How the Tamar Narrative Functions in the Judah and Joseph Narratives

I'm happy to have Carolyn Custis James as my guest today. In Vindicating the Vixens, she contributed the chapter on Tamar. In November she served on a panel of contributors who talked about narrative analysis at the national meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, Rhode Island. Here are some quotes from her remarks: [In the Genesis narrative] just as the Joseph story reaches a fever pitch and readers are on the edge of their seats, instead of following Joseph into Egypt, the narrator follows Judah away from his family into Canaanite territory and into a salacious R-rated story involving prostitution with his daughter-in-law Tamar. From a literary perspective, the narrator’s choice seems counterproductive. From a pastoral perspective, this sordid story is problematic, unsuitable for a G audience, and devoid of any spiritual value. Pastors often skip it....Far from being a literary gaffe, the narrator’s decision to include this “enigmatic” episode is strategic;  Genesis 38 is actually the hinge that holds the Joseph story together. It bridges Jacob’s destructive favoritism and the searing father wound Judah suffers with the climactic meeting between Judah and Joseph in Egypt where warring brothers finally make peace.Here are a few suggestions for pastors to connect this ancient story with twenty-first century congregants:

• God’s love for the unloved and his power to rescue, redeem, and radically transform prodigals

  1. The power of wounds to destroy or make us.

  2. God calls his daughters to be bold agents for his purposes

  3. The self-sacrificing brand of masculinity the gospel produces and Judah ultimately embodies.

  4. In the current #MeToo epidemic, Tamar’s story gives pastors a call to courageously engage domestic abuse, human trafficking, sexual assault, and violence against women. This is a #MeToo chapter.

Listen to Carolyn talk about this story on KCBI radio.

Class in Multicultural Worship Arts

DTS Offers a  New Winter Course on Ethnodoxology Jan 8–12

Check out this highly interactive and practical course, in which students will do the following:

• develop a biblical and missiological framework for arts in cross-cultural ministry

• gain practical tools for multicultural congregational contexts

• learn songs and experiencing the arts of a variety of world worship traditions

• integrate ethnodoxology principles into a community in which the student serves.

This one-week intensive course is offered in partnership with Dallas Theological Seminary and the Global Institute of Applied Linguistics’ (GIAL) Center for Excellence in World Arts on the GIAL campus Jan 8–12, with online work through the end of January. See these comments from past participants:

• "I cannot imagine that any institution committed to evangelism and mission would not make an ethnodoxology emphasis an essential part of campus culture and academic life" (Dr. Mark Boughan, President, Emmanuel Bible College).

• "This course is rich and challenging, and is immediately relevant to every missions or church context, from India to Indiana, Nigeria to New York. Our God is worthy of glory throughout the world, and this course will help you understand ways to encourage that outcome" (Aaron Hung, M.Div. 2012).

Location: Center for Excellence in World Arts at GIAL in Dallas

Registration open at http://tinyurl.com/Edox2018

Cost: $130 for registration (housing and food offered for additional cost) + tuition

Questions? Write Reg Grant: rgrant@dts.edu cc: Robin_Harris@gial.edu 

Lots of Updates and Links

November was a bit of a whirlwind. I signed a contract with AMG for another book in the Coffee Cup Bible study series—Earl Grey with Ephesians. I taped an episode on the Empathy for the Devil podcast comparing the queens Jezebel and Bathsheba and the sexualization of powerful women. Check it out.The Kregel Academic Book for which I served as general editor, Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible, was finally released Yay! Took a long time to ship, but it has finally arrive in the hands of all those who preordered.An interview with me about the book appeared on the Christian Authors Network blog; on the Beyond Ordinary Woman site; on the Seana Scott blog; and in Fathom Magazine, where you can also read an excerpt—Eva Bleeker’s chapter on Rahab. I spoke on the same topic at an academic conference in Providence, Rhode Island, and at the DTS women’s conference for women in leadership. CD’s of the latter are available via the DTS web site. And I appeared on KCBI radio and their related Heartstrong Faith blog/podcast/video (below). Fun news: the book is the first in their new book club series!The #MeToo conversations continue. Kat Armstrong had me writing about that on her blog. Sharifa Stevens, who wrote the chapter on Vashti for our book had a powerful piece on there that tied in with her work on the book.And don’t miss Karla Zazueta’s piece on Mary Magdalene.Our friends at Fathom hosted a fantastic launch party benefitting the International Justice Mission. Some of their reps heard about it at the last minute and showed up to celebrate with us. A highlight of the night (in addition to sweet and savory crepes and champagne and music by Songbird and Strings) was Sharifa leading us all in "O Holy Night." The night was warm enough to use our hosts' indoor/outdoor space, and our voices rang out in the night.Back to work...I also did some of the IF: Gathering videos about church history. And I’m currently part of their Advent series…There were also talks at Interstate Battery's women's Christmas lunch and a trip with scholars to present vixens content in Rhode Island. Thanks for being on this incredible journey with us! Advent W2D4 - Zacchaeus Encounters Jesus from IF : Equip on Vimeo.

Fathom Magazine interview w/ me about Vixens

This interview with me ran in the latest issue of Fathom Magazine.  Today we’re happy to have as our guest Dr. Sandra Glahn. Sandi earned her ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and her PhD at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in Humanities–Aesthetic Studies. A professor in the Media Arts and Worship department at DTS, she teaches courses in writing, medieval art/spirituality, gender, and sexual ethics. She is the author of more than twenty books, including the Coffee Cup Bible Study series. But today we want to talk with her about her latest book Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting the Sexualized, Vilified, Marginalized Women of the Bible (Kregel Academic), which just came out.

