While the precise relationship between the original creation and the new heaven and new earth of biblical prophecy is a matter deserving more extended consideration, it seems clear that in the kingdom of God there is a sense of “undoing” the results of sin. There is restoration. There is redemption. The parallels between the new [...]
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Some have found it helpful, when seeking to understand the scripture passages that speak of the place of women in the church and in marriage, to consider also those passages that speak of Christians in the context of slavery. These passages assume that there is slavery, and describe how to live the life of Christ [...] Feminism is not a movement well-regarded by many evangelical Christians today. Most feminist writers today portray religion in general and Christianity in particular as inherently patriarchal and unfair to women. Often Christianity is cast in the role of serving as a tool for the subjugation of women. This is, in my view, a great and [...] Oppression (according to Dictionary.com): the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. an act or instance of oppressing. the state of being oppressed. the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc. For our purposes, definitions one and four are helpful to consider. The [...] There are a number of observations that are important in setting a context for considering the matter of women’s leadership in the church. Let’s begin with one of the most striking. The observation is this: both today’s complementarians and today’s egalitarians are radical reformers compared to nearly every traditional position in the history of the [...] Among evangelical Christians in the United States, positions on women in leadership are polarizing into two main camps, most often labeled complementarian and egalitarian. Both camps can at times be uncharitable toward the other, and caricature is not uncommon. Both camps use scripture to justify their position; both are serious about respecting the authority of [...] I’d like to consider the Christian question of women in leadership, particularly as it pertains to leadership in the church, but also briefly touch on the relationship between husbands and wives in a Christian marriage. Much has been written on this topic, so why should I write? Well, there are two specific reasons for these [...] Here then are two instructions, “love your neighbor” and “go and make disciples.” What is the relation between the two? Some of us behave as if we thought them identical, so that if we have shared the Gospel with somebody, we consider we have completed our responsibility to love him. But no. The Great Commission [...] In an essay entitled The Ecclesiology of Vatican II, Joseph Ratzinger (as of 2011, the current pope) explains a Catholic view of what constitutes a church: No one can make a Church by himself. A group cannot simply get together, read the New Testament and declare: “At present we are the Church because the Lord [...] The main idea I want to get across here is that “if it feels good do it” won’t work as a way to order life. It is certainly not a reliable standard for Christians and really doesn’t work for anyone else, either – and we all know it! Every question of Christian theology and living [...] |
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