Simply ChurchMany people say that women can be deacons but not elders. There is clear scriptural precedent for women as deacons. For example, in Romans 16:1 the word used to describe Phoebe is diakonon (sometimes translated servant). One of the arguments used to say that women cannot be elders is that the qualifications for being an… Read More
When women fight for justice for themselves in church circles, they are perceived as militant feminists. If men stand alongside them, shoulder-to-shoulder, then something that looks like “Kingdom” will result. Where are the men who will champion women, standing up for their rights? Where are the Baraks who recognize women in leadership and refuse to… Read More
I’ve recently become fascinated by the life of a woman I call Mrs. Zebedee, mother of James and John, wife of a fisherman from Galilee. Photo Credit: Hindrik S via Compfight cc This is what Matthew’s gospel says about Mrs Zebedee on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion: And many women who had come from… Read More
In my last post, I suggested that the releasing of women to co-labor alongside men in the Kingdom may be one of the next moves of God. Here are five (somewhat subjective/anecdotal) reasons I believe this: Photo Credit:psd viaCompfightcc The increasing number of respected theologians and leaderswho are vocally expressing their support of women–theologians such as… Read More
“There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still,” were among the final words to her sister, Corrie, as Betsie ten Boom lay dying in a German death camp, a victim of starvation and torture. Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who worked in her father’s watch repair shop in… Read More
Amy Carmichael was born in Ireland in 1867 to a well-to-do family. She decided to follow Jesus at the age of 13. At 18, her father died, leaving the family in a difficult financial situation. They moved to Belfast, where Amy became involved with the “shawlies,” mill girls who wore shawls rather than hats. She… Read More
Gladys Aylward, born of working class parents in London, England, in 1902, became a domestic servant at the age of 14. From the time she attended a revival meeting at which the message was about dedicating one’s life to the service of God, her heart was in missions. She longed to go overseas as a… Read More
A few years ago, I had the incredible privilege of visiting Puerto Ayacucho in the Amazon jungle of Venezuela. Many of those living there were primitive tribespeople recently out of the jungle. I kept hearing stories about a lady missionary named Sophie Muller. A man named Ricardo knew her personally and one day, he told me some… Read More
An extraordinary and controversial woman, Aimee Semple McPherson was like a movie star in the 1920s. But hundreds of thousands were converted under her ministry, thousands claimed healing, and her social ministries helped vast numbers during the Great Depression. Here’s a documentary about her early life: The second and third parts of the documentary can… Read More
Lottie Moon, height 4 foot 3 inches, was a powerhouse for the gospel. Born to affluent parents who owned a tobacco plantation in 1840, she was indifferent to her Baptist upbringing until the age of 18, when she underwent a spiritual awakening at a revival meeting on her college campus. At the age of 33,… Read More