Guidance on our relationships surmised from the interaction and intimacy of the Persons of the Triune God within Themself, from the economic to the immanent, and how our thus-guided relationships help us understand God.
Wait, you say, what is this about? I read this blog for gender issues. What business does a post about Roman Catholicism have being here? I’ll tell you. It has a lot to do with gender issues, and with what God is teaching His church in our day. Hear me out. I grew up Roman Catholic, attending mass weekly …
Christ is the Paragon of Femininity
“Wait, what!?” you exclaim. “That doesn’t sound right. We know that Jesus Christ was incarnate as a man, not a woman, so how can He show us femininity?” Well, you are thinking about gender in isolation again, but the Bible teaches us differently…
When a friend or loved one finally discloses to us the struggle that they have had with their gender, whether it be simply feelings of gender dysphoria or a revelation that they have had hormone treatments or are now considering surgery, it is an important moment. What should be our response if we want to help our friend? Of …
People of a certain persuasion often refer to Acts 18 to argue that we should make no distinctions between women and men in the church or, at least, that women should authoritatively teach in the church. Consider the verses with me: 1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native …
Words Matter. We need to understand what happens when we elect to refer to two men entering into an intimate legal union as “Same-sex Marriage.” Of course, people need to be able to understand each other. So common terminology is good, right? And doesn’t this seem like a value-neutral term? Like “heterosexual marriage?” You are not passing any judgements in …
A reader writes: “You don’t really tackle the gender of God, why God reveals himself with masculine pronouns.” This is a helpful question. It is also a very necessary one. Because the answer to the question confers something desperately needed by about half of the image-bearers of God. Many women grow up with a sneaking suspicion at the back of …
One of reasons some scholars argue that the Apostle Paul did not write Ephesians is that the New Testament letter puts forth a vastly different view of marriage than 1Corinthians. I think that this basis for questioning the letter’s stated authorship is a big bowl of baloney with whipped cream on top. The Paul-didn’t-write-Ephesians theory creates far more problems than …
I know this sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it isn’t. At least I hope not. Rather it was a moment of clarification for the pastors involved when it happened last week. The three of us are there for lunch, to begin the year hearing about each other’s churches and to pray for each other. Naturally, as it so …
To improve our relationships, we must first ask a question with a deep answer. Can you come along with me for a little theology? The question is, Why do we have relationships? The answer for the Christian is that God is trinity. God has relationship within God’s triune Self. The Three are co-equal (and co-eternal), but very different individual Persons. …
I find it a helpful practice as a pastor to read through some recommended book on engagement or marriage with each couple I am counseling for marriage. This exercise, along with discussion about the couple’s particular issues, provides perspective for them about what life together will really be like. So, over time I have built up an annotated bibliography of …
