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 …
Today we have a guest to AffirmingGender.com, Nicholas Black, Education & Resources Director of Harvest USA. Nick gives us a very thoughtful and helpful analysis of one of the articles in the recent National Geographic issue on gender. Here’s Nick… Ever since I was a kid I have been a long-time reader of the National Geographic magazine. So I …
(Another Scenic Overlook from enGendered, showing the power of womanliness…) It had been a long time. A long time of dusty desert trails and fearful sprints from danger. He was tired. Tired of running. Tired of not having a home. Most of all, he was tired of maintaining a vision for something that had about as much substance as morning …
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 …
(Excerpt from enGendered, and a story I tell a lot in speaking) If you have ever gone through a pastoral search in your church, you know it is a long, drawn out business. Protestant congregations looking for a leader form committees to examine pastor candidates for visible strengths and hidden weaknesses. They must pay close attention to make sure …
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. …
Nearly all Christians have a firm belief that humanity is made up of male and female, based on what they read in Genesis 1:27. “…male and female [God] created them.” But what about the concept of gender? Here they are fuzzy. Masculinity and Femininity are hard to define, and passing through Western schools is liable to convince you that these …
Today, another “Scenic Overlook.” Again, I am using historical and archeological study to try to imagine what a particular Bible story really might have been like. The game is to try and guess which Biblical character is being described before you get to the end and find out. Can you guess? He was coming. She pushed down …
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 …
New York State issued the nation’s first intersex birth certificate last week. NBC News reported on it here. I encourage you to read the report on 55-year-old Sara Kelly Keenan who got the state to change the sex on the birth certificate to the non-binary term. Intersex is a current term used to refer to the mercifully rare condition of …
