An argument often used to restrict women from church leadership is that Jesus spent most of his time on earth investing in a group of 12 men. [1] But a close reading of the gospels shows that his band of followers also included women disciples. I’ll leave the reader to their own survey but offer […]
About Gail Wallace
BEST OF 2017: OUR TOP TEN POSTS
THANK YOU to all of you for supporting us in year four of blogging at The Junia Project. We are delighted to have four new authors in the Top Ten posts written in 2017.
Despite commitments that limited our time to write (Kate started seminary and did a ton of speaking and we both stepped into Associate Pastor positions at our respective churches), the blog content kept coming in. Here are the top ten:
The Women Who Stood Near the Cross
“Some women were watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women had followed and supported him, along with many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him.” (Mark 15:40-41) We know from all four gospel writers that a […]
Weekend Links: April 8, 2017 Edition
It has been another interesting couple of weeks out there in cyberspace so we’ve put together another links post for your weekend reading. Here are the things that caught our attention. Easter is almost here! Who Were the Women at the Foot of the Cross? Gail Wallace We were pleased to have this Lenten reflection […]
Resources for Women Preachers
In this process of learning to preach it has been important to me to hear what other women preachers have to say. I’m sure that at some point I will read some more traditional books on the subject, but right now I’m hungry to hear the experiences of women. Here are some resources that have been helpful on the journey.
Weekend Links: March 4, 2017 Edition
Have you noticed that the internet has been flooded with voices supporting the egalitarian perspective lately? We have! It is remarkable to see the tide changing. We wanted give you a second chance to explore these resources in case you missed them this week. So grab a cuppa and settle in for some great reading. PODCASTS […]
Male-Female: Equality in the Gospel of Luke
When we view scripture from the 30,000 foot level we see it moving in the direction of a more equal partnership of men and women, defying the convention of the times. The male-female pairings in the book of Luke are one intriguing example of this movement. In today’s post Gail takes readers on a quick trip through Luke pointing out male-female pairs in the narratives, the parables, the miracles, and Jesus’ public teaching. It is an intriguing look at how Jesus elevated the status of women.
Best of 2016: This Year’s Top Ten Posts
It’s time for our annual Top Ten list. And what a year it has been! In 2016 more than 236,000 people visited The Junia Project website – and we had over 916,000 page views*. We are delighted that the #1 spot went to Cheryl Bridges Johns (Professor of Spiritual Formation and Christian Formation at the Pentecostal Theological […]
Manhood & Masculinity: 3 Great Studies for Groups
“I’m looking for book recommendations that are egalitarian friendly and address the subjects of manhood and masculinity. I can’t find anything and our men’s ministry leaders are asking me. Please help!! Thank you!!” B.
An interesting thing happened on the way to writing this post. Since I am not a man, I asked eight men for book suggestions and got back ZERO recommendations. Not because they don’t care about the topic, but because 1) they were not aware of any resources on this, or 2) because there has not been much interest in studying “biblical manhood” in their circles. ALL of them told me they were very interested in anything we could find! It is encouraging that manhood and masculinity are not “hot topics” in church circles that support the shared leadership of men and women in ministry and socials contexts. But there is still a need to provide resources for churches that push back against the harmful “authentic manhood” rhetoric that is popular in some Christian circles today. Here are three books that would work well for individual or group study and are written from an egalitarian perspective.
#SHELeads: Everything You Need to Know
#SHELeads is coming on October 29th! This is a one day summit convened by Missio Alliance for women who lead in church and ministry contexts. But it’s not just for women – it’s also for men who long to see the mission of God advanced through the “the Blessed Alliance”; the co-laboring of men and women […]
10 Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Pastors
“A man’s place is in the army.”
So starts David M. Scholer’s satirical list of reasons why men shouldn’t be pastors. Most of you have probably seen the list before; it’s been around a number of years. We’re sharing it as a reminder that humor can be very helpful when discussing a hot button issue like women in ministry. (And to do our part to keep this great piece in circulation!).
Keep in mind that Scholer’s purpose here is NOT to put men down, but to use satire to show that many arguments used to restrict women from pastoral roles are rooted in cultural expectations and gender norms. And so without further ado:
10. A man’s place is in the army.
9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.
8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do other forms of work.
5 Reasons You Don’t Want to Miss #SheLeads
On Saturday, October 29, 2016, the #SheLeads Summit will be convened by MissioAlliance. On that day, women and men will gather from coast to coast at regional sites, in churches, and in homes across the United States to talk about the unique challenges that women who lead in church and ministry contexts face and to advance a vision of shared leadership between men and women. The Junia Project is proud to be a sponsor of this event and hope you can join us, either in Pasadena or at a regional venue in your area. Mainstage speakers include Carolyn Custis James and Jo Saxton, and local venues will be adding their own flavor to the mix. Here are five reasons we think you won’t want to miss this event.
Stumbling Over Women: Reflections on 3 Years of Blogging
On a recent tour of Germany I came across the Stolpersteine Project. Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small brass-plated blocks or stones embedded into the streets to commemorate victims of Nazi oppression. Each stone is made and laid by hand. They are usually placed just outside the place where the person named on the stone was forcibly taken from their home or business. Each stone begins with HERE LIVED…… One stone. One name. One person. The idea came about while German artist Gunter Demnig was painting a white line through the city of Cologne to commemorate the historical deportation of 1000 gypsies. The line would show where they had been chased to the train station. One day an older woman stopped to scold him, insisting that there had never been any gypsies in Cologne. Shocked, he investigated and found evidence that in the 1930s thousands of gypsies, as well as Jews, had lived side by side with Germans. To combat the human tendency to forget, he designed the first stones. To date, over 48,000 stones have been laid in more than 20 countries. In a sense, The Junia Project is very much like the Stolpersteine Project.
Snapshot of a Traditional Egalitarian Marriage
Today would have been my parent’s 61st wedding anniversary. Mom passed away from complications due to Alzheimer’s two years ago and significant dates always trigger reflection on her life and her marriage to the wonderful man who is my dad. Today that reflection centered on the fact that while their marriage was traditional in […]
6 Great Studies on Women of the Bible: 2016 Edition
We often get requests for curriculum that supports the egalitarian view of women as full and equal partners in marriage and ministry. So last year we published 6 Great Studies on Women of the Bible (2015), a post that has become one of our most visited resources. Bible studies on the list met four criteria: a focus on […]
