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Hey Salem, thanks for this thoughtful comment! First, I want to apologize if anything I said sounded like God "wants" evil to happen. That is NOT the case! I think when evil things happen it breaks God's heart because we are all God's children. No one wants their children to harm one other! I stated "God DOESN'T author evil," meaning, God doesn't want it, like it, or intend for it to happen. However, we live in a broken world and God did give us free will. We have an option to chose to do good in the world or not. With freedom to chose as we please sometimes humanity makes bad choices, especially if someone is living out of sin, like jealousy, hatred, etc. This is why I chose the story of Joseph. Nothing is more heartbreaking than to have your own brothers want to kill you but instead settle at selling you into slavery. This choice of selling their brother Joseph into slavery was an evil act. However, even though the brothers intended to harm Joseph by doing this, God used this very same situation to create a life that would lead him on a journey where he crossed paths with many powerful people, including Pharaoh. So God took this painful experience and used it for good by raising Joseph up to a place of power within Pharaohs home. Now Joseph was in a position that gave him the power needed to save many lives, including the lives of the same brothers that intended to kill him out of their jealousy. That's the beauty of how God works. Even when others intend to harm us, God's promise is that he will make good come out of it. God will not allow the evil act to just be as it is, or have the last word, leaving us hopeless. Rather, if we trust God in the journey, then we know that God will take even the most horrible things in our lives (like crucifixion) and transform them into things that bring life. The "Big Story" is that God is in the process of making all of creation whole again. God seeks to bring healing and restore creation and will use whatever is there to do so.

​@@maureenoconnor2089 Free will? Are you trying to tell me everyday approximately 29,000 children under the age of five, through no fault of their own, are choosing of their own free will to die? Come on, you got to be kidding me. Why are you ignoring natural evil(natural disasters & disease) which have nothing to do with free will. If an all powerful loving god existed we would expect a world without natural evil in it. However if our world was formed through natural processes then natural disasters and diseases is exactly what we would expect.

Hey Salem, God allows free will because God is love (1 John 4:8;16) and real love NEVER forces. God loves us SO MUCH but does't force us to love him back or love others. Since there is sin and evil in the world bad things happen when we don't chose love as God intended. For those who know the Christian story, they know that God is in the process (even now) of redeeming the world and making it new. God is glorified because he takes those things we intend for evil and uses them to actually bring about good in the world.......therefore restoring it (even now). The "final ending" is glorious because God says that there will be no more death, sickness, sorrow, evil, or pain. God's presence will permeate everything and all people and animals will live in perfect harmony with one another. We will be filled with joy and be at peace with all of creation and God. (Rev. 21 & 22, Isaiah 11:6-9, Isaiah 65, 2 Peter 3:13)

Diane, that is so true! We often forget there is a spiritual battle at play in the world and the devil is the father of lies. Discerning Gods Spirit vs. other Spirits is SUCH an important part of our faith journey! Thanks for commenting sister!

Thanks for sharing your believer baptism experience with us, that's powerful! And our God is SO loving and merciful.......not allowing a baby into the presence of God when they pass from this life doesn't match who we know God to be in Scripture.

Thanks for sharing!

@@BandM0mA1m33 All powerful women!

This is Pastor Kendall, thank you for your questions. There is a difference between extending forgiveness and reconciliation. Jesus calls us to forgive everyone. But reconciliation involves a two way process. If the other person is not able to own some of their part, then it is hard to rebuild trust and have full reconciliation. And in those cases, we may need to put up some boundaries. We might need to be more careful with what we say around that person. We may choose to not engage a certain topic with that person. We may choose to spend less time with that person. Those might all be small but important boundaries that we need to set after we have been hurt. But there are times where we need to let the past be past, and move forward with openness to another. I think if there becomes a pattern where someone “hurts” you emotionally a series of times, one certainly needs to establish some sort of boundaries. It is helpful to remember that there can be different levels of “boundaries” with people, and go to God to discern which level is right.

