Articles for tag: Women

May 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Models of Christian Womanhood

By Jacqueline J. Holness No one told me a queen was coming to Central Christian Church in southwest Atlanta, but that’s what seemed to be happening when a tall, carefully coiffed, gray-haired woman in a flowing pink dress sashayed by me and my friends escorted by her even taller, burly husband one Sunday morning during my childhood.  Who is that? I wondered as I eyed her from a back pew. As a preteen, I had begun paying keen attention to adults, other than my parents, who inhabited my world, which consisted primarily of church and school at that time. I

April 19, 2019

Christian Standard

Wrestling with Scripture

I Began Preaching on Problematic Bible Passages to Help People Grow Deeper in Their Convictions and Biblical Understanding   By Ryan Rasmussen Do you ever put off hard things? You know they’re important and often necessary . . . but they’re hard. Some time ago, I realized I was doing this with my preaching. It’s not that I was shortchanging the process. I wasn’t “borrowing” sermons from famous preachers or recycling old manuscripts. Honestly, I didn’t notice my tendency until reading something in Mark 4. After Jesus preached the parable of the sower, his followers asked why he often taught

January 29, 2019

Christian Standard

Q. Should Women Be Involved in Church Leadership and Preaching Roles? (A. YES)

By Lorelei Pinney Nij   It is incredible the modern church remains mired in the centuries-old debate of the role of women in ministry. In the late 1970s, when I was a senior at Dallas Christian College, one of my professors challenged me to examine this topic using only Scripture as my prooftext. It was enlightening and empowering to discover the principle limitations on women were not divinely inspired but were placed on them by men.   Jesus’ View of Women I explored this question first: “How did Jesus treat women and what did he teach about women?” It is

January 29, 2019

Christian Standard

Q. Should Women Be Involved in Church Leadership and Preaching Roles? (A. NO)

By Dale Cornett No, I’m neither a chauvinist nor a misogynist. Yes, I realize how unpopular the “traditional” position I’m about to defend has become. I admit that my wife and two daughters are smarter than me. I recognize women’s capabilities. I want them to become all they can be. But I also want to be true to the Word of God. What I am about to say about women leaders in the church is simply my best effort to be faithful to God and his design for men, women, family, and the church. I must admit, here at the

March 17, 2018

Christian Standard

Archaeologists Unearth the Centrality of the Table

By Jim Nieman The discovery of a floor to what might be the earliest-known Christian church seems to confirm that early Christ followers came together around a table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In 2005, prisoners unearthed a 580-square-foot mosaic floor with three inscriptions likely dating to the third century. One of the inscriptions speaks of a table “offered . . . to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.” The mosaic floor was discovered within a prison holding 1,200 Palestinian inmates, in Megiddo, on a hill overlooking the Valley of Jezreel—“the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16).

November 28, 2017

Christian Standard

Sew to Sow

By Emily Drayne Sandra Ward has an amazing heart. She saw children wearing next to nothing, found a simple tie dress, and thought, Hey, I can make that myself! With that, she founded Sew to Sow. Based out of Kernersville, North Carolina, and affiliated with First Christian, Kernersville, this ministry provides handmade outfits for children sizes 16 and under. The first batch of outfits was sent to Brazil in 2013, and the dressmaking has continued since then. I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with this group and I was impressed by the quality of the outfits, their love

November 21, 2017

Christian Standard

Maximizing the Role of Women in Church Planting: A Conversation with Debbie Jones  

By David Dummitt The local church is the hope of the world. Church leadership, whether as a church planter, church leader, or lay leader, is full of adventure and purpose, but it can also take a toll on families if they aren”t equipped with the wisdom and practical skills needed to remain healthy. I recently spoke with Debbie Jones, director of Stadia”s Bloom, which empowers women to maximize their role in starting churches. Debbie and her husband, Tom, have planted two churches and have witnessed firsthand the challenges church planting and leadership can have on families.   Tell me about

April 13, 2017

Christian Standard

My Riskiest Move for God: Kansas? You Want Us to Go to Kansas?

Five Christian leaders tell what God did when they took a surprising step of faith. By Laurie Montague As I sat on the front row ready to take my place as the keynote speaker for the women”s retreat, the director concluded her introduction with these words, “And now, here”s our fearless leader.” Of all the things that could be said of me! I would never describe myself as a “fearless leader.” In fact, at several points in my life, a more accurate description would have included the words “scared silly!” Yet, like many others, I”ve learned that making risky moves for

March 25, 2017

Christian Standard

A Woman”s Place

By Tim Harlow In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, many women in the U.S. are feeling devalued. What should be the church”s response?  Although many issues were debated during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, gender issues didn”t seem to be at the forefront. Most people seemed prepared for the possibility of a female president. It wasn”t a big deal. Even those who were dead set against Hillary Clinton for president seldom said it was because she”s a woman. And while many people were offended by Donald Trump”s comments and apparent attitudes toward women, they tended to overlook this

March 9, 2017

Christian Standard

Questions and Answers about Refugees and Resettlement

By Kevin Lines Who are refugees and displaced persons? They are men, women, and children fleeing war, persecution, and political upheaval. They are uprooted with little warning and endure great hardship during their flight. They are displaced when they are forced to flee their homes, but remain within the borders of their native country. They become refugees when they cross borders and seek safety in another country. The United Nations” 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as amended by its 1967 Protocol, defines a refugee as a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for