Tell us about Vindicating the Vixens.

Vindicating the Vixens has been on my heart and mind for more than a decade. As I studied history and cultural backgrounds at the doctoral level, I ended up revisiting some of our Western-influenced interpretations of the biblical text.For example, the woman Jesus met at the well in Samaria had five husbands, true enough (see John 4). But why do most people assume that means she was faithless and immoral? Women in her time and place did not divorce husbands five times. The man with the most recorded divorces had only three. If a woman did initiate legal proceedings, she had to do so through a male. Women could not simply walk into a court of law and speak on their own behalf. So, it’s unlikely that “the Samaritan woman” had divorced five husbands.Additionally, when we read that this woman’s current man was not her own, we assume she was living with some guy. Because that’s what it would mean in the West. But in her world, it is far more likely that she had to share a husband in a polygamous relationship in order to eat.Put these factors together, and you realize this person was probably not a beautiful young woman with loose morals. More likely, she was an older woman who had endured the death of a husband several times (war was the number one cause of death for men), been dumped a time or two, and consequently having to share a husband in order to survive. Additionally, the text says she was waiting for, looking with hope for, the Jewish Messiah (4:25).So we have, probably wrongly, assumed this woman was guilty of sexual promiscuity, and that Jesus was confronting her about her sin. More likely, Jesus was bringing up her greatest point of pain before revealing to her that he is the very Messiah for whom she has been waiting. For everyone else in Jesus’ world, the Lord seems to subtly veil who he is. But with this broken woman hanging on to hope, he comes right out with it.This woman is one of many whom the contributors to Vindicating the Vixens reconsider in light of what we know about cultural backgrounds, not only from new data but also from having more varied “eyes on the text.”

You’ve been known to talk about the importance of having varied eyes on the text. What do you mean by that?

Scholars from underrepresented groups looking at the Bible see what many of us in privileged positions have missed. They have brought to the text observations from a powerless perspective, which is the perspective of the typical person to whom Jesus ministers. (Like this great message from the perspective of those who are hearing impaired.) The body of Christ is made up of many parts that need each other to function as a healthy whole. But we’ve missed out on what some of those parts have to offer.In our book the contributors look afresh at Eve, Hagar, Sarah, Tamar, Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, Huldah, Bathsheba, Vashti, Mary Magdalene, The Samaritan Woman, Junia, and even the Virgin Mary—who gets marginalized by Protestants. And we look at them through the eyes of sixteen biblical scholars, each of whom hold a high view of scripture. And they all hold at least one advanced degree in Bible and theology. They are men and women; complementarian and egalitarian; American and Australian; black, white, Arab, and authors of books like Discipleship for Hispanic Introverts. Their varied backgrounds mean they bring insights in the text that the majority culture in North American has often missed—and exported. And as a result, the authors’ combined efforts provide a fresh look at the kindness of God and his heart for the vulnerable. (You can watch some of them talking about this book.)

What made you decide to do this project?

First, I believe men and women—not just husbands and wives—are supposed to partner in ministry. The church father Jerome had Paula partnering with him, though many think theologically trained women are a recent innovation. They are not. A greater emphasis on social history (as opposed to studying only troop movements, kings, and empires) has come from the academy due to women’s greater involvement in higher education in the past half-century. Trained social historians bring new ways of culling out data from the text—like what I just said about marriage practices in the Near East.But also, my deep friendship with some international students, especially those from Mexico, combined with travels to several continents told me we needed more than a Western perspective when doing observation, interpretation, and application.Additionally, part of my job used to involve serving as editor-in-chief of DTS Magazine for Dallas Theological Seminary, and I also teach theologically trained writers. So not only have I spotted some great writers, but I learned of projects people were doing that needed greater audiences. Sometimes the great writers were those doing this work.As a sampling, there was the student doing a thesis on Bathsheba (Sarah Bowler); a scholar who wrote a book on Arabs in the Bible that changed how I saw Hagar (Tony Maalouf); and a whole corpus of work on Bible stories that included women and men in need of vindication (Carolyn Custis James). For ten years or more I’ve been keeping a mental note of how these all fit together, and I could hardly wait to coordinate it.

What do you hope to accomplish?

Originally, I hoped only to help us read the Bible more accurately as we read about these women. But a happy result of the project was that the team of scholars went beyond simply exonerating those wrongly vilified or marginalized to explore what we have missed in the larger story by misunderstanding the smaller stories and how they fit into the whole. Now I see how the Tamar-posing-as-a-professional-sex-worker narrative fits into Joseph’s story in Genesis—which scholars have often assumed she merely interrupted. What emerged from all these micro-narratives was and is a clearer vision of God’s heart for the vulnerable in the meta-narrative.Before even writing, all of the authors agreed to donate profits to the International Justice Mission. So in a tangible way, we also hope our scholarship will lead to lives changed for the better for “the least of these.”

Read the chapter on Rahab by Eva Bleeker.

You can read an excerpt from Vindicating the Vixens about the context and cues from one of these heroines, Rahab.

In terms of ramifications for scholarship, I hope readers will see the absolute necessity of inviting to the table a more diverse group doing translation and interpretation than what we have typically had. I hope that we will never again see a translation of the Bible published that has only men or only women or only people from one “camp” looking at the text, but that we will instead celebrate our differences and seek diligently to include a variety of people due to our belief in God’s love for unity in difference.

