INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (8567,206,'2013-03-19 14:48:21','2013-03-19 21:48:21','','ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog','','inherit','open','open','','ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog','','','2013-03-19 14:48:21','2013-03-19 21:48:21','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8861,12,'2013-04-30 18:58:48','2013-05-01 01:58:48','','barrescue','','inherit','open','open','','barrescue','','','2013-04-30 18:58:48','2013-05-01 01:58:48','',8860,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/barrescue.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8862,12,'2013-04-30 19:01:05','2013-05-01 02:01:05','','decline','','inherit','open','open','','decline','','','2013-04-30 19:01:05','2013-05-01 02:01:05','',8860,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/decline.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8863,12,'2013-04-30 19:04:30','2013-05-01 02:04:30','','churchld','','inherit','open','open','','churchld','','','2013-04-30 19:04:30','2013-05-01 02:04:30','',8860,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/churchld.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8886,0,'2013-05-09 03:14:37','2013-05-09 10:14:37','Life\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Diana\nAUTHOR EMAIL: dwgitau@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://dwgitau.wordpress.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 41.89.51.2\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Diana\n    [Email] =&gt; dwgitau@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://dwgitau.wordpress.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Life\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; dianagitau\n)\n','Diana - 2013-05-09 03:14:37','','publish','open','open','','d64c2ab3b01efc609636695519fb8be4','','','2013-05-09 03:14:37','2013-05-09 10:14:37','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=8886',0,'feedback','',0),(8570,206,'2013-03-19 15:07:06','2013-03-19 22:07:06','','ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog','','inherit','open','open','','ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog-2','','','2013-03-19 15:07:06','2013-03-19 22:07:06','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8571,206,'2013-03-19 15:10:30','2013-03-19 22:10:30','','ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog','','inherit','open','open','','ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog-3','','','2013-03-19 15:10:30','2013-03-19 22:10:30','',8565,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8572,206,'2013-03-19 15:10:26','2013-03-19 22:10:26','Mad Men, a term which is referred to the advertising executives of the Madison Avenue in New York City in the 1960\'s, which is also a popular and one of the greatest American period dramas ever. Mad men premiered on 19th July, 2007 and since then it has won many awards including Emmys and Golden Globes. Centerpiece of the drama is Donald Draper (played by Jon Hamm) who is a creative director at one of the prestigious advertising firms of New York City. The screenplay revolves around his life and the people in his life which, in fact, is an exact picture of the ups and downs of an ideal executive life. Moreover, drama successfully depicts the changing moods and societal mores of the United States in 1960\'s.\nThe San Francisco Chronicle described series as \'stylized, visually arresting, an adult drama of introspection and the inconvenience of modernity in a man\'s world\'. No doubt, the series grips the viewer in an old-fashioned way with its historical accuracy. Furthermore, truthfully acclaimed by advertising officials of that era. Not only this, Mad Men has also been acclaimed for the revival of fashion of the 60\'s.\nComing towards the depth of the characters, the series critically portrays every character to its depth. There are many tragic and funny moments in the series which would just pass by if you didn\'t pay attention. \nThe series, so far, has been entertaining its fan since 2007 with five consecutive seasons. Recently, it has been renewed for the sixth season and the mighty Mad Men is scheduled to premier this coming 7th April on AMC channel. Sixth season is a new wave on its own and if you are looking for action packed television shows or a laugh crack this is not the show for you but if you believe in the development of characters and the plot with a pace of its own, 7th April is the date to remember.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-8567\" /></a>\n','The Mad Men are returning','','inherit','open','open','','8565-revision','','','2013-03-19 15:10:26','2013-03-19 22:10:26','',8565,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/19/8565-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8573,1,'2013-03-26 13:15:56','2013-03-26 20:15:56','Mad Men, a term which is referred to the advertising executives of the Madison Avenue in New York City in the 1960\'s, which is also a popular and one of the greatest American period dramas ever. Mad men premiered on 19th July, 2007 and since then it has won many awards including Emmys and Golden Globes. Centerpiece of the drama is Donald Draper (played by Jon Hamm) who is a creative director at one of the prestigious advertising firms of New York City. The screenplay revolves around his life and the people in his life which, in fact, is an exact picture of the ups and downs of an ideal executive life. Moreover, drama successfully depicts the changing moods and societal mores of the United States in 1960\'s.\n\nThe San Francisco Chronicle described series as \'stylized, visually arresting, an adult drama of introspection and the inconvenience of modernity in a man\'s world\'. No doubt, the series grips the viewer in an old-fashioned way with its historical accuracy. Furthermore, truthfully acclaimed by advertising officials of that era. Not only this, Mad Men has also been acclaimed for the revival of fashion of the 60\'s.\n\nComing towards the depth of the characters, the series critically portrays every character to its depth. There are many tragic and funny moments in the series which would just pass by if you didn\'t pay attention.\n\nThe series, so far, has been entertaining its fan since 2007 with five consecutive seasons. Recently, it has been renewed for the sixth season and the mighty Mad Men is scheduled to premier this coming 7th April on AMC channel. Sixth season is a new wave on its own and if you are looking for action packed television shows or a laugh crack this is not the show for you but if you believe in the development of characters and the plot with a pace of its own, 7th April is the date to remember.','The Mad Men are returning','','inherit','open','open','','8565-autosave','','','2013-03-26 13:15:56','2013-03-26 20:15:56','',8565,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/19/8565-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(8880,205,'2013-05-06 20:37:41','2013-05-07 03:37:41','Very rough - a few ideas so far. A few days ago I listened to a recent episode of This Week in Technology ( Number 403??). The host, Louie Laporte, compared the smartphone to John the Baptist in that both function as announcing what is to come. (Smartphone announces the Internet of the future; John announces the kingdom).\n\nWhat are we announcing in the church? Are we announcing anything or are we attempting to build higher walls (need a good metaphor)\n\nShooting messenger with wrong message? How is the kingdom furthered?','Don\'t have a good title yet','','inherit','open','open','','8878-revision-2','','','2013-05-06 20:37:41','2013-05-07 03:37:41','',8878,'http://provoketive.com/2013/05/06/8878-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8864,12,'2013-04-30 19:07:01','2013-05-01 02:07:01','I cannot stand reality television. Well, I take that back. There are a few shows I like. I can handle Storage Wars, Pawn Stars and Auction Hunters (before they added the pawn shop.) But my favorite show is <a href=\"http://www.spike.com/shows/bar-rescue\">Bar Rescue</a>.\n\nOn Spike Network’s Bar Rescue, <a href=\"http://www.jontaffer.com/\">Jon Taffer</a>, nationally known bar expert, scouts out failing bars for weeks in advance, then goes in and tries to save them. Typically, an episode has him doing a lot of yelling at the management, questioning their motives, not allowing them to make excuses, and bringing in experts to show the kitchen and bartenders how awful they are.\n\nAt the end, he rebuilds the bar, usually renames it and everything is better. Before the credits roll, they give an update telling how the bar is doing two months later. Typically, the bar follows the new changes and is saved. On a few occasions, the bar returns to its original theme and name and goes right back to doing terrible.\n\nI know, great stuff, right? Nice to know the bars of America are being saved.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/decline.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8862\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"decline\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/decline.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"200\" /></a>As I was watching the other day, I started thinking about our <a href=\"http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/17-leadership/323-report-examines-the-state-of-mainline-protestant-churches\">declining American churches</a>. On top of that, I started thinking about the pastor friends I have across the country and their typical complaints: “<em>We really need to change the old music we have, but it’s never going to happen without a huge fight</em>,” “<em>The leadership just won’t listen to anything. Nothing is going to happen without a leadership change</em>,” “<em>What we need is a younger crowd, but the older generation doesn’t want younger people here</em>.” And so on, and so forth.\n\nSo let’s get resident good guy Jeff Foxworthy to host “<em>Church Rescue</em>.” He can grab a host of church experts to find churches that are about to close the doors. Put in some security cameras, have some people pose as visitors to the church and see how they are treated, check out their numbers for the past few years. Heck, even bring in a preaching expert or two.\n\nThen, all at once, just have the expert team just walk into a deacons/elders meeting and start jabbering about all the problems. Show them video footage of how things look to people on the outside and tell them that it’s not going to get better unless things change. Sound good?\n\nWell, maybe not. I bring up that ridiculous idea for a couple of reasons.\n\nFirst, there are a lot of struggling churches in our country. We all know it. If you’re in a struggling church, you probably have a laundry list of reasons in your head why your church is struggling. Maybe it is the music. Maybe it’s the pastor. Maybe it’s the lack of outreach or young people.\n\nSecondly, there are a lot of struggling pastors. Men who have dedicated their lives to ministry and week after week see no<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/churchld.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8863\" alt=\"churchld\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/churchld-300x224.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" /></a> return for their toil. Sometimes, they just get frustrated and quit. Sometimes, they are self-deceived and they are the problem. Sometimes, too much is expected of them. And other times, they have quit communicating with their church and leadership.\n\nBut the common thread is that most people in church want things to be better. They want the gospel to thrive. They want people to be saved and coming to worship.\n\nWhen I talk to pastors, a lot of times the task seems overwhelming. And it seems like it. And there’s no easy fix, that’s for sure.\n\nUnfortunately, there’s no Jon Taffer church expert walking through the door who can make any nenbership better overnight. And even if there was, it would be for the wrong reasons. It would be based on entertainment, flashy lights and all the wrong things.\n\nWhere does it start? With people in church willing to change. To look within. To ask and answer a simple question, “<em>Why aren’t people coming here? Why isn’t this a place that sinners want to come and hear the gospel? Is it something about us? Is the message wrong? Is it our attitude? Is it the way we treat others?</em>”\n\nReally, that’s one thing Bar Rescue has right. Taffer challenges the leadership of the bar to question their motives. He wants them to ask themselves, “<em>Are we willing to do what it takes to keep this place open?</em>”\n\nOf course, churches shouldn’t be willing to step down to the lowest common denominator to get people in the door. However, we should be ready to ask ourselves, “<em>Is what we are doing in line with Scripture? Are we loving like Christ loved? Are we loving sinners like He did? Are we going after the people Christ went after? Are we willing to have people in our church that don’t look like us?</em>”\n\nIt would be a process that took God breaking the hearts of the people in the church. It would take a brave and humble move by the church leadership, but it would definitely be a church rescue, done by the ultimate church expert – Jesus Christ.','New Reality Show Pitch: Church Rescue','','inherit','open','open','','8860-revision-v1','','','2013-04-30 19:07:01','2013-05-01 02:07:01','',8860,'http://provoketive.com/2013/04/30/8860-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8575,206,'2013-03-19 15:10:37','2013-03-19 22:10:37','Mad Men, a term which is referred to the advertising executives of the Madison Avenue in New York City in the 1960\'s, which is also a popular and one of the greatest American period dramas ever. Mad men premiered on 19th July, 2007 and since then it has won many awards including Emmys and Golden Globes. Centerpiece of the drama is Donald Draper (played by Jon Hamm) who is a creative director at one of the prestigious advertising firms of New York City. The screenplay revolves around his life and the people in his life which, in fact, is an exact picture of the ups and downs of an ideal executive life. Moreover, drama successfully depicts the changing moods and societal mores of the United States in 1960\'s.\r\nThe San Francisco Chronicle described series as \'stylized, visually arresting, an adult drama of introspection and the inconvenience of modernity in a man\'s world\'. No doubt, the series grips the viewer in an old-fashioned way with its historical accuracy. Furthermore, truthfully acclaimed by advertising officials of that era. Not only this, Mad Men has also been acclaimed for the revival of fashion of the 60\'s.\r\nComing towards the depth of the characters, the series critically portrays every character to its depth. There are many tragic and funny moments in the series which would just pass by if you didn\'t pay attention. \r\nThe series, so far, has been entertaining its fan since 2007 with five consecutive seasons. Recently, it has been renewed for the sixth season and the mighty Mad Men is scheduled to premier this coming 7th April on AMC channel. Sixth season is a new wave on its own and if you are looking for action packed television shows or a laugh crack this is not the show for you but if you believe in the development of characters and the plot with a pace of its own, 7th April is the date to remember.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog.jpg\"><img src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"ht_mad_men_amc_tv_show_group_2_thg_130124_wblog\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-8567\" /></a>\r\n','The Mad Men are returning','','inherit','open','open','','8565-revision-2','','','2013-03-19 15:10:37','2013-03-19 22:10:37','',8565,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/19/8565-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8586,1,'2013-03-26 13:14:53','2013-03-26 20:14:53','Mad Men, a term which is referred to the advertising executives of the Madison Avenue in New York City in the 1960\'s, which is also a popular and one of the greatest American period dramas ever. Mad men premiered on 19th July, 2007 and since then it has won many awards including Emmys and Golden Globes. Centerpiece of the drama is Donald Draper (played by Jon Hamm) who is a creative director at one of the prestigious advertising firms of New York City. The screenplay revolves around his life and the people in his life which, in fact, is an exact picture of the ups and downs of an ideal executive life. Moreover, drama successfully depicts the changing moods and societal mores of the United States in 1960\'s.\r\nThe San Francisco Chronicle described series as \'stylized, visually arresting, an adult drama of introspection and the inconvenience of modernity in a man\'s world\'. No doubt, the series grips the viewer in an old-fashioned way with its historical accuracy. Furthermore, truthfully acclaimed by advertising officials of that era. Not only this, Mad Men has also been acclaimed for the revival of fashion of the 60\'s.