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Theology

Genesis 1-3 and the relationship of the sexes

Kevin Giles The most important text on the relationship of the sexes in the whole Bible, Genesis 1-3. In discussing what the Bible teaches on men and women no text in the whole Bible is more important than Genesis chapters 1–3. Here God creates man and woman as the apex of his creative work and sets them in an idyllic world where everything is good. Tragically, however, the devil enters and both the man and the woman fall into sin and as...

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The Trinity and Women

The orthodox doctrine of the Trinity and the argument that the eternal subordination in authority of the Son is the ground for the permanent subordination of women in authority. GilesSee Kevin Giles, The Trinity and Subordinationism: the Doctrine of God and the Contemporary Gender Debate, InterVarsity, 2002; Jesus and the Father: Modern Evangelicals Reinvent the Trinity, Zondervan, 2006.The debateI am sure that most of you are aware that today one of the most commonly heard arguments in evangelical and charismatic...

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Riding the third wave: Biblical Equality in the 21st Century

Presented at The CBE International Conference: Better Together June 11-14, 2010 Melbourne, Australia As the final speaker for this conference I am taking a somewhat different approach to the issue of biblical equality. My interests lie in both theology and sociology and I am aware that we have had a plethora of excellent biblical and theological teaching over the past three days. My topic lends itself to spending some time in the sociological world and then offering some reflections as to...

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Global Perspectives on Women in Leadership

A paper presented by Mimi Haddad to a meeting of Anglican Curates, Melbourne, Australia June 2010 Plato said ideas rule the world. All action begins as an idea. Paul said, “Take every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor 10:5).” Why? Because ideas have consequences. Here is an important example: The most prominent indicator of whether a girl will be sold to a brothel, killed as a fetus, abused in her marriage or family, or denied a place of decision making in her country,...

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Are women more prone to error?

Are women more prone to (sin) error? Gender and ethical decision-making Until the second half of the twentieth century, theologians were agreed that women are more prone to sin, error and deception than men, and this was considered a reason to bar them from teaching and leadership in the world as well as the church and the home. This was how the passage in 1 Timothy 2: 14 was interpreted, “And Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and...

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Image from D+C Development and Cooperation https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/legal-status-women-south-africa-better-ever-paper

Social Justice for Women and Girls in Africa: Issues, Challenges & Ministry Strategies

By Funmi Para-Mallam Introduction This paper is an exploratory and unfolding journey. In it I attempt to look at different layers of religio-cultural beliefs, behaviour and meaning in relation to the status and well-being of women and girls in Nigeria. I do not intend for this to be a purely academic treatise although I refer often to academic writings in gender and development as well as religious literature. Instead I share personal observations, impressions and learning points gleaned from my work in...

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The great error of history

"So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them"(Genesis 1:27, TNIV).A noted church historian once observed that the great error of history is presumption-presuming that one has grasped the necessary facts related to a person, a group or situation when in reality one is largely uninformed. Perhaps you can recall a time in your own life when presumption led you into deep waters. I certainly can.Some...

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WOMEN TEACHING MEN THE BIBLE: WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

I first became aware very early on in my Christian life that women's ministry in the presence of men was controversial. As a new Christian in a Brethren assembly I found myself in the midst of a debate as to whether women could pray aloud in the morning meeting (communion) in the presence of men. The elders resolved eventually that they could not because of the Bible was against it. In particular, 1 Timothy 2:8 shows – so the argument...

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