gender

This blog was described to me recently as ‘irenic.’ This is a surprising compliment given that those who know me in person would likely describe me with other, less peaceful, words. That my writing is ‘irenic’ is a testament to the power of editing, of taking a deep breath, and a conviction that words must, whenever possible, be spoken with love and respect. But sometimes, when respect is impossible, taking a deep breath is overrated, and serves merely to hide the suffering inflicted by my church and its well-intentioned theologians. Theologians who seem to have no idea, as Metr.

I just returned from an interesting lecture, provocatively entitled "Was FDR the Antichrist? The Birth of Fundamentalist Anti-liberalism in a Global Age."  Dr. Matt Sutton presented a fascinating portrait of American Christian conservatism and its growing anti-state sentiments.

John Sanidopoulos, whose posts on tidbits of Orthodox tradition and the Saints I enjoy reading, re-posted an article by Alice Linsley today.  Linsley is a former Episcopalian priest who left the priesthood and eventually joined the Orthodox Church.  She appears to be a sort of living proof-text used by some Orthodox assure us that women are not called to the priesthood (except, as she says in one explanation of both her call and eventual departure, when men fail to serve.  Only then does God call women to serve in this capacity.)  Since my response was a bit longer than most comments warrant, I decided to post it here.  

The Mystagogy post is here, and the original post at Preachers Institute is here.

In Communion recently published a wonderful article by Dr. Demetra Velisarios on women in the church. Here is a snippet, but the whole article is well stated and should be read by all concerned!

An interesting article from the New York Times Magazine: When Mom and Dad Share It All.

The Sunday of Jesus and the Canaanite woman passed two weeks ago, and Fr. Paul's sermon has kept me thinking. In his posted sermon notes, Fr. Paul framed the passage as a narrative of exclusion vs. togetherness: