Gentle Reader,
Almost two weeks with very little sleep.
Emotions are, needless to say, running a little high. This is in direct proportion to the chocolate supply running low.
Thankful for Kate and the crew. We: learn.
Go.
There are times when I wonder if I should have stuck with journalism. I love the news. I love politics (even ridiculous as all that is right now). I love asking questions and pursuing leads. I love searching for the right words to describe a scene. Words that bounce across the page, keeping the reader hooked until the very end.
Then there are times, like tonight, when I watch a national news broadcast.
And I know I never would have been able to stand it.
The story centered on women. Swathed in black from head to foot. Only their large, sad eyes grant them access to the world. They might as well be ghosts. Have their mouths sewn shut in order to become the silent property that men believe they are.
Women who fight for ISIS.
Women who beat and kill other women.
For flashing a bit of ankle. Or something equally ludicrous.
Women of the hijab, the niqab and the burka.
Women of the fist, the whip and the gun.
My heart burns. How brainwashed and beaten down does a woman have to be to harm or murder fellow women? What evil has so twisted her soul that she would think it right and proper to strike her sisters?
I am furious with the men and the religion that have slapped, kicked, screamed and shackled them into these warped beliefs. That have driven them to these actions.
Islam at its finest.
Women stripped and muffled under the thumb of male cowardice and smallness.
To the end of my days I will declare the equality of women. I will preach about a God who made us in His image. I have no tolerance for the Scripture-twisting and misapplication that results in a so-called Christian understanding of women that finds greater support in the Qur’an and sharia than it does in anything the Lord ever said. I will do whatever I can, wherever I can, to promote the bonds that tie us together in the wondrous mystery of womanhood. For we are all the same – we laugh, we cry, we love, we work, we hurt. No woman is “other” to her fellow women. We know each other’s fears, desires, longings, hopes and dreams. We’re all just trying to get through the day as best as we can.
We must learn to do better. Women, let us build each other up. Let us cheer each other on. When you win, I win. When you mourn, I mourn. Let us stop the name-calling and the shaming and the competitiveness. Let us stop the judging.
Above all, let us be the bringers of peace in an increasingly-violent world.
Stop.
Timely and inspiring words! ❤
visiting from FMF — Sarah Jo
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Thank you, Sarah. May God bless you tonight!
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Oh, boy. There’s a reason I don’t watch the news. The headship theory that’s rising and growing amongst Christians is what really bothers me about my own religion. We are all equal and Christ is our head. I get all hot under the collar when men (and their wives) claim that the man is the spiritual head and the woman must go through him in order to understand the Bible…and then they use ‘headship’ as an excuse to not place women in positions of leadership, and to keep them subjected to their own desires and whims. If we’d all quit worrying about our place in the kingdom and truly serve the one Head, maybe the world would be a better place. I got a little off topic there–maybe I’m the only one that sees evil lurking in the Christian church that’s just as pernicious as what ISIS has done with the Qur’an.
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LOVE your comment! You’re not the only one who sees the problem and twitches over it. I can’t find anything in the Bible about this “headship” thing. From what I understand it caters to fragile male egos and rests on a faulty understanding of the Trinity, namely that the Son is eternally subordinate to the Father (which was condemned as heresy a long time ago).
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Although I would say that headship and authority in marriage is misunderstood and abused, the bible does have a lot to say about the roles of a husband and wife.
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.”
Ephesians 5:22-23 ESV
How would you address these verses in any other light?
Marriage is a beautiful opportunity to mirror Christ and the church.
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Hi, Christian! Thanks for coming by and commenting.
I absolutely agree with you that marriage is a most intimate picture of Christ and the church. The problem comes from placing too much emphasis on the verses you quoted while ignoring others. (I am not at all saying that this is what you are doing here, so please don’t take offense). I have heard many sermons preached on Ephesians 5:22-23, but what about vs. 21 –
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
And vs. 25-28 –
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”
Husbands are called to the same level of loving, sacrificial submission as wives are. How else might we characterize the command that husbands love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church? Men and women who enter into marriage should do so understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They are to support and uplift each other. Be a team. I don’t see anything in Scripture that says the husband must only do “a, b, c” while the wife must only do “d, e, f.” I have been married for a little over 9 years now, and our best times are when neither of us is focused on being the one “in charge” but instead focused on the Lord.
Side note – I understand and respect the idea of complimentarianism is marriage, even though I come from an egalitarian position. The bigger issue for me is the extension of the marriage roles to all male-female relationships; i.e. that all women must be submissive to all men. That’s just not in there.
This is such a big topic, one that I can’t possibly do justice on in a comment. Please know that my words are written with the utmost respect. We may well be in different “camps” when it comes to the roles and responsibilities of men and women in marriage, but what truly matters is that we are sisters in Christ. I hope you are having an excellent weekend!
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Help me Jesus. Love this, Anita. WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED.
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yes yes yes! I have nothing else to say but cheering from my side of the screen with my hands in the air!
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I’m picturing you with pom-poms. 🙂
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Marie, the first word I thought of when I read of only their sad eyes grant them access to the world was invisible. The rest of who they are is invisible, hidden beneath a hiding-black burka. It breaks my heart.
And yes, we need to uplift, affirm and value each other. Not for each other’s sake so much as because that’s how God sees each and every one of us. Even the women who beat others–either under duress or because they’ve been brainwashed.
I love your passion in this post and your words calling us to be peace-bringers into the world around us.
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“Invisible” is the perfect word to describe these women. I’m not angry with them so much as I am horrified for them. This should not be their experience!
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I completely agree, Marie!
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Marie, my degree was in communications with an emphasis in Journalism. Needless to say I am not a journalist. I heard the call to seminary and the call to be a voice for the voiceless etc. So much THIS: “Above all, let us be the bringers of peace in an increasingly-violent world.” Yes and lets do it together. I’m parked in the #12 spot this week.
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I didn’t know that, Tara! How interesting that we both studied journalism and wound up pursing other careers. God knows best. 🙂
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I agree with Anita’s comment and your reply…the contention that male headship is somehow scriptural really frosts me, and I have given the rough edge of my tongue to ministers who have suggested that I bring my wife to spiritual heel.
And I don’t watch the news either.
#9 on FMF this week.
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Oh, boy, Andrew. My husband and I went through something similar a few years ago. He was pretty much told that he needed to get me in line. It didn’t sit well with either of us.
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amen, so very true.
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Thank you, Denise.
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Marie –
I hate that you’re not sleeping still – so I’ll start by praying respite for you (even if it’s more chocolate…).
But your words… I can’t wrap my mind around the support for isis (can’t even capitalize it!) I didn’t see the news showing women as you described, but I saw news showing a young, attractive, intelligent, have-it-all, American woman who put plans into motion to join isis. WHY???
It may just be that the root of the issue is how women treat other women. So true, we need to treat ourselves and each other with respect. We need to learn to honor our womanhood. Encourage more and shame less.
I truly believe this world can be a better place…
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“Encourage more and shame less.” Amen, Janet.
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Okay, girl. Doing the happy hallelujah THANK YOU JESUS for setting the captive free dance right here in my tiny office. WOMAN – THOU ARE LOOSED. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. xoxoxoxoxo #40 at Kate’s. 😉
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Hugs back! 🙂
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Powerful words… what does make a human being so cold and harsh and wicked? very good question. It is heart breaking.
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I think it’s the absence of God’s presence. And there but for His grace go we all. I pray that somehow, some way, these women will be moved to seek what is true – what will set them free.
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