed, but it gives us …
What Are Women Free to Do?
What are women free to do? I’ve been thinking about that question a lot lately. Depending on where you’re standing, this question can sound like a loaded one. For some, it is a political question. For others, an ecclesiological one. I have been thinking about it from a different angle altogether. Over the last few weeks I have been studying …
Missional Tunnel Vision
This month I’ve been wrapping up my summer schoolwork with an independent study of feminist theology, and I have really loved it! My research has been educational, thought-provoking, and personally challenging, which is exactly what I was hoping it would be. As I have explored the history of feminism and its relationship to Christian theology, I’ve noticed a significant historical …
A Lesson from Peter’s Wife
Did you know that Peter was married? I’m sure I learned this fun fact at some point during seminary, but I had forgotten about it until this week when my pastor mentioned it. Peter’s wife doesn’t enjoy much remembrance because she doesn’t appear directly in Scripture. In fact, the only biblical reference to Peter’s marital status comes from Matthew 8:14– …
The Liberalization of Women’s Ministry
Alright ladies–it’s been awhile since I’ve shared some of the more “academic” stuff I’ve been learning, but there’s something that’s been on my mind for awhile that I think is important. For those of you who love philosophy and church history, this blog will be especially up your alley, but for everyone who reads this I hope you will be …
The Problem of the First Woman
Yesterday I was fortunate to catch up with an old friend who serves as a pastor at my last church. He is thinking about creating a women’s ministry for the ladies in his congregation and he wanted to pick my brain about the process. I was SO excited to hear how the Holy Spirit is working in and through the …
Reconsidering My “Princess” Status
Over the past 10 to 15 years there has developed within evangelicalism a language about men that is uber-masculine. The shift was aided by the publication of books like Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and the Promise Keepers movement. As men have decried the dangers of being a passive husband and father, the church has men encouraged to be …
The Stay at Home Daughter Movement
Last month I received a link to the following article that ran in Time Magazine entitled Meet the ‘Selfless’ Women of the ‘Stay at Home Daughters Movement’. I had never before heard of the Stay at Home Daughters Movement (SAHD for short) so the information came as quite a shock. Especially given that the article was written in what I would …
Why Women Need Women
On Friday I was having the WORST day! It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong did, and I was in a terrible mood. Poor Ike had to deal with an impenetrable wall of grumpiness. I was SO ILL. Oooh it was bad. Fortunately, I had plans that night. It was my first “girls night” since I’ve moved to …