\r\nComing towards the depth of the characters, the series critically portrays every character to its depth. There are many tragic and funny moments in the series which would just pass by if you didn\'t pay attention. \r\nThe series, so far, has been entertaining its fan since 2007 with five consecutive seasons. Recently, it has been renewed for the sixth season and the mighty Mad Men is scheduled to premier this coming 7th April on AMC channel. Sixth season is a new wave on its own and if you are looking for action packed television shows or a laugh crack this is not the show for you but if you believe in the development of characters and the plot with a pace of its own, 7th April is the date to remember.','The Mad Men are returning','','inherit','open','open','','8565-revision-4','','','2013-03-26 13:14:53','2013-03-26 20:14:53','',8565,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/26/8565-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8717,0,'2013-04-09 04:39:10','2013-04-09 11:39:10','Social Justice, Gender Equality, Spirituality, Relationships\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Caroline Noland\nAUTHOR EMAIL: carolinenoland@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://carolinenoland.wordpress.com/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 182.182.107.70\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Caroline Noland\n    [Email] =&gt; carolinenoland@yahoo.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://carolinenoland.wordpress.com/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Social Justice, Gender Equality, Spirituality, Relationships \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; carolinenoland\n)\n','Caroline Noland - 2013-04-09 04:39:10','','publish','open','open','','5137d832c42db5b8e1bffd19d31d3d9a','','','2013-04-09 04:39:10','2013-04-09 11:39:10','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=8717',0,'feedback','',0),(8577,0,'2013-03-20 14:06:05','2013-03-20 21:06:05','Books, gender equality, and/or spirituality\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Morgana Rhalina Smith\nAUTHOR EMAIL: morgana.rhalina@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://morganarhalina.tumblr.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 24.128.105.127\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Morgana Rhalina Smith\n    [Email] =&gt; morgana.rhalina@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; morganarhalina.tumblr.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Books, gender equality, and/or spirituality\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; MorganaRhalina\n)\n','Morgana Rhalina Smith - 2013-03-20 14:06:05','','publish','open','open','','3ddbae42137f9a85881de7d01781c1b8','','','2013-03-20 14:06:05','2013-03-20 21:06:05','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=8577',0,'feedback','',0),(8580,202,'2013-03-19 11:36:06','2013-03-19 18:36:06','Youth ministry is a tough needle to thread.  It requires a lot of personal commitment and patience, an expectation that your target audience is going to show a general lack of interest and enthusiasm about most of the things you do for them, and a willingness to sacrifice sleep and earn your gray hairs early.\r\n\r\nIt\'s also a tough needle to thread because it\'s a field of ministry surrounded by towering questions and often conflicting answers.\r\n\r\nIn this article, I want to raise seven of what I think are the most pressing questions many  churches and youth ministers face when attempting to design and implement a ministry of their own.  Though I will share some of my own thoughts, the purpose of this article is less about what I think and more about provoking a conversation.  What I hope will develop here is a dialogue about creating reasonable and sustainable expectations for youth ministry that can work at any church, no matter its tradition, location, or size.  Then, in the second article of this series I hope to draw on some of those thoughts and ideas as well as my own experience observing, participating in, assisting with, and leading youth ministries to present the basic framework for a model that attempts to address these issues.\r\n<h2>1) To Be Relevant, or Not to be Relevant?</h2>\r\nThis has been a buzz-word in youth ministry for a while now, and everyone has an opinion.  Some think youth ministry should be all about replicating contemporary youth culture with a Christian spin.  Others think youth ministry should ignore the world outside the church and plunge ahead with the tradition that’s lasted two-thousand years.\r\n\r\nWhile my own feeling is that any ministry led by leaders genuinely invested in the lives of their youth cannot help but become at least <em>somewhat</em> relevant through osmosis, this doesn’t answer some of the bigger questions surrounding this debate:  do we need a rock-band or should we make our kids learn 11th century chant?  Do we use Powerpoint, You-Tube videos, Facebook, etc., or do we stick to old-fashioned snail-mail announcements and the hymnals in the pews?  Do we caravan kids from the church to the state championship game to watch other kids in the youth group play or do we hold a prayer vigil with the kids too nerdy to go to the game on their own?\r\n\r\n<i>Lots of different, well-meaning youth leaders have answered these questions in starkly different ways, how would you?</i>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8478\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8478\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-8478\" title=\"Where Do We Put All These Kids?\" alt=\"Crowded Church\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Crowded-Church-300x225.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" /></a>\r\n<h2>2)  Where Do We Put All These Kids?</h2>\r\nAt one of the first churches I worked for, I was told in no uncertain terms that the youth were expected to be in the pews for the service on Sunday morning.  And that was that.  Or so I thought.  That rule met with so much resistance from the youth it just about drove me crazy.  Finally one day I asked some of the kids, “why do you hate going to the service so much?”  “Its boring,” came the all-too-predictable reply.  While I still dragged them upstairs after Sunday School every week, secretly I agreed.\r\n\r\nThere is a wonderful analogy that I was just told recently by <a href=\"http://www.luthersem.edu/faculty/fac_home.aspx?contact_id=rmartins\">Roland Martinson</a> about a swimming club.  While the adults swim, the youngsters are taken to a back room and told stories about people swimming. Then they gradually move up to coloring pictures of people swimming.  Then they start watching videos and having discussions about swimming.  By the time they finally get to swim for themselves, it turns out to be incredibly anti-climactic.\r\n\r\nThese two stories illustrate opposite poles in a serious debate about youth ministry.  On the one hand, it sometimes feels like we will lose our youth if we keep making them sit through services they care nothing about.  Better to keep the youth ministry an entity all its own, separate from the “big church,” to keep the kids entertained.  On the other hand, what happens when youth leave that self-contained “age-appropriate ministry” and move out into the real world?  How many will decide that church isn’t for them after they transition from high school to college if they haven’t developed a relationship with what worship looks like on a Sunday morning while growing up?\r\n\r\n<i>So where do we put the youth on Sunday morning?  In the youth room or in the pews?  Are there ways to get the youth involved in the service?  Is there another solution?</i>\r\n<h2>3) Whose Gonna Lead It?</h2>\r\nThe stereotypical youth leader is between 23 and 28, <a href=\"http://www.outofur.com/archives/2013/02/the_beards_of_m.html\">has a goatee</a>, and can’t sit still for more than a second and a half.  The youth flock to them and their charismatic presence builds a solid program that becomes the pride of a local church.\r\n\r\nBut of course, such a program can crash and burn the second this young, boundless leader runs out of steam.  <em>Or</em> makes a dangerous mistake with boundaries.  <em>Or</em> has a falling out with a significant member of the congregation or a parent on the youth committee.\r\n\r\nSo maybe its better to rely on a team of volunteers to run the youth ministry?  A group of committed members of the congregation who are willing to teach Sunday school, lead a time of youth fellowship after the service every week, and take the kids on a trip every once in a while.\r\n\r\nWhich works great until the stories of infighting start making their way through the church corridors.  <em>Or</em> the senior pastor discovers that the name “Jesus” hasn’t been mentioned in youth fellowship in about six weeks because they are too busy playing dodgeball and eating pizza.  <em>Or</em> basketball season rolls around and 4 of the 6 parent volunteers can’t help anymore because their kids all have games on Sundays.\r\n\r\n<i>So who you gonna call?</i>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8480\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8480\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-8480\" title=\"Safe Racoon\" alt=\"Safe Racoon\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Safe-Racoon-300x240.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"216\" /></a>\r\n<h2>4) To Evangelize or to Create a Safe Space?</h2>\r\nThis question has to do with the <em>goal</em> of a youth ministry.\r\n\r\nYouth ministry can be the core of a seeker-friendly church growth plan.  Create a fun, laid back environment where tons of kids show up to hang out on a Thursday night, then get them emotionally charged up with some powerful music, then share the gospel and get them “saved.”  When they keep coming back week after week, eventually their parents will wonder what’s up, check the church out themselves, and now you’ve added a few dozen families of 8 to your member roles.  Church growth dreams accomplished!\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, you might say, youth today are squeezed like lemons everywhere they go.  Between the demands of school, being a star on the soccer team, needing to get a 34 on the ACT <em>and</em> a 2100 on the SAT, applying for college, keeping up a social life, and having to plan their careers by the time they are 16, the last thing these kids need is to come to church and feel pressured into making a lifetime decision about eternity.  What they really need is a safe space to relax, let their guard down, and instead of feeling pressured feel loved and accepted for who they are.\r\n\r\n<i>So whose right and whose wrong?  Which priorities are more important?</i>\r\n<h2>5) Theology or Ethics?</h2>\r\nThis question has to do with the <em>content</em> of what we teach our youth.\r\n\r\nThere has been a movement lately, especially among Reformed evangelicals, to emphasize the teaching of doctrine.  And not just in “big church,” in the youth ministry, too.  Youth ministry is seen as an opportunity to shape young minds into vessels for the perfect understanding of God.  If we make sure they know all the right answers to all the big questions of theology, we can be sure they will know what is important when they grow up, move away from home, and have to find a church of their own.\r\n\r\nSome youth ministers scowl at this kind of thinking, however.  Theology seems too heady for most youth, many will simply not understand, give up, and stop coming to church.  <em>Or</em>, even worse, join the big, fluffy youth ministry across town.  Better to keep things concrete than abstract, better to talk about practical ways kids can live better lives than to give lectures on the atonement.\r\n\r\n<i>Is this just a matter of preference or style?  Can both be done with integrity or do we have to make a choice?</i>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8483\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8483\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8483\" title=\"Questioning Monkey\" alt=\"Questioning Monkey\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Questioning-Monkey-204x300.jpg\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n<h2>6) Certainty or Room for Doubt?</h2>\r\nThis question has to do with the <em>tenor</em> of a youth ministry’s teaching.\r\n\r\nSomething that terrifies a good many Christian leaders and parents is the rate at which Christian young people leave home and “lose their faith.”  Two competing strategies have developed for dealing with this phenomenon in youth ministry:\r\n\r\nOption 1: Equip students to be absolutely certain of their faith, ready to fend off the dreaded atheist hordes, and have the solid foundation of a Christian worldview from which to assess every new bit of information they learn in life.\r\n\r\nOption 2:  Step back, give students the space to ask questions and doubt, and let them make faith decisions for themselves.  When their faith is actually their faith, not their parents’ or youth pastor’s faith imposed on them, students are much more likely to stick with it later on.\r\n\r\n<i>Which do we choose?  And why?  Will it work?  What are the risks?</i>\r\n<h2>7) How Do We Do That at Our Church?</h2>\r\nThe first thing I ever did in youth ministry was lead worship with the youth band at the church I grew up attending.  I learned a lot about what I thought musicianship and worship leading was about by visiting a huge youth ministry at another church in town.  When we tried to replicate that at our smaller church, it just never seemed to work out as well...\r\n\r\nThe last couple of summers, I have worked with the <a href=\"http://www.diomassyouth.org\">Episcopal Diocese of Massachussetts’ youth ministry</a> planning worship for their summer camp and doing leadership development with high school students.  One of the things we talked about there a lot was <em>reproduceability.</em>  How do we make what we do at camp-- with all the advantages of abundant natural resources, a packed out worship space, and a full-sized rock-band-- something that small parishes in the diocese can use at home?\r\n\r\nEmbedded in this question is an assumption which has emerged from the last few decades of mega-church dominated youth ministry: to do youth ministry well you need a big staff and an even bigger budget.  <i>But do you <em>really</em>?  How do you do youth ministry without these things?</i>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nIn part two of this series I will try to sketch out a model that addresses these questions based on my own experience and the thoughts of others.\r\n\r\n<strong>Let me know what you think.  How should youth ministry address these concerns?  What does your ideal picture of a youth ministry look like?</strong>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<em>Alexander Marshall is an experienced youth worker, blogger, writer, and student at Yale Divinity School.  You can connect with him on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/alexanderpmarshall\">Facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/alexp_marshall\">Twitter</a>, or by <a href=\"http://apmarshall.wordpress.com/\">visiting his blog</a>.</em>','Relevant?  The Youth Minister\'s Questions (Part 1 of 2)','','inherit','open','open','','8472-revision-18','','','2013-03-19 11:36:06','2013-03-19 18:36:06','',8472,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/19/8472-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(8584,1,'2013-03-22 07:21:52','2013-03-22 14:21:52','Youth ministry is a tough needle to thread.  It requires a lot of personal commitment and patience, an expectation that your target audience is going to show a general lack of interest and enthusiasm about most of the things you do for them, and a willingness to sacrifice sleep and earn your gray hairs early.\n\nIt\'s also a tough needle to thread because it\'s a field of ministry surrounded by towering questions and often conflicting answers.\n\nIn this article, I want to raise seven of what I think are the most pressing questions many  churches and youth ministers face when attempting to design and implement a ministry of their own.  Though I will share some of my own thoughts, the purpose of this article is less about what I think and more about provoking a conversation.  What I hope will develop here is a dialogue about creating reasonable and sustainable expectations for youth ministry that can work at any church, no matter its tradition, location, or size.  Then, in the second article of this series I hope to draw on some of those thoughts and ideas as well as my own experience observing, participating in, assisting with, and leading youth ministries to present the basic framework for a model that attempts to address these issues.