The CBE Scroll

Kudos to the people at The Jesus Film Project for their latest release, Magdalena: Released from Shame. I have not yet seen the film, but according to a Christianity Today reviewer, Magdalena “combines footage from the original Jesus film with new material emphasizing Christ’s compassion for women.” Apparently the purpose of the new film is to deliver the essential message of the original film specifically to women, as well as to non-Western cultures in which “honor and shame are more powerful paradigms than guilt and innocence.”

The Jesus Film Project website describes the film this way:

One woman caught in the scandalous act of adultery; another, rejected and ignored because of her promiscuous lifestyle; another, shunned for 12 years because of a shameful condition; a widow, cast out from society, mourning the loss of her only son. An ugly thread of shame, sorrow and hopelessness painfully weaves its way through the lives of each of these women.

After following Jesus for three years, Mary Magdalene observed all these things and more. She also witnessed changed lives, miracles, and the results of restored hope. Watching with amazement, Mary learned from Jesus a new way to look at people. He also radically transformed her life by healing her from demon possession—releasing her from shame.

The film’s action is narrated by the Mary Magdalene character, played by Rebecca Ritz (of Minority Report), presenting Jesus’ life through the eyes of one of his female disciples. According to Christianity Today, “After a recent showing in Israel, one viewer emotionally expressed her appreciation for the way Jesus ‘dealt with women in respect’ and ‘released them from fear.’ In every culture, in every language, that’s a story women need to hear.” Amen!

Sneak previews are available on the film’s gorgeous interactive website, www.magdalenamovie.com, and DVDs can be purchased at The Jesus Film Store.

Will here, administrator of The CBE Scroll this past year. I am writing to let you, the community of the Scroll, know that I will no longer be serving blog administrator, as I will be stepping away from employment at CBE and taking the time necessary to complete my translation into the Eastern Orthodox Church as well as explore graduate school options. Stepping in to serve as administrators will be Liz and Trevor, already well known here.

Thank you for having allowed me to read your posts and comments, to interact with you, and to be a part of the community here. I will continue to be around and to read, if in a less-official manner, and I look forward to seeing the Scroll continue to be the place of growing, learning, and of challenge and dialogue that it has become. I want to encourage you to continue to do the critical work and ask the hard questions that you do here, and realize that it is heard and that it makes a difference. As administrator I saw it on more than one occasion.

So once again, thank you. I have appreciated all of you and my interaction with you both on and off of The CBE Scroll. Carry on, and be sure to make Liz and Trevor feel just as welcome as you did me!

CBE was recently contacted by Paula Fether, who has working to assemble a wiki-type document, here, attempting to provide a concise summary of egalitarianism.

She is looking for people to help contribute to and edit/critique the summary. If you would be interested in helping with this, please get in contact with her by using the contact form on her blog, www.fether.net.

In following up a link which was quoted in a previous article, I read again other people’s statements about what we believe. I am troubled by this misinformation and would like to record these corrections for all complementarians who read this site, and for the encouragement to all who believe in true biblical equality.

1. We do not want to see women usurp authority over men.

2. We do not seek equality so that women can eventually rule and dominate the men in their lives

3. We do not believe that equality means ’sameness’ or ‘androgyny’.

4. We do not deny male and female biology as created by God as ‘good.’

5. We do not believe that to be equal is to be identical.

6. We do not believe that people have to choose between feminism and the Bible.

All the original statements were in just one article among many of a similar nature. My concern is the emotive nature of such writing which gives readers no room to explore or discuss the issues but boldly makes such declarations about what other fellow Christians are said to believe.

In writing this, I would urge all of us who believe in true biblical equality to be careful that we do not assume to speak for other people who believe differently from us in these matters. Let us be reminded to treat others in the same way we would like to be treated.

Where can you find music, poetry, food, camping, tattoos, workshops, and venders all in one location? Hosted by Jesus People USA, the Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois attracted thousands of people who were ready not only to hear their favorite bands, but also to engage in dialogue at the various workshops held during the festival.

Christians for Biblical Equality also hosted a tent at the festival. For three days (June 28-30) we offered lectures at our tent covering topics such as women leaders in church history, mutuality in marriages, eating disorders in the church, Christian dating, overcoming sexual violence, modesty, the Trinity, the image of God, why women in the church are drawn to Wicca, what psychology teaches us about gender, and what happens when men and women do not fit into ‘gender roles.’ We began each day with a Celtic worship service from the Iona community of Scotland.

We were very well-received at this event and the environment was encouraging, uplifting, and supportive. The lectures sparked a lot of dialogue. The people who came to our tent were passionate about their Christian faith and genuinely wanted to learn more about issues pertaining to biblical equality. Some approached our table and asked how they could get started. Some people continuously came back to our tent and we were able to develop relationships with them. We invited attendees to join us for meals so that we could dialogue and develop relationships further.

Many people approached us and expressed how grateful they were to see us at Cornerstone and how they were encouraged by our presence. Some needed to see that they were not alone in their egalitarian convictions. Some shared with us how they came from communities without other egalitarian support, and our presence was a reminder that they are not alone in this cause.

Our bookstore at the tent was flooded with people checking out our resources. We ended up taking many book orders because we sold out of many of the books we brought with us. Some of our books were sold out before the end of the first day! We also provided many people with free articles and information on CBE. Some of the attendees also signed up for CBE membership!

Overall, the experience at Cornerstone was very uplifting and encouraging, both for us at CBE and for those who visited our tent. The dialogue was engaging, relationships were formed, many left with CBE resources, some began their path to biblical equality, and others were strengthened and encouraged in their egalitarian beliefs. It is clear that CBE’s presence at Cornerstone is a ministry opportunity that must continue.