I was wrong in advice I gave to young ministers for many years. My intent was good, but my advice was wrong. The recent intense debate over a Wall Street Journal opinion piece has helped me clarify this. In that…
We’re all waiting, but waiting is nothing new for women
It is the day after the election, and we’re waiting. Once again, we’re waiting. But waiting is not new to women. I imagine what it would have been like for Mary Magdalene and the other women who waited a day…
Why Baptist women in ministry feel a kinship to Justice Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court and tireless advocate for gender and racial equality, died on Friday, Sept.18. One of eight Jewish justices to sit on the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg’s death came just as…
Baptist men, it’s time to listen to Baptist women. Not Baptist? If the shoe fits…
Here are some ways Baptist (and other Christian) men can change their behaviors to better listen to – and engage, empower and learn from – Baptist (and other Christian) women.
Let’s bury the patriarchal narrative in American culture. Politics and churches are good places to start
American culture is patriarchal to the core. As author Leslie Dorrough Smith argues, the ideal male identity remains white, heterosexual and given to “family values” (even while their behavior contradicts this supposed conviction).
Do your sources of information and inspiration all look like you and share your point of view?
To limit our intake of books, podcasts, movies, TV shows, sermons and articles to those produced by white men is the equivalent of limiting our understanding of God.
The fundamental issue in the ‘go home’ controversy: women’s agency
By denying women their agency, some Christians are forgetting that women are created in God’s image, and as such they are capable of making their own decisions in response to God’s call in their lives.
Bourbon, boobs and bedrooms: Will the Body of Christ choose people over purity?
Purity codes and other forms of Christian cleanliness have excluded people for centuries, keeping out entire communities who did not follow one way of living, one way of interpreting scripture and one way that works for one group of people – namely, those with all the power.
Evangelical women superstars: power, celebrity and influence within the façade of submission
In many ways, the superstar women of evangelicalism use the same tools to access power, not just at home but also in the public arena – the rhetoric of submission, conformity to gender norms and resourceful influence within the constraints of patriarchy.