What Does the Bible Say about Women Teaching and Prophesying?

August 20, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

One recurring question regarding women in the church goes something like this: “What does the Bible say about women teaching and prophesying?” The follow-up question is usually, “And what does that mean for us now?” But let’s start with a couple of definitions: Teaching: Imparting truth to another person. The truth can be spiritual in nature, explaining things of God, but also practical in applying God’s word to life. Prophecy: A direct message from God, mediated through an individual and... Read more

The Power of An Invitation

August 18, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

Welcome my friend Julie to The Estuary! ~~~~~ “Julie, I hear you play the piano. Would you be willing to play for us?” A surprising invitation came from a church member I didn’t know well. At the time, I was sitting in the middle of an infertility journey, questioning my life’s purpose. I spent a few minutes talking to Ron about the mid-week lay service and their accompaniment needs. It was truly an out-of-the-blue invitation, and I decided to say... Read more

Finding God in the Middle: A Study of Judges

August 9, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

Liminal spaces can be challenging to navigate, but my friend Amy Leigh Bamberg wants us to know that God is in those middle places with us. She’s created a study of the Old Testament book of Judges, a very messy story that I won’t even let my middle-schooler read all the way through. In this post, she shares her heart behind the project, along with session one and a glimpse at session two. Individuals and groups will find it easy... Read more

Is a Husband the Priest of His Family?

August 2, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

Does a husband act like a priest for his family? While not the direct application his sermon, the preacher’s comment was loud and clear: “Women’s roles in the family are important, but men, as the priest of your home, you need to [get your act together, basically, because your behavior will make or break the family.]” His admonishment is statistically verifiable—husbands and fathers are enormously important to the wellbeing of their families—but the preacher’s description of men as priests caught... Read more

Guest Post: Thoughts on Being a Black, Unmarried Woman in the PCA

July 29, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

My friend Christian Williams shares reflections she first posted on Facebook about her experience as a single black woman at the annual General Assembly of her denomination, the PCA, in late June 2021. Ok, the cultural markers of maturity are not the same in the kingdom economy, in the narrow road of following Jesus. A thread on (mostly) being unmarried, over 25, in vocational ministry, black, female, in the Presbyterian Church in America. First, your girl loves her job. I... Read more

Does Creation Order Bestow Automatic Leadership on Men?

July 27, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

“This order of creation argument is just silliness.” So said Baylor history professor Beth Allison Barr, author of the bestselling The Making of Biblical Womanhood, in a recent feature article in the New Yorker. The thesis of Barr’s book is that patriarchy, the cultural system in which men hold the power, has morphed in recent decades into complementarianism, the theology that says God made men and women equal in being but separate in function. One of the foundational pillars of... Read more

Who’s Writing Helpful Content about Women in Church Leadership?

July 24, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

For the last 18 months, I’ve been neck-deep in researching what scholars have said regarding women in church leadership. Why? So I can collaborate on an upcoming book for Kregel Academic‘s 40 Questions series. In it, we engage forty questions surrounding this heavily debated topic. Thankfully, it’s not the sort of book where we have/get to tell you why we think one perspective is more right than the other. Instead, we set up the issues underlying each question, then share the... Read more

The Psalms: Filler or Faith-forming?

July 20, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

Psalms served as filler. That’s how I grew up thinking as I’d sit in church and listen to the psalms recited as transitions between liturgical movements. Just poetic filler. How wrong I was. I wasn’t a big poetry reader, but sometimes I thought the psalms sounded worshipful, sometimes confusing. Often I just found them repetitive, and, secretly, I concluded that they were boring. But that felt a little blasphemous, so I didn’t say it out loud. Decades later, I worship... Read more

How to Understand Your Bible More Easily

July 14, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

How do you like to read your Bible? I joke that reading is my love language. But as a mother of four active teenager(ish) kids, I am rarely able to find pockets of time that give me a quality experience with my escape du’ jour. That’s why it’s great fun to work (part-time) as a fiction reviewer for a leading industry magazine. When my editor assigns a book, Mommy is under orders (“It’s my job!”) to ensconce myself in a... Read more

A Little Fresh, A Little Salty: What to Expect from My New Blog

July 12, 2021 By Kelley Mathews

Estuary: A diverse and delicate ecosystem where a river or stream meets the ocean, mixing freshwater with saltwater. For example, the Mississippi River carries sediment and nutrients from 40% of the continental U.S. to a relatively small area (4,000 sq miles), creating my beloved Louisiana delta, where all that richness mixes with the waters of the Gulf. The resulting estuary, or wetland, is home to much of what makes Louisiana’s culture unique—the seafood, bayous, wildlife, and commerce. As a Baton... Read more