Hey, thanks for engaging in this topic! It can be quite controversial so kudos for speaking your truth, especially as we all seek to "unpack" these deeper topics in order to discern God's truth amidst Scripture, historical evidence and our experiences. Coming from a large Irish Catholic family I did not take the idea of women in leadership lightly. I decided to major in theology before going to seminary and began my journey of discovering if God was truly "ok" with having women lead. I love that you brought up Deborah because what we know of her from Holy Scripture is that she was a Judge over the people (men included) and Prophetess. God chose her to speak to the people on his behalf, literally to be his mouthpiece, as he did all prophets AND God chose her to rule as a judge among the people, therefore asserting power over others (men and women) in order to ensure fair judgment in alignment with God's will (Judges 4:4). Deborah is named as a prophet and a judge just like Moses and Samuel. This is what God created Deborah to be, a leader, speak on his behalf and judge over the people. God told her to get the warrior Barak to gather 10,000 men and lead them to Mount Tabor. He refused, he didn't have faith to do it with God's help alone and instead said he'd "only" go if "Deborah" went with him to inspire the warriors. Pretty amazing that this women God chose to speak on his behalf and judge his people had SO MUCH influence, respect and leadership strengths among the people that Barak thought he "needed" Deborah so the men would fight well! When Barak didn't step up with enough faith to go without her, Deborah stepped in and assisted him BUT said that now he would NOT get the glory for the victory God promised. This glory would go to a woman. It makes sense that God would tell Deborah to call on Barak, not because he was a "man" but because he is mentioned as a great man of faith “who conquered kingdoms." (Hebrews 11:32) Barak was a great warrior and God needs warriors to fight wars not judges and prophets. In Scripture alone we see God choses women to step up in leadership, speak on his behalf and save his people! Miriam (Moses sister) is named as a prophetess (Exodus 15:20) and leader of the nation, along with Moses and Aaron (Micah 6:4), Mary Magdalene was the first Apostle, she was the first to see the risen Christ, believe and be tasked by Jesus himself to proclaim the Good News (John 20:11-18). Esther, in her leadership position as Queen risked her life to liberate and save the people of Israeli. In 2 Kings 22, King Josiah finds the long-lost Book of the Law. Knowing the kingdom was in need of revival, he gathered some of the most trusted prophets, including Huldah, the prophetess who had a leading role in the restoration of God's people. Then there's Lydia, a single woman, merchant, businesswoman and Early Church leader (Acts 16:40). According to Paul's letter to the Romans, Phoebe had a leadership position as a “deacon” in the Church (Romans 16:1). Priscilla, along with her husband Aquila, was a business owner in Corinth and she was called a great teacher (Acts 18:26). Luke also lists Priscilla first, which may indicate by many scholars that she was the lead teacher of the two because this was customary in ancient Judaism to list the lead teach first. And the list could go on and on of various women God called to be leaders and to do some pretty amazing things! Not to mention God chose a woman to birth God's son into the world! God didn't "need" a Mary, God chose Mary, Jesus could have been "begotten" out of anything! Let's not forget that Isaiah 43:16-21 speaks into how we have a God that makes a way out of nothing, God didn't "need" a woman to birth his son into the world. There is also historical evidence that women had been baptizing, teaching, leading, preaching, presiding over communion, and being ordained as Presbytides (female presidents that oversee the Church and all it's functions) for hundreds of years after the death of Jesus and the establishment of the Church. It wasn't until The Council of Laodicea (4th Century) under Canon 11 that the women who had been called as Presbytides were no longer recognized or allowed to carry many of these roles that the first Apostles had previously recognized and laid hands over these women for as they prayed for God's Spirit to equip them. Here is a resource that speaks into some of the roles women carried in the church historically. romancatholicwomenpriests.org/pdf/RCWP_Resource.pdf I've come to discover that God's ways truly aren't our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and the moment I think I have God figured out in one area, God's Spirit surprises me with something new!

