“If there is one place where older women or women who do not fit the cultural expectations of beauty should feel valued and affirmed, celebrated and acknowledged, honored or even just seen and affirmed as bearing the image of God, let it be within the Body of Christ.”
Our January Women’s Ministries Facebook Book Club author Sarah Bessey writes a thoughtful and repentant article for Christianity Today’s Her.menuetics Blog addressing the topic of the older generations of women in the Church feeling left behind and forgotten. Read the intro below.
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few months ago, I asked my blog readers to send me a story or two about how it feels to be a woman in the church. I was working on my book,Jesus Feminist, and in addition to academic and theological research, I wanted to carry with me the everyday stories of women, too. I was more than a little overwhelmed by the response: both the sheer number and the content. Women filled my inbox with their stories – beautiful and horrible, hurtful and empowering – about their experiences within the institutions of Christianity.
As I expected, there were the personal stories about women feeling marginalized in their churches because they are not married or because they do not or cannot have children; stories about women who had men turn their backs when they stood up to preach their first sermon; stories about women who stayed in abusive marriages because of their church teachings, and other deep sadness. I was also pleased to see so many stories from women who found their true voice, vocation, community, leadership gifting, and healing within church community.
Read the rest on Christianity Today by clicking here>>>