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Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles

What does the gospel make possible for women? Do we have to stay hidden away in the shadow of the curse, as if our silence and subservience could atone for the sin of the first woman’s fall, or are we called to live in the light of the resurrection? I am so excited about my […]

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I am Unikitty, hear me roar! Insights from the Lego Movie

So, Aaron and I took the kids to see the Lego Movie the other day. It was a cute film, full of giggles, snickers, and inside jokes for anyone who has ever played with Legos. But my favorite moment had to be when Princess Unikitty, the precious pink regent of Cloud Cuckoo Land, snapped during […]

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Women, Girls, and the Words Used in Online Dating

So, I clicked on this really intriguing infographic on Facebook, about how the words people use in their online dating profiles impact how many people contact them. While the article attached to this infographic was slightly horrible, the difference between the use of the terms “woman” and “girl” intrigued me. Apparently, men who use the […]

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Surviving in a Difficult Christian Marriage: Excerpt from a New Book

One of the things I love about Elisabeth Klein Corcoran is her willingness to write honestly about a taboo topic: brokenness in Christian marriages. Like, the kind no amount of praying or pleading or marriage seminars or counseling has seemed to make a dent in. Her new book, Survivingin a Difficult Christian Marriage, released on […]

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What one book do you think every Christian should read? Share your One Book!

So, I’ve been thinking about how to pull off the Seminary Stories series, and I’ve decided to start this way. One of the things that I struggled with the most when I was started feeling the need to dig deeper into what I believed and why was just not knowing where to begin. What books […]

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Ladies, You’re Not Called to be Timid! Nurturing a Spirit of Power, Love and Self-Discipline.

This is a repost from 2012. Enjoy! We were raised to be timid, most of us. In the tiny white churches speckling the countryside, we were taught to be cautious, to be courteous, to be kind and good and avoid even the appearance of evil. Being a good Christian looked like wearing clean, pressed clothes […]

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New Blog Series: Seminary Stories for Thirsty Brains

So, my post on mentoring seems to have hit a nerve. So many women responded, sometimes with tears, about their desire to dive deeper into theology and be encouraged in ministry. Others talked about their decision to throw themselves into leadership or attend seminary to resolve this problem, and even offered to mentor others. Plenty […]

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Why Men Need to Mentor Women. I’m Looking at You, Pastors!

I spent most of my twenties in a state of mind-numbing, hair-pulling, pacing-tiger frustration. I was a smart, God-obsessed young woman who was passionate about ministry and theology, but had no idea what to do with myself. If the Christian blogosphere had existed in its current state, I probably would have taken up permanent residence […]

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Internet Outrage; Or, why we need to refuse to sit in the seat of the scornful.

I haven't been blogging much for the last several months, and there are a few reasons for that. Sure, I've been busy. Between school stuff, interning at my church, and being part of a family whose M.O. resembles pedaling a bicycle downhill fast (we take our share of tumbles, but we get places!), there's always […]

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Married by 14, mother by 15, abandoned by 16, back in 7th grade at 19

After three days of teaching a group of thoughtful, well-spoken teachers and church leaders in Bondo, Kenya, I was impressed. Where was the oppression I thought was supposed to be so prevalent in rural Africa? The women who stood up to talk during the training would have made the average American woman look mousy and […]

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Mismatched Dishes and Thanksgiving: The Beauty of Imperfection

It didn’t occur to me until I saw the pictures cropping up on Facebook. Beautiful tables set with sparkling place settings. I glanced back at the picture my husband had snapped and posted. The food looked as good as it had tasted, but sure enough, our table was set with decades-old mismatched dishes. Instead of […]

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Slavery, Colonialism, and Using the Bible to Keep Women Down.

For me, one of the most disturbing parts of the EFOGE training on gender equality in Bondo, Kenya, was hearing the stereotypes commonly used about women (not that they were using them, but they were discussing them). Women are like animals. Women simply aren't as intelligent or capable as men. Because women are lesser beings, […]

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Opposition to Gender Equality, East and West.

It's interesting, the questions people ask when you start talking about gender equality in a Christian context. Of course, there are the theological questions, important conversations that need to be had about biblical interpretation, ancient cultures, translation and projection, and God's heart for humankind. But then, you crash headlong into people's native culture, where belief […]

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I missed my plane (but made it to Bondo anyway)!

Well, my vlogging expiriment didn't turn out quite the way I expected, since my internet access while I was in Kenya was extrememly limited. (Note to self–purchase international 3G plan for my iPad before next trip!) But that doesn't mean I didn't get a lot of great video. Many of them are up on my […]

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Sin, Pride, and the Problem with Fundamentalism (Or, Why We Should Disband the “Jerks for Jesus” Club)

Yesterday, I read something that broke my heart. A Christian public figure wrote a blog post celebrating actions that clearly “missed the mark” (sin). Worse, the tone was smug and self-righteous. Worse yet, there was really no excuse for this person to do what had been done. There's no excuse for sin, period, but if […]

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