Where can we find Vindicating the Vixens?

You can find the book at Amazon, Christianbook.com, and at the Dallas Seminary Book Center

Interview with a Charlotte Pastor/Author

I'm happy to have as my guest today pastor/author Winn Collier, whose writing I love. His latest project is an epistolary novel—that is, a story told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters. It’s titled Love Big, Be Well: Letters to a Small-Town Church.

SG: Did you have in mind any specific congregations as you wrote?

Winn: I carried all the people and churches I’ve been part of my entire life. And of course, All Souls Charlottesville, the people I serve now, is so interwoven with my life that they are always with me.

SG: Charlottesville has been at the epicenter of America’s culture wars in recent months. How has your church continued to be a voice of hope in the midst of such toxic events?

Winn: The Klan rally in July, then the Alt-right rally in August, were horrific. I've never encountered such evil so in my face. And the aftermath is far from over. Although many of the agitators were from outside Charlottesville, the evil messages tore into racial wounds and sins in our town that we've never dealt with properly. My prayer is for genuine repentance and restitution. Through all this, though, my conviction about the unique and subversive way of Jesus and the Kingdom has been radically renewed. The way of Jesus is in some way contrary to (or a corrective of) every other power structure, politic and ideal. To stand with the oppressed while loving the enemy—that's a strange thing. Justice really does need Jesus, and our church is trying to learn how to be people faithful to the strange way of Jesus.

SG: In the letter called “Whiskey and Biscuits,” your Pastor Jonas character speaks a word to anyone who has ever grown weary of the church's liturgy. Jonas views liturgy as a gift: “What a relief it is to know we don't carry this faith alone. Liturgy allows us to affirm truths we might not even believe just yet, or truths we're simply too exhausted to hold up with our own weary prayers.” What did you have in mind when you wrote that?

Winn: Our church sings a song that our worship leader wrote called “Our Salvation is Bound Up Together.” I think our communal existence, the fact that we require one another to live well and whole and that we are all bound up in the life of the Trinity means that as we come together with our bodies and our voices and embody the love of God in our liturgy, grace happens. Sometimes we think that it’s disingenuous to enact things we don’t “feel” at the moment, things that aren’t existentially potent for us. But I think that showing up (in our marriages and our friendships, as with our church) is exactly the sort of thing that makes up what we call faith. It’s doing what we can’t see (or feel) just yet. This is our work. And over the long story, the slow work of the gospel will create and remake and heal.

SG: I’ve appreciated your non-fiction. What made you decide to write a work of fiction this time around?

Winn: A dear friend of ours in Colorado asked if I had any advice for her church that was searching for a pastor. She was on the search team, and she sounded exhausted. I've been on both sides of that search, and it exhausted me just thinking about it. I remembered all the shenanigans that are so often tied up in this song and dance. So after sending her an email that I'm sure was mostly unhelpful, my mind and my pen went to writing a story. And Love Big, Be Well emerged. When I’ve told some folks about the book, they’ve assumed that I was using the medium of fiction as a tangential vehicle to only deliver a message (and I can understand the confusion). I think that would be a disastrous way to have written this book, any fiction really. I don’t know that my story succeeded, but I do know that I’ve tried my best to give it a chance to stand up on its own.

SG: Why did you decide to tell the story through letters?

Winn: Maybe it was partly because the whole thing started with a letter to me, but also because there’s something deeply human about a personal letter, the time it takes to write it, the care that’s given in thinking about the person(s) you’re writing to. I wrote another book called Let God that was reworking some of François Fénelon’s (a 17th century French Bishop) letters to spiritual friends in King Louis’ court. I think I’ve always been fascinated with letters.

SG: What authors have shaped you as a writer or as a pastor?

Winn: Certainly, Wendell Berry, with his fictional town of Port William has given me a wide sense of place and the beauty of ordinariness and the sacramental nature of our common lives. Eugene Peterson has influenced my understanding of ‘pastor’ and ‘church’ more than any other person. Barbara Brown Taylor and Fleming Rutledge are wonderful pastor-theologians who take words seriously. And Will Willimon – he makes my spine straighter whenever I hear him preach.

SG: What is your biggest hope for your book?

Winn: I'd find real satisfaction if people put down Love Big, Be Welland felt a renewed hopefulness. There's a lot of despair and sorrow overwhelming us these days—and for good cause. Yet I believe that hope and goodness are the truer story. I think friendship is truer than our sense of isolation and estrangement. I believe that God’s love is more powerful than all our hatred piled up together. I believe the church, for all our ills, really does—when we're true to who God has made us to be—exist as a community of love, hospitality and healing.

Buy a Shirt/Help a Family Adopt

If you know the Glahn family, you know our "son" Carlos and his wife Karla. They are in the process of adopting a little boy from China. And they are raising funds by selling adoption t-shirts. The styles include a long sleeved and a baseball raglan in addition to a typical t-shirt.Our grandson-in-love is 9 months old, and they have named him Asher (Gen. 30:13). They expect to travel in five to six months, though Carlos is praying for a miracle of January travel.Their adoption agency has asked them to get the remainder of their funds in order. Because or their friends' generosity and spreading the word, they have sufficient funds to cover their final agency fees. But what they lack are  in-country adoption costs and travel expenses.The agency has stated that a good estimate of in-country + travel costs is $15,500. (This estimate includes official in-country adoption costs, in-country transportation, hotel accommodations, guide/driver services, economy flights to/from China, etc.) Karla and Carlos estimate they still need about $7,000-$10,000.So they are hoping to raise $5,000 with this current t-shirt fundraiser to cover a portion of the in-country fees and travel expenses.  How to help? Please pray, share (email and social media), or buy a shirt.Those who desire to give a tax-deductible donation instead of buying a t-shirt can go to their Pure Charity page.