January 8, 2017

Christian Standard

I Love the Church . . . Because There”s Work to Be Done

By Miriam Y. Perkins There are reasons I ought to love the church. The church refined the families who raised me. My connection to the Christian churches stretches back three generations to my great-grandparents Esther and Howard Dillon and grandparents Miriam LaRue and Hershel Dillon and Gladys and Carl Perkins. And this circle includes my mother, Linda Perkins, who has dedicated her life to family and the education of children, and my father, Gary Perkins, who was seminary-trained, ordained, and a career military chaplain. If I love the church at all, it is because of this generational legacy. Not Easy

December 19, 2016

Christian Standard

Listening to “˜Granny”

By Chris Moon They call her “Granny Jean.” I suppose every town has one like her””a quick-witted older lady who overcame hardship and spent her life teaching in the schools and being a fixture in the community. You really don”t need to know her name. You just call her “Granny,” and everyone knows who it is. Everyone has had an experience with “Granny Jean.” When I came to minister with Stanton (Kentucky) Christian Church, I would see Jean Derickson working across the hall in our preschool. She”s a slender woman, probably not much more than 5 feet tall, with grandmotherly

December 18, 2016

Christian Standard

Working Women/Women’s Work: A View from the Heartland

By Susan Lawrence The sky is the limit . . . unless you live in a snow globe. My dad dreamed big for me. Dad would frequently say, “You, know, if you wanted, you could . . .” followed by yet another option for a job or hobby. I would have to live a dozen lifetimes to accomplish all he dreamed and schemed for me. Some of his ideas were a bit outlandish. Even though I knew I probably would never become a world champion downhill skier (we lived in central Illinois) or train exotic animals (farm animals were enough

December 17, 2016

Christian Standard

Working Women/Women’s Work: A View from Washington

By Hannah Cleeton Professional women must perform a balancing act the church doesn”t prepare them to handle. A recent profile of the 114th Congress by the Congressional Research Service found women hold 108 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, up from 82 seats in the 109th Congress 10 years earlier.1 As it becomes more common for women to run for and hold public office, that number will continue to climb. The statistic does not take into account women who work behind the scenes in the various House and Senate offices, as I do. In my

December 16, 2016

Christian Standard

9 Women Who Changed the World

Faith was the foundation for each one”s courage and action. By Danielle Hance This December, images of a meek and mild Virgin Mary will fill nativity scenes and line Christmas cards. However, what many people don”t know is that the young mother with a creamy complexion and an angelic glow was quite the woman of courage. Being an unwed mother in biblical times would have put her in danger of death by stoning. And Mary”s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) is so passionate, powerful, and revolutionary in its message of God”s deliverance of the poor, it has even been banned in multiple

December 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Training the Next Generation of Women in Ministry: An Interview with Anne Menear

By T.R. Robertson The back of Anne Menear”s office door is covered with dozens of photographs of smiling young people, mostly women. “Those are all my kids,” she says, with a proud smile. “The ones over there,” she adds, pointing to more photographs arranged on a world map, “are all in missions. They”re all the girls that I”ve had contact with that are working in places like Germany, Japan, and Mexico. “It was great to have seen them graduate and now they”re grown-up adults, and to see them as such””it”s cool.” As director of the Christian Education department and dean

December 13, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

What Women Can Do

By Mark A. Taylor While opinions differ about what women should or should not do in a Christian church, no one can deny that God is working through women today. And, as Matt Proctor, Jennifer Johnson, and Chad Ragsdale remind us this month, women have always been at the center of God”s work on earth: “¢ Several significant and surprising women are included in the genealogy of Jesus. “¢ Mary, the mother of Jesus, demonstrated strength, character, and obedience to equal that of any male Bible hero . “¢ And in this virgin”s submission, God showed the divinity of her

December 10, 2016

Christian Standard

Take a Look at the Family Photo Album of Jesus

By Matt Proctor One of my favorite Christmas pastimes is sitting with my kids and looking through family photo albums. Almost every picture sparks a story about their ancestors: “¢ “There”s your Great-Grandpa Weede. Oh, he loved to joke. One time, he painted faces on his two big farm-fuel tanks. One had a smiley face that said, “˜I”ve got diesel.” The other had a frowning face that said, “˜I”ve got gas!” “The whole county knew his laugh . . . and his faith. He prayed every day for every grandkid by name.” “¢ “And there”s your Granny Ruth. A strong,

December 4, 2016

Christian Standard

To Women, By Women: GUIDING LIGHT

By Jenny Knowles Juliet Rose Hardee burst into tears when she heard a magazine wanted to know more about Guiding Light, the faith-based residential program for women overcoming addiction and abuse that she started and directs. A local TV station called for an interview the same day, and Hardee was overcome with the thought that more people will hear about the ministry. Guiding Light is in its ninth year. It was birthed in Hardee”s personal story of childhood abuse, prostitution, and drugs (see “From Vile to Victory” in the July issue of Christian Standard). Her life changed when she was

December 3, 2016

Christian Standard

To Women, By Women: LIFECHOICES

By Jenny Knowles The LifeChoices Health Network in Joplin, Missouri, is in pursuit of opportunities to help people, and they”re taking hope on the road. Three area clinics offer the services most of us associate with pregnancy centers””counseling, ultrasounds, and new parent assistance. LifeChoices literature breaks the services down into three groups: prevention, intervention, and extension. Prevention includes the sexual risk avoidance program the network takes into 15 local school districts. Intervention is pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, sexually transmitted infection screening, and treatment. Extension is prenatal, parenting and post-abortion recovery classes, and new dad training. LifeChoices has also added a mobile

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