This document discusses the complex issues around gender, religion, and feminism from an Orthodox Christian perspective. It acknowledges the accusations of misogyny leveled at Christianity historically but argues that early Christian teachings greatly elevated the status of women compared to pagan Roman society. While Orthodox tradition reserves the priesthood for men based on Christ choosing only male apostles, it also recognizes the many important roles women have played in the Church throughout history as saints, missionaries, teachers and more. The document explores tensions between traditional theological views of gender and modern feminist theories, but maintains that within Orthodox spirituality both men and women can achieve equality through transcending earthly identities.
“The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven. The Bible is the product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.”
Leigh Teabing
“People need structure and direction from the Church”
-Aringarosa
“The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven. The Bible is the product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.”
Leigh Teabing
“People need structure and direction from the Church”
-Aringarosa
Christian you're unique
#Uniqueness #Christianity #Uniqueness-Christianity
https://bittube.tv/post/043c2d95-5f74-4314-926d-4b0524a63bee
https://odysee.com/@periodic-reset-of-civilizations:c/Christian-you're-unique:7
https://tube.midov.pl/w/aac7ac42-f6d3-4f44-8787-9457ae649a13
https://www.bitchute.com/video/cE0i9NvcdOZ1/
All the platforms I Am on:
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From the episode: https://www.gospelconversations.com/talks/problem-of-religion
The Epistle to the Hebrews breaks new ground in the debate over religion and grace. In this talk we look at who wrote it, and what problem it is trying to solve - really important questions since it is such an alien book to us modern people in many ways. We delve into the book of Acts in detail and uncover the deep struggle between Jerusalem and Rome that defined the faith in its early days. And we find in the writer to the Hebrews, the man who arguably took over the baton of thought leadership in the early church from Paul and pushed the gospel to its natural boundaries far from the confining views of Jerusalem.
What is the true test of Godliness? How can one fellowship with the true church without being contaminated by the religious impositions of men of today?
The Prince of this world has long been striving and seems almost close to achieving that victory. it is the natural result of the error by the Church; a lowering of the standard of the Kingdom of God through the introduction of the gospel of convenience, a walk with God without transformation of life , a Christianity without the Cross. The church surrendering this basis of her power and legitimacy has made her to exist in a perfect and harmonious accord with the world.
The visible church has virtually created her own ‘GOD’ a religious deity who seems satisfied with his subjects excesses ,cares little about their sins, highly appreciates their works of virtue, even though these were predicated on human pride , and looks with pleasure upon their bold deeds and intellectual displays. Packages of doctrines, whole pedestals of understanding and range of thinking system which form the basis of people’s faith have been tailored to satisfy the cravings of fallen men.
The God of the bible has been left of his own House. His city lies in virtual ruins while the city wall are continually been compromised so that strangers may enter at will. This book written by Ayodeji Ezra-Williams brings to mind the words of Jesus Christ comparing the days of his coming to the days of Noah
Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse: Scandal & Crisis, Prevention & HealingRose Pacatte, D. Min.
This presentation was prepared for a Major Superiors Leadership Conference. The goal is to raise awareness about the situation, educate about circumstances and situations where abuse can happen, develop skills for young women religious (sisters) specifically to deal with situations, and prompt major superiors to develop protocols for reporting and healing. Resources are listed at the end, including films dealing with clergy sex abuse and links to educational and policy resources.
What is the true test of Godliness? How can one fellowship with the true church without being contaminated by the religious impositions of men of today?
The Prince of this world has long been striving and seems almost close to achieving that victory. it is the natural result of the error by the Church; a lowering of the standard of the Kingdom of God through the introduction of the gospel of convenience, a walk with God without transformation of life , a Christianity without the Cross. The church surrendering this basis of her power and legitimacy has made her to exist in a perfect and harmonious accord with the world.
The visible church has virtually created her own ‘GOD’ a religious deity who seems satisfied with his subjects excesses ,cares little about their sins, highly appreciates their works of virtue, even though these were predicated on human pride , and looks with pleasure upon their bold deeds and intellectual displays. Packages of doctrines, whole pedestals of understanding and range of thinking system which form the basis of people’s faith have been tailored to satisfy the cravings of fallen men.
The God of the bible has been left of his own House. His city lies in virtual ruins while the city wall are continually been compromised so that strangers may enter at will. This book written by Ayodeji Ezra-Williams brings to mind the words of Jesus Christ comparing the days of his coming to the days of Noah
SAUL AND STEPHEN— JERUSALEM.
