women

How Sexist is your Bible?

March 18, 2021 // 15 Comments

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. Here’s a simple example from 2 Timothy 2:2: The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to [...]

What does the Bible say about Women Pastors?

March 7, 2021 // 4 Comments

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 you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. (Yes, I appreciate the irony.) Under the old covenant, only men could be priests, [...]

What a Difference a Word Can Make

February 18, 2021 // 23 Comments

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 single word. Misread the Bible and you’ll end up with all sorts of screwy ideas. You’ll think we cleanse ourselves by confessing sins or [...]

Equality is not the Goal

February 13, 2021 // 27 Comments

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 egalitarian? Does he support traditional arrangements where the man is in charge or does he promote equality?” Full disclosure: I believe in [...]

Do you have a Biblical View of Women?

January 13, 2021 // 15 Comments

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 can do anything men can do). Which view is Biblical? I suspect most people would say the traditional view. Many churchgoers believe that the [...]

Why the Woman of Proverbs 31 may not be your Ideal Wife

December 3, 2020 // 29 Comments

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 steady job, a nice car, and a mother who lives far away.” Some even invoke a Biblical basis for this sort of wish list. “Proverbs says, [...]

Why the Church is Wrong about Women

November 24, 2020 // 31 Comments

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 the most influential person in history was the Greek philosopher Aristotle. In second place was Plato, third was Jesus, and fourth was [...]

Jesus Listened to Women; Why don’t we?

November 13, 2020 // 20 Comments

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 voices are too high-pitched. Take a breath, folks. Look at what Jesus did. Go and do likewise… When Jesus walked the earth, gender [...]

Is the Church too Feminine?

October 21, 2020 // 2 Comments

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 until Christmas, I thought you’d might like a taste now. The following article has been cut from the Introduction… Since its inception, [...]

Submission doesn’t Mean what you Think it Means

October 7, 2020 // 10 Comments

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 abusive marriage. Doris’s husband, the head deacon at their church, would sometimes come home from work in a rage and physically assault [...]

Who Submits in Marriage?

October 2, 2020 // 15 Comments

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 5:22: “I promise to love, cherish and submit to my husband as to the Lord.” “I’m not going to say that,” said Camilla. I didn’t [...]

If a Woman Can’t be a Husband, She Can’t be a Pastor, Right?

September 17, 2020 // 41 Comments

What sort of person makes a good pastor? In his letters to Timothy and Titus, Paul lists sixteen desirable qualities (see 1 Tim. 3:1-7, Tit. 1:5-9). Pastors or overseers or elders should not be new converts, he says. Nor should they be money-grubbing alcoholics prone to fits of temper. Ideally, they should be [...]