\n<h2>1) To Be Relevant, or Not to be Relevant?</h2>\nThis has been a buzz-word in youth ministry for a while now, and everyone has an opinion.  Some think youth ministry should be all about replicating contemporary youth culture with a Christian spin.  Others think youth ministry should ignore the world outside the church and plunge ahead with the tradition that’s lasted two-thousand years.\n\nWhile my own feeling is that any ministry led by leaders genuinely invested in the lives of their youth cannot help but become at least <em>somewhat</em> relevant through osmosis, this doesn’t answer some of the bigger questions surrounding this debate:  do we need a rock-band or should we make our kids learn 11th century chant?  Do we use Powerpoint, You-Tube videos, Facebook, etc., or do we stick to old-fashioned snail-mail announcements and the hymnals in the pews?  Do we caravan kids from the church to the state championship game to watch other kids in the youth group play or do we hold a prayer vigil with the kids too nerdy to go to the game on their own?\n\n<i>Lots of different, well-meaning youth leaders have answered these questions in starkly different ways, how would you?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8478\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8478\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-8478\" title=\"Where Do We Put All These Kids?\" alt=\"Crowded Church\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Crowded-Church-300x225.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" /></a>\n<h2>2)  Where Do We Put All These Kids?</h2>\nAt one of the first churches I worked for, I was told in no uncertain terms that the youth were expected to be in the pews for the service on Sunday morning.  And that was that.  Or so I thought.  That rule met with so much resistance from the youth it just about drove me crazy.  Finally one day I asked some of the kids, “why do you hate going to the service so much?”  “Its boring,” came the all-too-predictable reply.  While I still dragged them upstairs after Sunday School every week, secretly I agreed.\n\nThere is a wonderful analogy that I was just told recently by <a href=\"http://www.luthersem.edu/faculty/fac_home.aspx?contact_id=rmartins\">Roland Martinson</a> about a swimming club.  While the adults swim, the youngsters are taken to a back room and told stories about people swimming. Then they gradually move up to coloring pictures of people swimming.  Then they start watching videos and having discussions about swimming.  By the time they finally get to swim for themselves, it turns out to be incredibly anti-climactic.\n\nThese two stories illustrate opposite poles in a serious debate about youth ministry.  On the one hand, it sometimes feels like we will lose our youth if we keep making them sit through services they care nothing about.  Better to keep the youth ministry an entity all its own, separate from the “big church,” to keep the kids entertained.  On the other hand, what happens when youth leave that self-contained “age-appropriate ministry” and move out into the real world?  How many will decide that church isn’t for them after they transition from high school to college if they haven’t developed a relationship with what worship looks like on a Sunday morning while growing up?\n\n<i>So where do we put the youth on Sunday morning?  In the youth room or in the pews?  Are there ways to get the youth involved in the service?  Is there another solution?</i>\n<h2>3) Whose Gonna Lead It?</h2>\nThe stereotypical youth leader is between 23 and 28, <a href=\"http://www.outofur.com/archives/2013/02/the_beards_of_m.html\">has a goatee</a>, and can’t sit still for more than a second and a half.  The youth flock to them and their charismatic presence builds a solid program that becomes the pride of a local church.\n\nBut of course, such a program can crash and burn the second this young, boundless leader runs out of steam.  <em>Or</em> makes a dangerous mistake with boundaries.  <em>Or</em> has a falling out with a significant member of the congregation or a parent on the youth committee.\n\nSo maybe its better to rely on a team of volunteers to run the youth ministry?  A group of committed members of the congregation who are willing to teach Sunday school, lead a time of youth fellowship after the service every week, and take the kids on a trip every once in a while.\n\nWhich works great until the stories of infighting start making their way through the church corridors.  <em>Or</em> the senior pastor discovers that the name “Jesus” hasn’t been mentioned in youth fellowship in about six weeks because they are too busy playing dodgeball and eating pizza.  <em>Or</em> basketball season rolls around and 4 of the 6 parent volunteers can’t help anymore because their kids all have games on Sundays.\n\n<i>So who you gonna call?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8480\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8480\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-8480\" title=\"Safe Racoon\" alt=\"Safe Racoon\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Safe-Racoon-300x240.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"216\" /></a>\n<h2>4) To Evangelize or to Create a Safe Space?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>goal</em> of a youth ministry.\n\nYouth ministry can be the core of a seeker-friendly church growth plan.  Create a fun, laid back environment where tons of kids show up to hang out on a Thursday night, then get them emotionally charged up with some powerful music, then share the gospel and get them “saved.”  When they keep coming back week after week, eventually their parents will wonder what’s up, check the church out themselves, and now you’ve added a few dozen families of 8 to your member roles.  Church growth dreams accomplished!\n\nOn the other hand, you might say, youth today are squeezed like lemons everywhere they go.  Between the demands of school, being a star on the soccer team, needing to get a 34 on the ACT <em>and</em> a 2100 on the SAT, applying for college, keeping up a social life, and having to plan their careers by the time they are 16, the last thing these kids need is to come to church and feel pressured into making a lifetime decision about eternity.  What they really need is a safe space to relax, let their guard down, and instead of feeling pressured feel loved and accepted for who they are.\n\n<i>So whose right and whose wrong?  Which priorities are more important?</i>\n<h2>5) Theology or Ethics?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>content</em> of what we teach our youth.\n\nThere has been a movement lately, especially among Reformed evangelicals, to emphasize the teaching of doctrine.  And not just in “big church,” in the youth ministry, too.  Youth ministry is seen as an opportunity to shape young minds into vessels for the perfect understanding of God.  If we make sure they know all the right answers to all the big questions of theology, we can be sure they will know what is important when they grow up, move away from home, and have to find a church of their own.\n\nSome youth ministers scowl at this kind of thinking, however.  Theology seems too heady for most youth, many will simply not understand, give up, and stop coming to church.  <em>Or</em>, even worse, join the big, fluffy youth ministry across town.  Better to keep things concrete than abstract, better to talk about practical ways kids can live better lives than to give lectures on the atonement.\n\n<i>Is this just a matter of preference or style?  Can both be done with integrity or do we have to make a choice?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8483\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8483\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8483\" title=\"Questioning Monkey\" alt=\"Questioning Monkey\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Questioning-Monkey-204x300.jpg\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n<h2>6) Certainty or Room for Doubt?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>tenor</em> of a youth ministry’s teaching.\n\nSomething that terrifies a good many Christian leaders and parents is the rate at which Christian young people leave home and “lose their faith.”  Two competing strategies have developed for dealing with this phenomenon in youth ministry:\n\nOption 1: Equip students to be absolutely certain of their faith, ready to fend off the dreaded atheist hordes, and have the solid foundation of a Christian worldview from which to assess every new bit of information they learn in life.\n\nOption 2:  Step back, give students the space to ask questions and doubt, and let them make faith decisions for themselves.  When their faith is actually their faith, not their parents’ or youth pastor’s faith imposed on them, students are much more likely to stick with it later on.\n\n<i>Which do we choose?  And why?  Will it work?  What are the risks?</i>\n<h2>7) How Do We Do That at Our Church?</h2>\nThe first thing I ever did in youth ministry was lead worship with the youth band at the church I grew up attending.  I learned a lot about what I thought musicianship and worship leading was about by visiting a huge youth ministry at another church in town.  When we tried to replicate that at our smaller church, it just never seemed to work out as well...\n\nThe last couple of summers, I have worked with the <a href=\"http://www.diomassyouth.org\">Episcopal Diocese of Massachussetts’ youth ministry</a> planning worship for their summer camp and doing leadership development with high school students.  One of the things we talked about there a lot was <em>reproduceability.</em>  How do we make what we do at camp-- with all the advantages of abundant natural resources, a packed out worship space, and a full-sized rock-band-- something that small parishes in the diocese can use at home?\n\nEmbedded in this question is an assumption which has emerged from the last few decades of mega-church dominated youth ministry: to do youth ministry well you need a big staff and an even bigger budget.  <i>But do you <em>really</em>?  How do you do youth ministry without these things?</i>\n\n<hr />\n\nIn part two of this series I will try to sketch out a model that addresses these questions based on my own experience and the thoughts of others.\n\n<strong>Let me know what you think.  How should youth ministry address these concerns?  What does your ideal picture of a youth ministry look like?</strong>\n\n<hr />\n\n<em>Alexander Marshall is an experienced youth worker, blogger, writer, and student at Yale Divinity School.  You can connect with him on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/alexanderpmarshall\">Facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/alexp_marshall\">Twitter</a>, or by <a href=\"http://apmarshall.wordpress.com/\">visiting his blog</a>.</em>','To Be Relevant or Not To Be Relevant?  The Youth Minister\'s Questions (Part 1 of 2)','','inherit','open','open','','8472-revision-21','','','2013-03-22 07:21:52','2013-03-22 14:21:52','',8472,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/22/8472-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(8581,202,'2013-03-22 07:08:02','2013-03-22 14:08:02','Youth ministry is a tough needle to thread.  It requires a lot of personal commitment and patience, an expectation that your target audience is going to show a general lack of interest and enthusiasm about most of the things you do for them, and a willingness to sacrifice sleep and earn your gray hairs early.\n\nIt\'s also a tough needle to thread because it\'s a field of ministry surrounded by towering questions and often conflicting answers.\n\nIn this article, I want to raise seven of what I think are the most pressing questions many  churches and youth ministers face when attempting to design and implement a ministry of their own.  Though I will share some of my own thoughts, the purpose of this article is less about what I think and more about provoking a conversation.  What I hope will develop here is a dialogue about creating reasonable and sustainable expectations for youth ministry that can work at any church, no matter its tradition, location, or size.  Then, in the second article of this series I hope to draw on some of those thoughts and ideas as well as my own experience observing, participating in, assisting with, and leading youth ministries to present the basic framework for a model that attempts to address these issues.\n<h2>1) To Be Relevant, or Not to be Relevant?</h2>\nThis has been a buzz-word in youth ministry for a while now, and everyone has an opinion.  Some think youth ministry should be all about replicating contemporary youth culture with a Christian spin.  Others think youth ministry should ignore the world outside the church and plunge ahead with the tradition that’s lasted two-thousand years.\n\nWhile my own feeling is that any ministry led by leaders genuinely invested in the lives of their youth cannot help but become at least <em>somewhat</em> relevant through osmosis, this doesn’t answer some of the bigger questions surrounding this debate:  do we need a rock-band or should we make our kids learn 11th century chant?  Do we use Powerpoint, You-Tube videos, Facebook, etc., or do we stick to old-fashioned snail-mail announcements and the hymnals in the pews?  Do we caravan kids from the church to the state championship game to watch other kids in the youth group play or do we hold a prayer vigil with the kids too nerdy to go to the game on their own?\n\n<i>Lots of different, well-meaning youth leaders have answered these questions in starkly different ways, how would you?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8478\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8478\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-8478\" title=\"Where Do We Put All These Kids?\" alt=\"Crowded Church\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Crowded-Church-300x225.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" /></a>\n<h2>2)  Where Do We Put All These Kids?</h2>\nAt one of the first churches I worked for, I was told in no uncertain terms that the youth were expected to be in the pews for the service on Sunday morning.  And that was that.  Or so I thought.  That rule met with so much resistance from the youth it just about drove me crazy.  Finally one day I asked some of the kids, “why do you hate going to the service so much?”  “Its boring,” came the all-too-predictable reply.  While I still dragged them upstairs after Sunday School every week, secretly I agreed.\n\nThere is a wonderful analogy that I was just told recently by <a href=\"http://www.luthersem.edu/faculty/fac_home.aspx?contact_id=rmartins\">Roland Martinson</a> about a swimming club.  While the adults swim, the youngsters are taken to a back room and told stories about people swimming. Then they gradually move up to coloring pictures of people swimming.  Then they start watching videos and having discussions about swimming.  By the time they finally get to swim for themselves, it turns out to be incredibly anti-climactic.\n\nThese two stories illustrate opposite poles in a serious debate about youth ministry.  On the one hand, it sometimes feels like we will lose our youth if we keep making them sit through services they care nothing about.  Better to keep the youth ministry an entity all its own, separate from the “big church,” to keep the kids entertained.  On the other hand, what happens when youth leave that self-contained “age-appropriate ministry” and move out into the real world?  How many will decide that church isn’t for them after they transition from high school to college if they haven’t developed a relationship with what worship looks like on a Sunday morning while growing up?\n\n<i>So where do we put the youth on Sunday morning?  In the youth room or in the pews?  Are there ways to get the youth involved in the service?  Is there another solution?</i>\n<h2>3) Whose Gonna Lead It?</h2>\nThe stereotypical youth leader is between 23 and 28, <a href=\"http://www.outofur.com/archives/2013/02/the_beards_of_m.html\">has a goatee</a>, and can’t sit still for more than a second and a half.  The youth flock to them and their charismatic presence builds a solid program that becomes the pride of a local church.\n\nBut of course, such a program can crash and burn the second this young, boundless leader runs out of steam.  <em>Or</em> makes a dangerous mistake with boundaries.  <em>Or</em> has a falling out with a significant member of the congregation or a parent on the youth committee.\n\nSo maybe its better to rely on a team of volunteers to run the youth ministry?  A group of committed members of the congregation who are willing to teach Sunday school, lead a time of youth fellowship after the service every week, and take the kids on a trip every once in a while.