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Personal Stories

In Articles, Ministry, Personal Stories

Why I Believe in Preaching to Women

by Erica Hamence I can remember the first time I heard the word ‘vagina’ spoken on stage at church because, as soon as it happened, one of my trainees turned to me with wonder in her eyes and whispered to me, reflecting my own thoughts, ‘That’s the first time I’ve ever heard “vagina” in church.’ It was during a presentation by one of our members, a prominent doctor, who was preparing to deliver medical supplies (including various period-related apparatuses) as part...

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15/02/2021
In Articles, Ministry, Personal Stories

Jesus chooses the unlikely

by Jennifer Lumsden My parents met in China after travelling from opposite ends of the world for language study in preparation for mission work. Mum from Toronto and Dad from Melbourne. After clandestine ‘dates’ in the cemetery, the only place with any privacy, they married and left for Malaysia, as the Communists closed in.The challenge of village life was formative for Ewan and Priscilla. They countered the isolation by establishing a foundation of love, service and respect for each other and...

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15/02/2021
In Articles, Faith-in-action, Ministry, Personal Stories, Society

An Egalitarian Marriage

By Julie-Anne Laird One morning, 19 years ago, I frantically rang Andrew as I stepped out of the lift at Latrobe Uni. “Andrew, are you still here? I think the baby’s coming.” Andrew had driven me to work that day, as I was 40 weeks pregnant with our 4th child (although not sure why I went to work!!). We both worked for Latrobe Christian Union. I worked one day a week and Andrew 4 days and this was my day to...

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15/02/2021
In Bible Teaching, Faith-in-action, Personal Stories, Society, Theology

Reading the Bible as a Woman

By Denise Cooper-Clarke This was the title I was given, but it is one I am uneasy with, for two reasons. First, it implies that women are a separate category of reader from the normative reader, who is, of course a man. It is not helpful to think of a woman’s perspective as if this were distinct from an “objective” perspective (understood as a male perspective). This is to assume the priority of the male. Was any man ever invited to...

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12/02/2021
In Book Reviews, Introductory, Personal Stories, Society, Theology

How I Changed My Mind About Women in Leadership

How I Changed My Mind About Women in Leadershipby Alan F JohnsonZondervan Academic 2010 Alan F. Johnson's compilation of narratives entitled How I Changed My Mind About Women in Leadership: Compelling Stories from Prominent Evangelicals is a particularly fresh, honest, and persuasive resource in the growing collection of books on gender equality and women in leadership. The recognizable evangelicals in this book speak humbly and clearly about how their theological convictions and understanding of Scripture, with reference to women in leadership, were...

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09/02/2021
In Personal Stories, Society, Theology

The full image of God

By Naomi Chua After the birth of our daughter, my husband published the following social media post announcing her arrival: Introducing Zuri Where based on Zuri’s gender, Zuri will be more likely:4 x sexually assaulted and/or threatened by age 157 x killed by a current or former partner5 x hospitalised after assault by spouse or partner26 % less earning capacity25 x less likely chosen by our government for a ministerial positionAnd face disbelief about the existence and impact of sexism. It was a sobering...

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19/01/2021
In Ministry, Personal Stories, Society, Theology

Making Room at the Table: Encouragement for the Winding Road to Equality

“You’re not honoring the Word of God if you really believe that,” the elderly man across the table said to me. I sat in stunned silence. I was teaching a Bible study on Galatians at a congregation with strong egalitarian roots. But the man – my student – was openly insulting me in front of everyone because I dared to tell him that God made every human being equal in his sight. At the time, I was a seminarian who had spent years...

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19/01/2021
In Articles, Ministry, Personal Stories, Society

A Christian response to domestic violence

An address by Bishop John Harrower, Hobart, 29 April 2004 - originally on the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania website, republished by permission. Bishop John Harrower I am more often in the media because of the issue of sexual abuse by clergy, than I am for domestic violence. There are, however, some parallels between the two issues. I believe we can learn from some of the mistakes the church worldwide has made in responding to these issues in the past. Mistakes that led...

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10/10/2012