Q: Bronwen, I’ve always been taught that there are specific gender roles in a Christian marriage, and that means the husband is intended to have the leadership role and the wife’s role is to help and to submit. But that feels so unnatural to my husband and I. His personality is quiet and gentle and… Continue reading Q&A: Gender Roles in Marriage, Part 1
My Story – Why Biblical Equality Matters to Me
Did God not love me, just because I was female? I couldn’t study. I couldn’t think straight. I was distressed, overset with a spiritual crisis that rocked me to the core. I had been, by nature, a well-behaved and compliant child who didn’t really experience the rebellion thing as a teenager. Heck, my “rebellion” was… Continue reading My Story – Why Biblical Equality Matters to Me
“Enwhitenment”: The Bible’s Surprising Take on Men & Women
Is the Bible any sort of a place to find relevant and useful ideas on gender issues? And what does this question have to do with an ad for photocopier paper? (Those are two sentences you never expected to find in the one paragraph!) In this post, I provide an overview of the treatment of women throughout… Continue reading “Enwhitenment”: The Bible’s Surprising Take on Men & Women
Hagar and the ‘God Who Sees Me’ (Part 2)
Part 1 looked at the cultural/political and religious/ethical situation in the time of Hagar, Sarah and Abraham, and the impact this may have had on their story. Part 2 delves more deeply into Hagar’s life. Hagar’s Situation Sarah and Hagar had more in common than either realised – in a patriarchal culture and a violent and… Continue reading Hagar and the ‘God Who Sees Me’ (Part 2)
Hagar and the ‘God Who Sees Me’ (Part 1)
This is part 1 of a 2 post series. Pregnancy – you might desperately long for it, or recoil from it. It might evoke unbelievable joy or the depths of despair. It’s a fair call to say this is one situation that almost never creates a wholly neutral emotional response. There are many reasons why a… Continue reading Hagar and the ‘God Who Sees Me’ (Part 1)
“Men Need Respect, Women Need Love”?
“Women need love, but men need respect.” How often have you heard this, or similar statements? And so often, they are met with wisely knowing nods and exclamations (“oh, so true!”), and likes and shares on Facebook. These overly simplistic notions are popular when it comes to people trying to sort out the perceived differences… Continue reading “Men Need Respect, Women Need Love”?
4 Reasons Why the Archbishop of Sydney is Wrong About Gender
It’s not often that the statements of church leaders are considered even remotely newsworthy in Australia, where the general attitude to religion varies mostly from indifference to contempt. Sydney Anglicans have made a habit of making the news in the past 12 months for issues relating to gender roles – a series of news stories… Continue reading 4 Reasons Why the Archbishop of Sydney is Wrong About Gender
Champion of Women’s Rights: Domnic Misolo
Throughout this year, the God’s Design – Perth blog will be featuring the stories of a number of inspiring individuals. I wonder what your mental image of a women’s rights advocate looks like. A middle-aged woman in Doc Martens, with short hair and arty taste in clothes? A young female university student studying an Arts degree?… Continue reading Champion of Women’s Rights: Domnic Misolo
Taming Dragons
“Remember, a dragon will always, always go for the kill,” instructs Gobber the Belch in the movie How to Train Your Dragon. Young Hiccup hears this statement, and suddenly a lightbulb comes on. Only a day or so before, Hiccup had cut loose the young dragon – later named Toothless – which was tangled… Continue reading Taming Dragons
Review: The Lion Bible for Children (Part 1)
Introducing a new series, “Children’s Bibles and Bible Story Books,” in which we will be looking a how women are represented in these books. We don’t arrive at adulthood as a clean slate, without preconceived ideas about gender. Throughout childhood and adolescence, many factors subtly or overtly contribute to building our concept of gender by… Continue reading Review: The Lion Bible for Children (Part 1)
God's Design - Perth 