Biblical Egalitarian ≠ Femi-nazi

I’ve come to the realization that many times when I talk about biblical gender equality, often time people hear, “yadda yadda yadda….FEMI-NAZI!”  I have also realized that many of my conversations with people on this topic have been in reaction to what someone has been saying.  I’d like to tell you a little bit about what biblical gender equality means, and maybe even a little of what it doesn’t mean. 

Central Beliefs:

 

1.       I believe the Bible is the Holy Spirit-inspired, written word of God! 

2.       I believe in the EQUALITY of all people REGARDLESS of color, age, sex, social status or economic status

3.       I believe that men and women are BOTH created in God’s image, and therefore have EQUAL value and FULL access to the Father, through Jesus.

4.       I believe the CURSE in Genesis 3 was a statement of the way things WOULD be after the fall, not the way they SHOULD be.

5.       I believe that God’s ORIGINAL design was gender EQUALITY, and patriarchy only entered the world AS A RESULT of sin.  (Since Jesus died on the cross and rose again, we are no longer defined by the curse.)

6.       I believe the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to WHOMEVER He chooses, REGARDLESS of gender. (If the Holy Spirit endows a persons with a particular gift, who are we as people, to deny a person to operate in their gifts?)

7.       I believe that women REPRESENT and REVEAL the feminine attributes of the Father to the church and the world, therefore women need to step into their callings to show the world their unique expression of God’s love.

8.       I believe that men and women need to work TOGETHER, not one ahead of the other.

9.       I believe that men and women are RADICALLY called to mutual submission.

10.   I believe the ABSOLUTE HIGHEST calling of a woman is to FOLLOW JESUS!

11.   I do NOT believe that all women are called to lead, just as I do not believe that all men are called to lead.

12.   I do NOT believe in androgyny, rather that each gender operate out of the strengths inherit in their nature.

13.   I DO NOT believe that it is the FAULT of all men that we are in this situation.  I believe it is the RESPONSIBILITY of men AND women to rectify the situation.

These are a few of the things that I believe.  Hopefully, this has painted a bit of a different picture in your head of what biblical equality entails.  If the picture that came up in your head was an angry woman out in the streets burning her bra, while her motherless family lay around mourning her loss, I hope I have been able to replace that with a very different portrait.

I had a hard time getting started with this blog post, and as I’m finishing it I keep coming up with things to add to this list.  So please accept this humble list with grace!  I will begin to expand on each point in upcoming blogs, but I wanted to give you a foundational example of what a biblical egalitarian looks like.  I understand that these beliefs are very polarizing.  Please understand that if you don’t agree with me, I still like you (and I’m not offended)!  As long as we can all interact with each other with respect and love, it opens the door for healthy dialogue and growth!  In the future, I will attempt to explain to you why these beliefs are so important for the church and the world!

*To promote healthy discussion, comments are open to everyone.  Spam will be automatically deleted.  Any comments deemed abusive, mean-spirited, rude, or as a personal attack will be deleted by the administrator.  Thanks in advance for being respectful and honoring to everyone!*

Letter To My Daughters On Biblical Gender Equality

Dear Daughters,

               

                You are so beautiful!  You are so amazing!  I can’t believe that God gave me this many daughters to raise!  I am so blessed by you!  I want nothing more than for you to know God and love Him and let Him wrap you in His arms of love!  There is no higher pursuit.  God fashioned each of you to be a radiant expression of Him!  You certainly are living up to the calling!

                I want you to know that you are free!  You are free from the things that bind you simply because you were born a girl.  The world is getting much better with this!  Globally, we have made so much progress.  You are so blessed to be born in the United States.  Your daddy has sacrificed so much for this freedom you are to wear with confidence.  Unfortunately, the church is where you may run into problems.  In my lifetime, I have seen so much change, and I hope that by the time you are ready to launch, all of the gender constraints will be gone forever!  Don’t ever forget that Jesus paid the price for you!  He set you free from the restrictions that people will try to place on you.  Beware, these debilitating laws can be thrown at you from men and other women.  Most are well-meaning.  These people fall into three categories.  There are people who do not view women as equals and want to keep women down.  There are also those who truly desire to follow God and believe that they are interpreting scripture properly.  The subservient position they take on and command, is out of their desire to follow the Bible.  (Fortunately for us, they got it wrong.)  Thirdly, there are those that blindly follow other’s spiritual dogma.  They make no attempt to read and study the Bible on their own, thereby not utilizing the Holy Spirit in their studies, and blindly following very misled people. 