\n\nWhich works great until the stories of infighting start making their way through the church corridors.  <em>Or</em> the senior pastor discovers that the name “Jesus” hasn’t been mentioned in youth fellowship in about six weeks because they are too busy playing dodgeball and eating pizza.  <em>Or</em> basketball season rolls around and 4 of the 6 parent volunteers can’t help anymore because their kids all have games on Sundays.\n\n<i>So who you gonna call?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8480\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8480\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-8480\" title=\"Safe Racoon\" alt=\"Safe Racoon\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Safe-Racoon-300x240.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"216\" /></a>\n<h2>4) To Evangelize or to Create a Safe Space?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>goal</em> of a youth ministry.\n\nYouth ministry can be the core of a seeker-friendly church growth plan.  Create a fun, laid back environment where tons of kids show up to hang out on a Thursday night, then get them emotionally charged up with some powerful music, then share the gospel and get them “saved.”  When they keep coming back week after week, eventually their parents will wonder what’s up, check the church out themselves, and now you’ve added a few dozen families of 8 to your member roles.  Church growth dreams accomplished!\n\nOn the other hand, you might say, youth today are squeezed like lemons everywhere they go.  Between the demands of school, being a star on the soccer team, needing to get a 34 on the ACT <em>and</em> a 2100 on the SAT, applying for college, keeping up a social life, and having to plan their careers by the time they are 16, the last thing these kids need is to come to church and feel pressured into making a lifetime decision about eternity.  What they really need is a safe space to relax, let their guard down, and instead of feeling pressured feel loved and accepted for who they are.\n\n<i>So whose right and whose wrong?  Which priorities are more important?</i>\n<h2>5) Theology or Ethics?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>content</em> of what we teach our youth.\n\nThere has been a movement lately, especially among Reformed evangelicals, to emphasize the teaching of doctrine.  And not just in “big church,” in the youth ministry, too.  Youth ministry is seen as an opportunity to shape young minds into vessels for the perfect understanding of God.  If we make sure they know all the right answers to all the big questions of theology, we can be sure they will know what is important when they grow up, move away from home, and have to find a church of their own.\n\nSome youth ministers scowl at this kind of thinking, however.  Theology seems too heady for most youth, many will simply not understand, give up, and stop coming to church.  <em>Or</em>, even worse, join the big, fluffy youth ministry across town.  Better to keep things concrete than abstract, better to talk about practical ways kids can live better lives than to give lectures on the atonement.\n\n<i>Is this just a matter of preference or style?  Can both be done with integrity or do we have to make a choice?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8483\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8483\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8483\" title=\"Questioning Monkey\" alt=\"Questioning Monkey\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Questioning-Monkey-204x300.jpg\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n<h2>6) Certainty or Room for Doubt?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>tenor</em> of a youth ministry’s teaching.\n\nSomething that terrifies a good many Christian leaders and parents is the rate at which Christian young people leave home and “lose their faith.”  Two competing strategies have developed for dealing with this phenomenon in youth ministry:\n\nOption 1: Equip students to be absolutely certain of their faith, ready to fend off the dreaded atheist hordes, and have the solid foundation of a Christian worldview from which to assess every new bit of information they learn in life.\n\nOption 2:  Step back, give students the space to ask questions and doubt, and let them make faith decisions for themselves.  When their faith is actually their faith, not their parents’ or youth pastor’s faith imposed on them, students are much more likely to stick with it later on.\n\n<i>Which do we choose?  And why?  Will it work?  What are the risks?</i>\n<h2>7) How Do We Do That at Our Church?</h2>\nThe first thing I ever did in youth ministry was lead worship with the youth band at the church I grew up attending.  I learned a lot about what I thought musicianship and worship leading was about by visiting a huge youth ministry at another church in town.  When we tried to replicate that at our smaller church, it just never seemed to work out as well...\n\nThe last couple of summers, I have worked with the <a href=\"http://www.diomassyouth.org\">Episcopal Diocese of Massachussetts’ youth ministry</a> planning worship for their summer camp and doing leadership development with high school students.  One of the things we talked about there a lot was <em>reproduceability.</em>  How do we make what we do at camp-- with all the advantages of abundant natural resources, a packed out worship space, and a full-sized rock-band-- something that small parishes in the diocese can use at home?\n\nEmbedded in this question is an assumption which has emerged from the last few decades of mega-church dominated youth ministry: to do youth ministry well you need a big staff and an even bigger budget.  <i>But do you <em>really</em>?  How do you do youth ministry without these things?</i>\n\n<hr />\n\nIn part two of this series I will try to sketch out a model that addresses these questions based on my own experience and the thoughts of others.\n\n<strong>Let me know what you think.  How should youth ministry address these concerns?  What does your ideal picture of a youth ministry look like?</strong>\n\n<hr />\n\n<em>Alexander Marshall is an experienced youth worker, blogger, writer, and student at Yale Divinity School.  You can connect with him on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/alexanderpmarshall\">Facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/alexp_marshall\">Twitter</a>, or by <a href=\"http://apmarshall.wordpress.com/\">visiting his blog</a>.</em>','To Be Relevant or Not To Be Relevant?  The Youth Minister\'s Questions (Part 1 of 2)','','inherit','open','open','','8472-revision-19','','','2013-03-22 07:08:02','2013-03-22 14:08:02','',8472,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/22/8472-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(8582,202,'2013-03-22 07:21:36','2013-03-22 14:21:36','Youth ministry is a tough needle to thread.  It requires a lot of personal commitment and patience, an expectation that your target audience is going to show a general lack of interest and enthusiasm about most of the things you do for them, and a willingness to sacrifice sleep and earn your gray hairs early.\n\nIt\'s also a tough needle to thread because it\'s a field of ministry surrounded by towering questions and often conflicting answers.\n\nIn this article, I want to raise seven of what I think are the most pressing questions many  churches and youth ministers face when attempting to design and implement a ministry of their own.  Though I will share some of my own thoughts, the purpose of this article is less about what I think and more about provoking a conversation.  What I hope will develop here is a dialogue about creating reasonable and sustainable expectations for youth ministry that can work at any church, no matter its tradition, location, or size.  Then, in the second article of this series I hope to draw on some of those thoughts and ideas as well as my own experience observing, participating in, assisting with, and leading youth ministries to present the basic framework for a model that attempts to address these issues.\n<h2>1) To Be Relevant, or Not to be Relevant?</h2>\nThis has been a buzz-word in youth ministry for a while now, and everyone has an opinion.  Some think youth ministry should be all about replicating contemporary youth culture with a Christian spin.  Others think youth ministry should ignore the world outside the church and plunge ahead with the tradition that’s lasted two-thousand years.\n\nWhile my own feeling is that any ministry led by leaders genuinely invested in the lives of their youth cannot help but become at least <em>somewhat</em> relevant through osmosis, this doesn’t answer some of the bigger questions surrounding this debate:  do we need a rock-band or should we make our kids learn 11th century chant?  Do we use Powerpoint, You-Tube videos, Facebook, etc., or do we stick to old-fashioned snail-mail announcements and the hymnals in the pews?  Do we caravan kids from the church to the state championship game to watch other kids in the youth group play or do we hold a prayer vigil with the kids too nerdy to go to the game on their own?\n\n<i>Lots of different, well-meaning youth leaders have answered these questions in starkly different ways, how would you?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8478\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8478\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-8478\" title=\"Where Do We Put All These Kids?\" alt=\"Crowded Church\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Crowded-Church-300x225.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" /></a>\n<h2>2)  Where Do We Put All These Kids?</h2>\nAt one of the first churches I worked for, I was told in no uncertain terms that the youth were expected to be in the pews for the service on Sunday morning.  And that was that.  Or so I thought.  That rule met with so much resistance from the youth it just about drove me crazy.  Finally one day I asked some of the kids, “why do you hate going to the service so much?”  “Its boring,” came the all-too-predictable reply.  While I still dragged them upstairs after Sunday School every week, secretly I agreed.\n\nThere is a wonderful analogy that I was just told recently by <a href=\"http://www.luthersem.edu/faculty/fac_home.aspx?contact_id=rmartins\">Roland Martinson</a> about a swimming club.  While the adults swim, the youngsters are taken to a back room and told stories about people swimming. Then they gradually move up to coloring pictures of people swimming.  Then they start watching videos and having discussions about swimming.  By the time they finally get to swim for themselves, it turns out to be incredibly anti-climactic.\n\nThese two stories illustrate opposite poles in a serious debate about youth ministry.  On the one hand, it sometimes feels like we will lose our youth if we keep making them sit through services they care nothing about.  Better to keep the youth ministry an entity all its own, separate from the “big church,” to keep the kids entertained.  On the other hand, what happens when youth leave that self-contained “age-appropriate ministry” and move out into the real world?  How many will decide that church isn’t for them after they transition from high school to college if they haven’t developed a relationship with what worship looks like on a Sunday morning while growing up?\n\n<i>So where do we put the youth on Sunday morning?  In the youth room or in the pews?  Are there ways to get the youth involved in the service?  Is there another solution?</i>\n<h2>3) Whose Gonna Lead It?</h2>\nThe stereotypical youth leader is between 23 and 28, <a href=\"http://www.outofur.com/archives/2013/02/the_beards_of_m.html\">has a goatee</a>, and can’t sit still for more than a second and a half.  The youth flock to them and their charismatic presence builds a solid program that becomes the pride of a local church.\n\nBut of course, such a program can crash and burn the second this young, boundless leader runs out of steam.  <em>Or</em> makes a dangerous mistake with boundaries.  <em>Or</em> has a falling out with a significant member of the congregation or a parent on the youth committee.\n\nSo maybe its better to rely on a team of volunteers to run the youth ministry?  A group of committed members of the congregation who are willing to teach Sunday school, lead a time of youth fellowship after the service every week, and take the kids on a trip every once in a while.\n\nWhich works great until the stories of infighting start making their way through the church corridors.  <em>Or</em> the senior pastor discovers that the name “Jesus” hasn’t been mentioned in youth fellowship in about six weeks because they are too busy playing dodgeball and eating pizza.  <em>Or</em> basketball season rolls around and 4 of the 6 parent volunteers can’t help anymore because their kids all have games on Sundays.\n\n<i>So who you gonna call?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8480\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8480\"><img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-8480\" title=\"Safe Racoon\" alt=\"Safe Racoon\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Safe-Racoon-300x240.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"216\" /></a>\n<h2>4) To Evangelize or to Create a Safe Space?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>goal</em> of a youth ministry.\n\nYouth ministry can be the core of a seeker-friendly church growth plan.  Create a fun, laid back environment where tons of kids show up to hang out on a Thursday night, then get them emotionally charged up with some powerful music, then share the gospel and get them “saved.”  When they keep coming back week after week, eventually their parents will wonder what’s up, check the church out themselves, and now you’ve added a few dozen families of 8 to your member roles.  Church growth dreams accomplished!\n\nOn the other hand, you might say, youth today are squeezed like lemons everywhere they go.  Between the demands of school, being a star on the soccer team, needing to get a 34 on the ACT <em>and</em> a 2100 on the SAT, applying for college, keeping up a social life, and having to plan their careers by the time they are 16, the last thing these kids need is to come to church and feel pressured into making a lifetime decision about eternity.  What they really need is a safe space to relax, let their guard down, and instead of feeling pressured feel loved and accepted for who they are.\n\n<i>So whose right and whose wrong?  Which priorities are more important?</i>\n<h2>5) Theology or Ethics?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>content</em> of what we teach our youth.\n\nThere has been a movement lately, especially among Reformed evangelicals, to emphasize the teaching of doctrine.  And not just in “big church,” in the youth ministry, too.  Youth ministry is seen as an opportunity to shape young minds into vessels for the perfect understanding of God.  If we make sure they know all the right answers to all the big questions of theology, we can be sure they will know what is important when they grow up, move away from home, and have to find a church of their own.\n\nSome youth ministers scowl at this kind of thinking, however.  Theology seems too heady for most youth, many will simply not understand, give up, and stop coming to church.  <em>Or</em>, even worse, join the big, fluffy youth ministry across town.  Better to keep things concrete than abstract, better to talk about practical ways kids can live better lives than to give lectures on the atonement.\n\n<i>Is this just a matter of preference or style?  Can both be done with integrity or do we have to make a choice?</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/?attachment_id=8483\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8483\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8483\" title=\"Questioning Monkey\" alt=\"Questioning Monkey\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Questioning-Monkey-204x300.jpg\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n<h2>6) Certainty or Room for Doubt?</h2>\nThis question has to do with the <em>tenor</em> of a youth ministry’s teaching.\n\nSomething that terrifies a good many Christian leaders and parents is the rate at which Christian young people leave home and “lose their faith.”  Two competing strategies have developed for dealing with this phenomenon in youth ministry:\n\nOption 1: Equip students to be absolutely certain of their faith, ready to fend off the dreaded atheist hordes, and have the solid foundation of a Christian worldview from which to assess every new bit of information they learn in life.\n\nOption 2:  Step back, give students the space to ask questions and doubt, and let them make faith decisions for themselves.  