Well! :)
Let me say first that I appreciate the respect, support, and honest questions, especially from those who read and tried to understand the whole message of my post rather than one paragraph. This is a conversation I want to have (hence posting it on the WWW), especially because many of you are my friends and Christian community. Your opinions and these exchanges are important to me.
Sadly, my laptop went to the shop yesterday and will be there for a few days, so I'm not able to respond as timely and as well as I'd like. Right now I'm posting at work (on my lunchbreak), so I'm hoping I won't get in trouble for that. Besides, I'll need some time to organize my thoughts.
Let me reiterate that I do really appreciate and respect those who've left comments of genuine interest and support.
Let's pray that we all can reach a more Biblical perspective. ;)
2 comments:
I think you hit on something Ann considering the ammount of comments you recieved on your last post. I can relate to the comment that was left there by crittermer about feeling frusterated with having giftings from God that are not being fully utilized. I think the problem is with my lack of patience with God. He's given me the gifts and I believe he will give me the opportunity to use them to their fullest in His perfect timing...remembering that is not my strength however. I think that Poetess probably had good intentions with her comment but it did come across rather harsh. I appreciated the way you've handled the array of comments from the opinionated WWW and I will join in praying with you that all of us can come to a more Biblical perspective.
I think if you would just read scripture and see the plain meaning there, your problem with “subjugation” would go away. Paul writes to the Corinthians “As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church” (I Cor 11:33b-35 NIV). That’s not cryptic; the meaning is plain.
Or take Paul’s words to Timothy: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent” (I Tim 2:11-12 NIV). That’s not me talking, that’s the Bible. Why can’t you just follow what the Bible says?
We need to get back to following the plain meaning of Scripture. We don’t need to “interpret it culturally” or any such junk as that. That’s for the liberals who don’t respect scripture.
Take another passage. “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (II Cor. 13:12a). The command is plain there, in no need of cultural interpretation. At my church, we all kiss each other..wait..I mean, um…well, actually, we don’t. Moving on…
Take another passage: “And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head” (I Cor 11:5-6). The meaning is plain there. Women ought to be wearing head-coverings in church. At my church, all the women wear head coverings…er..well, actually, they don’t…uhm..well, because, you see, there is a difference in our culture and theirs, and we have to interpret that scripture in light of that cultural difference.
As I was saying earlier, the meaning of scripture is always plain, and in no need of reviewing in light of changing cultural contexts.
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