Isabel Chenot takes a theological look at gender: “The glory of new creation then is not of ‘male’ or ‘female’ simpliciter. For both are one, animated by one Spirit (Gal. 4:4). The particular realms of authority Paul deals with are not to set up one sex or another, but to clarify that image of one […]
Barbara Castle weaves the story of A River Runs Through It with her own: His shared insights into brotherhood helped me to stop blaming myself when I could not fill the empty void for my boys. Jane Austen declared “What strange creatures brothers are!” They often elude my basic feminine instincts especially when it comes […]
Kate Shellnutt announces some great news: “Among Southern Baptist seminaries, Southeastern has developed a reputation over the past few years for its diversity initiatives and efforts to encourage women’s leadership. The school’s Kingdom Diversity program has set out to raise the proportion of ‘historically underrepresented voices’ and women in its student body, faculty, and staff, […]
Michele Van Loon sees hope in middle age: “For all of human history, people have been trying to make sense of this existential dark space—the downward arc that comes at the beginning of the end. Popular culture often brands it a ‘midlife crisis,’ and indeed, coming to terms with mortality can first occur during the […]
Rachael Starke tells the story of Boaz: “Allard sees humanity—especially humanity influenced by patriarchal culture—as “unsafe.” But the Christian worldview disagrees. The problem with Allard’s diagnosis is not that it’s too dark, but that it’s not dark enough. We are, all of us, far worse than merely ‘unsafe.’ We’re capable of sheer evil. But just […]
Dorena Williamson looks at mercy and justice: “Yes, God is a forgiving God. But we haven’t really understood the depth of that grace if all our examples of forgiveness are times when the people being forgiven look just like us. Given the long history of white supremacy in this country, we as Christians should ask: […]
Jake Meador reviews Jen Pollock Michel’s latest book: “Michel in particular is concerned with four doctrinal loci in which the theme of paradox is particularly essential—incarnation, kingdom, grace, and lament. The arguments themselves will likely be familiar to students of theology. However, that isn’t really the main source of interest here. It is the organization […]
Barb Best looks to Jesus for hope as a faithful single person post-menopause: “She answers, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Martha had knowledge. She had faith. Nonetheless she was wrong…or maybe just incomplete. Jesus didn’t wait until the last day to reunite she and her sister […]
Alicia Akins sees grace in having to wait on God: “Delay can often feel like a burden. I used to squander such seasons, longing in vain for timely answers to tired prayers. I’d launch a countdown to God’s yes—and withhold praise until it arrived. Sadly, I knew nothing of the power that could transform a […]