If you Google “feminism”, it has a simple definition: “The advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.”Â
That sounds like common sense, and it is.Â
I used to struggle with these same sentiments toward the Pentateuch – those first five books of the bible so full of law (and sometimes confusion!). In my rush to find something I could “apply” in thirty minutes or less, I missed out on beautiful theological truths hidden in this unlikely book.
This week, Lisa and I tackle the idea of interpreting Bible passages well. We want to be faithful to the Scripture and what they actually mean and that requires intentional study. We share five questions to ask before you decide that your interpretation of a Bible passage is correct. We also include some helpful thoughts on Bible study.
Facebook comment streams are a dangerous place, but I find myself drawn into them, almost unable to resist. Perusing the argumentative stream on a blog post recently, I saw a theme emerge. The post was discussing modern Christian men. The comment thread was peppered with descriptions of masculinity: Words like leadership, protection, providing, littered the discussion. But in equal number were comments decrying the existence of man-buns and murses, guys who don’t hunt and drive a Prius – as if biblical masculinity required a certain haircut and hobby list.
I’m reading the bible chronologically this year. Every morning finds my clunky, awkward journaling bible propped halfway between an armchair and an endtable, coffee spilling with each elbow bump as I turn pages with one hand and hold my nursing baby with the other. Sometimes my eyes are so heavy I can’t remember which part of the Tabernacle I was reading about two minutes before. Sometimes I re-read a passage three times as my two-year-old interrupts with tears or toys.
I think we need to look at tiredness differently; not as a bragging right, not as a complaint, not as anything but a human reality. Because to be tired is to be human. To be tired is to have done good work in a fallen world.
Liberty University has always been political.
It was political thirty years ago. It was political my sophomore year of 2009. It was political for all five years of my career on campus. And, as we saw in the news this week, it has remained political to this day.
Most goals are about improving ourselves. We want to lose weight, eat well, improve family relationships, and read more. None of these things are wrong. But when we look across the goals we set as people of God we should ask ourselves: Why all the self-improvement? Is this what Christians are called to pursue?
For 2018, Lisa and I are introducing a few changes to the podcast – Uniquely Woman! There’s new podcast art and a new tagline: Inviting women to biblically challenge the status quo. We’re going to dive into some deep subjects where we might have answers – or we might be asking questions, both equipping us to better live out our faith.
“I feel like married people are on a different plane.” Some version of that sentence enters my inbox on a monthly basis.
My married friends don’t have time for me anymore.
When my friends couple up, they start treating me like a project – just because I’m single.
I’m sad my best friend is getting married because it means I’m going to lose her.