"No Greater Love" film headed your way?

NO GREATER LOVE—the first theatrical documentary filmed and directed by an active-duty soldier—brings to vivid life the battles of the “No Slack” Battalion of the famed 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan. And the battles he shows us didn't just happen in the field. They continue after soldiers return home.One of the coolest parts about this for me is that its writer and that active-duty soldier/producer was one of my writing students.Friday, Nov. 10, for Veterans Day weekend, his multiple-award-winning NO GREATER LOVE premieres in select cities nationwide. NO GREATER LOVE, after one round of cuts, is still a contender for Documentary Feature in the 2017 Academy Award®.You can bring this excellent film to a theater near you. It takes less than 30 seconds to put in your request:REQUEST THEATERS TO SHOW NO GREATER LOVE IN YOUR AREAThe film will help raise awareness about PTDS. Consider that:

• Every day, 20 U.S. military veterans commit suicide (Suicide Data Report, Department of Veteran Affairs, Mental Health Services, 2015)

• 20 percent of veterans suffer PTSD (Litz BT, Schlenger WE. PTSD in service members and new veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: a bibliography and critique. PTSD Res Q 2009; 20(1):1-2.)

• Among incarcerated adults, 10 percent served previously in the military (Blodgett JC, Avoundjian T, Finlay AK, et al. Prevalence of mental health disorders among justice-involved veterans. Epidemiol Rev 2015;37. 000–000.)

• Of the U.S. homeless population, 12 percent are veterans (Tsai J, Rosenheck RA. Risk factors for homelessness among US veterans. Epidemiol Rev 2015; 37. 000–000.)

Most Americans are unaware that U.S. military chaplains carry no weapons, even in battle—and it’s true that while deployed in Afghanistan, Roberts initially had no plans to make a film. The courage around him, however, spurred him to ask: “What drives men to commit acts of valor and sacrifice?” (As “No Slack” won decisive, strategic victories in intense battles, it also suffered multiple fatalities, returning home with more than 200 purple hearts.) Roberts also interviews Gold Star family members.“The only way a person can really come back from war is with love,” Roberts said. “And it has to come from friends. It has to come from family members, neighbors and the people you were fighting for, and from each other. That is the only way we can fully come home.”NO GREATER LOVE producers hope the film will motivate theatergoers to get involved and support veterans in their local area. Ever wonder what you can do to help vets? Help bring this film to your city.SaveSaveNo Greater Love Movie

#MeToo: Just Another Trend?

My post for October 24 on the Engage blog at bible.org:

