Tried With Fire

I've been juggling a lot of books this summer. I've been making more of an effort to set aside reading time rather than snippets here and there, which has helped me work through the stacks sitting by my bed. I still love audiobooks, and I try to squeeze in listening time whenever I can. So here's what I've been reading: I finished A Fiery Gospel: The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the Road to Righteous War by Richard M. Gamble.  Some of my friends were disappointed to learn of the non-Christian, Unitarian origins of the song. I don't relish being the bearer of bad news. Honestly. I really don't want to be like Mikey in the Life Cereal commercial who hates everything, but to paraphrase Hannah Anderson, we need to pursue the truth no matter who it implicates. And to paraphrase Dr. Gamble, history is not obligated to make us feel good about ourselves. To continue the theme of civil religion in America, I was able to borrow Dr. Gamble's 2nd book, The War for...

As February is Black History Month, the following is the 1851 speech by Sojourner Truth, former slave and civil rights activist (1797-1883): Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and wh...

It may be silly for me to post this for my little blog, but hey, why not? Writing is a way to get thoughts out of my head for further examination, so whether it is read or not is secondary. But this also gives me an idea of which subjects struck a chord or possibly a nerve. Based on this list, those subjects are: domestic violence, women in the church and society, the eternal subordination of the Son (ESS) debate, John Piper's rather perplexing statements on justification by faith, and thinking through difficult, ethical issues. Given my interests and concerns, I'll probably keep writing about them in the coming year. 10. If I had my druthers 9. These were tied:  Questioning a false dichotomy  &   The ESS elephant is still in the room 8.  Justified and not sanctified? 7. Roles: Another Andelin Connection? 6. It took "Hidden Figures" 5. Does this say what I think it says? 4. Domestic violence in the Australian church 3. "Me, myself, and I" spirit...

I took one history class as an elective in college, 1st semester American history. I sometimes rolled out of bed just in time to slide into the back of the auditorium. It seemed completely impractical at the time, and I couldn't wait to get past all these boring requirements so I could move on to what really mattered. But if you look at my reading stack today, a good chunk of those books are history. Why the change? My about-face was sparked at the 2012 Ligonier Conference on The Christian Mind. Dr. Robert Godfrey gave a brief overview of American Christianity, tracing the trends and movements to where we are today. One of those trends is that we have stopped thinking about how we think. This intrigued me because I had recently gone through a major shift in my theology. I came home and began to trace the genealogy of what I used to believe. I had been influenced by teachers who had someone influence them, who had someone influence them... But who were these people? This wasn...

the two most important qualities [of the Ideal woman] were obedience and femininity... She wrote, "The first law of Heaven is obedience, and it should be the first law of every home." As a practical reminder of women's obedience to men, Andelin presented each her of students with a gold-painted dowel to represent her husband's authority. Then she assigned students to give the gold stick to their husbands in order to provide the couple with the opportunity to discuss their respective roles in a humorous manner. "The husbands like it, and often hang their sticks on the wall as a reminder and threaten to use it if the wife doesn't obey," she said. [1] Helen Andelin's book Fascinating Womanhood (1963)   was probably the mother of all conservative women's books to combat the 2nd wave of feminism. The above quote regarding her view on male authority isn't an anomaly but the norm. The man "was created in the image of God and given domini...

"Hidden Figures" is one of the best books that I've read in a long time. It combines history, science, and some of the most inspiring women you could ever meet. I was so proud of Dorothy, Katherine, and Mary and the strides they made as scientists and black women during an era that discriminated against them as African Americans and women. I could not help but think about the women scientists in my family who immigrated to North America. Their circumstances were different from the women in the book, but there were strong similarities. In fields dominated by white men, they worked hard to get an education and jobs in their respective fields with the goal of making life better for their families here and back home. It wasn't about pursuing self-actualization but to help as many of the extended family as possible to immigrate. I am very proud of my parents and aunts and uncles. But it hit me recently that it took "Hidden Figures" to make me realize that I ...

This a talk by Jen Wilkin at the 2014 TGC Women's Conference. I loved it. If you are looking for what I would call "traditional" advice, this may not be the talk you are looking for. Wilkin shares quite a bit about imago dei and not succumbing to popular culture or  the Christian subculture either. But to my mind, that's a good thing. Listen or download here . ht: Christie Davidson for the heads up.

On April 14, 276 Nigerian school girls were kidnapped to be sold as "wives" by Boko Haram . This story was picked up by the media, setting off a flood of tweets with the hashtag #BringBackOur Girls. Politicians, celebrities, and the average person on the street called for the Nigerian government as well as the US to do something. To date, 219 girls are still missing . Unfortunately this is only one horrifying example of the global violence against women and girls. According to the statistics more girls have been killed in the last 50 years because they were girls than men killed in all the battles of the 20th century. This is rightly called gendercide because the victims are targeted based on gender alone. 1 As Christians, sin should be no surprise. Mankind has been corrupted at the root and chooses evil over good since the fall. But the sexual assault, sex trafficking, domestic violence, forced abortion, infanticide of girl babies, honor killings, rape as a weapon of w...

"Are Women Human?" is the title of an address given by Dorothy L. Sayers in 1938 to the Women's Society. If this essay was in the public domain, I would reproduce it on the spot and let you read it for yourself. But alas it is not, so I will try to distill some of Sayers' insights. Sayers believed that an aspect of humanity is being an individual and being respected as such. We have tastes and preferences, strengths and weaknesses. The danger arises when categories dictate who we must be, leaving no room for our individuality. Consequently she felt that men and the feminists of her era fell into this error. On the one side, all girls must like dolls. On the opposite side, all girls can be mechanical geniuses if they are properly trained. Neither idea is sound because all humans are not the same, and if girls allowed to be human, they are not the same either. 1 In addition, the idea of women copying men for that sake alone was simply absurd to Sayers. "Is it ...

