“When we reach the time of Mary’s visit with Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, we find the two women praising God and Mary delivering a song for the ages, while the man remains silent. The man, a righteous priest, was silenced, while God gave Mary utterance, recorded in scripture, /1

“We found in our survey of 7000 people for our new book The Marriage You Want, couples who function with hierarchy, believing that the man is in authority and should make the final decision, have lower marital satisfaction, and higher markers of emotional immaturity.” – Sheila Wray Gregoire /1

"Christ has set us free for freedom. Therefore, stand firm and don’t submit to the bondage of slavery again ... ... You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love. /1

“Decades of research have documented the salutary effects of religious participation for individual health and well-being ... so it is noteworthy that the health of women who attend sexist congregations is not significantly different from the health of non-attenders. /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “By its very nature, complementarianism has no remedy for its shriveling effect on gifted women.” – Andrew Bartlett and Terran Williams From: terranwilliams.com/what-mike-wi...

“You can be a Christian who thinks that the purpose of salvation is avoiding hell tomorrow instead of destroying hell today. But you cannot follow Jesus & do that. When it is all said and done, it is not your Christianity that will save you. /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: [On Phil 2:5–6]: “Contrary to what one would expect of a sovereign Lord, Jesus did not regard his equality with God as a right to utilize while he lived on earth ... /1

“Most people assume the Bible teaches that husbands are to be the rulers of their own homes or households, but Xerxes is the only person in the Bible to state this. Paul, for example, never says that husbands must be the rulers or leaders or heads of their homes. /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: [On the Daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27]: “These five young, single women – probably still children and teenagers – /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “It is incredibly dicey for a woman, in a patriarchal space, to accuse a man of something. Accusations against men disrupt patriarchal spaces. /1

“The church loves to remind suffering people that “it was people that hurt you, not God” ... ... To say “it was people, not God” is convenient, and has some truth to it, but it also forces us to divorce Christ from the people who are supposed to be “in Christ.” /1

“When I was a missionary working with sexually exploited women in the Philippines, I had a John tell me that he came to the Philippines to get the “respect he deserved.” He went on a very long rant on women’s role to be subservient to men and to serve them, /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “Those who share in a spiritual rebirth are inaugurated as equal members of Christ’s body—the church. Through Christ, God is building a New Covenant people, with Jesus as head, and you and me as joint heirs. /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: On Bill Gothard’s infamous "umbrella diagram" in which he portrayed a hierarchy of authority that he taught was dangerous to step outside of: “In his umbrella illustration, Gothard used rain to symbolize Satanic attacks. /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “The effects of gender identity in youth development is multiplied tenfold when it takes place in the context of organized religion, because now God is behind it all, and you can’t argue with the Creator of the universe. /1

“When we locate gendered hierarchy in its proper scriptural place, as a tragic outcome of the first couple’s rebellion against God rather than in God’s creational design, /1

“Imagine if sermons were preached about Uriah in the same ways as Bathsheba: – “If he’d just listened to David, he would’ve never been hurt.” – “All he had to do was go home, but he seemed to think he knew better than his commanding officer.” /1

“What people need to understand is that conservative Christian spaces are the only places where you can openly discriminate against women and be cheered for it. You can't in the workplace, in academia, etc. /1

“Many women in the church are raised to focus on doing, on serving, on looking good on the outside, while their internal lives, their emotions, their self-awareness, their personal growth, get little attention. /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “A “role” is defined as either “an actor’s part in a play, movie, etc.”; or “the function assumed or part played by a person or thing in a particular situation.” /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “As a self-confident young man, I was delighted to learn that God had given “headship”/leadership to men. I enthusiastically became a “complementarian,” to use a term of more recent origin. /1

“What do you think happens to a man’s soul when he is convinced God has given him the final say over another person? What kind of darkness and arrogance creeps in over time as his spirit perceives that her thoughts and feelings are less decisive and authoritative than his? /1

“Gender hierarchists often tell women, “Don’t focus on the couple of things you can’t do (according to their interpretation of the Bible). Just focus on all the things you can do.” This is a sleight-of-hand maneuver. /1

“Complementarianism is a really sweet deal for some men: it gives them permission to say they value and honor women, while ensuring they never actually have to treat us as equals.” – Joy LaPrade From: www.threads.com/@joy_laprade...

