In Sisters and Saints: Women in American Religion, Harvard religion professor Ann Braude writes: An old saying among members of African American churches can be applied to most religious groups in the United States: “Women are the backbone of the…
White Calvinist theology has gone to hell
“They’re going to hell,” declared Founders Ministry president and Southern Baptist pastor Tom Ascol. In a scene reminiscent of Oprah Winfrey’s “You Get a Car” giveaway, Ascol proclaimed, “Kamala Harris is going to hell, … (Anne) Branigin is going to…
Wonder Woman vs. Sovereign
Tom King is a modern mastermind behind the DC Universe. In 2018, King received the Eisner Award for Best Writer due to his graphic novels about Mister Miracle and Batman. In 2023, DC Universe announced his comic book series Supergirl:…
Reading the Bible without a leaf of hierarchy
Sunday before last in worship, we read from Genesis 3:8, a passage that says in the NRSV English translation: “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and…
Here’s how toxic male supremacy keeps on infecting the church, even in a supposed ‘apology’
“So, that’s awesome, man,” megachurch pastor Josh Howerton concluded in what he claimed was an apology to his congregation on Sunday. “Can we move on now? Y’all good with that? We’re gonna do that. That’s what we’re going to do….
What does Shannon Harris think now?
We first met her nearly two decades ago as a neatly wrapped character named Shannon Hendrickson in a bestselling “Boy Meets Girl” book written by her ex-husband about his theology of courtship after kissing dating goodbye. The character we were…
Do complementarian men do better? A response to Nancy Pearcey
There’s no need to debate complementarianism or egalitarianism when it comes to marriage, says Nancy Pearcey, as she promotes her new book The Toxic War on Masculinity. Conservative, churchgoing men do best, she claims — and complementarians do as well…
Why the patriarchy is hyperventilating over Barbie
I wasn’t allowed to watch Toy Story 2 when I was 21 years old because the trailer depicted a group of Barbies in bikinis led by Tour Guide Barbie. So when I found out some influential conservatives were having a conniption fit…
Complementarianism may promote the death of the family
“Lois! Get me my 10-cubed Pepsi!” my former Bible professor would yell across the house in their biblical home. His wife would immediately drop whatever she was doing, fill a glass with exactly 10 ice cubes, pour his Pepsi, and…
Complementarianism harms men and women both
What no one seems to be talking about is the harm the Southern Baptist Convention is doing to both women and men. Demands to define a strict gender binary and assign specific roles by gender are causing harm to every…
SBC presidential candidate describes his church as ‘the strictest of the strict complementarians’
A Georgia pastor making a second attempt to become president of the Southern Baptist Convention described his congregation as “the strictest of the strict complementarians” and said he wishes all SBC churches were as well. “I don’t think that every…
Those who say women cannot be pastors are ‘wrong,’ open letter asserts
Christians who insist God cannot call women to pastoral ministry are “wrong,” according to an open letter drafted by Baptist Women in Ministry and so far signed by 540 women who are pastors and almost 2,000 others. Unlike a letter…