Thank you for your wise, kind, and gracious words! Over the past 3 years I've been having conversation about these issues because of 1) our fabulous and young female DCE (aka youth leader) and 2) my now 18 year old HS senior who started asking my husband and I tough questions about our faith during his confirmation a few years ago. These conversations, albeit mind-boggling at times, have grown my faith through more time in scripture and prayer...along side very thoughtful consideration of who I read and listen to on either side of the spectrum. I have no idea if we will remain at our church for the long-haul, but I do feel that The Lord still has much for me to do where he graciously planted me over 20 years ago. I look forward to your incredibly timely and thoughtful writings!!
Thank you, Lore, for your thoughtful, conscientious study & explanation of this shift in your theology. I’m in agreement. My daughter— herself co-pastoring a church & actually the primary preacher/teacher— helped me see Pauline passages in new light. And yes! It does require that one use several or many translations of Scripture. Not just one. I landed in the egalitarian position five years or so ago. Ultimately I was led out of your former strong C camp. I respect N.T Wright immensely & he has several YouTube video interviews on the subject. In one he said something to the effect that neither Jesus nor Paul were complementarian if you look closely @ their ministries. Both exalted women & entrusted them with great responsibility.
Hi Lore! This is so powerful: “I want something in your own life to bear on you so hard, you can’t ignore it, and it sends you to years of studying, reading, listening, and discerning, so you can decide for your own self where you land.”
Thank you for such a thoughtful piece, Lore. I grew up in an egalitarian church where my (female) associate pastor encouraged me to go to seminary. Instead, I found myself in a hard complementarian church for the past 10 years. To make a very long story short, I’m now a second career MDiv student, and it feels like I’m finally coming home to myself. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us.
Thank you for this, Lore! As someone who grew up Baptist, claimed Calvinist theology as a teenager, and then wound up converting to Catholicism after college, I feel this in my soul. This is something that I've also been thinking and re-thinking in recent years. Ultimately, it is not so much the labels that matter, as much as, are we properly informed, and led by, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and tradition in how we lead our lives, and approach gender roles and relationships. (As a Catholic, I've embraced the concept of tradition informing theological understanding; as someone who lives in the 21st century, I would clarify it as "tradition properly understood", that is, is it tradition for a certain time and place, or something timeless that can still be applied to anyone, anywhere?) At the end of the day, God will sort us all out in eternity, because we humans will never truly understand everything, and that in itself is both humbling and comforting.
Such wisdom. I know many people may read this to get to the headline, but the first part of this piece is so so so good and important in regards to how our faith is formed not only by scripture but experiences and so on. Thank you for your gift of words!
Thank you for this, Lore! These types of conversations are part of the reason I'm a subscriber - because they are are so important, there are so few places that feel *safe* to have these conversations, and I know your nuance will be helpful! I will say this: I've been an (unmarried) egalitarian in a (soft) complementarian church for over 2 decades. I have a few close friends who have left this church bc of gender and sexuality issues. I have stayed and been involved at the highest levels of leadership (as a lay woman, alongside many other women as staff, deacons, and clergy), and I know I have been an important influence. My friends, I think, see me as complicit to some extent in an abusive system, both because it holds to traditional sexual ethics, and because of the male only priesthood. It is hard and I'm always assessing and asking the Lord if this is still my calling. So far the answer is yes. But I appreciate hearing your journey & it encourages me!
With you! Honestly, this is not a central issue for us and we'd attend a complementarian church still too. I mean what I said at the end: it can be beautifully worked out across the spectrum. I'm interested in being a part of diverse spaces where there's space for different views on these things to flourish, and where the practice of these issues is as much in process as our faith is in process.
“I’m actually disinterested in you reading something I write and thinking, “That makes sense, I’m going to believe that too.” That’s part of the problem. I want something in your own life to bear on you so hard, you can’t ignore it, and it sends you to years of studying, reading, listening, and discerning, so you can decide for your own self where you land.”
Thank you for your wise, kind, and gracious words! Over the past 3 years I've been having conversation about these issues because of 1) our fabulous and young female DCE (aka youth leader) and 2) my now 18 year old HS senior who started asking my husband and I tough questions about our faith during his confirmation a few years ago. These conversations, albeit mind-boggling at times, have grown my faith through more time in scripture and prayer...along side very thoughtful consideration of who I read and listen to on either side of the spectrum. I have no idea if we will remain at our church for the long-haul, but I do feel that The Lord still has much for me to do where he graciously planted me over 20 years ago. I look forward to your incredibly timely and thoughtful writings!!
