And thank you for all those who came back and showed me the beauty of freedom.
@bethallisonbarr.bsky.social @bethmoorelpm.bsky.social @sheilagregoire.bsky.social
11/end 🧵
God, show your daughters they hold the key to their own freedom. You have unlocked the gates and given women gifts that can set others free. Give them courage to put aside their fears and show them the joy of running unhindered towards you.
10/11
As I have found this freedom and joy, I look back at the places where I was zapped and see the women who stay because they learned to adapt. There are others who remain trapped because of learned helplessness and they realize no matter what they do they get zapped so there is no use trying.
9/11
While the fear of transgressing boundaries remains, new experiences of joy overwrite the trauma as she discovers following the scent of the shepherd leads to beauty.
8/11
For a woman that God has called to ministry, there comes a time that following him requires her to take off the collar of complementarianism. She learns that, instead of trusting man-made doctrinal fences to keep her safe, trusting God allows her to be free.
7/11
When she yelps in pain and others do not (cannot?) acknowledge the reality of the invisible fences, she begins to wonder if she made it up in her mind or if she is crazy. But her body knows it’s not safe to go back there.
6/11
They outwardly proclaim their willingness to “allow” women access or express their desire for women to step into these places. This lures her toward spaces she believes are safe but the invisible fences continue to cause her pain as she alone realizes the true boundaries.
5/11
The worst type of complementarianism is the kind that keeps a visible fence around senior pastor roles but invisible fences around other spaces while denying the fences are there.
4/11
And though some debate the ethics of shock collars on animals as a whole, most agree that it’s inhumane to change up the boundaries. Dogs need consistency so they know where they are safe from zapping. It’s not ethical to set them up for failure.
3/11
Some dogs learn the limits of their yard by getting zapped and others learn by watching the other dogs and heeding their warnings of where not you are not allowed to go.
2/11
Being a woman in complementarianism is like being a dog with a shock collar. No one else sees the invisible fences and you only realize where the boundaries are when you get zapped.
🧵1/11
I’ve sensed this for several years now. 😔 2016-Covid revealed a lot.
There are a lot of Fundamentalists who think they are actually Evangelicals.
Thankful that’s not the case at Gordon-Conwell, at least not now. Understanding Culture is a required course for all degrees. Learning things like high vs low power distance, collectivism/individualism, etc. We are learning how to become aware of our biases and heal from the wounds of the past.
Totally teared up. My teens have this kind of humor now too. 🥺❤️
👋🙋♀️
Still true 4 years later. @scottmcoley.bsky.social
It’s all in the framing, right @karenswallowprior.bsky.social ?
My favorite! I have a print and it hangs year round in my house but it’s especially meaningful at Advent.
Ended the night with the Princeton Theological Seminary reception and the wonderful PhD program director introduced me to professors she thought would be helpful conversation partners in my research. #aarsbl24
My free book pile is going to mean I have to check a bag on the way home! @ivpress.bsky.social
Back to papers, this was an excellent paper on Esther as an example of a fawn trauma response in the scriptures.
@bethallisonbarr.bsky.social did you see they had your book on display at the ETS book fair? It wasn’t being guarded at all! I was sorely tempted to pocket it. You need to talk to Brazos and let them know they were a stumbling block for those of us who can’t wait for this to be released.
Back to the adult book fair! Glad to see some of my favorite authors represented #sblaar24 @kkdumez.bsky.social
The SBL Women’s Networking event was a lovely space to stop and refresh with other female students.
This is the type of research I think could be utilized in the study of spiritual trauma. What beliefs hinder healing from spiritual trauma in women seeking vocational roles in complementarian spaces?
The last paper reminded me of the research team behind @sheilagregoire.bsky.social that measured belief outcomes and sex.
The TLDR on this paper is: people who hold PSA are less likely to care about the suffering of others. If they are Complementarian it’s even lower.
The unit on Evangelicals was 🔥 I kept thinking @thenewevangelicals.bsky.social
@apriljoy.bsky.social would love this. 3/4 papers here:
Finally ran into an internet friend in person! @charlesmeadows.bsky.social I wish we all lived close enough to be a local church family.