When their faith is actually their faith, not their parents’ or youth pastor’s faith imposed on them, students are much more likely to stick with it later on.\n\n<i>Which do we choose?  And why?  Will it work?  What are the risks?</i>\n<h2>7) How Do We Do That at Our Church?</h2>\nThe first thing I ever did in youth ministry was lead worship with the youth band at the church I grew up attending.  I learned a lot about what I thought musicianship and worship leading was about by visiting a huge youth ministry at another church in town.  When we tried to replicate that at our smaller church, it just never seemed to work out as well...\n\nThe last couple of summers, I have worked with the <a href=\"http://www.diomassyouth.org\">Episcopal Diocese of Massachussetts’ youth ministry</a> planning worship for their summer camp and doing leadership development with high school students.  One of the things we talked about there a lot was <em>reproduceability.</em>  How do we make what we do at camp-- with all the advantages of abundant natural resources, a packed out worship space, and a full-sized rock-band-- something that small parishes in the diocese can use at home?\n\nEmbedded in this question is an assumption which has emerged from the last few decades of mega-church dominated youth ministry: to do youth ministry well you need a big staff and an even bigger budget.  <i>But do you <em>really</em>?  How do you do youth ministry without these things?</i>\n\n<hr />\n\nIn part two of this series I will try to sketch out a model that addresses these questions based on my own experience and the thoughts of others.\n\n<strong>Let me know what you think.  How should youth ministry address these concerns?  What does your ideal picture of a youth ministry look like?</strong>\n\n<hr />\n\n<em>Alexander Marshall is an experienced youth worker, blogger, writer, and student at Yale Divinity School.  You can connect with him on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/alexanderpmarshall\">Facebook</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/alexp_marshall\">Twitter</a>, or by <a href=\"http://apmarshall.wordpress.com/\">visiting his blog</a>.</em>','To Be Relevant or Not To Be Relevant?  The Youth Minister\'s Questions (Part 1 of 2)','','inherit','open','open','','8472-revision-20','','','2013-03-22 07:21:36','2013-03-22 14:21:36','',8472,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/22/8472-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(8910,206,'2013-05-10 09:38:37','2013-05-10 16:38:37','Imran khan; a former sportsman, philanthropist, an active politician and 3rd most influential leader of 2012 according to the Global Post is the only hope left for the people of an economically diminishing state as such as Pakistan . By so far, Imran Khan is considered as the most popular leader in the country’s history. In 1996 Khan formed his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). It was founded initially as socio-political movement which envisioned to embody anti-corruption policies and to put an end to the endless corruption in the country. However, the road towards success is never easy. His party was not even able to secure one seat in General Elections of 1997. It was only then in 2002 National Elections, when Khan ran for office and became a Member of Parliament. However, he continued to profoundly criticize the entire political order of Pakistan, which he reckoned as dishonest and ineffective. This is where Khan began the grassroots of his campaign in order to create awareness among people about his political party or his ideology towards a New Pakistan, as his wholehearted supporters would like to call it.\n\nImran Khan enunciates and influences out the vision of a Modern Islamic Republic and advocates a model of Welfare State for Pakistan where state plays key role in protecting and promoting the economic and social well-being of its citizens. His party maintains that it represents Pakistanis, regardless of religious, ethnic and linguistic background, bringing all the people of Pakistan together. After years of consistent struggle, Imran Khan has gained a tremendous support from the people of Pakistan. It is his continuous struggle, devotion and perseverance that his political party is now considered the largest party in Pakistan by membership with over 10 million members in Pakistan and overseas. Consequently, PTI has done massive campaigning and rallying with a turnover of hundreds of thousands of people for the upcoming General Elections on 11th May 2013\n\nOver the years, Pakistan has diminished drastically in economic sense. It is because of the inability of the previous political elites to act against energy crisis, inflation and social tensions. It is the Imran Khan in which people of Pakistan has placed their hopes. Due to incomparable corruptions, blunders, and impropriety of the former governments Imran Khan is the seamless choice most of the people of Pakistan deem. However, a question still remains: Will Pakistan choose the right person for the state? Only the time can tell.','Imran Khan - An Ideology; A Hope','','inherit','open','open','','8905-autosave','','','2013-05-10 09:38:37','2013-05-10 16:38:37','',8905,'http://provoketive.com/2013/05/09/8905-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(8854,0,'2013-04-24 23:38:18','2013-04-25 06:38:18','I think Daniel should write for Provoketive because he has tremendous depth and breadth of thought which he is able to communicate effectively through his writing. Talking to him and reading what he writes is often an eye-opening experience that changes the way I see the world and I think more people need to be exposed to that.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Alison Van Putten\nAUTHOR EMAIL: ali.vanputten@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://danielborgertpoepping.wordpress.com\nSUBJECT: Nominating A Writer For Provoketive\nIP: 72.211.181.171\nArray\n(\n    [Your Name] =&gt; Alison Van Putten\n    [Your Email] =&gt; ali.vanputten@gmail.com\n    [The Writer\'s Name] =&gt; Daniel Borgertpoepping\n    [The Writer\'s Website or Post] =&gt; danielborgertpoepping.wordpress.com\n    [The Writer\'s Email] =&gt; dborgertpoepping@gmail.com\n    [Why You Think They Should Write For Provoketive?] =&gt; I think Daniel should write for Provoketive because he has tremendous depth and breadth of thought which he is able to communicate effectively through his writing. Talking to him and reading what he writes is often an eye-opening experience that changes the way I see the world and I think more people need to be exposed to that.\n)\n','Alison Van Putten - 2013-04-24 23:38:18','','publish','open','open','','3d559a90b17fb83274b842db5361792c','','','2013-04-24 23:38:18','2013-04-25 06:38:18','',1537,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=8854',0,'feedback','',0),(8589,12,'2013-03-27 02:13:33','2013-03-27 09:13:33','','peace','This is an illustration of dispensational eschatology','inherit','open','open','','peace','','','2013-03-27 02:13:33','2013-03-27 09:13:33','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/peace.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8590,12,'2013-03-27 02:15:07','2013-03-27 09:15:07','','dispy','','inherit','open','open','','dispy','','','2013-03-27 02:15:07','2013-03-27 09:15:07','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/dispy.gif',0,'attachment','image/gif',0),(8591,12,'2013-03-27 02:18:37','2013-03-27 09:18:37','','overcome','','inherit','open','open','','overcome','','','2013-03-27 02:18:37','2013-03-27 09:18:37','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/overcome.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(9132,0,'2013-06-19 04:06:47','2013-06-19 11:06:47','Sports, politics, sense of being in life, future\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Frederick A. Babb\nAUTHOR EMAIL: fbabb.bmbglobal@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.frederickbabb.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 81.39.255.94\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Frederick A. Babb\n    [Email] =&gt; fbabb.bmbglobal@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.frederickbabb.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Sports, politics, sense of being in life, future\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Fabb63\n)\n','Frederick A. Babb - 2013-06-19 04:06:47','','publish','open','open','','e7786000b5a80cb024951a8d123c6d42','','','2013-06-19 04:06:47','2013-06-19 11:06:47','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=9132',0,'feedback','',0),(8872,1,'2013-04-18 12:40:50','2013-04-18 19:40:50','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an <a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/cqfhocd\">article</a> for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who we are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from <a href=\"http://www.cac.org\">The Center For Action and Contemplation</a>.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-36','','','2013-04-18 12:40:50','2013-04-18 19:40:50','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/04/18/8607-revision-36/',0,'revision','',0),(9295,12,'2013-05-07 20:14:02','2013-05-08 03:14:02','I cannot stand reality television. Well, I take that back. There are a few shows I like. I can handle Storage Wars, Pawn Stars and Auction Hunters (before they added the pawn shop.) But my favorite show is <a href=\"http://www.spike.com/shows/bar-rescue\">Bar Rescue</a>.\r\n\r\nOn Spike Network’s Bar Rescue, <a href=\"http://www.jontaffer.com/\">Jon Taffer</a>, nationally known bar expert, scouts out failing bars for weeks in advance, then goes in and tries to save them. Typically, an episode has him doing a lot of yelling at the management, questioning their motives, not allowing them to make excuses, and bringing in experts to show the kitchen and bartenders how awful they are.\r\n\r\nAt the end, he rebuilds the bar, usually renames it and everything is better. Before the credits roll, they give an update telling how the bar is doing two months later. Typically, the bar follows the new changes and is saved. On a few occasions, the bar returns to its original theme and name and goes right back to doing terrible.\r\n\r\nI know, great stuff, right? Nice to know the bars of America are being saved.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/decline.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8862\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"decline\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/decline.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"200\" /></a>As I was watching the other day, I started thinking about our <a href=\"http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/17-leadership/323-report-examines-the-state-of-mainline-protestant-churches\">declining American churches</a>. On top of that, I started thinking about the pastor friends I have across the country and their typical complaints: “<em>We really need to change the old music we have, but it’s never going to happen without a huge fight</em>,” “<em>The leadership just won’t listen to anything. Nothing is going to happen without a leadership change</em>,” “<em>What we need is a younger crowd, but the older generation doesn’t want younger people here</em>.” And so on, and so forth.\r\n\r\nSo let’s get resident good guy Jeff Foxworthy to host “<em>Church Rescue</em>.” He can grab a host of church experts to find churches that are about to close the doors. Put in some security cameras, have some people pose as visitors to the church and see how they are treated, check out their numbers for the past few years. Heck, even bring in a preaching expert or two.\r\n\r\nThen, all at once, just have the expert team just walk into a deacons/elders meeting and start jabbering about all the problems. Show them video footage of how things look to people on the outside and tell them that it’s not going to get better unless things change. Sound good?\r\n\r\nWell, maybe not. I bring up that ridiculous idea for a couple of reasons.\r\n\r\nFirst, there are a lot of struggling churches in our country. We all know it. If you’re in a struggling church, you probably have a laundry list of reasons in your head why your church is struggling. Maybe it is the music. Maybe it’s the pastor. Maybe it’s the lack of outreach or young people.\r\n\r\nSecondly, there are a lot of <a href=\"http://fallenpastor.com/2012/06/22/pastors-and-destructive-high-expectations-where-do-they-come-from/\">struggling pastors</a>. Men who have dedicated their lives to ministry and week after week see no<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/churchld.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8863\" alt=\"churchld\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/churchld-300x224.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" /></a> return for their toil. Sometimes, they just get frustrated and quit. Sometimes, they are self-deceived and they are the problem. Sometimes, too much is expected of them. And other times, they have quit communicating with their church and leadership.\r\n\r\nBut the common thread is that most people in church want things to be better. They want the gospel to thrive. They want people to be saved and coming to worship.\r\n\r\nWhen I talk to pastors, a lot of times the task seems overwhelming. And it seems like it. And there’s no easy fix, that’s for sure.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, there’s no Jon Taffer church expert walking through the door who can make any nenbership better overnight. And even if there was, it would be for the wrong reasons. It would be based on entertainment, flashy lights and all the wrong things.\r\n\r\nWhere does it start? With people in church willing to change. To look within. To ask and answer a simple question, “<em>Why aren’t people coming here? Why isn’t this a place that sinners want to come and hear the gospel? Is it something about us? Is the message wrong? Is it our attitude? Is it the way we treat others?</em>”\r\n\r\nReally, that’s one thing Bar Rescue has right. Taffer challenges the leadership of the bar to question their motives. He wants them to ask themselves, “<em>Are we willing to do what it takes to keep this place open?</em>”\r\n\r\nOf course, churches shouldn’t be willing to step down to the lowest common denominator to get people in the door. However, we should be ready to ask ourselves, “<em>Is what we are doing in line with Scripture? Are we loving like Christ loved? Are we loving sinners like He did? Are we going after the people Christ went after? Are we willing to have people in our church that don’t look like us?</em>”\r\n\r\nIt would be a process that took God breaking the hearts of the people in the church. It would take a brave and humble move by the church leadership, but it would definitely be a church rescue, done by the ultimate church expert – Jesus Christ.','New Reality Show Pitch: Church Rescue','','inherit','open','open','','8860-revision-v1','','','2013-05-07 20:14:02','2013-05-08 03:14:02','',8860,'http://provoketive.com/2013/05/07/8860-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(8866,12,'2013-04-30 19:12:11','2013-05-01 02:12:11','','barrescue','','inherit','open','open','','barrescue-2','','','2013-04-30 19:12:11','2013-05-01 02:12:11','',8860,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/barrescue1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8868,12,'2013-04-30 19:08:34','2013-05-01 02:08:34','I cannot stand reality television. Well, I take that back. There are a few shows I like. I can handle Storage Wars, Pawn Stars and Auction Hunters (before they added the pawn shop.) But my favorite show is <a href=\"http://www.spike.com/shows/bar-rescue\">Bar Rescue</a>.\r\n\r\nOn Spike Network’s Bar Rescue, <a href=\"http://www.jontaffer.com/\">Jon Taffer</a>, nationally known bar expert, scouts out failing bars for weeks in advance, then goes in and tries to save them. Typically, an episode has him doing a lot of yelling at the management, questioning their motives, not allowing them to make excuses, and bringing in experts to show the kitchen and bartenders how awful they are.\r\n\r\nAt the end, he rebuilds the bar, usually renames it and everything is better. Before the credits roll, they give an update telling how the bar is doing two months later. Typically, the bar follows the new changes and is saved. On a few occasions, the bar returns to its original theme and name and goes right back to doing terrible.\r\n\r\nI know, great stuff, right? Nice to know the bars of America are being saved.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/decline.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8862\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"decline\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/decline.