The Meeting of Saul and Stephen — Paul's Preparation — Paul a
" Chosen Vessel" — The Hebrew Boy : in a Jewish Family : a
Religious Family : a Benjamite — Saul at Jerusalem ; at the
Feet of Gamaliel — Saul and the Law — The Training of the
Hands — The Furnishing of the Mind — Contact with
Humanity — The Meeting of Saul and Stephen — The Trial of
Stephen — Saul's Part — Saul's Feelings : Satisfaction : Doubt —
Conscience and Conflict . . . . . i
II. THE CONVERSION— DAMASCUS.
Conversion : its Meaning — Saul's Conversion — Saul the Persecutor
— Saul's Journeys — The Man and his Influence — The Man
and his Motives — Days of Sorrow — The Arrest on the way to
Damascus — The Relief to the Christians — The Power of God
shown: and the Love of God — The Sinner's Humiliation —
The Sinner's Discipline — The Time of Solitude — The Response
to Mercy . . . . . .16
New Testament Survey no.10: Luke - Acts of the ApostlesClive Ashby
As part of the Course on the New Testament, session 10 provides an overview of the second part of the writing of Luke - His historical account of the Acts of the Apostles. (This is part of the New Testament Survey Course taught at Harare Theological College - 2016)
What principles can we glean form the Exodus as to the processes of cultural transformation from slavery to a people of dignity?This material may be viewed as a video at https://vimeo.com/vivgrigg/exodus
Christian you're unique
#Uniqueness #Christianity #Uniqueness-Christianity
https://bittube.tv/post/043c2d95-5f74-4314-926d-4b0524a63bee
https://odysee.com/@periodic-reset-of-civilizations:c/Christian-you're-unique:7
https://tube.midov.pl/w/aac7ac42-f6d3-4f44-8787-9457ae649a13
https://www.bitchute.com/video/cE0i9NvcdOZ1/
All the platforms I Am on:
https://steemit.com/links/@resetciviliz/link-s
▶ BITCOIN
34c3XCeSyoi9DPRks867KL7GVD7tGVcxnH
▶ ETHEREUM
0xAc1FBaEBaCc83D332494B55123F5493a113cE457
▶ TEESPRING
https://periodic-reset.creator-spring.com
From the episode: https://www.gospelconversations.com/talks/problem-of-religion
The Epistle to the Hebrews breaks new ground in the debate over religion and grace. In this talk we look at who wrote it, and what problem it is trying to solve - really important questions since it is such an alien book to us modern people in many ways. We delve into the book of Acts in detail and uncover the deep struggle between Jerusalem and Rome that defined the faith in its early days. And we find in the writer to the Hebrews, the man who arguably took over the baton of thought leadership in the early church from Paul and pushed the gospel to its natural boundaries far from the confining views of Jerusalem.
What is the true test of Godliness? How can one fellowship with the true church without being contaminated by the religious impositions of men of today?
The Prince of this world has long been striving and seems almost close to achieving that victory. it is the natural result of the error by the Church; a lowering of the standard of the Kingdom of God through the introduction of the gospel of convenience, a walk with God without transformation of life , a Christianity without the Cross. The church surrendering this basis of her power and legitimacy has made her to exist in a perfect and harmonious accord with the world.
The visible church has virtually created her own ‘GOD’ a religious deity who seems satisfied with his subjects excesses ,cares little about their sins, highly appreciates their works of virtue, even though these were predicated on human pride , and looks with pleasure upon their bold deeds and intellectual displays. Packages of doctrines, whole pedestals of understanding and range of thinking system which form the basis of people’s faith have been tailored to satisfy the cravings of fallen men.
The God of the bible has been left of his own House. His city lies in virtual ruins while the city wall are continually been compromised so that strangers may enter at will. This book written by Ayodeji Ezra-Williams brings to mind the words of Jesus Christ comparing the days of his coming to the days of Noah
Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse: Scandal & Crisis, Prevention & HealingRose Pacatte, D. Min.
This presentation was prepared for a Major Superiors Leadership Conference. The goal is to raise awareness about the situation, educate about circumstances and situations where abuse can happen, develop skills for young women religious (sisters) specifically to deal with situations, and prompt major superiors to develop protocols for reporting and healing. Resources are listed at the end, including films dealing with clergy sex abuse and links to educational and policy resources.
What is the true test of Godliness? How can one fellowship with the true church without being contaminated by the religious impositions of men of today?
