Women – Scripture & Mission

On Women in Church Leadership: 1 Tim 2:8–15

I began writing publicly about women in church leadership in 2014, while my family was still in Peru. I was applying to doctoral programs with the intention of studying biblical interpretation, and I was thinking a lot about the role of the biblical text in my tradition (Churches of Christ). Megan and I were alsoContinue reading “On Women in Church Leadership: 1 Tim 2:8–15”

On Women in Church Leadership: 1 Cor 14:33–36

Preliminary Matters A view of culture before we proceed Culture is a concern in this conversation from two standpoints. Following my post on 1 Cor 11, one reader asked whether I was just saying, after all, “It’s cultural.” This needs some clarification hermeneutically, especially for a missional reading. Additionally, many traditionalists believe that the discussionContinue reading “On Women in Church Leadership: 1 Cor 14:33–36”

On Women in Church Leadership: 1 Cor 11:2–16

Cards on the table, I don’t think there is any role in church leadership that should be reserved for men. I do not presume to write without commitments. Yet, my primary commitment is not to a position on an issue—it is to God’s mission. To put it this way is a careful hermeneutical choice. Whoever wantsContinue reading “On Women in Church Leadership: 1 Cor 11:2–16”

More Preamble on Women’s Roles

As I contemplate the future of hermeneutics in Churches of Christ in terms of a touchy subject like women’s roles, it strikes me that one critical issue is our collective emotional brokenness. To personify the tradition, I can’t help but compare us to a child of divorce. My own baggage certainly informs the analogy, but maybe it alsoContinue reading “More Preamble on Women’s Roles”

Female Leadership in Churches of Christ

I recently read Scot McKnight say in The Blue Parakeet that he regrets not advocating “mutual” (=egalitarian) female church leadership earlier in his career. I’m compelled not to have the same regret. Let this mark the beginning of my public advocacy: my church tradition, the Churches of Christ (a cappella), has been complicit in Christianity’s failure toContinue reading “Female Leadership in Churches of Christ”