Category Archives: Women’s roles

The Loneliness of leaving a Cult: the documentary, Sons of Perdition

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Mark Williams

Last night I enjoyed the documentary, Sons of Perdition, about people who leave the FLDS, a polygamist Mormon sect on the border of Utah and Colorado. Although the sect in which I grew up was not as cult-like, I found … Continue reading →

Posted in cult, Manipulation, Uncategorized, Women's roles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Loyalty needs Trauma: Loyalty and the Moral Defense, Part 3

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Mark Williams

I remember an elderly woman whose mother grew up on a sheep farm in Texas, unpopular in those days, because sheep grazed the grass so short there was nothing left for the cattle. One of my her favorite expressions was: “I could … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, Manipulation, military, Nonviolence, Psychology, Uncategorized, Women's roles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ignoring Hierarchy: Jesus and Hierarchy (Part 2)

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Mark Williams

In the first part of this topic I mentioned that rigidly hierarchical religious organizations, such as pyramidal para-church ministries and denominations, are unChristian. But then it struck me that I had missed the real point, which is that all hierarchical organizations: … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, Evangelical Church, Manipulation, Nonviolence, politics, Women's roles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Jesus and Nonviolent Confrontations of Oppressors

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Mark Williams

A friend of mine loaned me a book recently, Jesus and Nonviolence: A third way by Walter Wink. Wink’s belief is that Jesus advocated standing up for oneself against oppression, but not in traditionally powerful ways: rather in dignified loving … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, military, Nonviolence, politics, Psychology, Women's roles | 9 Comments

Nickels and Noses: The Problem with Church Planting

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Mark Williams

I have joined six church plants, and been a part of a seventh, in two of which I was a church-planting pastor. A bit of advice a church planting pastor, who had been to church planting boot camp in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dishonesty, Evangelical Church, Evangelism, History, Manipulation, Psychology, Salvation, Uncategorized, Women's roles | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Why Fundamentalists cannot speak out against Government Abuse of Power

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Mark Williams

The only issues fundamentalists traditionally speak out against are personal piety issues: fornication, adultery, abortion, pornography, immodest dress, drunkenness, drug use, etc. There are a few issues that fundamentalists are willing to criticize the government on: legislation that facilitates abortion, … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, History, Manipulation, military, politics, Psychology, Women's roles | 17 Comments

Paul’s account of the resurrection leaves out the women

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Mark Williams

In N.T. Wright’s book, Surprised by Hope, he makes an interesting argument for the resurrection of Jesus: Paul cleaned up the story by 56 A.D. (CE). Paul’s account, in I Cor 15, is the first written account of the resurrection … Continue reading →

Posted in Women's roles | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Phoebe the Deaconess

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Mark Williams

The apostle Paul mentioned Phoebe the “diakonon” in Rom 16:1. The word is both the masculine and feminine version of the Koine Greek word for deacon, or servant. Paul wrote to Timothy in I Timothy 3:11 that deacons should be … Continue reading →

Posted in Women's roles | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

“It is a shame for women to speak in church”

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Mark Williams

Another passage used to deny women leadership in fundamentalist churches is I Cor 14:34 “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Women's roles | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

I Permit Not a Woman to Teach

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Mark Williams

One of the distinctives of most fundamentalist Christian churches, is the hierarchy of men over women. Several passages of Scripture are used, one of which is I Timothy 2:11-15: “11 Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection. 12 But I … Continue reading →

Posted in Women's roles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments