Thanks for sharing. I so relate to both your struggle in not having any local egalitarian friends and the new love for being a woman and the freedom to flourish in it found once making that jump. Both sum up my current experience.

Welcome,
Deb

“- I used to hate being a woman when I was a believer in gender hierarchy, but now I know that I can use my gifts in the church and use my life in so many ways to serve God regardless of my gender. How freeing! It makes me want to praise God that he made me a woman -”.

To my mind you have hit on the truth of the situation in that for you, and many others, this new found freedom is a release into far greater possibilities than are offered a woman in hierarchical church structures. Not only that but an egalitarian view does not rob you of your femininity at all. In fact the reverse, it enables you to see that being a woman won’t disadvantage you in offering your life in service for Christ. You are also right Lisa in feeling the need for encouragement because, sadly, there are plenty of people out there who will want to talk you out of this new sense of freedom.

Thankfully there are heaps of resources and connections to be found through CBE. Possibly even a chapter of likeminded believers (if you happen to be in the USA) in your area or a CBE listing of egalitarian churches may just uncover one that is near enough for you to attend.

Understanding true equality is something which escapes so many, mostly due to the centuries of poor interpretations of certain bible passages and the pervading culture which has such influence. Once known…..we could never return and want to tell everyone what freedom there is in Christ.

In answer to your question re reform…I think it is a slow process as it has taken so long for hierarchy to become so entrenched. It is also an enlightenment issue so we are always asking God to open the eyes of those who don’t see.
People like yourself who have had their eyes opened will be used of God to challenge and encourage others.

When we first read about egalitarianism it was the answer to all the questions we had over so many years and gave us solid reasons for what we had instinctively known all along.

http://equalitycentral.com/forum/index.php

Many egals there of many types. Some conservative, others less so, but all honor the Bible and love God.

Again welcome

I am a blooming egalitarian, which is completely heretical from where I come from (I’ve only managed to tell some of my closest friends). I grew up in an extremely complementarian church; I can’t tell you how many sermons I’ve heard on “man’s veto power” until I’m sick of hearing it. I’ve also heard all the “woman’s highest calling is to be a wife and mother” (notice, I’ve never heard men being extolled to undertake in parenting…how un-masculine, right?).

In my first few years of high school, I decided to think for myself and was introduced to several egalitarian scholars. Almost as soon as I was introduced to the subject, I absorbed it in like a dry sponge (I was reading, thinking, ‘why hasn’t anyone told me about this before?). After I became certain that I was going to become a full egalitarian, I felt free. Complementarians are always saying how egalitarian women are “feminist” and they cannot rejoice in their femininity. Nothing could be further from the truth – I used to hate being a woman when I was a believer in gender hierarchy, but now I know that I can use my gifts in the church and use my life in many ways to serve God regardless of my gender. How freeing! It makes me want to praise God that he made me a woman – not to serve man and make my life all about marriage, but that I can serve my Creator in whatever task he has given to me! And once I get married, I can have a man that loves me and is my PARTNER not my master. Now, I know that I can have a marriage with MUTUAL love, respect and submission.

Alright, I just had to get that out =P. Like I said, I’m just a blooming egalitarian, and I am young and in a hard spot with the Church around me. Please give me some encouragement if you can! I don’t know any other egalitarians around me, and the viewpoint is very unpopular where I come from.

I completely agree with this last post on beauty. The Western culture especially is obsessed with the feminine appeal. I know that so many people have commented on my beauty, but I’d rather have comments on my hard work ethic and my character. Sadly, I even find this mindset in the church. How can we make reform?

Jane