I do not really stay up-to-date on all the goings-ons in the Christian Blogosphere. I mean, if I’m honest, I really only read World Racer blogs and then 2 other Christian blogs(Rachel Held Evans’ blog and Morgan Guyton’s blog). That’s it. I don’t read nearly as many articles or blogs as many others.
But I was so very happy to stumble upon an article by Mimi Haddad this weekend about how, all too often, the Church will “bait and switch” girls and women on the idea of equality and worth in the Church.(If you’re at all interested in this topic or want to learn more about what people are discussing when it comes to Biblical equality, I highly suggest you take a look at Haddad’s article in it’s entirety by clicking this link.)
I really just want to share one of the great paragraphs from her article because it speaks so clearly to me as a young woman who has often felt limited and rejected in the Church due to my gender. Again, I’m only quoting one of Haddad’s paragraphs; please click the above link to read the article in its entirety so you can have full context for the quote I’m giving!
“Please do not tell girls or women that they share equally in God’s image; that they are equal at the foot of the cross; that they are equal in the kingdom of God, that they should cultivate their minds equally, unless you are prepared to give them equal authority to use the gifts God has given them. To do otherwise is to bait girls and women with the truth of Scripture as it points to their inheritance in Christ, and then to switch—to deny them the opportunities to walk in newness of life—in using their God-given gifts with equality authority. To advocate for the education of females based on the aims of Christian discipleship is inseparable from God’s aims for men and women created in God’s image—where both shared authority in Eden (Genesis 1:26- 28); and as recreated in the image of Christ who extends equal authority to his disciples, both male and female (John 20:18-23).”
Whew!! I just love how succinctly and clearly she states her point here! All too often, I feel like I’ve seen or experienced 1st hand this “bait and switch” that Mimi is describing.
I am so looking forward to traveling the world with my brothers AND sisters in Christ; I’m so looking forward to seeing how God will use each and every one of us to serve and bless and preach and teach… it is going to be AMAZING! And as I pray regularly for my squad mates and future teammates, I will continue to pray that each of us, regardless of gender, would have bold confidence in the call that God has put on our lives and the gifts and talents He’s given to us. I pray that we’d all have the courage and confidence to do the work He’s given us to do without fear of rejection or belittlement due to gender(or age or race or education level or ANYTHING else!).
God loves His sons and daughters; He made us in His image. And He calls us to do the good work of building and expanding His Kingdom. And I can’t even imagine what that’ll look like on the World Race with my brothers AND sisters by my side on the mission field. But my guess is: It’s gonna be….
