Are We Missing Half of What God Has to Say?

2010/03/09

chriswilliamsde current issues, effective ministry, theological reflection, video Leave a comment

Check out this article on the apparent missing voice of women in the Church world.  How does this reconcile with Paul’s statement that in Christ there is neither male nor female?  Love to hear your thoughts.

Do Women Not Hold up Half the Kingdom?

February 25, 2010 by idelette

In the past few weeks I’ve noticed two church and culture conferences powered mainly by testosterone. In fact, one of the conferences presented over 20 speakers—and as I scrolled through the photos of the speakers, it’s like my smile stretched into a frown, because not one single voice on that speaking platform was female. My enthusiasm for a movement that the Spirit of God seems to be shaping, fizzled.

Fifty percent of the Kingdom voice was missing. What did this omission communicate to that conference’s sold-out crowd of 2,000?

Do women not hold up half the Kingdom? Apparently women may hold up half the sky, but when it comes to church, women have to stay in their seats. I honestly thought we were further along the Way already.

Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s bestseller Women Hold up Half the Sky confirms that this is a kairos time for women. It’s not about a fight over power. It’s simple: when the women are not on the platform—part of shaping the Message for our time—everyone misses out on the wholeness of the Kingdom message.

Is it a simple oversight on the part of the organizers? Blatant discrimination? Or is this part of a return to a dusty old theology, where women are to be seen, but not heard? If that’s where we’re going, friends, it’s way backwards.

I think the shock/sadness of noticing this oversight was bigger because I’m part of a church where there’s no hierarchical distinction based on gender. Male and female serve together, reflecting the whole image of God. I’d actually forgotten how different it could be in other places.

Confession: I’ve kept this post on ice for a while, just testing my heart. My desire is not to divide, but I look forward to a future where male and female serve together. Yesterday when friends showed me this video, featuring Rose Madrid-Swetman speaking candidly on women in the church, I knew it was time to hit “publish.”

I couldn’t agree more with what Rose, co-pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Shoreline, WA says: When only one gender holds all the power, we’re really “missing half of what God has to say.”

Missing Half of What God Has to Say from Recycle Your Faith on Vimeo.

are we asking the right questions?

2009/12/12

chriswilliamsde current issues, hot topics, theological reflection Leave a comment

Allen Perdue, Pastor of Fireside Church and a good friend of mine, posted some thoughts to challenge all of us who are a part of/care about The Wesleyan Church movement.  Take a few minutes to read his thoughts and engage the conversation.  We need a fresh wind of God’s Spirit compelling us outward to accomplish Christ’s mission.

http://firesidechurch.blogspot.com/2009/12/are-we-asking-right-questions.html

fight global poverty with one day’s wages

2009/10/23

chriswilliamsde current issues, hot topics, post, video Leave a comment

Extreme global poverty is one of the biggest issues facing our world.  The stats can be staggering and the problem can seem impossible to solve, so we get overwhelmed and we do nothing.  Fight the urge to do nothing.  Stand up for the world’s poor.  Give one day’s wage…0.4% of your annual salary…to fight global poverty.

Let’s do something to help our world become different and better!

obama rebranding america

2009/10/20

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Rebranding America
By BONO, Op-Ed Guest Columnist
Published: October 18, 2009
President Obama reminds us that America is not just a country but an idea, a great idea about opportunity for all and responsibility to your fellow man.
Read the full article HERE.

god didn’t make it, so it’s okay

2009/10/16

chriswilliamsde current issues, hot topics, post, theological reflection 4 Comments

My soon-to-be 4-year old, Elliot, made a confession to us while we were driving in the van tonight.  He said that he killed a caterpillar.  When his sister pushed back on him and said that he shouldn’t do that, he said it was okay.  My wife, wanting to put things in perspective for him, told him that we shouldn’t kill what God had created.

His response to this profound spiritual insight from my wife?  “It’s okay, mom.  God didn’t make that caterpillar; someone else did.  So, it’s okay.”

It’s humorous how the mind of a 3-year old works, but there is a valuable insight in what he said.  Don’t miss it.  Once you take God out of the equation life loses its value.  If God didn’t make it, then it doesn’t matter what we do with it.  Perhaps this is why we can allow unborn babies to miss out on the chance at a full life or think that atrocities like we see in Darfur are okay or at least not worth our effort.  Maybe it’s why we can be so quick to want to go to war “to get the bad guys.”  It’s perfectly acceptable to exploit the earth for our own gain because there is nothing all that special about it.  If God is not Creator of life, then life isn’t sacred or holy or all that important.

But if you put God in his rightful place, then everything takes on a sacredness.  God creates the earth and calls it good.  It’s valuable and special.  Then he creates humanity in his image, and then he says it is very good.  The earth is now filled with people who reflect the divine.  The earth and it’s people are important, dare I say, sacred.

When the earth is mistreated or people are exploited (girls sold into sexual slavery or albinos killed or maimed in a remote African village, or blacks in racially prejudiced parts of America), or people are killed, whether unborn babies or grown men (regardless of their ethnicity or political affiliations), it breaks the heart of God.  God made it all…he made us all…and it’s not okay.  Sorry, Elliot.  It was cute and humorous, but it was wrong.

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