Silent in the Background

The Making of Biblical Womanhood : How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth A deconstruction of complementarianism showing how it is not a recovery of a historical or scriptural understanding of the role of women in the church and family. Barr tells something of her own story of growing up and ministering, with her husband, in complementarian churches, and of suffering abuse as a result of this teaching, as well as her change of mind and walking away. Barr's approach as a historian is interesting as she focuses on historical material, especially her specialism of medieval history, to show that for much of church history women have preached, and have been accepted as so doing.  She identifies the Reformation as a downturn for the recognition of the calling of women to ministry, as well as the mid-20th century with world wars and the rise of the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. This latter Barr links to the rise and hardening of the inerrancy movement in relation t...

An inspiring book, leaving me with nagging questions. This is the third book I've come across which addresses the spirituality of a life in crisis, and the new and better perspective to be had on the other side of the crisis.  The first was Richard Rohr's Falling Upward ; I did not get through the introduction as Rohr's writing annoyed me too much.  The second was Nick Page's The Dark Night of the Shed  which I read all through, entertained by his light and humorous writing style, and appreciating the lessons he draws from a man's midlife crisis, especially the desire to build a shed. What Martin's book shares with these is the assertion that a significant life crisis (be it shed building, falling, or a shipwreck) can and does change one's perspective on life, God and the world around fundamentally, and for the better. He writes: ...it's useless to try to make ourselves or anyone else see the world with more empathy and compassion. That kind of seeing is...

For the past couple of months at Catford Community Church we've been thinking through prayer, in various different forms, based on Pete Grieg's How to Pray - P ause, R ejoice, A sk, Y ield. In the middle of exploring 'Asking-Prayer' I was interested to come across a new little book focussed on how we can revitalise our asking prayers by looking at the pattern of prayer in the Bible and in the church.  In To You All Hearts Are Open Scot McKnight identifies a particular pattern of prayer in prayers recorded in the Bible, which is reflected in the prayers of many churches known as 'Collects'. McKnight sees five elements that commonly appear in biblical prayers that ask something of God, so that the person praying: Addresses God - often in the Old Testament this was simply addressing God as 'Lord' or 'Lord Almighty'.  Jesus and the New Testament writers encourage ...