The Prince of this world has long been striving and seems almost close to achieving that victory. it is the natural result of the error by the Church; a lowering of the standard of the Kingdom of God through the introduction of the gospel of convenience, a walk with God without transformation of life , a Christianity without the Cross. The church surrendering this basis of her power and legitimacy has made her to exist in a perfect and harmonious accord with the world.
The visible church has virtually created her own ‘GOD’ a religious deity who seems satisfied with his subjects excesses ,cares little about their sins, highly appreciates their works of virtue, even though these were predicated on human pride , and looks with pleasure upon their bold deeds and intellectual displays. Packages of doctrines, whole pedestals of understanding and range of thinking system which form the basis of people’s faith have been tailored to satisfy the cravings of fallen men.
The God of the bible has been left of his own House. His city lies in virtual ruins while the city wall are continually been compromised so that strangers may enter at will. This book written by Ayodeji Ezra-Williams brings to mind the words of Jesus Christ comparing the days of his coming to the days of Noah
SAUL AND STEPHEN— JERUSALEM.
The Meeting of Saul and Stephen — Paul's Preparation — Paul a
" Chosen Vessel" — The Hebrew Boy : in a Jewish Family : a
Religious Family : a Benjamite — Saul at Jerusalem ; at the
Feet of Gamaliel — Saul and the Law — The Training of the
Hands — The Furnishing of the Mind — Contact with
Humanity — The Meeting of Saul and Stephen — The Trial of
Stephen — Saul's Part — Saul's Feelings : Satisfaction : Doubt —
Conscience and Conflict . . . . . i
II. THE CONVERSION— DAMASCUS.
Conversion : its Meaning — Saul's Conversion — Saul the Persecutor
— Saul's Journeys — The Man and his Influence — The Man
and his Motives — Days of Sorrow — The Arrest on the way to
Damascus — The Relief to the Christians — The Power of God
shown: and the Love of God — The Sinner's Humiliation —
The Sinner's Discipline — The Time of Solitude — The Response
to Mercy . . . . . .16
New Testament Survey no.10: Luke - Acts of the ApostlesClive Ashby
As part of the Course on the New Testament, session 10 provides an overview of the second part of the writing of Luke - His historical account of the Acts of the Apostles. (This is part of the New Testament Survey Course taught at Harare Theological College - 2016)
What principles can we glean form the Exodus as to the processes of cultural transformation from slavery to a people of dignity?This material may be viewed as a video at https://vimeo.com/vivgrigg/exodus
Jesus: The Face of Discipleship (Building a Better Disciple Part 1)Jonathan Sullivan
Before understanding how to become a disciple we must first know what a disciple is. Through the person of Jesus Christ we will come to know what it means to claim the name “Christian.”
This is the first in a five-part webinar series on Christian discipleship. Slides and other handouts can be found at http://bit.ly/BetterDisciple.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
How to Split Bills in the Odoo 17 POS ModuleCeline George
Bills have a main role in point of sale procedure. It will help to track sales, handling payments and giving receipts to customers. Bill splitting also has an important role in POS. For example, If some friends come together for dinner and if they want to divide the bill then it is possible by POS bill splitting. This slide will show how to split bills in odoo 17 POS.
Students, digital devices and success - Andreas Schleicher - 27 May 2024..pptxEduSkills OECD
Andreas Schleicher presents at the OECD webinar ‘Digital devices in schools: detrimental distraction or secret to success?’ on 27 May 2024. The presentation was based on findings from PISA 2022 results and the webinar helped launch the PISA in Focus ‘Managing screen time: How to protect and equip students against distraction’ https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/managing-screen-time_7c225af4-en and the OECD Education Policy Perspective ‘Students, digital devices and success’ can be found here - https://oe.cd/il/5yV
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
An EFL lesson about the current events in Palestine. It is intended to be for intermediate students who wish to increase their listening skills through a short lesson in power point.
Dealing with dilemmas feminism in a patriarchal church Jan 2017
1. Dealing with Dilemmas
Being a male ‘feminist’ in a ‘patriarchal’ faith community
To critically reflect on modern theories of gender, culture,
power and authority, situated as a dilemma of identity and
performativity of gender, ethnicity and religion
Fr Timothy Curtis
A personal perspective- not speaking on behalf of the University of Northampton or the
Orthodox Church
2. • ‘We need to be open to exploring our own
inner attitudes, lurking deep inside, if we
are to have a critical engagement with the
world. Without this, our non-verbal
language projects our prejudices and
expectations, and sometimes this is the
opposite to
• what we say!’ (Ledwith, 2016)
3. What am I going to say about
sexism and gender?
What am I going to say about
religion?
Write a few notes about your
expectations of this session.
