THE SUMMER READING LIST

Three Months of Reading for Fun and Growth

Summer is here and that can mean only one thing — more time for books! Whether it’s a leisurely day at the beach or an excursion to the mountains or just a beautiful afternoon in the backyard hammock, summer is a great time to catch up on the reading list you haven’t had time for […]

Summer Reading

WOMEN IN MINISTRY, VOLUME NINETEEN

Interpreting the Complex and Often Misunderstood Paul

Have you ever put your foot in your mouth? Our words can betray us, and don’t always reflect who we are. Based on his own words, the Apostle Paul, at times, has been labeled a misogynist and an antisemite. Two labels he doesn’t deserve, but also a reminder of how easy it is for us […]

paul's letters

WOMEN IN MINISTRY, VOLUME EIGHTEEN

Jesus, His Most Loyal Disciples, and the Witnesses to the Resurrection

The thing I love about Jesus is that he treated everyone with equal respect and value, and didn’t see any of the limitations society places on certain groups. He came to set us free from the chains that keep us in our assigned boxes. As a father and grandfather to some beautiful and brilliant young […]

Women in ministry

WOMEN IN MINISTRY, VOLUME SEVENTEEN

Jesus and His Egalitarian Interaction with Women

I have shown that Jesus’ teachings elevated women. Jesus also held women in the highest regard in the way he interacted with them. [198] In fact, his treatment of women was so antithetical to the patriarchal culture of his day that he could only be characterized as egalitarian. [199]   There are four specific cases […]

Jesus and Women

BUILDING GRATITUDE

The Best 5-Minutes of Any Person's Day

A few years after my father died, I went on a one-month sabbatical. I drove from Texas to California and back, stopping along the way to take in the beauty of the land and to reflect on my life. It was a great experience in some ways. In others, it was difficult.   Finding Joy […]

Staying Strong

WOMEN IN MINISTRY, VOLUME SIXTEEN

The Revolutionary, Counter-Cultural Teachings of Jesus

I grew up in a very small Spanish-speaking Baptist Church. The people were mostly poor or on the underside of the middle class. As I grew into my teenage years, the church grew as well. Over time we drew people from all over the Spanish-speaking world. At one point, there were 21 countries represented in […]

women in ministry

WOMEN IN MINISTRY, VOLUME FIFTEEN

The Plight of Women in the Era of the New Testament

The role of women in American society changed dramatically in the 1960s. In 1963, the President’s Commission on the Status of Women issued a report entitled American Women, which recommended that women be granted equality in employment and educational opportunities, as well as wages. In the same year, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, the […]

women in ministry

WOMEN IN MINISTRY, VOLUME FOURTEEN

Is She a Prophet or Teacher, and Why Does It Matter?

My wife teaches ESL at a local Junior High School. Her official role is to teach English to students who speak another language, but she always teaches so much more than just English. She teaches etiquette and ethics and critical thinking and … well … the list could go on. She is sometimes a teacher, […]

teacher or preacher?

WOMEN IN MINISTRY, VOLUME THIRTEEN

Were Women Prophets with All the Rights and Authority Therein?

The duck test – “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck” – suggests that something can be identified by its habitual characteristics. I would apply this age-old principle to the biblical text and say, “If she’s called a prophet, talks like […]

women in ministry

WOMEN IN MINISTRY, VOLUME TWELVE

Introducing the Amazing Women of the Old Testament

In the late 1800s, Charlotte Digges “Lottie” Moon was a Southern Baptist missionary who spent nearly 40 years living and working in China. She’s a legend in Southern Baptist life because she preached the Gospel in places most Americans refused to go. Our theology, it seems, is somewhat tied to geography. The Amazing Women of […]

women in the old testament