Two young sons of a pastor got involved in a typical sibling squabble. They sparred verbally until the older brother had enough—and he knew just how to shut down the fight. Photo by Danica Tanjutco on Unsplash With condescending glance and tone, he simply stated, “You have no destiny.” If you’re a charismatic Christian, you know that’s the worst insult he could have come up with! I’ve spent my entire life in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, and I’m grateful for my background and history in many ways. That said, I see both strengths and weaknesses in my Continue Reading
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No, Sister, You Don’t Have a “Jezebel Spirit”
Author’s note: this article was originally published by CBEinternational.org. The church faces a huge crisis today. More and more (mostly) female survivors are courageously speaking out about the sexual abuse they’ve endured from pastors and other spiritual leaders. Photo by Aditya Saxena at Unsplash One deflection method used by guilty parties is pointing out the sin of other ministers so people won’t detect their own similar behavior. Another is crying, “I’m under demonic attack!” And within these deflections, an evil spirit named after a certain woman Continue Reading
The Resurrected Jesus Revealed Himself to Women First—and That’s Good News for Everyone (Let Me Tell You How my Jesus Treats Women – Part 2)
Jesus was no ordinary rabbi. While other religious leaders avoided women in public, especially those considered unclean, sinful, or non-Jewish, Jesus had no problem talking to women. He healed women, affirmed women, and even taught women. Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash Mary, the Disciple at Jesus’ Feet (Luke 10) When Jesus’ hospitable friend Martha gets overwhelmed with kitchen duties and complains that her sister Mary should be helping her serve him, Jesus responds with a compassionate course correction, “Mary has chosen the better part. Continue Reading
Let Me Tell You How My Jesus Treats Women – Part 1
In Jesus’ time, women were considered the legal property of their fathers or husbands. They lacked education and typically couldn’t read. They lacked legal rights and were not considered valid witnesses in a court of law. On top of all this, women were held in suspicion by religious men fussing and preening over their own personal moral reputations It was not a great time to be a woman—but Jesus changed everything. He consistently broke social barriers for women, restored their God-given human dignity, and radically included them in his kingdom. A Brave, Desperate, Faith-filled Continue Reading