@@maureenoconnor2089 Thanks so much for your detailed and thorough response. Much appreciated. You made valid points, and I admire the extensive research you've undergone. Even so, let's consider some objective views from the Bible. Let me premise this: GOD has always and will continue to use women powerfully! (as a matter of fact it was an awesome woman's effort that got me to personally seek after God when I was in complete darkness in college). But the OBJECTIVE question is "Can a woman take the SPECIFIC ROLE OF LEADERSHIP over the congregation, Biblically"? We are addressing one very specific role, not overall impact. A "role" does not equate "value". God values men and women equally, even though they have different ordained roles. POWERFUL WOMEN have always had influence and impact, without needing the specific role of leading a congregation. Because that role, biblically, is meant for a man. 1. It's important to understand context. The main issue in the entire Book of Judges is that Joshua had failed to raise up a successor to LEAD God's people after him. Due to this mistake, Israel continues scrambling to find capable leadership throughout. Deborah's story, in Judges 4, comes at a time where there is a vacuum of men desiring to lead. Yet, the Spirit of God is with her and she is proven wise and valuable. Therefore - not out of selection, or appointment, but due to her availability and wisdom - she is the one who must "judge" Israel (Hebrew "Sapat" => "Govern/Reason/Rule"). But everyone knows that this is not the norm, even Deborah who challenges Barak to step up and take charge when time for war comes. Then, in Judges 5, Deborah herself acknowledges the problem saying "When the PRINCES of Israel take the lead, when the people WILLINGLY offer themselves - praise the LORD!". This is very clear. It is important to note that this situation NEVER OCCURS AGAIN in the Bible, because this extremely rare circumstance never happens. And that every time God calls someone to lead his people, he appoints a men. She was a POWERFUL WOMAN of impact, but was not meant to lead. 2. You're right! Woman have always been powerful instruments in ministry. But again, the question is can they take the SPECIFIC ROLE OF LEADERSHIP over the entire congregation? Let's observe the examples you provided - Esther was a "Queen" of massive impact who is rightfully credited for saving Israel. Yet, "King" Xerxes led the people of Persia. Her cousin Mordecai led the Israelite delegation of exiles. - Mary Magdalene was an incredible woman who needed no "role" to serve and give her heart. But, not once, was she "overseeing" any group of Christians. (Also, be careful not to state that she is the "first apostle" when that Biblically contradicts the very selection of Jesus's first 12 Apostles. As a matter of fact her conversion comes in Luke 8:1-2, and the first "Twelve Apostles" are there to see it). - Huldah was an amazing prophetess, but "King" Josiah led the people. - Lydia is a "fearsome fashionista" as we like to call her, but Paul was leading the group in Philippi - Phoebe is the ultimate ministry intern, but Paul was leading the Christians in Rome. - Mary was the mother of our savior, but not leading over anyone. And, quite biologically, the savior had to be born from a woman! - Priscilla is mentioned first because scholars had attested that she was assisting Paul to oversee the younger women. She's a great example of a "Women's Ministry Leader" who co-leads with the Brother who oversees. This is not hard to see, since Paul was not married and a woman capable of council is always need (Titus 2:3). But again, it was Paul specifically who lead the entire group. (Also note, Aquila is mentioned before Priscilla in Acts 18 and 1 Corinthians 16, so using the order of their names as proof of leadership can be seen as a stretch). - Let's include Susana 3. Roman Catholicism has been found to be biblically false in many areas. I don't Catholicism to be a reliable source of doctrine reflective of God's Heart. CONCLUSION: There are definitely many "roles" of impact for godly woman, but the specific role of leading over the congregation is biblically designated to a man (My incredible wife leads the women in our campus ministry, but I oversee the entire ministry). This is how God designed it and reinforced it. As GOD said, "I have made man the HEAD".

@@jdajayi92 I’m itching to reply again and I appreciate your well thought out observations leading to your current beliefs around this topic. I’ve been incredibly busy, but I will reply back more thoughtfully!

Hey Pastor Mo here! This can always be a hard one and I’m sorry this has been your experience. What I have found is that sometimes people need a little more time to process their pain, depending on how deep the offense affected the other person. Wisdom in scripture says we are to “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Eph 4:2 That being said, I would continue to pray, as you channel the discipline of patience while you love your brother or sister in Christ by giving them more time if needed. However, I would NOT hold on to guilt or shame if you truly repented and turned from whatever offense happened. If you did your work of processing through your actions and will work at not allowing that to happen again, that’s all you can do. The rest we put in God’s hands! We’ll be praying for you, brother!

@@maureenoconnor2089 Thank you for the thoughtful response! It is very appreciated

@@CBGG923 You are more than welcome!

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