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"200\" /></a>As I was watching the other day, I started thinking about our <a href=\"http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/17-leadership/323-report-examines-the-state-of-mainline-protestant-churches\">declining American churches</a>. On top of that, I started thinking about the pastor friends I have across the country and their typical complaints: “<em>We really need to change the old music we have, but it’s never going to happen without a huge fight</em>,” “<em>The leadership just won’t listen to anything. Nothing is going to happen without a leadership change</em>,” “<em>What we need is a younger crowd, but the older generation doesn’t want younger people here</em>.” And so on, and so forth.\r\n\r\nSo let’s get resident good guy Jeff Foxworthy to host “<em>Church Rescue</em>.” He can grab a host of church experts to find churches that are about to close the doors. Put in some security cameras, have some people pose as visitors to the church and see how they are treated, check out their numbers for the past few years. Heck, even bring in a preaching expert or two.\r\n\r\nThen, all at once, just have the expert team just walk into a deacons/elders meeting and start jabbering about all the problems. Show them video footage of how things look to people on the outside and tell them that it’s not going to get better unless things change. Sound good?\r\n\r\nWell, maybe not. I bring up that ridiculous idea for a couple of reasons.\r\n\r\nFirst, there are a lot of struggling churches in our country. We all know it. If you’re in a struggling church, you probably have a laundry list of reasons in your head why your church is struggling. Maybe it is the music. Maybe it’s the pastor. Maybe it’s the lack of outreach or young people.\r\n\r\nSecondly, there are a lot of <a href=\"http://fallenpastor.com/2012/06/22/pastors-and-destructive-high-expectations-where-do-they-come-from/\">struggling pastors</a>. Men who have dedicated their lives to ministry and week after week see no<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/churchld.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8863\" alt=\"churchld\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/churchld-300x224.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" /></a> return for their toil. Sometimes, they just get frustrated and quit. Sometimes, they are self-deceived and they are the problem. Sometimes, too much is expected of them. And other times, they have quit communicating with their church and leadership.\r\n\r\nBut the common thread is that most people in church want things to be better. They want the gospel to thrive. They want people to be saved and coming to worship.\r\n\r\nWhen I talk to pastors, a lot of times the task seems overwhelming. And it seems like it. And there’s no easy fix, that’s for sure.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, there’s no Jon Taffer church expert walking through the door who can make any nenbership better overnight. And even if there was, it would be for the wrong reasons. It would be based on entertainment, flashy lights and all the wrong things.\r\n\r\nWhere does it start? With people in church willing to change. To look within. To ask and answer a simple question, “<em>Why aren’t people coming here? Why isn’t this a place that sinners want to come and hear the gospel? Is it something about us? Is the message wrong? Is it our attitude? Is it the way we treat others?</em>”\r\n\r\nReally, that’s one thing Bar Rescue has right. Taffer challenges the leadership of the bar to question their motives. He wants them to ask themselves, “<em>Are we willing to do what it takes to keep this place open?</em>”\r\n\r\nOf course, churches shouldn’t be willing to step down to the lowest common denominator to get people in the door. However, we should be ready to ask ourselves, “<em>Is what we are doing in line with Scripture? Are we loving like Christ loved? Are we loving sinners like He did? Are we going after the people Christ went after? Are we willing to have people in our church that don’t look like us?</em>”\r\n\r\nIt would be a process that took God breaking the hearts of the people in the church. It would take a brave and humble move by the church leadership, but it would definitely be a church rescue, done by the ultimate church expert – Jesus Christ.','New Reality Show Pitch: Church Rescue','','inherit','open','open','','8860-revision-v1','','','2013-04-30 19:08:34','2013-05-01 02:08:34','',8860,'http://provoketive.com/2013/04/30/8860-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8599,125,'2013-04-19 08:00:57','2013-04-19 15:00:57','After the passionate back-and-forth on the news yesterday, with the looming possibility of federal legislation on the issue of same sex marriage, I quietly logged into my account, and with a few clicks of the mouse replaced that picture of my gorgeous wife with one of a simple red background and a white equals sign.\r\n\r\nMarriage equality, is what it represents.\r\n\r\nI had a feeling it could be divisive, specifically among my Christian friends. Many clicked that little thumbs up picture, showing their support. Many have been silent thus far, perhaps marking their indifference. But following an amazing conversation with a co-worker minutes ago, I felt like this should be written so that I can take the opportunity and clarify my decision before wrong assumptions are made.\r\n\r\nTo my friends outside of Christianity:\r\n\r\nIt was devastating to me that, following my reawakening in faith, I had friends in same sex relationships that had already predicted the downfall of our relationship. So hatefully has the Church responded to the issue of your sexuality that you assumed I would follow suit and disregard the depth and breadth of the precious time we have been allowed to spend together. For that I am sorry. It is still incredibly disheartening to me that, in following a God that preaches love and respect, that invites us in to a relationship of complete joy and peace, so many Christians have erred on the side of judgment when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. It is up to none of us to judge but God. To take the banner, political or religious, on any issue and divide ourselves against others on the basis of what God commands both cripples the possibility of individual relationships (because people become generalized into a category based on how they feel about an issue) and goes against the gentle command of Jesus to “go and make disciples”. How each of us, individually, choose to live before God is ultimately a matter of personal accountability. How could I ever be so bold as to command you to follow what I see as God’s commandments when I am breaking the one that Jesus says is the greatest, to love our enemies as ourselves?\r\n\r\nTo my friends within Christianity:\r\n\r\nIn our universe, there are two simple possibilities—homosexuality is a sin, or homosexuality is not a sin. There are no other possible alternatives.\r\n\r\nLet us look first at the side within Christianity that believes homosexuality is not a sin. You are an important voice, and one that has not come upon your conclusions lightly, or without sincerity. Looking at Scriptures, there are roughly 6 or 7 verses that speak directly to the issue, and even those can be somewhat unclear in their intended meaning. Jesus says nothing on the issue other than offering an example of a healthy heterosexual marriage. The word Paul uses for “homosexual” actually was originally used to refer to a “male prostitute”. There are hugely important debates that are being had from both within and outside of Christianity on this issue. But, at the very least, I think most would agree that what is openly discouraged in Scripture are unhealthy sexual relationships outside of marriage. Thus, this issue is even more pressing because the Church represents the loudest voice opposing the very thing that would allow homosexuals to operate within a Scripturally-sound framework. It falls on us, perhaps more-so than others because of the persuasion of our involvement thus far, to make a stand and support.\r\n\r\nNow, let’s move to the side of Christianity that believes homosexuality is a sin. The vast majority of modern Christianity has struggled with this, of not outright declared it an abomination and fostered some deep-seated anger about the issue. What, then, is our responsibility as a Church?\r\n\r\nI can say this: there is no Scriptural foundation, either OT or NT, from Jesus to Paul to Moses to Adam, that tells us evangelism or the living out of God’s commands includes having them forced upon people outside of the Church. In pursuing state-sponsored legislation for an issue that we may personally feel is wrong goes contrary to our responsibility as believers. We are told to go and make disciples, we are told to live out the commands of Christ…\r\n\r\n…but we are told to love and to be in relationships with people. Any authority we feel we should speak into the lives of others cannot be spoken until their is a basis of a loving relationship in place. It could be grievously damaging to the work of the Church if we seek to allow our government to do the work of living out God’s commands instead of each of us doing it individually. It was under persecution that the Church thrived because it forced people to live out the example of Christ.\r\n\r\nIn a more personal note, we cannot carry this banner so loudly, so forcefully, and lay aside the ones that we are more familiar with. I think this issue is more difficult for many Christians because perhaps they have never experienced it themselves. So, to take another example from Christ, we can look at the command to not get a divorce. Jesus is rock-solid in how he commands against this issue (again, not saying a word about homosexuality). Yet, Christians are sometimes all-but-silent about the issue. I come from parents that got divorced. I, myself, was previously married and got a divorce. Both of us were able to do this because we live in a governmental system where it is legally allowed. For someone to stand on the side against legalizing same sex marriage because they feel it goes against God’s command but to be living a life where they were able to get a divorce, which obviously goes against God’s command, would be the height of hypocrisy. I feel it is simply not the route we should be focused on. If someone is willing to so boldly carry the banner against same sex marriage, then why are they not even more boldly carrying the banner to have divorce made illegal?\r\n\r\nIn the end, it boils down to how much we are willing to wrestle with our faith in an effort to love more fully and follow more closely the God who loves us. It comes down to whether we are willing, while holding strong to the pillars of our faith—God is love, Jesus died for us, we are commanded to love out of an understanding of that sacrifice—to wrestle with the pieces of our theology that we have held to perhaps more tightly but sometimes in spite of the fact that it perhaps could look differently. I did not write this to confuse anyone’s theology, but to challenge us all to go back to the basics, to the unshakeables of our faith, and work our way out from there, making sure all our secondary and tertiary beliefs are in line and held for reasons glorfying and befitting the God tat has given us our commands.\r\n\r\nAnd if what we believe ever, for even a moment, causes us to sin in how we uphold it…we need to seriously look at whether it is the belief that should be refashioned, or our own heart behind it. The Pharisees had all the answers…except for why the commands were given in the first place: to display God’s love.','Why Every Christian Should (Legally) Support Gay Marriage','','publish','open','open','','why-every-christian-should-legally-support-gay-marriage','','','2013-04-18 09:27:23','2013-04-18 16:27:23','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=8599',0,'post','',1),(8602,205,'2013-04-23 08:00:45','2013-04-23 15:00:45','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. The church has been changing and seeing new life as people explore what it means to be a church in the early 21st century. The group presents a concept for a phenomenal new ministry connecting the community and congregation, leading to radically transformed lives. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You are elated when she says \"yes!\" and you start planning the roll out.\r\n\r\nAs the group finalizes the plans, you find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain (\"We\'ve never done it that way, what will other people say?\") and the pastor sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major contributors. Indirectly you hear that the elder board or denominational hierarchy is afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church, thus reducing the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nMaybe the group decides on what they believe will be an optimum structure, but the pastor tells them to run it a different way. The mandated changes are not just an alternative way to accomplish the same purpose. They cut the essential core out of the proposed ministry. The group mourns and loses heart, realizing the ministry will end up on the garbage heap of failed programs. You are convinced the pastor follows and loves Christ, so what went wrong? Is the pastor an obstacle, or is the church encountering a larger and systemic problem?\r\n\r\nIn the overall Christian community, we have been thinking through re-definitions of church, recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist industrial mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how Western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era is a major catalyst for transformation of what it means to be a church. These works examine the structure of the church and propose alternatives but rarely consider how the role of pastors changes with potential transitions. I still think churches need a person or group of people who provide some degree of leadership/followership. I cannot yet envision a congregation larger than a house church (which may be our future) operating without a semblance of a pastor.\r\n\r\nLet\'s consider a few ways in which pastors find themselves caught between their training, expectations, roles, and changing expectations.\r\n\r\nIn seminary, pastors encounter a strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative. This bias minimizes the inherent humanity of God\'s self-description through the narrative and image. Emphasis on parsing Greek or Hebrew at the expense of connecting with people in their own personal life situations encourage pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than engage in the harder work of coming alongside them. I am glad I learned both languages but I did not trust the narrative of the Bible for years.\r\n\r\nPastors attempt to simultaneous meet expectations of diverse constituencies, and their challenges are becoming more difficult. Shrinking budgets/attendance, more demanding denominational leadership, and long-term attendees who feel displaced by changes increase the stress levels on a pastor. Micromanagement is a typical response since the pastor may feel he is the only one who can simultaneously satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals. Many pastors under such pressure may exhibit health problems, engage in unhealthy behaviors, or decide that what they are doing is not worth the pain and leave the pastorate.\r\n\r\nThere is also a danger that the pastor grasps only part of the sheep and shepherd analogy(John 10:14). The pastor might see the people of the congregation as simple sheep incapable of making decisions on their own. The movement of a person closer to a shepherding role jeopardizes the pastor\'s role as \"sole\" shepherd. A maturing faith leads a person toward becoming a shepherd. The one good shepherd is Jesus and others become like Jesus in shepherding when they follow him. Thus, the pastor is not the head shepherd or the CEO of a modernist, industrial model church.\r\n\r\nI am not even sure that we should even have full-time pastor paid by the congregation. Most pastors are drastically underpaid and overworked. Even with a very inadequate salary, the additional cost of benefits such as health insurance help to drain the financial resources of a congregation. Why can’t several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the pastors or leaders?\r\n\r\nCan you share your experiences, good and bad, with these types of conflicts? Looking into the future, how would you define a pastor? Do you have examples of pastors that have recognized the transitions and are in the process of changing?