On Sunday evening, several ladies from my church were discussing the hindrances to building relationships with one another. Yeah, we're busy. Yeah, we need to get to know one another better. Those are valid things to consider, but I think this quote gives a deeper, heart-level assessment of the problem: Perhaps our relationships are terminally casual because we're not willing to disclose what's at the heart level. Perhaps nobody dares to ask. Maybe we're unsure of how we are really doing. Maybe we're not willing to hear from others how they are really doing. Maybe we're afraid of the truth  - that it would overwhelm us. Maybe we're insecure because we've been burned in the past. Maybe we're selfishly absorbed with what goes on in our own hearts. Maybe we're just ignorant of the beauty of self-disclosure shared for the sake of the gospel. Maybe we'd rather cling to our assumptions of others. Sometimes we're so wrapped up in our own p...

My daughter and I have interesting conversations. Yesterday, she asked, in a historical sense, when did girls began to fall for jerks. Interesting, no? Given that the attitude which makes one a jerk comes from sin, we would have to go back to Genesis 3 for the origin and I dare say the origin of those who would fall for such behavior. Also the Bible is not without its examples of bad boys such as Samson (yes he is in Hebrews 11 but his treatment of women was rather unchivalrous) and Nabal. Even in literature, all the ladies in Meryton were ga-ga for Mr. Wickham in Pride and Prejudice . In Mr. Wickham's case, he tried to hide his true character to ingratiate himself, but nowadays, it seems guys don't try to hide it at all. In media and music, women are objectified by men and they don't seem to mind. As we were talking, the thought crossed my mind that perhaps this is the only strength women see today. Compared to what Ahhnold called "girly men", it appears stro...

Sarah Flashing: As a complementarian, I am continually bothered by the lack of women in the church implementing their intellectual gifts as theologians, philosophers, apologists, ethicists, economists and so forth because I believe we have put women and their gifts, needs and interests in a box and tied it up—tightly—with a pretty lace bow. Because of the important role she plays in the family, there is often the perception that women’s gifts and needs are limited to the realm of the home. I am not suggesting that those women who abide in this realm are excluded from the community of intellectually-gifted women, many, in fact, are one and the same. But when “keeping the home” (Tit 2) is reduced to teaching women how to make pot-holders out of old socks to the exclusion of developing the life of the mind, then we run the risk of not only losing more women to theological wimpiness, but their children as well. All of this causes me to wonder if the complementarian community is losing i...

D. A. Carson: At the same time, I do worry a bit about women's ministry and men's ministry. Now there is something to be said for it, and sometimes you have to target particular groups, but have you noticed how many women's conferences there are that focus on the book of Ruth and the book of Esther? So that the whole conference is about women , and now we are getting men's conferences, men's conventions. I know I speak at them, but they trouble me just the same. These men's conferences where the whole aim is to be a hunk, to be a hunk for Jesus. Unless you really like UFC , you are definitely second class. Greek scholars need not apply....  I understand we are trying to fight the feminization of the church and all of that, but there is something ugly about that too, isn't there? So that at the Gospel Coalition Women's conference we are having next June...  it's not about women . It's a women's conference but it's about the gospel for ...

We recently attended a fundraiser for NightLight International , a Christian organization that provides relief, rescue, and shelter for women trapped in prostitution and human trafficking in Thailand. There was a brief video explaining the group's mission with glimpses of the bar scene in Bangkok. The film was probably sanitized, but it was still sickening to see young girls dressed provocatively for the sole purpose of attracting male clientele. We learned that in these bars the women have name tags, but there's no name, just a number, reducing them to an item to be bartered and sold. On the drive home, my daughter commented how these Thai women would give anything to be free from marketing themselves sexually, but  in our warped American culture, it seems that women want to be seen this way. In Thailand, they know only to well the ugliness and degradation of being exploited. Whereas in America, women blindly believe they are adding to their personal worth when they...

The role of women and men in the church and home is a can of worms. This topic is so emotionally charged that it's dangerous to step into the debate for fear of being verbally electrocuted. I occasionally lurk on a few egalitarian blogs (mainly for other issues), and it's interesting to get their perspective. At times I'm sympathetic to their position particularly when a complementarian spokesperson has made an insensitive, foot-in-mouth blanket statement regarding divorce or abuse, which are hot-button issues with me. But at the end of the day, these scenarios, as sad as they are, can't determine my stance on this issue.  I need to come back to the Bible. So I've been listening to the talks by D.A. Carson and Bob Yarbrough from the ECFA 2012 Conference:  Understanding the Complementarian Position: Considering Implications and Exploring Practices in the Home and the Local Church .  I'm part way through, but so far it's been very helpful. I appreciate the...

One of my pet peeves is the notion that Christian women should only read books written by other Christian women on women's topics. I don't think I'm imagining this, am I? While I'm not discounting the value of application-oriented books or women authors, I take issue with the idea that theology and doctrine are dull, dry, ego-bloating, and impractical. Therefore, "don't trouble your pretty little head about such things".  I don't think anything can be further from the truth. Plus this idea about boring theology is also inflicted on men in this anti-intellectual age, minus the "pretty" part, of course. In Sunday's sermon, one of the takeaway points was how we need to go deep in our understanding of God and not merely stay on a temporal plane. As examples, the pastor mentioned a group of young men in their 20's who have studied  Chosen by God by R. C. Sproul and are now tackling a book by Wayne Grudem on doctrine. He also mentioned a...