Male Supremacy: Examining a Distortion in the Anglican Church

May 30, 2023 By Talley Cross

At the recent 2023 Global Anglican Futures Convention (GAFCon), Anglican clergy from around the world decried the Anglican Communion’s acceptance of LGBTQ+ practices as denigrating the authority of Scripture. Yet GAFCon’s censure of other Anglicans for dismissing Scripture seems absurd when you consider that GAFCon is dominated by male clergy, many of whom abuse Scripture to justify excluding women from clerical leadership. In fact, GAFCon’s 2019 report on Women in the Episcopate sanctions male supremacy by advising against the consecration... Read more

Is Premarital Sex Always Sinful?

April 10, 2023 By Talley Cross

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Although I grew up in the evangelical church, I don’t recall ever being presented with a robust theology of sex. In my church, sex just wasn’t discussed, although the unspoken assumption seems to have been that premarital sex is always sinful. Before I go any further, a caveat: this post is not didactic. I’m exploring an important topic that I feel is poorly examined by my fellow evangelicals, rather than taking a stand. My own view on these matters is... Read more

Putting Off the Old Self: A Lenten Reflection

March 24, 2023 By Talley Cross

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For many Christians, Lent involves putting off the old self, or giving something up to draw closer to God, as we prepare to remember Jesus’ death and celebrate his resurrection. This yearly custom recalls Colossians 3:9: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” The Lenten fast is a ritual that... Read more

White Supremacy and Complementarianism: The Disturbing Link

February 24, 2023 By Talley Cross

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The Southern Baptist Convention’s explusion of Saddleback Church this week, over the ordination of a female pastor, is a sad reminder that male supremacy continues to haunt, and hurt, the church. While the tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri and elsewhere more recently have appropriately focused the church’s attention on issues of systemic racism, male supremacy, as expressed in the ideology of complementarianism, is still embraced by many Christians. Yet white supremacy and complementarianism go hand in hand. Pope John Paul... Read more

When Does Gender-Inclusive Language Go Too Far?

February 15, 2023 By Talley Cross

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On the heels of a recent announcement by the Church of England that it will explore using gender-inclusive terms for God, it’s worth asking – to what extent should Christians embrace gender-inclusive language? I’ve argued for gender-inclusive language in the Bible when an author’s message is intended for everyone. Unfortunately, even in some instances where the original language is ambiguous or neutral regarding gender, new translations, such as the ESV, continue to bury women under male nomenclature. The thoughtful use... Read more

“Headship” in 1 Corinthians: A Source of Misunderstanding

January 19, 2023 By Talley Cross

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The concept of “biblical headship,” or the idea that a man should have ultimate authority over his wife and/or women in the church, is primarily based on interpretations of four key New Testament passages (Icons of Christ, William G. Witt, 121). The one I will deal with in this post is 1 Corinthians 11. Verse 3 of this chapter reads as follows: “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is... Read more

Jesus, the New Eve: How Christmas Reverses Gender Roles in Genesis

December 8, 2022 By Talley Cross

As we enter the Christmas season, I want to reflect on Jesus’ birth as the herald of a watershed reversal in history that brings gloriously good news to a wounded, broken world. His birth is the second Genesis, creation’s second chance, and the reversal of our grim fate that he accomplishes is reflected in other, smaller reversals, even a reversal of gender roles, which becomes evident in comparing Adam and Eve to Mary and Jesus. Without negating the customary Christian... Read more

Writing Women Out of the Bible: Gender Exclusive Language in the ESV

November 14, 2022 By Talley Cross

Equal in the Grammars In 1882 a woman writing in the Memphis Free Trade presented her qualms with gender exclusive language: “As the law of grammars now stand, the use of “he” when “she” may be meant is an outrage upon the dignity, and encroachment upon the rights, of woman. It is quite as important that they should stand equal with men in the grammars [my emphasis] as before the law”. Nearly 150 years later, women are equal before the... Read more

Where Christianity and Feminism Cross

October 14, 2022 By Talley Cross

Why Christianity and Feminism? Christianity and feminism are mutually inclusive: if Jesus saves us from sin’s horrible consequences, including patriarchy, then feminism – which (very broadly) aims to restore the gender equality lost in the Fall – ultimately needs Jesus. Feminism reflects the purposes of Jesus, which in turn validate feminism. Despite the natural affinity between Christianity and feminism, I probably wouldn’t identify as a feminist (although I’ve always been a Christian) if not for a negative experience I had... Read more

The Trinity and Gender Relationships

September 22, 2022 By Talley Cross

In pondering the Trinity and gender relationships, I am reminded – as important and unique as this doctrine is to Christianity – how remarkable it is that the Trinity per se is never mentioned in the Bible. Evidently, neither Biblical authors, nor Jesus, felt the need to define it as such; yet, the concept of the Trinity is articulated clearly enough in the Bible that it is identified, if also unnamed, in our creeds. Of course, the Trinity is a... Read more