Beautiful. I am sharing with a few dear friends who I think will also find solace in these words.
Thank you, Lore, for your thoughtful, conscientious study & explanation of this shift in your theology. I’m in agreement. My daughter— herself co-pastoring a church & actually the primary preacher/teacher— helped me see Pauline passages in new light. And yes! It does require that one use several or many translations of Scripture. Not just one. I landed in the egalitarian position five years or so ago. Ultimately I was led out of your former strong C camp. I respect N.T Wright immensely & he has several YouTube video interviews on the subject. In one he said something to the effect that neither Jesus nor Paul were complementarian if you look closely @ their ministries. Both exalted women & entrusted them with great responsibility.
Thank you, Lore. Your challenging words did their job, no doubt about it, because I have lots to ponder now!
I found this piece very timely. Just like the HS to do that. Thank you for your obedience.
Hi Lore! This is so powerful: “I want something in your own life to bear on you so hard, you can’t ignore it, and it sends you to years of studying, reading, listening, and discerning, so you can decide for your own self where you land.”
Thank you for such a thoughtful piece, Lore. I grew up in an egalitarian church where my (female) associate pastor encouraged me to go to seminary. Instead, I found myself in a hard complementarian church for the past 10 years. To make a very long story short, I’m now a second career MDiv student, and it feels like I’m finally coming home to myself. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us.
Thank you for this, Lore! As someone who grew up Baptist, claimed Calvinist theology as a teenager, and then wound up converting to Catholicism after college, I feel this in my soul. This is something that I've also been thinking and re-thinking in recent years. Ultimately, it is not so much the labels that matter, as much as, are we properly informed, and led by, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and tradition in how we lead our lives, and approach gender roles and relationships. (As a Catholic, I've embraced the concept of tradition informing theological understanding; as someone who lives in the 21st century, I would clarify it as "tradition properly understood", that is, is it tradition for a certain time and place, or something timeless that can still be applied to anyone, anywhere?) At the end of the day, God will sort us all out in eternity, because we humans will never truly understand everything, and that in itself is both humbling and comforting.
Such wisdom. I know many people may read this to get to the headline, but the first part of this piece is so so so good and important in regards to how our faith is formed not only by scripture but experiences and so on. Thank you for your gift of words!
Thank you for this, Lore! These types of conversations are part of the reason I'm a subscriber - because they are are so important, there are so few places that feel *safe* to have these conversations, and I know your nuance will be helpful! I will say this: I've been an (unmarried) egalitarian in a (soft) complementarian church for over 2 decades. I have a few close friends who have left this church bc of gender and sexuality issues. I have stayed and been involved at the highest levels of leadership (as a lay woman, alongside many other women as staff, deacons, and clergy), and I know I have been an important influence. My friends, I think, see me as complicit to some extent in an abusive system, both because it holds to traditional sexual ethics, and because of the male only priesthood. It is hard and I'm always assessing and asking the Lord if this is still my calling. So far the answer is yes. But I appreciate hearing your journey & it encourages me!
With you! Honestly, this is not a central issue for us and we'd attend a complementarian church still too. I mean what I said at the end: it can be beautifully worked out across the spectrum. I'm interested in being a part of diverse spaces where there's space for different views on these things to flourish, and where the practice of these issues is as much in process as our faith is in process.
Thank you for this Lore. Thank you for the links to books on the subject I will be checking out. Your thoughtful writing is helpful and encouraging.
I also loved reading Discovering Biblical Equality on my journey away from complementarianism (https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Biblical-Equality-Complementarity-Hierarchy/dp/0830828346/). I'd recommend it to anyone who is wrestling with particular passages in Scripture that seem to support a complementarian viewpoint.
“I’m actually disinterested in you reading something I write and thinking, “That makes sense, I’m going to believe that too.” That’s part of the problem. I want something in your own life to bear on you so hard, you can’t ignore it, and it sends you to years of studying, reading, listening, and discerning, so you can decide for your own self where you land.”
Thank you! This feels like everything.