Yes I would like a family. Yes I want to be a dutiful wife to a husband whom I love. Yes I wish to serve God.
I wish to serve God and feel I have a calling to ministry. How does this engage with some of the biblical texts that get thrown at us. The struggle I feel is not with my college friends who feel that women should not be with a role of leadership within the church but rather how do you react to those who wish to put these biblical points out to you either as a hinderance or out of pure wishing to understand.
Is my calling and sense of calling belittled by the passages in Timothy and Corinthians?
Although, I will still go and with God's will do what I feel called to wether as a minister and maybe a minister to the armed forces. I think for now its going to be a long struggle to understand deeply the connections and the deep understanding and meaning in these passages. Look like its time for some prayer.
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I am the Elliot Swattridge from Facebook, and will hopefully be going to Cliff College on 11th September; I think that you did part of the showing me around when I came for interview. I took a look at some of your blog and your reflections on things are wonderful - you seem to have been through some challenging times in the past year!
I don't know if you are already aware of the following website, but, given what you wrote in the post above in relation to women in ministry, I would describe myself as thoroughly egalitarian (believing that women can certainly take up all the ministry roles that men can occupy, where they so desire). A website that defends a Christian egalitarian/feminist position (and addresses Timothy and Corinthians passages) is at http://www.godswordtowomen.org/
Although I have hardly (if at all) read the following from this site, they looked as though they may be of interest (sorry if they're not):
http://www.godswordtowomen.org/Preato2.htm - This argues that the 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is most plausibly a quotation from the Church at Corinth which Paul is quoting delibrately (as he seems to do elsewhere in the 1 Corinthians letter), which, in the following verse, he rejects as false (e.g. in NIV verse 36, "Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached?", rebuking the assertion that women should be silenced).
As for the Timothy 'authority' verse, the section under the heading "Scripture is Finally Explained--I Timothy 2:11-14" (skip over the first part of the document to get to this) at http://www.godswordtowomen.org/fees.htm#Scripture_is_Finally_Explained argues that the verb 'authentein' is not best translated in the context of authority, but rather as part of St Paul's debunking of a Gnostic myth around Ephesus.
http://www.godswordtowomen.org/badgepart2.htm - This discusses the 'veiling' in 1 Corinthians 11:3-16; the writer (Katharine Bushnell) argues that this passage actually is arguing that compulsory veiling of women is not necessary.
http://www.godswordtowomen.org/feminist.htm - This even argues that Jesus Himself was a feminist (i.e. advocates gender equality).
I don't know whether these are of interest to you in any way; there seem to be many other good articles on the site as well as these. Anyway, if you're returning to Cliff College in September, maybe I'll see you then. Blessings!
P.S. I also have a blog, which discusses Christian apologetics stuff; if that would also be of any interest, please ask...
Thanks Elliot, I am returning to Cliff this year. I look forward to seeing you there and I'm sure discussing many many things.
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