If you're just joining us. . .perfect has left the building

I’ve been mulling over what to write on this website for days and days. It is my first post here, so I thought it should be perfect. I've been searching for the perfect set of paragraphs that would capture my views on women leaders* in the church. I imagined paragraphs that would be clever, clear and full of fabulous exegesis. But most of all I imagined perfect paragraphs.

This evening I realized that I may need to wake up and realize (again) that it is God’s job to be perfect, and my job to chill the heck out and just show up.

I do feel a bit nervous about writing on a topic that I know is a touchy one for many people, even though I am eager to communicate.

So, instead of writing something perfectly brilliant, I am going to write something that will hopefully be sufficient to get things started.

I believe that women serve well wherever and however God has called them, including in leadership and in preaching and teaching. I believe that as Christians, the whole of the Bible is our authority, and that it has sufficient, if occasionally paradoxical texts for us to work things out on any issue.

I believe that any time there is a paradox (or what some may call a tension) in our Biblical texts, God is trusting us to be gracious with each other in our differences in interpretation.

The next time I post, I'll dig into some Biblical texts and maybe even discuss hermeneutics. There will be citations! and fun things like that, but for now, I thought I would introduce myself in this very basic way. Imperfectly!

* I know this might be a slightly different term than others use on this website, and in general. For me, “women in ministry” is vague. The ministry of the body of Christ (the church) means any ministration. All ministry is meaningful. Ministry might be a hug of support or words of encouragement – or it might be leading a church of a thousand souls. I have yet to meet anyone who has any issue with women giving encouragement to someone in the body. That kind of ministry is accepted. It seems to me that it is leadership, preaching and teaching that are the core issues.

PS - if you'd like to know more about me, please feel free to visit my blog: http://www.ipreferuphill.wordpress.com. I warn you, though, I have been known to ramble about Wheat Thins and my smelly old dog.