Rethink: Two Sides of Legalism, Women in the Church, and Living with Christian Brokenness

This month let's explore two sides of legalism, question the place of women in the church, and ponder how we live as believers amidst the brokenness of modern Christianity.

Rethinking Faith: July 2023

Welcome to the July issue of Rethinking Faith. This month we will explore two sides of legalism while contemplating true freedom, question the place of women in the organized church, and ponder how to navigate our faith when there is so much brokenness within modern Christianity.

If we are still focused on behaviors, are we really free?

I recently joined Threads, the new text based social media that’s connected to Instagram. I’ve never enjoyed Twitter and since Threads is a similar style of social media, I don’t know that I will last long there either. I think it comes down to the way you are supposed to write “off the top of your head.” Problem is, I struggle to write like that because I often regret my less-thought-out thoughts. And honestly, other people’s spontaneous thoughts aren’t always great either.

For some reason the Threads’ algorithm seems to think that I want to see people who are deconstructing their faith—like angrily deconstructing it, and then rejecting it, mocking it, and hating anyone who still has it. It’s really sad.

And I left ‘ve been left with a few questions.

If you abandoned a conservative, religious faith, but you are still hyper focused on correct behaviors and beliefs, still fixated on people being just like you in order for them to be good, and still hating people who believe differently, have you really found anything new? Have you actually changed? Are you truly free? Or is your new progressive ideology just a different side of the same religious coin?

The things I’ve read have broken my heart.

I want to sit down and weep and then stand up and whisper, “I don’t think you’ve met Jesus. I think you are confusing someone else’s opinions about god with the real One. What if He’s not who you think He is? What if you are still wrong? Can you entertain that thought?”

Photo by Mick Haupt

But I don’t think they want to. So I leave them alone, and I’m going to talk to you instead.

Because if you are reading this email, then you probably still want God to be real. You probably still hope that He is good, loving, and kind. You most likely still believe that Jesus came as God to earth about two thousand years ago for one reason: “To seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). You probably want to believe that even in the middle of your questions and doubts.

Friends, real change will never happen by force. It will never be created through behavior modification, formulas, or following the right steps no matter what side you are on. Change can only happen as we encounter the Person of Jesus Christ and as His Spirit begins to transform our hearts from the inside out.

Jesus came to Earth, lived among us, and died in our place so that we could be restored. Restored to life: to a deep connection with God our Creator, with others around us (even if they are very different from us), and to our own broken hearts.

So let’s throw away the religious coin with it’s two legalistic sides, and let’s enter the crazy, backwards, inside out, upside down Kingdom of Jesus. A place of paradox, tension, and unanswered questions. A place where we are free to rethink our beliefs while loving others who are different because we are acutely aware of the lavish grace we constantly receive from God.

Do women belong in church leadership?

“For centuries, the church has focused its interest on the male leaders of the early church—as if women weren’t even there. In fact, some seem to think women weren’t there in the rooms when important things happened. But there is ample evidence inside and outside the New Testament that women were actively involved in ministry, at the frontier of the gospel mission, as respected leaders in the church, and even as primary leaders of household congregations.”

Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church, by Nijay K. Gupta

The timing of Tell Her Story’s release into the world is ironic. It doesn’t surprise me at all that it is already on its fourth printing in four months. As the SBC voted to completely bar women from church pastor/elder positions and John Piper declared that women shouldn’t even lead parachurch organizations, Nijay K Gupta reminds us about the real story of women in the early church. Beth Allison Barr wrote a beautiful forward for the book which made me pull out her book, The Making of Biblical Womanhood, again. That book blew my mind a few summers back!

As much as I love trying to find truth in the middle way, sometimes there isn’t a middle. In this case, Piper and the SBC and Gupta and Barr can’t both be right. The Bible can’t ban women from any and all forms of church leadership while also welcoming and celebrating their gifts and leadership skills. Someone is wrong here.

I’m not sure every theological battle is worth fighting, but this one feels important. This is a place where we need to decide what we believe and take a stand for the health of the current and future church.

As for me, I’m standing on the side that looks at the broad scope of Scripture, takes into account Old Testament women like Deborah, Miriam, and the prophetess Huldah, watches the way Jesus treated women in a patriarchal society, and reads the Bible as an ancient book written in a different language and culture from ours. Both The Making of Biblical Womanhood and Tell Her Story helped to form my opinion and solidify my side. They are well worth your time!

How do we respond as believers to all of the false teachers, abusive leaders, scandals, and more?

Can I be honest? I’m overwhelmed by the amount of brokenness within our modern versions of Christianity.

Abusers of all kinds continue to be exposed and need to keep being exposed. False teachers and phony prophets rise up to lead well-meaning people astray with their sneaky formulas, fake promises, and twisted truths. One scandal after another seems to rock Christian organizations, churches, and ministries. Narcissistic leaders love power, money, and fame more than they love people or Jesus.

It’s a lot. Where do you even start? No wonder some people take a serious look and then choose to walk away from their faith. Where do those of us who want to keep our faith and help to heal the church even begin?

I think there are a few important things that we can focus on:

1. Instead of hiding, ignoring, or burying our heads in our pillows, we can take the time to acknowledge the truth and lament that truth before God. “I hate this, God. I hate that so much corruption, abuse, and pain comes from people who claim Your name. It breaks me, and I know that it breaks You too. Won’t You do something about it?”

2. We can personally walk in truth, pursing the real Jesus, and telling people in our small circle about who He is and what He has done in our lives. “Jesus, become SO real to each of us.”

3. Rather than focus on our frustration and discouragement, we can work to build awareness of false teachers, fake teachings, and abusive leadership tactics. They often use the same strategies and techniques and are easier to spot once you become aware of them. “God, give us the gift of discernment!”

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Thanks for taking a moment to rethink some of our religious traditions and beliefs. I know that it can be scary to deconstruct and reconstruct our faith, but finding the real Jesus is absolutely worth it. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, or comments.

You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, my website, and on my podcast Looking for the Real God. I’d love to connect with you on any of these places!