A lot of people think it all started on October 5, 2017, when the New York Times first broke the story accusing Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment. Actually, as far as I know, the real first “Me Too” movement started a decade ago by the African-American activist Tarana Burke. And ten years from now, we’ll probably still need one.But about the recent one… Ten days after the NYT story hit, actress Alyssa Milano tweeted, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.”Soon, the #MeToo hashtag took over social media. Twitter alone had more than 500,00 uses. But Facebook had 12 million. Twelve. Million.I almost didn’t put the following post on Facebook. But I mustered the courage to hit “return”:  "So many have been groped, objectified, threatened, stalked, or violated at some point. Me too. And by the time I was 17, five of my friends had been raped—that I knew about. I believe you. #metoo"I went on to explain: In middle school two boys would stand together and daily comment on their assessment of my private body parts; in high school one of my dates drove us (against my will) to a remote place and kissed and groped me repeatedly, tho I told him in no uncertain terms to stop it; a male nurse lifted my blankets to peek at my body after surgery—till a doc in the recovery room who saw it called him out; a wrangler tried to grope me (after groping the two other women with me) while helping us off our horses; a student would not stop sending me inappropriate emails and letters. Etc.I almost didn’t post this to my FB wall, because my experience is way tamer than that of most women. But ultimately I told myself that this is not the Suffering Olympics. Nobody is competing for the worst abuse.I also almost didn’t post it, because women should not have to. But we live in an unideal world.And I had another reason for hesitating. People would think I was looking for sympathy.In the end, I decided to post anyway, for one reason: to normalize speaking up. And to de-normalize the abuse.Some wrote to remind me that God is in control. Amen. I never doubted that. But that was not a reason to remain silent.Some wondered if my post was rooted in bitterness. It wasn’t. But even if it was, that’s not the point.My speaking out, knowing my motives would be misunderstood, like that of many participants, was done to normalize speaking up in a context in which sexual harassment and abuse has been the “normal” it-happens-all-the-time-so-why-fight-it thing.One person told me there was nothing to be ashamed of. And of course that’s true. But I was and am absolutely not ashamed. I did nothing wrong. But even if I was or I did, that’s not the point.Many do feel shame. And that is part of the point of #MeToo. These women often think they are the only ones. Or if they did speak up at the time, people asked what they were wearing when they were violated. Or “were you walking alone”? As if such details forced the hand of their perpetrators, making the women complicit.The more people realize how widespread the problem is, hopefully the more they will believe those who come forward. And hopefully, the more people who have kept secret the wrong done to them can read others calling it wrong, they will recognize that what happened to them is not supposed to be normal.    Some have sought to make #MeToo a liberal vs. conservative thing, pointing to the hypocrisy of Hollywood and liberals. And sure, there’s plenty of that. But Hollywood and liberal politicians have no corner on the market when it comes to hypocrisy. You know who I’m talking about, right?Plus, Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes and Woody Allen and Bill Cosby still walk freely. So we have a lot of work left to do.One commenter said girls have to be taught to say no and tell. And that’s true. But boys also have to be taught that they must take responsibility for their actions. And that they can.The Weinstein travesty and #MeToo raises all sorts of issues about legitimate fears of speaking up and the reasons for it. One big reason violated women remain silent is that they risk character defamation, even though what happened wasn’t their fault.Our theology tells us we are all sinners. But we are also responsible for our choices… If we objectify others, if we fund the porn market, if we “banter,” if touch people's private parts without their consent, if we abuse power for sex, if we rape, if we blame others for our sin.... Guys are not helpless. And to suggest they are unable to control themselves on elevators and in alleys is an insult to men.I once walked through a village where a handsome, young man had to bathe in public in a barrel outside his home (he was poor). What did I do? I looked away. And walked away. If I had touched that guy, it would have been fully my fault. Even though he was naked in public. Which is why we must stop asking females who were raped what they were wearing or where they were when it happened. As if that had one whit to do with responsibility for the crime.Those of us who can speak up (and not all can for myriad reasons) have as our goal the normalizing of speaking up vs. allowing people to think that the evil behavior—anything from catcalls to groping to rape to holding women as sex slaves—is normal.Naming what happened for many has been the first acknowledgment of what was done to them, and helped them realize they have no reason for shame. A lot of women did that for the first time because of #MeToo.Many, many women who have spoken up in the past have been ignored. (Of course abuse happens to men; but, fortunately, they are usually believed.) Women are still being slandered. If someone accuses a famous man (and men with fame have more power, so are more difficult to hold accountable), people assume the accusation is fabricated. Rarely it might be. But #MeToo helps us demonstrate how often such abuse happens, so people realize the odds that a woman is telling the truth when she speaks up.Some say the whole #MeToo thing is just another fad, another trend that will change nothing.What if it is? “All sin and are falling short of the glory of God.” That won’t change. We will always have evil with us. But while we live in a devils-filled world that threatens to undo us, we are called to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. We are called to tell the truth in love. So we press on, often repeating and repeating what we’ve done and said before.The one thing we are not responsible for is the result.

My thoughts on history, Las Vegas, and Texas evangelical women

An organization for women called IF:Gathering, the brainchild of Jennie Allen, offers lots of resources, primarily for a Millennial audience. I've been filming some short commentary for their series on Church History with my colleague Glenn Kreider. And here's one that ran this week: AD2 W3D1 - The Crusades Commence from IF : Equip on Vimeo.

Also,  an article on how to minister in the wake of violence in Las Vegas and the string of natural disasters, ran on the Pastor Resources site as well as on KCBI radio's blog.Then I got quoted in what I thought was going to be an article about Texas evangelical women, but it ended up really focused on Jenn Hatmaker for Texas Monthly magazine.And KCBI-Dallas radio station interviewed me for an on-air audio segment about suffering in the wake of the Las Vegas tragedy. It aired October 3 and was edited for release in their Heartstrings podcast about suffering and God’s ways the next day:https://www.heartstrongfaith.com/heartstrong-faith-podcast-dr-sandra-glahn-suffering-dealing-with-the-vegas-shooting/I hope you'll find something here that ministers to you.

Help Yourself to Mental Health

Carrying a lot of stress? There are lots of ways you can help yourself cope.Tell yourself the truth. Treat yourself with the same grace you would extend to others. If you make an error, instead of berating yourself, replace, “I’m an idiot,” with “Oops. I took a wrong turn.”Confess. Quit living with guilt. Acknowledge sin to God and apologize to people you’ve wronged. Make appropriate reparations.Care for your body. Take walks, jog, hit the gym. Physical health and aerobic exercise have a direct effect on mental health.Snack on veggies. Good nutrition affects physical health and outlook, too. So replace chips and sour cream dip with crackers and hummus.Sleep. Get to bed on time and transition off technology well before you need to be falling asleep.Get regular check-ups. See a doctor for hormone and mood checks and to monitor health conditions.Live in community. Even if you have no strong family connections, you can live as part of a community. Volunteer. Take a meal. Help set up chairs. Hold a baby. Teach Sunday school. Ask for help. For many, seeking out a counselor or friend who will listen requires courage. Acknowledging “I have a need” may take humility. But we were made to give and receive in relationships.Find what helps you relax. Maybe it’s a massage. Or reading comics. Or keeping a journal. Or watching old episodes of 1960s sit-com. Laughter, as they say, is the best medicine.Pray and meditate. Fill your mind with scripture through reading or listening to it on audio. Cast your cares on God, because he cares for you.

Rape Culture Series

Did you catch the series I ran on rape culture? If not, here are links to all the posts.