4. Orientation
• Religion
– Formal
– Structured
– Communal
– Doctrinal
• Spirituality
– Informal
– Unstructured
– Individual
– Experiential
Who am I?
Who are you?
What is God?
Gender
Culture
Body
Biology
Communion
5. OK, Christianity is sexist, right?
• I’m a male, that’s limiting
• I’m Christian, and that’s a
faith full of male priests
• I believe in a male God, or
do I?
• I certainly live in a feminist
world
• Am I even sure of that?
6. Starting point
• “Do not be conformed to this world, but
continually be transformed by the renewing of
your minds.” Romans 12:2
• I (as a Christian) stand as a challenge to the
norms of ‘the world’
• I (as a Christian) stand not to ‘be natural’ but to
be called to ‘be perfect’, knowing that I also fail
at that
• Raise up the ‘image and likeness of God’ in us
This is a complex area- I’m just looking at the principles
10. 100 aborted babies in sewers
discovered by archaeologists while excavating a
Roman bathhouse in Ashkelon, 1990
11. Gender imbalance in the Roman Empire
• 131 males to 100 females in the city of Rome
• 140 males to 100 females in Italy, Asia Minor and North
Africa
• ‘By prohibiting all forms of infanticide and abortion,
Christians removed major causes of the gender
imbalance that existed among pagans’ (Rodney Stark)
12. The status of women in the
Roman world
• Many girls were married at puberty and often before
• Girls received little or no education
• A woman was the legal property of some man at all
stages of her life
• Men could divorce a woman simply by ordering her out
of the house
13. Low sexual mores were reinforced by a male
culture that held marriage in low esteem
• Men often resorted to prostitutes
• Female prostitutes were common
• There were many male prostitutes, as
bisexuality and homosexuality were
widespread
14. Revolutionary impact of the
Judaeo-Christian ethic
• It raised the status of women
• It gave value to human life
• It bestowed on marriage qualities of friendship and
equality
• It condemned promiscuity in men and women equally
• It stressed the mutual obligations of husbands and wives
• It transformed marriage into a love relationship
Remember Gramsci’s concept of hegemonic power?
15. But now……with the help of sociology
• The accusation of misogyny comes from,
above all, Western feminists referring to
the Latin traditions from Augustine to
Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure
• Sociologists looking from outside (Weber,
Durkheim, Marx)
– Weber’s notion of traditional and charismatic
authority
• Focussed on visible power and authority
i.e. not Foucault’s notion of power, or Boulding’s 1989 concept of integrative power
16. An old, old question
• Genesis 1:27-28 and Galatians
3:27-28 are found at the heart of the
Fathers’ anthropological meditation:
– "The woman possesses, just as the
man, the privilege of having been
created in the image of God. Both their
natures are equally honourable,"
• Basil the Great’s (4th
century) reply to
a woman whose own doubts led her
to question him on this topic.
17. Genesis 1:27-28
• So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
• And God blessed them. And God said to
them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the
earth and subdue it and have dominion
over the fish of the sea and over the birds
of the heavens and over every living thing
that moves on the earth.”
These statements seem to fly in the face of ‘modern’ theories of performed gender
18. Galatians 3:27-28
• For all of you who were baptized into
Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free man, there is neither
male nor female; for you are all one in
Christ Jesus.
• Does that mean we ignore ‘female’ in
preference for a male ‘normality’?
19. • Gregory of Nazianzus
(also 4th
Century) proclaims,
• "The same creator for man and for
woman, for both the same clay, the same
image, the same death, the same
resurrection.“
• Being- essentialist biological difference
• Becoming- orientation, experience of maleness
20. So, why can’t women be priests?
• This concept of ‘priest’ is a very narrow concept of the
Christian life and ministry
• It assumes that the only valid form of ministry (cf life) is
priest.
• A priest exists only to administer some sacraments i.e.
sacerdote- to offer the gifts
• All Christians participate in all sacraments (more than 7)
• Pastoral care is different from sacerdotal function
• The priest models (ikon), in place of Jesus, the
relationship between God and Jesus, a male relationship
• The model of the relationship between Mary and Jesus
(mother/woman and son/deity) has a different character
and function
21. I am not relying on these for my argument:
• Jesus chose only male disciples
• That God had to become a man to
operate in patriarchal Jerusalem society
• That the bible does not exclude women
from ordained ministry
• Jesus was male, therefore priests have to
be male- why not also Jewish?
• It's because ancient people were dumb,
we're wiser now.
