Several weeks ago, we had an important message about sexual purity. Dr. Ratliff and I shared some of the effects, causes, and helpful resources for dealing with the epidemic of impurity that is affecting every aspect of our society, including the Church. Your comments were very positive about how we addressed the topic in a straightforward, non-judgmental way. There were a number of people who have started taking steps toward more purity in their own lives, which is fantastic news!
We don't intend to put this topic to rest. We need to talk about it frequently and in different ways. Several of you asked us to make sure we don't ignore this topic going forward. We won't.
To that end, I want to recommend to you three related conferences coming to the Kansas City area (hosted conveniently in Olathe), all on this topic of purity. These conferences are designed to address many different aspects of purity, through both plenary talks and breakout sessions. Dr. Ratliff will be one of the breakout session leaders.
The conference for men is "Men of Valor" (Jan 27 - 28), the conference for women is "Women of Virtue" (Feb 3 - 4), and the conference for both college students and youth is "Youth 4 Truth" (Jan 27 - 28). Both the men's and women's conferences include both genders for the Friday night portion of their respective conferences. The college and youth conference has different venues for each gender. You can register for any of them at http://kcmov.eventbrite.com/.
There is no one who is unable to benefit from these conferences - they are not just for those who have acute struggles in the area of purity. Purity is a topic that we all need to learn more about, especially living in a culture that is progressively more sexualized - a trend that our children will face even more strongly that we have. These events are for everyone.
Please consider attending the conference that applies to you. They are not that expensive, and well worth it.
And we won't be done with this topic after the conferences. We will continue to lift one another up in this difficult area of life.
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Men and Women of God
I am in the home stretch of pursuing my thesis. As part of that thesis, we are offering a class on gender issues starting August 22. This is a controversial issue, but after having taught this material before, I have found that we have a lot of ideas in this course that many Christians have never been taught before.
Are there unique roles in Christ based on gender, and if so, what are they? Under the Christian umbrella, the entire spectrum is presently being taught – from a strict hierarchical view to a total egalitarian view, and everything in between. And each end of the spectrum claims to be teaching merely what the Bible teaches. How do we navigate through all the noise? Our course charts a somewhat unique path through Scripture, finding a clear, consistent model that challenges both the traditional and modern teachings.
One of the most common criticisms of the evangelical church is that they teach the suppression of women. In some cases, that charge is sadly correct. In other cases, the church doesn’t know how to articulate their view in a convincing way to those outside the church, which only leads to misunderstandings. The Bible does not teach the suppression of women – and yet it does teach some differences in our roles based on gender. How do we understand the differences without suppressing anyone? How can we articulate to a skeptical world that the church is the place for women who have many strengths without jettisoning Biblical teachings? This course should help us formulate this ideas clearly.
What do we teach women about their godly responsibilities in those cases when the man is not fulfilling his? Do we take the small-minded view and tell her to “submit anyway?” Do we find a escape clause for her that’s not found anywhere in Scripture? Do we declare the Bible out-of-date and tell her to ignore what “used to be taught” in the church? The Bible gives us simpler answers than these.
What do we teach men about their role in those areas where their wives are better gifted than they are? Do we enforce headship anyway? Do we abdicate headship in those areas? Again, the Bible has better answers than these.
The gender issues are clearly pertinent for those who are (or soon will be) married. But what about singles? Are there gender-specific teachings in Scripture for single people, too? Yes!
Please plan on joining us in starting August 22 for this twelve-week course. The class will be taught during the Sunday School hour, and then repeated at a second venue during the week (to be determined) - pick either one. If you have a preference on which night to have the second venue, please get your votes to me.
I'm asking to have at least 12 couples sign up to take the survey (twice) and answer a few direct questions in order to gather the data I need to finish my thesis. Please prayerfully consider participating in this survey data as well.
Are there unique roles in Christ based on gender, and if so, what are they? Under the Christian umbrella, the entire spectrum is presently being taught – from a strict hierarchical view to a total egalitarian view, and everything in between. And each end of the spectrum claims to be teaching merely what the Bible teaches. How do we navigate through all the noise? Our course charts a somewhat unique path through Scripture, finding a clear, consistent model that challenges both the traditional and modern teachings.
One of the most common criticisms of the evangelical church is that they teach the suppression of women. In some cases, that charge is sadly correct. In other cases, the church doesn’t know how to articulate their view in a convincing way to those outside the church, which only leads to misunderstandings. The Bible does not teach the suppression of women – and yet it does teach some differences in our roles based on gender. How do we understand the differences without suppressing anyone? How can we articulate to a skeptical world that the church is the place for women who have many strengths without jettisoning Biblical teachings? This course should help us formulate this ideas clearly.
What do we teach women about their godly responsibilities in those cases when the man is not fulfilling his? Do we take the small-minded view and tell her to “submit anyway?” Do we find a escape clause for her that’s not found anywhere in Scripture? Do we declare the Bible out-of-date and tell her to ignore what “used to be taught” in the church? The Bible gives us simpler answers than these.
What do we teach men about their role in those areas where their wives are better gifted than they are? Do we enforce headship anyway? Do we abdicate headship in those areas? Again, the Bible has better answers than these.
The gender issues are clearly pertinent for those who are (or soon will be) married. But what about singles? Are there gender-specific teachings in Scripture for single people, too? Yes!
Please plan on joining us in starting August 22 for this twelve-week course. The class will be taught during the Sunday School hour, and then repeated at a second venue during the week (to be determined) - pick either one. If you have a preference on which night to have the second venue, please get your votes to me.
I'm asking to have at least 12 couples sign up to take the survey (twice) and answer a few direct questions in order to gather the data I need to finish my thesis. Please prayerfully consider participating in this survey data as well.
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