Tried With Fire

One of the questions that comes up regarding ethnicity/race is "Aren't we supposed to be colorblind?" I think the  following exposition of Galatians 3:28 by Michelle Lee-Barnewall may help answer that question. This passage focuses on the complementarian vs. egalitarian debate, but gender isn't the only distinction the Apostle Paul mentions. [W]hile Jesus's treatment of women was indeed groundbreaking, the notion of "equality" may not be the most accurate lens through which to try to understand the importance of his actions... Instead it may be more important to understand the issue according to the idea of "inclusion." 1 In this new community, distinctions are not eliminated as much as they have become irrelevant for determining who can be "in Christ" because now believers are children of God through faith rather than the law. 2 The three pairings in Gal. 3:28, which also include male and female and slave and free, represente...

The following quote is by Alan Jon Hauser - Genesis 2-3: The Theme of Intimacy and Alienation .  Michelle Lee-Barnewell refers to Dr. Hauser's paper in Neither Complementarian Nor Egalitarian in the section where she proposes that unity is the primary theme of Adam and Eve's relationship in Genesis 2 rather than authority/submission or even equality. 1 As I read Dr. Lee-Barnewell's argument and then Dr. Hauser's analysis, I think they have both honed in on something that has been missing from the gender debate. (I would add that Lee-Barnewell's position does not necessarily negate male elders nor any application of Ephesians 5.) If unity/oneness is indeed the hallmark of Adam and Eve's pre-fall state, then sin brought in alienation between men and women and between mankind and God. In Hauser's examination of the text, he notes that the Hebrew verb tenses are plural even when the serpent is addressing Eve, thus emphasizing the oneness of Adam and Eve. But ...

When the Doctrines of Grace found me, life was never the same. But in my enthusiasm for my new-found theology, I became a cage-stage Calvinist. I may not have been foaming at the mouth, but I was pushy and less than respectful toward believers who differed from me. Thankfully, the symptoms have subsided, but it's ironic that I was proud of being doctrinally "right" while affirming that it was all of grace. I also wonder if "cage-staginess" transfers to other Christian doctrines? The following is quote from Timothy George regarding the gender battles that have been raging in the church. I think his words are worth considering: 1. "What do I owe to the person who differs from me?" While we are not obligated to agree with that person, we do owe him or her love. As a result, we are to be good listeners, seeking to understand the person's aims and asking whether there is anything valid in his or her position. 2. "What can I learn from those ...