What’s With the Head Coverings?
When I wrote my book about women in the church, my aim was to examine every verse that has been hijacked to oppress and silence women. I wanted to show that contrary to what [...]
women
Patriarchy is not God’s Plan for Your Marriage
God intended for marriage to be between one man and one woman, but the fall of man opened the door to two evils; polygyny and patriarchy. Polygyny replaces partnership [...]
Is a Silent Wife a Gift from the Lord?
Recently in New Zealand, there was a job advertisement calling for a couple to manage a holiday camp. According to the ad, the ideal wife would have knowledge of Microsoft [...]
Why Does Jesus Hate Divorce?
In the modern church we think we treat women well. We tell ourselves that we are enlightened, educated and respectful. But in the very next breath we tell women they can’t [...]
Who has Authority in a Marriage?
Who has the authority in a marriage, the husband or the wife? For much of human history, the men were in charge, and their wives were considered little more than property. [...]
Are Women Weaker Vessels?
Running through the tapestry of human history is a sexist thread that says women are weaker and inferior to men. They are second-born and second-best. This is what the [...]
Are Women Saved through Childbearing?
One of the strangest verses in the Bible is found in Paul’s first letter to Timothy: But women will be saved through childbearing – if they continue in faith, love and [...]
Why did Mary Find Favor with God?
Imagine God asked you to recruit the mother of the Messiah. Two women have been shortlisted, and you have been asked to pick the best one. The first woman has an impeccable [...]
Are you Complementarian, Egalitarian, or Something Else?
Every one of us holds a view about the role of women. What can they do; what can’t they do? Your answers to these questions defines your bias. “Wait, I’m not biased!” [...]
How Does a Husband Act Like a Head?
Here’s a line you may have heard: “God has ordained the husband to be the head of the marriage, which means he’s in charge.” The first bit is biblical; the second bit [...]
In Marriage, Who Takes the Lead?
If you have been raised with a traditional view of marriage, you’ve probably heard the husband is in charge. “In a marriage, the man is God’s delegated [...]
Should Women Remain Silent in Church? What Does the Bible Say?
Should women stay silent in church? Hmm. Tough question. What does the Bible say? NO Act 1:14 They ALL joined together constantly in prayer, along with the WOMEN. NO Act 2:4 [...]
Is the Husband the Head of His Wife?
Headship is revealed in sacrifice. In the same way that Christ gave himself up for the church, the husband gives himself up for his wife. He crawls through traffic, fights grizzly bears, and catches bullets for her. [...]
How Sexist is your Bible?
In my research for The Silent Queen, I was often amazed at how a single word in the Bible could be translated different ways leading to radically different conclusions. [...]
What does the Bible say about Women Pastors?
Can women pastor? Feed this question into Google, and you’ll be led to a bunch of websites that say no, women cannot pastor or lead churches. Which goes to show you that [...]
What a Difference a Word Can Make
We Christians are very good at drawing bad conclusions from good scriptures. This happens when we read a verse out of context. Sometimes it can happen because we miss one [...]
Equality is not the Goal
You probably know that I have written a book about women. You may be wondering about my agenda. “What are Paul’s views on gender roles? Is he a complementarian or an [...]
Do you have a Biblical View of Women?
In the church, you will encounter two views about women. There is the traditional view (women should be meek, stay-at-home-mothers) and the so-called progressive view (women [...]
Why the Woman of Proverbs 31 May Not Be Your Ideal Wife
Many men and women have a mental list describing their ideal partner. “She’s got to be a good cook, enjoy watching sports, and not be a nag.” “He’s got to have a [...]
Why the Church is Wrong about Women
How would you rate the most influential people in history? This question is behind an ongoing study run by MIT’s Media Lab. A while back the folks at MIT reported that [...]
Jesus Listened to Women; Why Don’t We?
This one is going out to all those who’ve told me they would never listen to a woman or follow a woman because it’s unbiblical, unseemly, or because women’s [...]
Is the Church too Feminine?
I have been blown away by the positive response to my forthcoming book, The Silent Queen: Why the Church Needs Women to find their Voice. Although the book doesn’t come out [...]
Submission doesn’t Mean what you Think it Means
Bad theology hurts women. Sometimes it even kills them. In his book Ten Lies the Church Tells Women, Lee Grady tells the story of a woman called Doris who suffered through an [...]
Who Submits in Marriage?
When Camilla and I were writing our wedding vows, my future wife told me that she had a problem with the word submit. We had dug up some traditional vows based on Ephesians [...]
If a Woman Can’t be a Husband, She Can’t be a Pastor, Right?
Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Foursquare Gospel Church What sort of person makes a good pastor? In his letters Paul lists sixteen desirable qualities (see 1 Tim. [...]
Is the King James Bible (KJV) sexist?
Recently I asked the question, “Is the Bible sexist?” It is and it isn’t. It is in the sense that it records the sexist stories and laws of patriarchal societies. But [...]
Women Pastors in the Bible
What is a pastor? A pastor is a shepherd. That’s what the word literally means (see Eph. 4:11). A pastor is someone who tends and guides spiritual sheep. That’s it. [...]
Jesus – Pioneer of Women’s Education
These days more women than men enrol in higher education, but it wasn’t always this way. Women did not begin studying at university in Britain until 1869. In the US, the [...]
Are Women More Easily Deceived?
Here’s a question for your next Bible Study class: Why do female witches outnumber male witches twenty to one? Odd question? King James didn’t think so. When he wasn’t [...]
Did Jesus say Adultery is the only Grounds for Divorce?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said this about divorce and remarriage: It has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.” But I [...]
Jesus, the Champion of women
In the church we have a good appreciation of what Jesus did for us, but we don’t really understand all he did for women. If we did, you can be sure we would treat them [...]
How did Jesus Empower Women?
When Jesus walked the earth, gender inequality was so entrenched in Jewish society that an adulteress could be stoned without trial and men could divorce their wives for just [...]
Are Women Permitted to Teach? (1 Timothy 2:12)
Are women permitted to teach in church? You might think not if you read this verse: I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. (1 [...]
Should Women Be Silent in Church?
My three daughters are growing up in a country where women often reach the highest levels of leadership. In New Zealand we’ve had female heads of state and government and [...]
Women Preachers? Where’s that in the Bible?!
I have three daughters. When they get a little older and start drawing the attention of young men, I will give them this piece of timeless advice: Don’t just listen to what [...]
Escape to Reality 