Author Archive
Mimi Haddad
Bible Translation Debates: The Challenge of Changing Language
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Have you ever noticed how every day language is used to manipulate and shape rather than describe reality? Here is one example. I used to swim several mornings a week, and as I walked from the locker room to the swimming pool, I encountered a large candy machine along the way. It wasn’t enough to have to walk around this temptation in an effort to gain physical exercise. But, to make matters worse the candy machine was lit up with huge words that read “Nutritious Food.” Of course, the machine did not dispense food but candy, and it was far from nutritious! The language used to sell candy was deceptive and harmful. I once complained, but realized that my objection was less persuasive than the profit from candy sales.
“Women Should Remain Silent”?
Sunday, August 14th, 2011
Many of us were raised in churches that taught that women should be silent in the church because of the teachings of Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:34. When we read the passage, sure enough, we see the following words on the pages of the Bible: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak…” “If women want to inquire about something,” Paul continues in verse 35, “they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
It is easy to read a passage like this in a literal way and miss the point Paul is making. After all, we know that there were women in scripture who spoke, particularly women prophets in this very church (1 Corinthians 11:5).
One Flesh, One Purpose, One Rank
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Summer is the season of weddings! Many of us will have the pleasure of celebrating with family and friends as they join their lives as husband and wife. Though we have all enjoyed countless weddings over the years, there always seems to be that one moment in the ceremony where we are hit by the immensity of the occasion—when the two become one flesh! As bride and groom are joined as one, before God and their community, we experience an ecstasy we’ve encountered before—in the early chapters of Genesis.
Standing amid the countless wonders of Eden, Adam’s aloneness is the only “not good” in a perfect world. Among the many astonishing animals, Adam cannot find a suitable companion. What is missing?
Boys are Warriors and Girls are Princesses?
Friday, July 8th, 2011
Have you ever visited your local Christian bookstore as an exercise in gender studies? Notice as you walk down the “women’s” aisle how all the books take on shades of pink and lavender. Have a careful look, also, at the material published for boys and girls. Observe the abundance of materials geared to make your boy a warrior and a leader, and your girl a social princess and a beauty.
Jenell Williams Paris, in her recent lecture at CBE, documents this phenomenon thoroughly. The trouble is, we set up specific gender expectations for life — expectations real people have difficulty fulfilling.
Ideas Have Consequences
Thursday, June 16th, 2011
Plato said ideas rule the world. All action begins with an idea. Paul said, “Take every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor 10:5). “Ideas have consequences and some ideas can lead to brutal outcomes. For example, the most prominent indicator of whether a female 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 community or marriage is determined not by her gender, but by the value we place on females as a whole. Research concludes that when culture values females as much as males, equal numbers of girls and boys survive to adulthood. Gender-justice begins with an idea—valuing females and males equally.
Is Women’s Leadership in the Church a Primary Issue?
Monday, June 6th, 2011
If you are concerned about the question of gender and Christian faith you have probably heard someone say, “Yes, the woman’s question is important, but it is not a ‘primary issue.’” What is at the heart of this comment? Primary issues are understood to be those that focus on the gospel, evangelism, and the leading of the lost to Christ.
As the following email illustrates, one’s biblical position on gender clearly advances or diminishes the good news of the gospel. Emily, a woman who recently contacted Christians for Biblical Equality, writes:
