Eve has become the icon for fallen humanity. She’s been demonized in art and theology for the fate of the world. Eve is blamed for everything from the “sin” of lust to the corruption of doctrine to the battle of the sexes. But what if Eve was innocent?
Read MoreEverything God desires from us is revealed by the life-giving relationship between a husband and wife, as first seen in the Garden of Eden. The structures of the Tabernacle, the cycle of the Feasts, and even the biology of human reproduction are all wrapped up together to reveal Yahweh's plan for our relationship with Him.
Read MoreJudeo-Christian circles occasionally have some odd traditions and sentiments. Countless times, I've heard parents pray for their daughters to become women "like Ruth and Esther," two terrific protagonists in the Bible. It's such a popular sentiment that it even crept its way into 1970s show tunes via Fidler on the Roof. But it's weird. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially my own daughter.
Read MoreIn the New Testament (and, curiously, not really anywhere in the Old Testament), there are a few letters that seem to suggest that wives should be universally obedient to their husbands. Among the patriarchal obedience advocates, no epistle is more popular than 1 Peter. But what did Peter actually write?
Read MoreThroughout the Bible, we can see God's purposeful inclusion of women. When we are inclusive of women, we're acting in the character of God. At many of Scripture's most pivotal moments, and at many of the first expressions of our theology, God granted women the honor of being the forerunners and standard-bearers. Moreover, we often see God granting revelation to women first.
Read MoreThere are many third rails in Church traditions. Among the most hotly contested over the last 2,000+ years pertains to what women should (or most often, should not) do within the Church. The feelings run so strong that the functions of women within churches often becomes the single most defining issue in many congregations.
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