Arts and Humanities Commons^™

From Theology To Praxis: The Quest For The Full Inclusion Of Women In Churches Of Christ, Jennifer H. Christy

Jennifer H Christy

From the earliest days of the movement’s history, Churches of Christ have been shaped by a literalist reading of the Bible that has privileged certain texts over others in the conversation surrounding the role of women in the life of the church. Patriarchal systems of thought and practice have dominated the conversation. Support from a few key texts has been used to establish the belief that women are created in subordination and submission to men, often resulting in the status of women being regarded as inferior and unequal to men. This manifests in a polity where women are limited, or …

Moving From Fad To Fundamentals: The Future Of The Evangelical Christian Adoption And Orphan Care Movement, David M. Smolin

David M. Smolin

Although the current evangelical Christian adoption and orphan care movement is less than ten years old, it has already attracted severe criticism. As an evangelical Christian and adoptive parent, I have been among the “inside critics” of the movement. The inside critique of the movement is distinctive in embracing the Christian presuppositions of the movement, while still offering objections to the theology, rhetoric, and practices associated with it.

Given the intensity and scope of my critiques, it may have been easy to misunderstand the intention as purely negative. To the contrary, however, my intention is ultimately constructive because I am …