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','publish','open','open','','is-your-pastor-holding-your-church-back','','','2013-04-18 09:29:09','2013-04-18 16:29:09','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=8602',0,'post','',1),(8603,205,'2013-03-29 13:47:05','2013-03-29 20:47:05','','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision','','','2013-03-29 13:47:05','2013-03-29 20:47:05','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8602-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8604,205,'2013-03-29 13:47:09','2013-03-29 20:47:09','','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-2','','','2013-03-29 13:47:09','2013-03-29 20:47:09','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8602-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8605,205,'2013-03-29 16:04:22','2013-03-29 23:04:22','Is your ch','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-3','','','2013-03-29 16:04:22','2013-03-29 23:04:22','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8602-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8607,204,'2013-05-02 08:00:01','2013-05-02 15:00:01','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an <a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/cqfhocd\">article</a> for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who we are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from <a href=\"http://www.cac.org\">The Center For Action and Contemplation</a>.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','publish','open','open','','on-sexism-patriarchy-and-strange-ways-to-lose-body-parts','','','2013-05-02 06:12:15','2013-05-02 13:12:15','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=8607',0,'post','',2),(8609,204,'2013-03-29 17:01:07','2013-03-30 00:01:07','','imgres','','inherit','open','open','','imgres','','','2013-03-29 17:01:07','2013-03-30 00:01:07','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/imgres.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8610,204,'2013-03-29 17:01:00','2013-03-30 00:01:00','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\n\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\n\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\n\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\n\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\n\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\n\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\n\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\n\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\n\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\n\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\n\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\n\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\n\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\n\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\n\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision','','','2013-03-29 17:01:00','2013-03-30 00:01:00','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8611,204,'2013-03-29 17:02:53','2013-03-30 00:02:53','','imgres','','inherit','open','open','','imgres-2','','','2013-03-29 17:02:53','2013-03-30 00:02:53','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/imgres1.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8612,204,'2013-03-29 17:01:17','2013-03-30 00:01:17','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-2','','','2013-03-29 17:01:17','2013-03-30 00:01:17','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8615,204,'2013-03-29 17:05:16','2013-03-30 00:05:16','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-4','','','2013-03-29 17:05:16','2013-03-30 00:05:16','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8613,204,'2013-03-29 17:05:03','2013-03-30 00:05:03','','url-1','','inherit','open','open','','url-1','','','2013-03-29 17:05:03','2013-03-30 00:05:03','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url-1.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8614,204,'2013-03-29 17:03:24','2013-03-30 00:03:24','<p>There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:</p>\r\n<blockquote><p>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</p></blockquote>\r\n<p>The rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?</p>\r\n<p>The other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.</p>\r\n<p>Some 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.</p>\r\n<p>I once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.</p>\r\n<p>Elizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:</p>\r\n<blockquote><p>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,<br />\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,<br />\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;<br />\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</p></blockquote>\r\n<p>The monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.</p>\r\n<p>A true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</p>\r\n<p>It is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"</p>\r\n<p>The problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:</p>\r\n<blockquote><p>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</p>\r\n<p>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</p>\r\n<p>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</p>\r\n<p>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</p>\r\n<p>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</p>\r\n<p>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</p>\r\n<p>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</p></blockquote>\r\n<p>This could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.</p>\r\n<p>Could this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.</p>\r\n<p>*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Photo by San Diego Free Press</p>\r\n','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-3','','','2013-03-29 17:03:24','2013-03-30 00:03:24','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8616,204,'2013-03-29 17:07:39','2013-03-30 00:07:39','','imgres','','inherit','open','open','','imgres-3','','','2013-03-29 17:07:39','2013-03-30 00:07:39','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/imgres2.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8617,204,'2013-03-29 17:05:25','2013-03-30 00:05:25','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-5','','','2013-03-29 17:05:25','2013-03-30 00:05:25','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(8618,204,'2013-03-29 17:07:48','2013-03-30 00:07:48','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-6','','','2013-03-29 17:07:48','2013-03-30 00:07:48','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(8619,204,'2013-03-29 17:09:51','2013-03-30 00:09:51','','imgres-1','','inherit','open','open','','imgres-1','','','2013-03-29 17:09:51','2013-03-30 00:09:51','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/imgres-1.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8620,204,'2013-03-29 17:07:56','2013-03-30 00:07:56','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-7','','','2013-03-29 17:07:56','2013-03-30 00:07:56','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(8621,204,'2013-03-29 17:10:08','2013-03-30 00:10:08','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-8','','','2013-03-29 17:10:08','2013-03-30 00:10:08','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(8622,204,'2013-03-29 17:10:15','2013-03-30 00:10:15','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-9','','','2013-03-29 17:10:15','2013-03-30 00:10:15','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(8623,204,'2013-03-29 17:10:36','2013-03-30 00:10:36','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-10','','','2013-03-29 17:10:36','2013-03-30 00:10:36','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(8624,204,'2013-03-29 17:10:59','2013-03-30 00:10:59','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-11','','','2013-03-29 17:10:59','2013-03-30 00:10:59','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(8625,204,'2013-03-29 17:11:57','2013-03-30 00:11:57','','url-2','','inherit','open','open','','url-2','','','2013-03-29 17:11:57','2013-03-30 00:11:57','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url-2.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8626,204,'2013-03-29 17:13:22','2013-03-30 00:13:22','','imgres-2','','inherit','open','open','','imgres-2-2','','','2013-03-29 17:13:22','2013-03-30 00:13:22','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/imgres-2.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8627,204,'2013-03-29 17:14:15','2013-03-30 00:14:15','','url-3','','inherit','open','open','','url-3','','','2013-03-29 17:14:15','2013-03-30 00:14:15','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url-3.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8628,204,'2013-03-29 17:11:05','2013-03-30 00:11:05','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-12','','','2013-03-29 17:11:05','2013-03-30 00:11:05','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(8629,204,'2013-03-29 17:14:31','2013-03-30 00:14:31','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-13','','','2013-03-29 17:14:31','2013-03-30 00:14:31','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(8630,204,'2013-03-29 17:14:41','2013-03-30 00:14:41','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote, \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\" Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. \"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\" he wrote, \"it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\" The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,\" he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" This is always about that, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, Aurora Leigh has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—this is always about that.\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, \"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"\r\n\r\nIt is \"pure heresy\" to call anyone whose gender is different \"intrinsically disordered.\"\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone \"intrinsically disordered\" are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think I might be overlooked;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;\r\n\r\nSexism makes me question everything about my self;\r\n\r\nSexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;\r\n\r\nSexism causes anxiety and depression;\r\n\r\nSexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-14','','','2013-03-29 17:14:41','2013-03-30 00:14:41','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(8631,204,'2013-03-29 17:19:35','2013-03-30 00:19:35','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\n\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\n\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\n\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\n\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\n\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\n\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\n\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\n\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender, see his periodical, Radical Grace, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\n\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-15','','','2013-03-29 17:19:35','2013-03-30 00:19:35','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(8632,204,'2013-03-29 17:19:55','2013-03-30 00:19:55','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by San Diego Free Press','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-16','','','2013-03-29 17:19:55','2013-03-30 00:19:55','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(8633,204,'2013-03-29 17:21:50','2013-03-30 00:21:50','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-17','','','2013-03-29 17:21:50','2013-03-30 00:21:50','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(8634,204,'2013-03-29 17:22:02','2013-03-30 00:22:02','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women upward (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men downward (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-18','','','2013-03-29 17:22:02','2013-03-30 00:22:02','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(8636,204,'2013-03-29 17:25:20','2013-03-30 00:25:20','','imgres-3','','inherit','open','open','','imgres-3-2','','','2013-03-29 17:25:20','2013-03-30 00:25:20','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/imgres-3.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8635,204,'2013-03-29 17:23:20','2013-03-30 00:23:20','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-19','','','2013-03-29 17:23:20','2013-03-30 00:23:20','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(8637,204,'2013-03-29 17:25:13','2013-03-30 00:25:13','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\n\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\n\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\n\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\n\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\n\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\n\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\n\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\n\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\n\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-20','','','2013-03-29 17:25:13','2013-03-30 00:25:13','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(8638,204,'2013-03-29 17:25:31','2013-03-30 00:25:31','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-21','','','2013-03-29 17:25:31','2013-03-30 00:25:31','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(8639,204,'2013-03-29 17:25:37','2013-03-30 00:25:37','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-22','','','2013-03-29 17:25:37','2013-03-30 00:25:37','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(8640,204,'2013-03-29 17:27:06','2013-03-30 00:27:06','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-23','','','2013-03-29 17:27:06','2013-03-30 00:27:06','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(8641,204,'2013-03-29 17:27:13','2013-03-30 00:27:13','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-24','','','2013-03-29 17:27:13','2013-03-30 00:27:13','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(8642,204,'2013-03-29 17:27:16','2013-03-30 00:27:16','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-25','','','2013-03-29 17:27:16','2013-03-30 00:27:16','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(8643,204,'2013-03-29 17:27:52','2013-03-30 00:27:52','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary reprimanded Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-26','','','2013-03-29 17:27:52','2013-03-30 00:27:52','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(8644,205,'2013-03-29 18:57:22','2013-03-30 01:57:22','Is the church you attend struggling?\n\nMicromanagement\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-4','','','2013-03-29 18:57:22','2013-03-30 01:57:22','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8602-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8648,12,'2013-03-29 19:36:47','2013-03-30 02:36:47','','IMG_5483 (533x800)','Photo courtesy of usatoday.com','inherit','open','open','','img_5483-533x800','','','2013-03-29 19:36:47','2013-03-30 02:36:47','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/IMG_5483-533x800.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8646,12,'2013-04-10 08:00:34','2013-04-10 15:00:34','E. L. James “<em>Fifty Shades of Grey</em>” trilogy has sold millions upon millions of books. Her success has been accredited to all sorts of things. She has critics as well as fans, an <a href=\"http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/fifty-shades-grey-movie-emma-roberts-or-emma-bell-play-anastasia\">upcoming movie</a> and <a href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/03/e-l-james-fifty-shades-of-gray-new-book\">just announced a book on writing tips</a>.\r\n\r\nI was browsing Amazon recently and came across a work by <a href=\"http://cassandraparkin.wordpress.com/author/cassandraparkin/\">Cassandra Parkin</a>, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Grey-Critical-ebook/dp/B009KBL1DA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.</em></a>” She also has companion novels for the other two works in the trilogy, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Lighter-Critical-ebook/dp/B009JF5RO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Fifty Shades Lighter: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Darker</em></a>” and “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Freed-Critical-ebook/dp/B00A3EMVXC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades Freed: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Freed.</em></a>’”\r\n\r\nI read a couple of reviews and noting its humor, I decided to give it a try for its unbeatable price of $2.99. I was not disappointed. Parkin takes James to task with biting sarcasm for her writing failures, but also uncovers some serious issues.