Comments on: International Women’s Day http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:46:37 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: igniting the ember: emerging women finding their voice « the carnival in my head… http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2317 igniting the ember: emerging women finding their voice « the carnival in my head… Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:14:17 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2317 [...] international women’s day - julie clawson [...] [...] international women’s day – julie clawson [...]

]]> By: The Voice http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2314 The Voice Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:46:26 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2314 [...] the ember: emerging women finding their voice the world handicapped by half International Women’s Day I Don’t Have the Balls to Be a Leader Are Women Human? Complementarianism Sucks: Telling Women to [...] [...] the ember: emerging women finding their voice the world handicapped by half International Women’s Day I Don’t Have the Balls to Be a Leader Are Women Human? Complementarianism Sucks: Telling Women to [...]

]]> By: Julie Clawson http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2309 Julie Clawson Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:34:03 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2309 I understand, and do find it sad that there are so many communities where there is no place for women to be fully who God created them to be as they worship alongside other believers. I don't know what I would do in that situation. I understand, and do find it sad that there are so many communities where there is no place for women to be fully who God created them to be as they worship alongside other believers. I don’t know what I would do in that situation.

]]> By: mel http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2307 mel Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:16:40 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2307 Exactly! Exactly!

]]> By: Molly http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2305 Molly Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:48:35 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2305 Mel, I'm in a small area as well. There are a lot of churches, but they are all fairly similar... Mel, I’m in a small area as well. There are a lot of churches, but they are all fairly similar…

]]> By: Molly http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2304 Molly Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:46:47 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2304 I find that my area has "open-to-women" churches only in the pentacostal/charismatic circles. Unless I want to be in one of those, I'm stuck attending places that think women's silence is a good and holy thing (though in different degrees of severity). This is not to say anything against the charismatic. I am one, in a closet sort of way, in that I believe all the Biblical gifts are "for today" and have operated in some of them from time to time. I just have problems with most of the churches (too subjective for me, when it comes down to it). I'm in a place of just not wanting to go anywhere, right now. The "women's issue" plays no small part in that. As you yourself expressed, others may be able to sit contentedly in that kind of environment (and more power to them), but after being silenced and finding my voice, I'm no longer one of them. Bleh. I find that my area has “open-to-women” churches only in the pentacostal/charismatic circles. Unless I want to be in one of those, I’m stuck attending places that think women’s silence is a good and holy thing (though in different degrees of severity).

This is not to say anything against the charismatic. I am one, in a closet sort of way, in that I believe all the Biblical gifts are “for today” and have operated in some of them from time to time. I just have problems with most of the churches (too subjective for me, when it comes down to it).

I’m in a place of just not wanting to go anywhere, right now. The “women’s issue” plays no small part in that. As you yourself expressed, others may be able to sit contentedly in that kind of environment (and more power to them), but after being silenced and finding my voice, I’m no longer one of them.

Bleh.

]]> By: mel http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2298 mel Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:17:21 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2298 "If a church sees women as inferior and denies them their voice, I honestly could not join as a member of that community. I could not worship week after week alongside those that denied my full humanity." Oh boy, Julie, am I ever struggling with this issue right now! About a month ago, I subscribed to your blog and a few others to help me think through this kind of thing. As an adult, the churches I have chosen have all supported women in leadership positions. A little more than a year ago, we moved to a new church. I was aware that the church was not egalitarian in practice, but I thought I could live with it. (Looking back, I don't know WHY I thought that!) We're now being nudged toward membership and I know that I absolutely cannot become a member of this church for this reason. Which leads me to wonder why I'm still there. The problem is that we're in a small city where the churches are mostly cut from the same cloth. In a pickle, that's for sure. “If a church sees women as inferior and denies them their voice, I honestly could not join as a member of that community. I could not worship week after week alongside those that denied my full humanity.”

Oh boy, Julie, am I ever struggling with this issue right now! About a month ago, I subscribed to your blog and a few others to help me think through this kind of thing.

As an adult, the churches I have chosen have all supported women in leadership positions. A little more than a year ago, we moved to a new church. I was aware that the church was not egalitarian in practice, but I thought I could live with it. (Looking back, I don’t know WHY I thought that!) We’re now being nudged toward membership and I know that I absolutely cannot become a member of this church for this reason. Which leads me to wonder why I’m still there.

The problem is that we’re in a small city where the churches are mostly cut from the same cloth. In a pickle, that’s for sure.

]]> By: Ravine of Light » Are Women Human? (Celebrating International Women’s Day) http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2295 Ravine of Light » Are Women Human? (Celebrating International Women’s Day) Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:05:37 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2295 [...] emerging women finding their voice Kathy Escobar the world handicapped by half Makeesha Fisher International Women’s Day Julie Clawson I Don’t Have the Balls to Be a Leader Kingdom Grace Complementarianism Sucks: [...] [...] emerging women finding their voice Kathy Escobar the world handicapped by half Makeesha Fisher International Women’s Day Julie Clawson I Don’t Have the Balls to Be a Leader Kingdom Grace Complementarianism Sucks: [...]

]]> By: Swinging from the Vine — The Voice http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2294 Swinging from the Vine — The Voice Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:47:50 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2294 [...] the ember: emerging women finding their voice the world handicapped by half International Women’s Day I Don’t Have the Balls to Be a Leader Are Women Human? Complementarianism Sucks: Telling Women to [...] [...] the ember: emerging women finding their voice the world handicapped by half International Women’s Day I Don’t Have the Balls to Be a Leader Are Women Human? Complementarianism Sucks: Telling Women to [...]

]]> By: Pistol Pete http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/comment-page-1/#comment-2284 Pistol Pete Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:28:20 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/08/international-womens-day/#comment-2284 No doubt there are many nations, communities, corporations, even churches, where the voices of women are "silenced" "ignored" or "dismissed". I happen to be in a peculiar minority, however. I serve in a church with well over 60% female members, a denomination now graduating well over 50% female seminary students. I'm in a Presbytery where nearly 2/3 of the clergy are women. I find that my voice is, if not silenced, at least filtered through a particular liberal lens. If found wanting, I am simply disregarded as "one of those small-minded conservatives". I don't pretend to know by any means what such women in third world nations (or other places, for that matter) go through, but I can say the experience of being in the minority in any setting can be unsettling. No doubt there are many nations, communities, corporations, even churches, where the voices of women are “silenced” “ignored” or “dismissed”.

I happen to be in a peculiar minority, however. I serve in a church with well over 60% female members, a denomination now graduating well over 50% female seminary students. I’m in a Presbytery where nearly 2/3 of the clergy are women.

I find that my voice is, if not silenced, at least filtered through a particular liberal lens. If found wanting, I am simply disregarded as “one of those small-minded conservatives”.

I don’t pretend to know by any means what such women in third world nations (or other places, for that matter) go through, but I can say the experience of being in the minority in any setting can be unsettling.

]]>