Let me encourage all of you to check out Jenny’s blog and the recent post she has written on her own reflections regarding the Sumner book and the entire discussion regarding men and women / husbands and wives and how we are all to relate within Christ’s body.
Thanks for the insight on marriage, church and leadership. Well said, Jenny.
Go to mama-jenny.blogspot.com.
Filed under: 746, Discussion Group, reflections
i also like joe’s comment under the “men and women in the church” tab. thanks joe!
I just copied this comment from its orginal spot. Maybe it’ll be easier to find.
I have been reading this book with much interest. I am currently in the middle of Chapter 23. I also have read many of the posts on blogs of various folks participating in the discussion, but this is my first entry into the blogging world.
For me, I know I’ve been curious about this book as it relates to my own life and my own view of gender roles in the church. I also want to try to honor God in my marriage and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m often clueless on how to do that well.
As a church, I know we have an opportunity for a fresh start. Looking at this issue of men and women and leadership is important as we try to figure out our structure.
I know some have questioned why we as a small church would tackle such a potentially divisive topic. I applaud Paul for his leadership and vision to encourage us as a church to wrestle with this issue when the easier thing to do would be to leave it alone.
At the beginning of Chapter 23, Sumner says this: The more I pay attention, the more I become convinced that the current debate on men and women in the church effectively unearths people’s buried thoughts about their sexuality, their concept of marriage, their view of the authority of Scripture, their theology of God and their philosophy of natural order. That’s why this debate is so volatile and heated. It strikes at the core of people’s most sacred beliefs.
As I read that, I understand more of why we as a church engage in discussions like this. This book is more than a discussion about men and women’s roles in the church. It actually causes us (if we let it) to examine our own lives and broadens our perspective on who God is. It challenges our biases and perspectives in light of our current culture. This, I submit, is an integral part of the Christian life.