The traumas and burdens inflicted by COVID-19 are borne in our bodies, brains, hearts and communities. Physician Bessle van der Kolk explores the connection between trauma, the brain and the body in his fascinating book The Body Keeps the Score….
On women in church leadership: When you know better, you do better
The report on The State of Women in Baptist Life is only a couple of weeks old and already has caused quite a stir. And rightly so. From excellent opinion pieces calling for repentance to recognition and a call for…
How a verbally abusive male pastor derailed a young woman from ministry
“I can’t tell you how many Monday mornings I cried in the bathroom not wanting to go to work because I was so terrified of what the senior pastor was going to say to me when he came into the…
Jesus calls women to ministry by name and asks them to rise up, Stewart says in fiery BWIM sermon
Like the crippled woman in Luke 13, female clergy know what it means to be paralyzed by sexism, patriarchy and other forms of emotional and psychological abuse, Gina Stewart preached during Baptist Women in Ministry’s June 28 worship celebration in…
Who’ll bring the sackcloth and ashes to CBF General Assembly this week?
“Think they’ll have everyone wear sackcloth and ashes at CBF General Assembly this year?” I texted those words to a fellow Baptist clergywoman after reading the State of Women in Baptist Life report. I wasn’t kidding either. I desperately want…
Sadly, I agree that a complementarian seminary shouldn’t offer women degrees in pastoral theology
Twitter was abuzz last week when Scott Aniol took to the platform to dump cold water on a woman who was celebrating her pastoral ministry degrees. Aniol wrote, “Theological seminaries should not be giving women degrees in pastoral ministry. Full…
If you’re glad women were the first Easter preachers, what are you doing about it now?
During Easter weekend this year, my social media feed was filled with posts about women preaching on the first Easter. The main theme of the posts was that if we want to be biblical, then women should be preaching the…
Ketanji Brown Jackson’s experience at the Senate felt a lot like being a Baptist woman in ministry
“She has a vast practical experience, something that I think is a real plus. … I will vote no.” “I can say definitively that I like her. I think she’s a good person, but I cannot support her.” “She seems…
D.C. Baptist Convention installs Manarin, first female executive director in 145-year history
The District of Columbia Baptist Convention installed Trisha Miller Manarin as its executive director/minister — the first female to hold the job in the convention’s 145-year history — this fall. Manarin has held the position since August 2020, but the…
Panelists reflect on their experiences as female ministers influenced by Hispanic and Latin American culture
Growing up female in a Hispanic Baptist family and community influenced by white Texas culture exposed Alyssa Aldape to the influences of colonialism, race and sexism on her faith and identity, she said during a recent webinar hosted by Baptist…
Virginia pastor shows that women can pray over NASCAR races too
Baptist minister Libby Grammer is slated to give the pre-race prayer Sept. 25 at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, where she became the first woman ever to do so in early April. But Grammer’s motivation is less historical than it is…
Pastors, speak your truth while you still have time
“Make your peace with being honest in ministry today. Don’t wait until you’re older or find the ‘perfect’ church. If you aren’t honest today, you may never make it that far.” I was a youth minister when my pastor and…