Today, Young Mom wrote about how much more capable of caring for her children's sleeping trouble since she has stopped expecting God to step in and put them back to sleep. This made me think about my upbringing, and about my parents' approach to prayer, including with regards to issues of healing.My parents always prayed for healing when we were sick, and they believed that God could and did heal. However, they also gave us medicine. They didn't simply count on God to heal us. And thank … [Read more...]
Speaking Two Different Languages
August 30, 2011 by 12 Comments
On further reflection, I think I figured out why I was saddened by my class yesterday. For those of you who haven't read my previous post, here it is in a nutshell: when the professor asked a class of twenty-five undergraduates what evangelicalism was, the words that ended up on the board were ones like "extreme" and "pushy," not "Jesus," "the Bible," or "salvation."I understand the negative public image of evangelicals, who yes, are often quite pushy and judgmental (believe me, I know … [Read more...]
Attention Evangelicals: You Have A Problem
August 29, 2011 by 17 Comments
To everyone who claims the label "evangelical," I have something to tell you. You have a major public relations problem. I'm not sure what you're doing wrong, but it really does look like you're doing something wrong. Let me explain.When I grew up as an evangelical, I was taught that being an evangelical was about trusting Christ's sacrifice for salvation, about helping others have conversion experiences and pray the sinners prayer, about reading the Bible, about having a relationship with … [Read more...]
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
August 28, 2011 by 12 Comments
This story starts with a caterpillar.Just like other daughters of Christian Patriarchy / Quiverfull, I was born a caterpillar, surrounded by other caterpillars. We praised each other's identical coloring patterns and conformity. We stayed close to the ground and took pride in that. We looked up sometimes and saw butterflies flitting over our heads. We derided them for their gaudy colors and their selfishness for wanting to fly so high. We in contrast were content with the ground, for our … [Read more...]
Biblical Women Part II
August 24, 2011 by 4 Comments
Vision Forum (a homeschool publisher and major Christian patriarchy advocate) teaches that daughters are to obey their fathers and accept their authority over them until they marry, and that they are then to do the same with their husbands. Vision Forum claims that God speaks to a woman through her male authority, and that her male authority is her protection. Similarly, Vision Forum teaches that a woman’s sphere is in the home, and not outside of it. And Vision Forum claims that these teachings … [Read more...]
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