Point #1: We live in a particular cultural moment. That means that all of our thoughts and actions are products of our environment: social, political, religious, pop-cultural, etc.
Point #2: Jesus preached and lived a counter-cultural Gospel. That means that what it means to be a Christ-follower is not always the same as what it means to be an American.
I make these two points because I constantly ask myself the following question: Are my thoughts on this (or any) particular issue a result of my understanding of the Gospel, or do I feel this way because of my cultural placement? In what ways does my faith (or understanding of the Gospel) come in direct conflict with my culture?
So, is the issue of women in church leadership a Biblical/theological/Christ issue, or is it a cultural issue? I argue that it is our cultural prejudice that keeps women out of the pulpit, not Jesus.
Dad mentioned the other night that this discussion is exactly what this blog is all about. This is the threshing floor where it is vital to find the Truth in cultural squabbles.
the elder
Props for Nate being so vulnerable. Not much gets accomplished if we can't be real.
2 comments:
don't be so sure nobody else is reading this...maybe not commenting, but we sure are reading...aren't we? the womb mother
well i'm sure reading and commenting
well i would agree about the whole cultural context which unfortunately most churches will completly ignore or argue against. we forget the example that Christ even battles against culture and ideas, when the disciples asked him if this mans blindness was due to his sin or someone else's. Jesus reply's to him its neither...the belief in that day and age was that illness and retardations was caused by peoples sins (strange some preachers still preach that today) but Jesus said no its not like that all
its a hard balance and a dangerous one because in the complete honesty the bible is still completely relevant today but with out sounding like a heretic, just as the Tertullians, Anselm's, Calvin's, St Agustines, St Atheinatiou's who gave us many of the interpretations and understandings of the scriptures i think our generation is looking to not rethink but understand what the Word is saying to us today...but yeah i don't know...
just trying not to be to big of a heretic at the moment
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