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “How many sermons about the women of the Bible did you hear when you were being nurtured into the faith? How many sermons about Miriam or Deborah or Huldah? Or Ruth or Esther? /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “What would be surprising would be to find Paul saying what he says in Galatians 3:28, but then not find a readiness in him to partner with women in all aspects of church life, including suffering for the advancement of the gospel. /1

“Not once does Paul use any diakon– word for ordinary servants. Rather, he typically used the term diakonos for Christian ministers. These diakonoi include Paul himself (Rom. 15:8; 1 Cor. 3:5; Eph. 3:7; Col. 1:23, etc), Timothy (1 Tim. 4:6), Epaphras (Col. 1:7), /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “Jesus treated women as disciples, inviting Martha and Mary to sit at his feet in the proper role of a (male) student learning from a rabbi (Luke 10). /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: [On the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15]: “The challenge-riposte, if offered to a man, would be an attempt to gain honor at his expense.

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “I have no doubt that both men and women experience the call to ministry equally. However, in the past, when women have experienced a calling, it was often disregarded for the sake of complementarianism. /1

“The progress of evangelical feminism in the 70s triggered a reaction by men – and women – who weren’t ready for gender equality. They pushed back and created new theological definitions that preserved men’s power, and they developed organizations to defend it. They were successful ... /1

“Equal weight must be placed on appropriate teaching, pastoral care, gift expression and participation for both men and women. If one group receives less appropriate teaching, less pastoral care, fewer opportunities for gift expression, and less voice and participation, /1

“With all my heart, I want to join Jesus in bringing good news to the poor and proclaiming release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind! I want to be a part of Jesus’ work to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor! /1

“Disallowing a woman’s leadership under the “women are too emotional” argument reveals a misunderstanding of the very concept of emotion. Emotions are not sinful; they are expressions of how we have been spiritually formed over time. /1

“1. All of 1 Timothy 2:8-15 is Paul addressing poor behaviour of certain members of the Ephesian church, men and women. 2. Paul silenced unedifying speech and prohibited unsound teaching from men and women (1 Cor. 14:26-40; 1 Tim. 1 & 2). /1

“Ironically, those who advocate for a “plain reading” of 1 Timothy 2:12 go against the plain reading of Genesis 3:16, which clearly states that male rule is a consequence of the Fall, /1

“There are currently nearly 600 parishes that officially bar women priests. The Church of England must now deal with an extraordinary situation: the archbishop of Canterbury will not be able to preside over communion in these churches.”– Sharon Jagger From: womensagenda.com.au/latest/first...

“Using our position of authority to get our own way, serve our own ends, crush others, and silence and frighten them is an ungodly use of power.” – Diane Langberg From: x.com/dianelangber...

“[John] Piper and [Wayne] Grudem have made Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:21 about authority. The ideas of male authority and female submission are at the heart of their brand of complementarianism. But Paul didn’t think this way ... /1

“If complementarians really just believed that God gave men and women different roles, then there would be roles that women can fulfill that men can't. But there aren't. There are only things that men can do that women can't. /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “If you're experiencing pain, confusion, or exhaustion from living under teachings that diminish you, your feelings are valid. It's not a sign of weak faith or rebellion. It's your spirit longing for freedom, authenticity, and dignity ... /1

Hi everyone, I'll be away for a few days ... I hope the coming week is filled with encouragement and nourishment for you. Best wishes, OB "Comfort the discouraged. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone. /1

“I grieve for the women who've compiled a checklist for an ideal “spiritual leader,” only to face the inevitable disappointment and resentment when their husbands fall short. Likewise, I ache for the men who stagger under the immense, /1

“The enemy would have us believe power belongs to the person or group who can exert the most violence the most effectively. It’s a really persuasive lie because it looks really true on the world’s stage. /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: [On the relationship between extreme and moderate forms of complementarianism]: “When it came to evangelical masculinity, the ideological extreme bore a remarkable resemblance to the mainstream. /1

“... for every Mark Driscoll there are 100 unknown pastors doing similar things.”– Lark TheoSis From: www.threads.com/@larktheosis...

“Imagine a phone company randomly restricts data from all of their female unlimited data plan customers. People are furious, so the company responds with a statement: /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “Churches who say to women, you may not preach, or we don’t want you to lead us, are like the eye saying to the hand, I don’t need you (1 Cor. 12:21). /1

From the Orthodox Barbie archives: “Sin marred the unity, equality and affinity between men and women, resulting in disunity and a gender hierarchy where women were unilaterally subordinated to men (Gen. 3:16). /1

“In 1960, ten leading Reformed Afrikaner theologians published a series of essays condemning Apartheid and the claim that the Bible endorsed racial separation. They were put on trial for heresy, found guilty, and denounced by the prime minister, Dr. H. Verwoerd, himself a theologian. /1