Two questions were being decided yesterday:
- At Lakeview, do you think that women should be allowed to silently participate in
the worship service by passing the communion and offering trays (no prayer)? - At Lakeview do you think that women should be allowed to serve in speaking
(non-teaching) roles like announcements, scripture reading, and prayer?
Come on.
On second thought, though, the questions are brutally honest. Lakeview Church of Christ is not deciding on the worth or value or inherent ability of the women who are members. The Church is deciding what it will allow women to do in public, much like Harding does when it imposes a "no shorts before 2 PM" rule. The phrasing of the questions makes plain: women (like gays) are an issue to be debated.
As the debate around the questions continued, only men spoke. About women. For women. For the interest of the church, and for "our children" (gag). Finally, a young woman spoke up, during the part of the discussion about whether women should be allowed to pray in public.
This woman mentioned Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, and Mary. And she asked the question: "If the prayers of these women can become Scripture, with authority over us today, why can't I pray in the assembly?"
Mary's words are appropriate for the conversation, I think.
- My soul glorifies the Lord, *
- my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
- He looks on his servant in her lowliness; *
- henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
- The Almighty works marvels for me. *
- Holy his name!
- His mercy is from age to age, *
- on those who fear him.
- He puts forth his arm in strength *
- and scatters the proud-hearted.
- He casts the mighty from their thrones *
- and raises the lowly.
- He fills the starving with good things, *
- sends the rich away empty.
- He protects Israel, his servant, *
- remembering his mercy,
- the mercy promised to our fathers, *
- to Abraham and his sons for ever.
- (Luke 1:46-55, Douay-Rheims Version)
3 comments:
super duper interesting. i shared your post with my parents and they found it interesting too. and sad. i think after they move to chicago they may choose to go to a non- church of christ for the first time in their lives. they've been attending manhattan coc since they've been here, and not that that church is perfect, but it seems that they get more right than many c's of c. and now my parents can't go backward. makes me proud of them, ashamed of the coc, but that doesn't surprise me any more. on another note, i'm sorry we weren't really friends at harding, but i think you're awesome. i'll give you a holla when i visit chicago.
Lakeview is a strange place. Really fantastic in some ways, but still a little behind the times in others. It looks like, when all the voting is done, that women will finally be serving in all areas of the church's life (which is a huge step forward). They don't have such a great track record when it comes to the gays, but I'm hoping that will start to change, too.
Lakeview is a small church that sits right in the middle of a low-income neighborhood. It is racially diverse, has a great focus on outreach, and has a really tight-knit community. If I felt more welcome there, it would be an ideal place for me.
Your parents should definitely check it out, but it's not for everyone. It's definitely different from Manhattan.
i lived in Chicago in the late 80s and was still marginally connected to the Church of Christ. i did not attend Lakeview, but a close (woman) friend did, and i occasionally visited with her. she and another woman congregant were very interested in this issue and generated a discussion of this topic way back then. i guess there is a LONG gestation period for this sort of change (20+ years!).
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