Tag: women

At THIS Table

My news feed has been filled with posts about the recent comments by John MacArthur telling Beth Moore to “go home.” I have seen various open letters to John MacArthur, I have seen friends standing up and giving witness to the positive and Biblically fruit-bearing way that Beth Moore has impacted their lives (and I concur). After reading a few of these, I actually went and found the audio of the conversation in question. I was appalled.

Not only was I appalled at the nonchalance with which this man completely denounced women preaching, but with the response of the people in attendance – applause and cheering. I don’t know what the make-up of the audience was, but I can guess it was mostly, if not completely made up of men.

One of the things that John MacArthur said was:

“(when people) literally overturn the clear teaching of scripture to empower the people who want power you have given up biblical authority.”

John MacArthur

I literally had to listen to that more than once. Seriously? Isn’t the clear teaching of scripture just this? Giving power to the powerless? Justice to the oppressed? Freedom to the prisoner? Hope to the forgotten? Resources to the poor? Healing to the sick? Need I go on?

If this is truly how he feels, does that mean that we should go back to a country that condones and practices slavery? After all, the bible talks about how slaves should obey their masters. Should we all revert to being slaves in Egypt? Because didn’t God empower to the Israelites to escape Pharaoh?

Yes, I am a woman. Yes, I am a preacher. And yes, God has called me to do this work. I believe that rather than take one or two verses that Paul wrote to a specific audience for a specific purpose and broadly apply them to every situation forever and ever, it is much more important to look at how Jesus treated women, giving them a voice and a place in a culture where they had none, and to look at how Paul ministered with women and empowered them to be about the work of building the church. God created us all in God’s image. God has gifted us all in various and specific ways. And God calls us ALL to be about the work of spreading the good news of the gospel.

I am not angry. But I am sad, because I am for the inclusion of all at the table of the Lord, and I believe that when we put limits on what God is able to do, then we are hurting not only people created by God, but we are also doing serious damage to the Kingdom of God in the here and now.

Want to read more about the full inclusion of women in ministry? Here are some links to check out:

There are a ton more resources – maybe you even have one or two you want to share in the comments.

I want to leave you with a new song that I heard today that sums up all of this for me – to love with the love of Christ means that at the table of Christ, ALL are welcome, ALL are important, ALL are called.

“At This Table”
Indina Menzel

At this table everyone is welcome
At this table everyone is seen
At this table everybody matters
No one falls between

At this table you can say whatever
At this table you can speak your mind
At this table everything’s forgiven
There’s enough for everyone

So come as you are
Remember that the door is always open
Yes come as you are
The perfect gift that you could bring is your heart
So come, come as you are

At this table there will be no judgements
At this table mercy has a seat
At this table we’re all sons and daughters
There’s no place I’d rather be

So come as you are
Remember that the door is always open
Come as you are
The perfect gift that you could bring is your heart
Come, come as you are

Come as you are

At this table everyone is welcome
At this table everybody cares
At this table everybody matters
So come pull up a chair

(Full disclosure: This is the song I REALLY wanted to include, but take it as tongue-in-cheek.)

Unreasonable Expectations

We have created a culture in which women, starting as young girls, are increasingly being told to conform to a standard that society has set.

Be thinner.

Be prettier.

Dress this way.

Eat this way.

Act this way.

Deny who you want to be so you look and act like everyone else.

This is perpetuated through our music, our media, and even the archaic ways of thinking that were prevalent in patriarchal societies of old and still penetrate our thinking today.

When something comes along that encourages girls to break away from these unreasonable (and frankly, wrong) expectations, I love it.

The first time I heard this song, I fell in love with the lyrics. So many country (rock, R&B, hip-hop – ok – music in general) songs objectify women and don’t give them a voice. They are a pretty face to be paraded around on the hunky guy’s arm. A pretty trinket to show off to the other guys driving around in their trucks. A conquest to be won and led off to the bedroom.

So, when I hear women giving voice to these concerns in a way that may just grab a young girl’s attention and help her to see that she is not required to conform to the standards that society is putting forth for her, I jump up and yell a hearty, “AMEN!”

Take a listen, share it with some girls around you, and let’s start setting a new standard of growing into the women that God created us to be, nothing more, nothing less!

Girl In A Country Song
Maddie & Tae

Well I wish I had some shoes on my two bare feet
And it’s gettin’ kinda cold in these painted on cut off jeans
I hate the way this bikini top chafes
Do I really have to wear it all day? (Yeah baby)

I hear you over there on your tailgate whistlin’ [*whistle*]
Sayin’, “Hey girl”
But you know I ain’t listenin’
Cause I got a name
And to you it ain’t “pretty little thing”, “honey” or “baby”
Yeah it’s drivin’ me red-red-red-red-red-red-red neck crazy

[Chorus:]
Bein’ the girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we’re good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we’re lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep my mouth shut and ride along
And be the girl in a country song

Well shakin’ my moneymaker ain’t ever made me a dime
And there ain’t no sugar for you in this shaker of mine
Tell me one more time, “you gotta get you some of that”
Sure I’ll slide on over, but you’re gonna get slapped (Hah!)
These days it ain’t easy being that

[Chorus:]
Girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we’re good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we’re lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep my mouth shut and ride along
And be the girl in a country song (Yeah, yeah baby)

Aww no, Conway and George Strait
Never did it this way
Back in the old days
Aww y’all, we ain’t a cliché
That ain’t no way
To treat a lady

[Chorus:]
Like a girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we’re good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we’re lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep my mouth shut and ride along
Down some old dirt road we don’t even wanna be on
And be the girl in a country song

(“Yeah baby, I ain’t your tan legged Juliet. Can I put on some real clothes now?”)

Aww, no