                I want you to follow the dreams that God has put in your heart!  I want you to know that WHATEVER God has called you to, you are to pursue with an unparalleled passion!  I never want you to reach the end of your days, and wonder why you didn’t do what was in your heart to do.  God has big plans for you, and He longs to use wonderful, amazing girls like you!   Do not listen to others when filtering what God has told you.  Filter His word for your life only through His Word. 

                You have something the church is missing!  You are feminine.  Not only are you feminine, but you are the representation of the feminine attributes of God!  The church and the world need to see you shine!  They have so been missing the physical revelation of this side of Him.  You are strong and gentle, beautiful and lovely, full of love yet prepared to fight, determined, smart, courageous, emotional yet level headed, creative and logical, quiet and loud.  You are woman!

                I don’t want you to have to deal with the same problems that I have had to face.  I want you to always be free.  I never want you to let others hold you back, and I want you to know, you never have to hold yourself back!  Always be cautious because since the Garden of Eden, Satan has waged all-out war on women, trying to lure her into the chains of domination and slavery.  Don’t fall for his schemes!  Jesus set you free from the domination from anyone!  Protect your heart from these attacks.  Be aware of what they look like, and run the other direction.  When you run that direction, you will run right into the arms of your loving Savior.

                I certainly hope that I’ve been able to provide you with wonderful examples to follow.  My goal is to surround you with beautiful women that will help you grow, women that excel in every area.  I hope you have seen gifted wives, singles, mothers, teachers, singers, leaders, dancers, preachers, evangelists, apostles, entrepreneurs, CEO’s, and senators.  Any of this can be yours!  Instead of spending years trying to figure out if you are “allowed” to do these things, I want you to spend that time investing into becoming who you are going to be! 

                Be empowered!  Be free!  Be love to the world!  Be courage for the weak!  Be a woman that frees other captives!  Be all that God has called you to be!  He designed you with a specific purpose in mind that only you can fill!  Go and fly!

Love,

Mom

*To promote healthy discussion, comments are open to everyone.  Spam will be automatically deleted.  Any comments deemed abusive, mean-spirited, rude, or as a personal attack will be deleted by the administrator.  Thanks in advance for being respectful and honoring to everyone!*

What if we acted like our friends were asking for a tampon?

So, it finally happened the other day.  The day every woman dreads from the time they start their period.  They day that you would start your period and have no supplies available.  I’d been prepared for the last 15 or so years, so I guess that’s not too bad.  It happened at church.  I was just going to run out real quick and grab some stuff at the store down the street, but I decided to ask the one lady I ran into, before I headed out.  She didn’t have anything, but certainly wasn’t going to leave me without finding something for me.  She ran around, until she found a kind soul that had the supplies needed to rescue me.

 

That’s how these things are with girls.  It doesn’t matter where you are or who it is, when a women is in this type of crisis, someone always comes to the rescue.  You can be in the bathroom and a stranger could ask.  You could be at church or a social function, and if a need presents itself, someone always steps up to help.  Your worst enemy could be in need of a tampon, and for a split second, your heart would melt, and you would offer her what you had.

Tampons…the thing that unites women.  For so long, we have invested so much time in being in competition with one another.  For so long, we have been on different sides of the fence of important issues.  For so long, we have found reasons to not trust one another, not lean on one another, and not confide in one another.

 What if we could change this?  What if we just pretended she was asking for a tampon?  What if we just supported her when she needed support?  What if we honored each other, not only for who we are, but what each of us has accomplished?  Could we really support each other if we find ourselves on different sides of the fence of life decisions?  I think so, because we are still standing on the same field of life.  Instead of criticizing each other’s parenting skills, judging each other’s occupation choices, or sizing yourself up to the Jones’, what if we looked at other women, the way they were truly meant to be seen?  What if we were able to say, “You may not have the same personality that I do.  You may not have chosen the same path for your life.  You may not have the same morals as I.  You may not hold the same political opinions that I do.  You may not have the same marital status that I do.  But YOU are a beautiful woman, created by God!  You have so many good things about you!  You and I face the same problems (even though we may deal with them differently), but we will struggle together.  You may have times where you are misunderstood by your parents, husband, or boyfriend, but I, as a fellow woman, will take the time to understand you.  I will take the time to care.”

There are so many different things that unite men.  They have combat, fraternities, churches, and countless other “things”.  I have been so inspired to see the men in my life form “brotherhoods” with their closest friends.  Ladies, I think we are missing this very thing!  I think we need to take an example from these men on how to do life with others!  How can we start? It’s the little things. Pretend she is asking you for a tampon.