Part 1: Rape Culture 101

Part 2: Victim-Blaming and “Slut-Shaming”

Part 3: Saying “Yes” Isn’t Enough

Part 4: Consent vs. Non-Consent

Part 5: Rape Doesn’t Just Happen in Dark Alleys

Part 6: Popular Culture and Rape Culture

Part 7: Films and Rape Culture

Part 8: Books and Rape Culture

Part 9: Rape Culture and Language

Part 10: Rape Culture and Government

Part 11: Rape Culture and Our Schools

Part 12: Rape Culture and the Media

Part 13: Rape Culture: It’s Bigger Than We Think

Part 14: Rape: It’s a Weapon

Part 15: Rape Culture: A Sense of Entitlement

Part 16: Rape Culture: Almost Every Woman Has a Story

Part 17: Rape Culture: What Can We Do?

Part 18 of 18: Resources on Rape Culture

My Colleagues and I Talk Art & Creation

Anne Lamott, coming to Dallas (free); N T Wright too (not free)

“All Saints” Film Spotlights Church of 12 That Aided 65 Refugees

By Michael Foust

When sixty-five refugees from Southeast Asia started attending Michael Spurlock’s tiny church in Smyrna, Tenn., about a decade ago, he welcomed them, even though the struggling congregation was on the verge of closing its doors.Still, a question lingered in his mind: If the church of only twelve members couldn’t pay its own bills, how could it meet the needs of others? The answer, he says, came from heaven.Spurlock was walking through a large field owned by the church one day when he sensed God telling him, “I’ve given you land, and I have sent you farmers from the other side of the world. Get to work.”The solution seemed simple enough. The Karen refugees who fled Myanmar (Burma) had extensive experience in agriculture, and Spurlock’s congregation—All Saints Episcopal Church—had plenty of property. It even was adjacent to a creek. Church members and the Karen people could partner to grow vegetables, which could then feed hungry mouths or be sold to raise revenue.The plan exceeded everyone’s expectations; by the end of the first summer the group harvested twenty thousand pounds of produce.An inspirational movie based on Spurlock’s story releases in theaters today. Called All Saints (PG), the Affirm Films/Provident Films movie also follows the struggle to oppose an order to sell the building and a battle to save the 2010 crop from a once-in-a-century flood.The film stars Emmy and Golden Globe nominee John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Northern Exposure) as Spurlock, and Screen Actors Guild winner Cara Buono (Stranger Things, Mad Men) as Spurlock’s wife, Aimee. Comedian Chonda Pierce also has a role.“What drew me to welcome them was my understanding of Scripture, which commends hospitality to strangers, and helping people in need,” Spurlock said. “I did hesitate, for a moment, because I feared my already vulnerable church didn’t have the resources to really help the Karen, but I couldn’t reconcile myself to turning them away, either. So, I told them that I didn’t know how anything would work out, but for them to come to church and we’d try to figure things out together.”Even though the Karen had extensive experience in agriculture, Spurlock did not. “I didn’t need it,” he said. Yet he quickly learned about planting and harvesting, not only from the refugees but also from the county’s agriculture department.He also faced less resistance from those around him than he expected. “When I began sharing the news that God intended for us to start a farm, I kept thinking someone would bring me back down to earth and tell me I was crazy,” he said. “But everyone, from my congregation’s leadership to my bishop to experts in agriculture kept telling me how exciting this was, and kept asking how they could help.The “only real resistance,” he said, came from “two or three members of the congregation.” They eventually left the church.Spurlock wants moviegoers who watch All Saints to see God’s power at work. “God directed us, provided for us, encouraged us, and in the end salvaged a situation that we were, at one time, prepared to write off as a loss, but God saved us,” he said. “I want people to leave the theater with a renewed sense that God is alive and well, and still working in His world today,” he said."All Saints" is rated PG for thematic elements. Learn more at www.allsaintsmovie.com.

Michael Foust is an award-winning freelance writer and father of four small children. He blogs about parenting at michaelfoust.com.

The True Beauty of Women

Whatever is true…think on these things.The Thai branch of a Japanese lingerie company, Wacoal, doesn’t feature scantily clad models in their ads. Instead, they tell true stories with life-affirming messages that everyone can watch and appreciate. The ads emphasize women’s true beauty. And the men in the stories are the kind of guys who appreciate goodness, and are not necessarily sexually involved with the women whom they admire and whose stories they tell. Check out the “My Beautiful Woman” ad campaign.

The Protestant Reformation at 500

In January, I had the privilege of going on a press junket to Germany to retrace the steps of Martin Luther. This fall marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, so I visited the Luther sites. My travel/reflection article about it ran today over at Fathom.But they don't have this picture of me standing next to Phillip Melanchthon. To get cool inside stuff like that you have to visit my blog here. Thanks for reading!