22. Society at the time was not misogynist
• It is unhistorical and simply false to say that in Jesus' day
priestesses would have been unacceptable to people at
large.
• Jesus never hesitated to violate cultural taboos (John
5:1-18).
• He spoke to women in public (John 4:4-42; 8:3-11).
• The first witnesses of his Resurrection were women
(passim).
• Furthermore, the lands around the Mediterranean
teemed with religions with priestesses.
– The famed Vestal Virgins of Rome were priestesses.
– There was a priestess functioning at Delphi.
– The Sybil was a priestess and the many temple prostitutes were
priestesses
• Existence of priestesses in nearby religions was not
exceptional
23. St Paul understood…
• There have always been queens and
princesses, and now there are female
prime ministers and presidents.
• BUT
• In terms of human functions, a woman can
no more be a priest than a man can be a
mother (biological function).
• So the ‘priest’ pertains to the essential biology……..his
‘being’ not his ‘becoming’…???
24. Bad St Paul, the misogynist
• Women be submissive and silent in church (1 Timothy
2:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35).
• Yet Paul honours many women in active ministry, like
the deaconess Phoebe (Romans 16:1).
• And he hails Euodia, Synteche (1 Corinthians 4:2-3) and
Prisca (Romans 16:3) as synergoi (fellow-workers) in the
gospel.
• Vocal prophetesses are found everywhere in the Bible,
from Moses' sister Miriam (Exodus 15:20) to the four
daughters of St. Philip (Acts 21:9).
• The prophetess Anna spoke out in the temple, telling
everyone about the child Christ (Luke 2:36-38).
• cf Silence = hesychia
25. It’s a question of scale…
• We have some semantic confusion here, because many
things people think are restricted to clergy are done by
Orthodox laity.
• We have women saints who were missionary
evangelists, church-planters, teachers, healers,
preachers, apologists, spiritual mothers, counselors,
miracle-workers, martyrs, iconographers,
hymnographers, and theologians.
• Holy women do virtually everything men do, except
stand at the altar (and men are excluded from adult
female baptism preparation- deaconesses).
• That leaves the rest of the world—which is where most
of God's work gets done.
26. St. Theodora the Empress
• Actress, sex worker and
empress
• Joannes Laurentius Lydus,
remarked that she was
"superior in intelligence to any
man".
• Justinian clearly recognized
this as well, allowing her to
share his throne and take
active part in decision making.
• exercised authority over both
men and women,
• brought a triumphant end to
the destruction of icons.
27. • St. Nina, a 14-year-
old slave, evangelized
the entire nation of
Georgia.
28. • St. Mary Magdalene,
St. Helen, and others
are called "Equal to
the Apostles."
• A common title in the
Orthodox church,
never used in the
west
29. • St. Catherine and St.
Perpetua were brilliant
debaters.
• put to the sword. "But
Perpetua, that she might
have some taste of pain,
was pierced between the
bones and shrieked out;
and when the
swordsman's hand
wandered still (for he was
a novice), herself set it
upon her own neck.
30. But on the other hand.........
• The Fathers of the Church’s egalitarianism
is “situated in the ..completeness of the
end of time, when genital sexuality will be
transcended”. Women in the Orthodox Church Elisabeth Behr-Sigel
• Monasticism anticipates this
completeness: transcending genital
sexuality
• Even married life is expected to ultimately
transcend genital sexuality
31. Fr Alexander Schmemann
• “This priesthood is Christ's, not ours. None
of us, man or woman, has any "right" to it;
it is emphatically not one of human
vocations, analogous, even if superior, to
all others.” Rev. Dr. Schmemann
32. Tatiana Goricheva:
• "Here I had to exert all my efforts in trying to explain how our
Russian "feminism" became religious and why it is that only in the
Church can today's Russian woman find freedom and consolation;
only there does she receive strength for life and spiritual struggle.
Even now it is the Church alone which takes on problems unique to
women.
• “We saw that social changes would not liberate either men or
women unless they were connected with the main thing, with the
spiritual revolution which was taking place in every soul and
throughout society. We said that women could only be free in the
Church.
• http://www.roca.org/OA/37/37k.htm
• doctoral student of philosophy at the University of
Leningrad, exiled to Vienna 1980
33. Implications
• Do we follow our own interpretation of a
faith community’s beliefs? (i.e. our beliefs
are superior & universal)
• Or do we follow their own account of those
beliefs, because all beliefs are equal?
(relativism)
• Is sexism an intrinsic part of the belief of
Christianity, or are Christians, in practice,
about as sexist as everyone else?
• How do you balance belief and practice?