On Feminism and Evangelicalism

As part of my PhD research, I read Betty Friedan, heard Gloria Steinem in person, and spent a bunch of semesters exploring the history and teachings of feminism. And after I did so, I reached the conclusion that evangelicals in general need to pull back and regroup both in our representations of feminists and in our approach to reaching them.Just as there is not one "Christianity" but many Christianities (e.g., Orthodox, Catholic, Anglo-Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, Armenian, Calvinist), there are many feminisms (liberal, radical, Marxist, socialist, lesbian, biblical, difference feminists [we are women—viva le difference! from men] and sameness feminists [we’re the same except for biology]), and more.Liberal feminists came out of the Equal Rights Movement. Betty Friedan was one of them. They are interested in equality, not to be confused with sameness. That is, they want the law to quit “seeing gender,” i.e., being biased against one sex or the other in terms of job opportunities, pay, child custody, and property ownership, for example. These feminists were never for unisex bathrooms, though I myself claimed they were in a scathing article I wrote against the ERA in college. I was wrong.Liberal feminism is concerned with attaining economic and political equality within the context of a capitalist society through reforming, improving, and changing existing systems. In Betty Friedan’s book, The Feminine Mystique, she gave voice to women wanting more for themselves than domestic tasks that had been stripped of much of their interesting work (which had long since been shipped off to factories) in such a society. Many Christians describe her as demeaning the vocation of homemaking, but that is not a fair representation. Friedan challenged the misogynistic presuppositions of Freudean psychoanalysis, arguing that women did not envy men’s penises, but rather their opportunities.[i]  A woman should not have to be a homemaker, she felt, if said woman doesn’t want to be one. And if she is one, she should not be told that her children are her entire identity.The number of books sold—three million in its first three years in print[ii]—demonstrated that Friedan had given voice to what many felt.The radical feminists, on the other hand, came out of the Peace Movement. They saw and see so much wrong with materialism/capitalism that they think we will never have equality under the law. Solution? Overhaul society. Radical feminism focuses on patriarchy as the main cause of women’s oppression and operates on the belief that the system is too deeply ingrained and corrupt to modify, so must be radically overthrown. So forget the liberals’ efforts to modify existing laws and work within the system. Radicals want to make noise, shake it up.That's why so many in this group are also big into environmentalism, sometimes Marxism, sometimes socialism, peace, and no nukes. A radical feminist professor of mine said to me, “There is much in Christianity that would oppose materialism too, right?”As the waters of second-wave feminism have receded, numerous puddles have remained, but every resulting feminism challenges some aspect of social, political, or economic structure.The different strains break down as follows:

• Liberal – Individual rather than collective. Seek reform, not revolution. Liberal feminists work within a capitalistic system, laboring to change laws to provide equal opportunities for males and females. A liberal feminist measures progress in the numbers of women and men occupying positions previously considered male-only or female-only. Liberal feminism is the most “mainstream” form of the many feminisms. While socialist feminists focus on collective change and empowerment, liberal feminists focus on individual change and empowerment. Liberal feminists tend to minimize gender differences, not necessarily from a belief that they don’t exist but from a belief that they shouldn’t matter legally.

• Radical – Collective rather than individual. Seeks revolution, not reform. Radical feminists believe the only way to achieve gender equality is to overhaul society. They see male domination of women as the most fundamental form of oppression, and they focus on understanding how men obtain and use power. Because radical feminism shares with socialist feminism the commitment to dramatic social change, radical feminism is often grouped with socialist feminism. Radical feminists view society as patriarchal and believe patriarchy must be transformed on all levels.

• Cultural – A subset of radical feminism is cultural feminism. Cultural feminists maximize gender differences. They tend to stress attributes associated with women's culture (e.g., caring, relationships, interdependence, community), insisting these attributes must be more valued. They reject what they consider unisex thinking in favor of affirming women’s essential femaleness. They tend to de-value virtues typically attributed to men such as domination, autonomy, authority, and independence.

• Socialist feminism – Collective rather than individual. Seek revolution, not reform. Whereas liberal feminists focus on empowering the individual, socialist feminists seek collective change and empowerment. Socialist feminists believe that capitalist societies have fundamental, built-in hierarchies, which result in inequalities. Thus, it's not enough for women individually to rise to powerful positions; instead power must be redistributed. True equality, they believe, will not be achieved without overhauls—especially economic overhauls.

• Marxist or materialist feminism – Collective rather than individual. Seek revolution, not reform. While generally opposed to Socialism, Marxist feminists have much in common with socialist feminists. Marxist feminism is based on Marxist views of labor reform. Like socialist feminists, they believe capitalism is the root of the problem, and power must be redistributed.

• Womanists – The mid-seventies saw the rise of womanism. Womanists emphasize women’s natural contribution to society (used by some in distinction to the term “feminism” and its association with white women). Womanists see race, class, and gender oppression as so interconnected that those who seek to overturn sex and class discrimination without addressing racism are themselves operating out of racism. And they tend to view arguments about whether moms can work as white, middle-class concerns.

Whatever the form, the vast majority of those seeking women’s equality are not man-haters. I heard Gloria Steinem say that one of her greatest frustrations is that she has been accused of being a man-hater, and she is most adamantly not, nor has she ever been. In fact, she said the saddest letters she receives are from male prison inmates empathizing with women who have been raped/oppressed, because they these men are finding themselves victimized behind bars, and they now identify with the suffering.See why I bristle when I hear evangelicals talk about “the feminists”?[i][i] Betty Friedan. The Feminine Mystique. (New York, NY: Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1963.  See especially the chapter titled, “The Sexual Solipsism of Sigmund Freud.”[ii] Source: Ben Wattenberg, “The First Measured Century,” PBS.

Update on My Nephew

In early May, Jonathan, my nephew and a busy college student, began feeling tired and congested. He pushed through to make it to classes, work, and AWANA, where he taught children about God's love. Then a dark spot appeared on one of his front teeth. Exhausted, he slept several days away, and then another dark spot appeared on one of his upper front teeth—but this time, it was accompanied by intense throbbing.His dentist, who X-rayed his teeth and found everything to be normal, told him to see a doctor immediately. He suspected something immunological, And sure enough, blood tests showed acute leukemia. The physician called Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) and talked to the doctors there, then directed Jonathan and my sister, his mom, to go to the ER immediately. The OHSU team would be waiting.Jonathan quickly developed pneumonia and was moved to ICU. And we almost lost him.  We prayed a lot.The OHSU team administered an experimental medication, and his immune system rebounded. He recovered enough to get moved back to a normal hospital room. Then to rehab. Then home for one day for Fourth of July. And possibly discharged this Friday.Some of my friends have asked if they can do something. And the answer is yes. My friend Julie is running the New York Marathon with Jonathan's name on her jersey, and she is doing so to help raise funds for leukemia research through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They do research on stuff like experimental medication that is saving lives.Jonathan has a long way to go. He needs more chemo. But first he must gain back the forty pounds he lost. Thanks to my friends who have supported us and prayed. Would you consider making a donation of even just five bucks? And keep praying! Thanks. 

The Table Podcast: Infertility & Pregnancy Loss

Dr. Julie Fuller and I talk with Dr. Darrell Bock about the marital, ethical, spiritual, and emotional challenges of infertility and pregnancy loss.

Drowning? Chris Can Help...

Today I'm happy to have as my guest Chris Maxwell, who has recently authored a new book about some deep trials he and his family have experienced and survived with some wisdom to share. 

Question: Tell us about your newest book, Underwater: When Encephalitis, Brain Injury, and Epilepsy Change Everything.

Chris:Underwater takes readers through my battle with encephalitis—a time I almost died, but lived and became a much different person. I now live with severe brain damage and epilepsy. Many things that were easy for me before I cannot do, or I find them difficult.My wife, Debbie, and all three of our sons contributed to the book. We included stories about how our lives changed as well as stories from others who live with epilepsy.  We also included advice from a counselor for caregivers—those family members and friends who are often forgotten in underwater stories.

Question:Underwater is an interesting title. Is there a story behind it?

Chris: Our son Taylor is a singer and songwriter. He wrote a song about how he felt while his father went through this struggle, and he titled the song “Underwater.” I planned to just let that be my working title while writing the book. But the publisher loved it, and Taylor gave us permission to use it.

Question: We've featured you here in the past. And I know this is your eighth book. You've also written lots of articles, and you have  edited and contributed content to many other books. Because it's so personal, was writing Underwater different? And if so, how.

Chris: It was not easy having to go through those experiences again. I interviewed family members, friends, doctors, counselors, and heard them describe me—the pre-illness me and the present me. I re-read my journal entrees. It was tough. But it needed to be a struggle so I could write a book through an honest lens. Reading all my medical reports hit me hard. I now work at a college, but because of my brain damage, many of my learning skills don't fit well with today's methods of learning. And when you struggle to remember names and have a variety of short-term memory issues, it is honestly embarrassing.My counselor said, “Writing this book had to be difficult for you. You had to go back through this painful experience from your past and honestly face your present struggles. How did it feel writing the book or, as you say, swimming underwater?”I answered with two words: “painfully healing.” We often miss out on our “painfully healing” encounters. It hurts to see a counselor. It is not soft or simple to seek therapy, accountability, or confrontation. It isn’t a thrill to read medical reports. It is not simple to address our pain. But, when we are willing, it can be therapeutic. We can bring a deeper healing to our inner struggles. No, it wasn't easy, but I am thankful I've visited again my life underwater.

Question: Why go through all that? To what purpose?

Chris: I wanted to write a book that I wish had been available for me and for my family when we went through this. We found books and websites with information, medical advice, explanations, and support groups. But I needed stories. I needed words written in ways this damaged brain could understand: the goals, the word structure, the suggestions. I needed real-life stories providing medical information in conversational style. And we wanted to bring inspiration to people going through similar situations—though their stories might include issues other than epilepsy.

Question: And the response from readers?

Chris: Many people—patients, caregivers, doctors, clergy—have thanked me for the honesty. They  thank me for revealing portions of life they were not aware of. A neurologist said, “Every doctor, every nurse, every clergy member, every teacher, and every governmental official needs a copy of Underwater. Remember, 1 in 26 people in the Unites States suffers epilepsy at some time in their lives. So, why aren’t we making more leaders aware of stories like yours?”

Question: In addition to directing Spiritual Life at Emmanuel College and writing, what other vehicles do you have for sharing your story?

Chris: Since leaving the senior pastorate after serving 19 years at a church in Orlando, I have been speaking in churches of many different denominations. Especially this year, I am speaking in conferences, colleges, churches, businesses, disability groups, missions organizations, and retreats. Schools have asked me to talk about unexpected adventures. Disease, disappointment, regret, addiction, disability, grief, relational pain, physical pain, mental pain, emotional pain. . . .  I seek to tell stories that allow us to cry together, laugh together, and find hope in the storms. I want us to swim together in our underwater adventures—through stories, thoughts, and confessions. I want us to come ashore together, seeking help from others instead of feeling alone.

Question: How can people order Underwater and/or contact you to speak?

Chris: Underwater is available on my website; or people can order the paperback or the eBook (the audiobook will be out soon) on Amazon. They can visit my Amazon page. They can reach me by email at CMaxMan11@gmail.com. My website is www.chrismaxwell.me. My twitter account is @CMaxMan and people can join my "Pause with Chris Maxwell" Facebook page. I hope your readers—whatever causes them to feel underwater—will find hope even in uncertain times.