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8650\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" alt=\"lighter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter-228x300.jpg\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" /></a>Parkin recommends her book for several audiences. First, for those who enjoy the book so they can be aware of the arguments that will come their way as to why the book is so awful. Secondly, for those on the fence trying to decide whether or not to read it. Finally, it’s for those who have decided not to read it and have been asked, “<em>how can you know it’s bad when you haven’t read it?</em>”\r\n\r\nI wanted to talk to her further so I contacted the North England native. I’m definitely glad I did. We talked about James’ work, the dangers within toward women, the BDSM element, bad literature, and even tips on writing. Besides these topics, it was terrific to interview her. I found a strong feminist greatly concerned with women’s issues, a great literary mind, and an incredibly talented writer with tremendous spirit and voice.\r\n\r\nBesides this work, she won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories for her work, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/World-Fairy-Tales-Cassandra-Parkin/dp/1844718816/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>New World Fairy Tales</em></a>.” Her novel, \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Summer-All-Ran-Away-ebook/dp/B00BU2NGR6/ref=la_B007NCIS2U_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610678&amp;sr=1-4\"><em>The Summer We All Ran Away</em></a>\", will be published by Legend Press in August 2013 and she is working on her second novel, \"<em>The Beach Hut</em>.\"\r\n\r\nHere is n excerpt from “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” to give you an idea of its flavor: “<em>Even if you feel there’s something wrong with a world where this book will shortly be outselling bread, it’s hard to argue that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ isn’t…significant. And a book this…significant…deserves to be subjected to thorough textual analysis. By taking it apart into teeny tiny small little pieces and putting those pieces under a spiteful, mean-spirited microscope, we may all just learn something about the elusive nature of the best seller.</em>\r\n\r\nAnd at the very least, we’ll all get to spend time enjoyably picking holes in the success of others. And time spent having fun is rarely wasted, I think.” (Kindle Location, 55)\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Ray:</em></strong> <em>I wanted you to know there was so much I enjoyed about your book: Your writing style, your snarkiness and your obvious love for good fiction. My concern is that people will just see your critique of James’ work as an act of jealousy instead of a clarion call to responsible writing and just an entertaining work of writing in its own right. Have you had such criticism? How do you react to this?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Cassandra:</em></strong> Thank you – I’m so glad you enjoyed the book! It was a lot of fun to write, I have to say.\r\n\r\nYou’re right, of course; I’ve been accused of jealousy by plenty of people, sometimes in alarmingly vivid terms. I especially enjoyed the lady who described an entire life for me where I’ve spent years scratching away in a garret at some terribly high-brow and pretentious work of literature, rejected by agent after agent and mocked by publishers, and now pass my time by endlessly raging about E L James’s success every day, and drinking myself into a coma every night. (I think she was talking about me. It’s possible she had me confused with the ghost of Ernest Hemingway.)\r\n\r\nI must admit, I do find it quite odd that so many people’s instinctive response to me saying, “<em>I think this is a bit rubbish, and here’s why</em>” is to instantly scream “<em>Oh, but you’re just JEALOUS!</em>” Why would I be? I genuinely don’t wish I’d written “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. If one day I write a book and it sells as well as “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and I’m also proud of it – well, that’ll be a lovely experience. But if it never happens, so what? Is there a certain level of sales or wealth that entitles us to have an opinion?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> The phenomenon of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a remarkable thing and you address it well in the opening section. You put aside <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8652\" alt=\"50shades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades-213x300.jpg\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" /></a>the idea the popular theory of “<em>mommy porn</em>” being its biggest attraction and show its appeal being its origins with Fanfic, especially its commonality with the “<em>Twilight</em>” series. Since these books have been written, how have you seen the market grow? More books like this have been written, surely. But has the writing gotten better or are readers just settling for even worse written fiction?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em> I think the main impact of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has been to bring non-conventional sex into the Romance genre – in the same way “<em>Twilight</em>” combined Romance with Supernatural. We all know that Romance books are commodity items, with hundreds of titles published a year. Collectively, they’re a huge success. But none of the individual titles are bestsellers because they’re written to a formula, and there are so many to choose from.\r\n\r\n“<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has created a market for Romance with BDSM sexual content. At the moment, there are quite a few BDSM-themed romances on the Top Ten shelves in the supermarkets, because if you want a BDSM-themed romance, there aren’t that many choices yet. But as the market catches up, I imagine the individual titles will disappear from the Top Ten, but BDSM romances will have their own imprint within the big Genre-Fiction houses. Mills and Boon have a Supernatural Romance imprint, with eight new titles every month. This time next year I’m sure they’ll have the same for the “Fifty Shades” fans.\r\n\r\nHas there been a change in quality? I’d probably draw a distinction between bad writing and retrogressive themes. I’m sure the writing will get better, because I can’t imagine any editor willfully commissioning a bad writer to create a Fifty-Shades-A-Like novel when the Genre Fiction field has so many excellent writers to choose from. However, if they stay true to the central theme of the Fifty Shades series - which is basically “<em>Stand by your abusive man, girls, because if you love him hard enough you can fix him!</em>” - then I’ll stand by my judgment of their overall value to society.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> James’ book, as you mentioned, didn’t undergo much critical editing. Hypothetical question: Do you think an editing process would have helped this book? Or, would it have made it less appealing to the readers?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Well, I think it would have made it a lot harder for me and others to laugh at! I don’t know if fewer descriptions of Christian’s well-hung pants or Ana saying “<em>Oh my</em>” less often would have made it less fun for fans, but it would certainly have taken away a lot of what I enjoyed about it.\r\n\r\nHowever, I think what Fifty Shades fans respond to is the underlying theme of falling for a monster, who you then redeem through the power of your love. Women are taught from a very young age that it’s rude and ungrateful to reject male attention – even when it’s offered by someone who is violent, destructive or dangerous towards us. Instead, we should use our power to transform these cruel and undesirable men into our perfect heroes.\r\n\r\nWhen you write it out like that, it’s pretty laughable, and I’d laugh about it myself if this particular fantasy didn’t come with its own verified body-count. In the UK, two women a week are killed by violent and abusive partners – usually after enduring months and years of appalling behaviour. The reasons we stay with men who treat us like this? Because we think that if we love him hard enough and long enough, he’ll reform.\r\n\r\n<em><strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8653\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" alt=\"bomer\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer-225x300.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>R:</strong></em> One of the major themes of your writing that many reviewers seem to have missed is how Ana is forced to have sex against her will. (Loc. 355, 647 Kindle) Over and over, you mention that Ana has the right to say “<em>no</em>,” whether there is a contract or not. In fact, you note how Ana is even raped and kidnapped. Further, Christian morally justifies his actions. Why are these actions skipped over by many readers or excused? Is it because it is under the guise of a fiction/fantasy novel? What are the dangers?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The way I’ve heard it justified is that Christian behaves like this because he’s “<em>damaged</em>”, and doesn’t know how to have a proper relationship. Well, yes; I can absolutely buy that. His childhood was terrible, and a lot of his behaviour is strongly suggestive of sociopathy. How could he not struggle with healthy relationships?\r\n\r\nWhat I take issue with is the idea that Christian can be fixed if he only finds the right woman; and that, because Christian thinks Ana might be the one, it’s then her responsibility to become that right woman. The narrative’s driven by what Christian needs, not what Ana needs. Ana’s “<em>reward</em>” is Christian’s transformation.\r\n\r\nFor the record, I don’t think this idea comes from “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. It’s already in our heads, which is why we respond to it so strongly, and why so many people get so angry when it’s challenged.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Ana commonly references “<em>Tess of the D’Urbervilles</em>” and compares herself to her. You commonly note that the reference is terrible since the correlation is awful. Tess was raped. But the problems don’t end there. James struggles with the basic use of metaphor, simile, character interaction, and descriptions. At what point did James become responsible for her major errors? If she had sold 30 books on Amazon, I suppose we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Is the real problem James’ writing or the fact that we have a population that doesn’t recognize subpar writing?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>I think it’s always okay to point out when you think something isn’t very good. How loudly you feel compelled to point that out depends on how big an impact you believe the not-very-goodness is having. If I go to a restaurant and my burger is horrible, I’ll probably complain to the waiter. (Well actually, since I’m British, I’ll probably eat it anyway, pay the bill, leave a tip and then complain to my husband in the car afterwards…but you get the idea.) But if I go to McDonald’s and my burger is horrible, I think it’s appropriate to complain far more publically. A lot of people eat in McDonald’s, so a lot of people might be interested in my experience.\r\n\r\nAnd if people want to carry on eating in McDonald’s anyway, fair enough. I haven’t ever said to anyone, “<em>Don’t buy this book because it’s awful</em>”. I’m just sharing my experience.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> As a follow up, many people might say, “<em>I don’t care that it’s poorly written. I just like the story.</em>” Should that concern us? Are we a world of undiscerning readers or is it okay to expect less out of our writers as long as the “<em>story</em>” is compelling and titillating?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I’m not sure the success of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a four-horseman-style harbinger of the death of quality writing. The <em>succès fou</em> is a very old phenomenon, and the world seems to have survived. If there’s anything that worries me about “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, it’s what it tells us all about our collective willingness to endorse and even romanticise abusive relationships.\r\n\r\n________________________\r\n\r\n<em>Please stay tuned for part two of this interview.</em>\r\n\r\nCassandra Parkin has a Master\'s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life - mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey\" - Part One','','publish','open','open','','cassandra-parkin-lighter-shades-of-grey-part-one','','','2013-04-09 20:43:13','2013-04-10 03:43:13','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=8646',0,'post','',0),(8647,12,'2013-03-29 19:23:09','2013-03-30 02:23:09','','Author Interview: Cassandra Parkin','','inherit','open','open','','8646-revision','','','2013-03-29 19:23:09','2013-03-30 02:23:09','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8646-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8649,205,'2013-03-29 19:36:35','2013-03-30 02:36:35','Is the church you attend struggling?\n\nMicromanagement\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-5','','','2013-03-29 19:36:35','2013-03-30 02:36:35','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8602-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(8650,12,'2013-03-29 19:43:21','2013-03-30 02:43:21','','lighter','','inherit','open','open','','lighter','','','2013-03-29 19:43:21','2013-03-30 02:43:21','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8651,12,'2013-03-29 19:46:10','2013-03-30 02:46:10','','50shades','','inherit','open','open','','50shades-2','','','2013-03-29 19:46:10','2013-03-30 02:46:10','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades.htm',0,'attachment','text/html',0),(8652,12,'2013-03-29 19:48:02','2013-03-30 02:48:02','','50shades','','inherit','open','open','','50shades-3','','','2013-03-29 19:48:02','2013-03-30 02:48:02','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8653,12,'2013-03-29 19:50:48','2013-03-30 02:50:48','','bomer','','inherit','open','open','','bomer','','','2013-03-29 19:50:48','2013-03-30 02:50:48','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8654,12,'2013-03-29 19:48:44','2013-03-30 02:48:44','E. L. James “<em>Fifty Shades of Grey</em>” trilogy has sold millions upon millions of books. Her success has been accredited to all sorts of things. She has critics as well as fans, an <a href=\"http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/fifty-shades-grey-movie-emma-roberts-or-emma-bell-play-anastasia\">upcoming movie</a> and <a href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/03/e-l-james-fifty-shades-of-gray-new-book\">just announced a book on writing tips</a>.\n\nI was browsing Amazon recently and came across a work by <a href=\"http://cassandraparkin.wordpress.com/author/cassandraparkin/\">Cassandra Parkin</a>, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Grey-Critical-ebook/dp/B009KBL1DA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.</em></a>” She also has companion novels for the other two works in the trilogy, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Lighter-Critical-ebook/dp/B009JF5RO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Fifty Shades Lighter: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Darker</em></a>” and “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Freed-Critical-ebook/dp/B00A3EMVXC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades Freed: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Freed.</em></a>’”\n\nI read a couple of reviews and noting its humor, I decided to give it a try for its unbeatable price of $2.99. I was not disappointed. Parkin takes James to task with biting sarcasm for her writing failures, but also uncovers some serious issues.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8650\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"lighter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter-228x300.jpg\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" /></a>Parkin recommends her book for several audiences. First, for those who enjoy the book so they can be aware of the arguments that will come their way as to why the book is so awful. Secondly, for those on the fence trying to decide whether or not to read it. Finally, it’s for those who have decided not to read it and have been asked, “<em>how can you know it’s bad when you haven’t read it?</em>”\n\nI wanted to talk to her further so I contacted the North England native. I’m definitely glad I did. We talked about James’ work, the dangers within toward women, the BDSM element, bad literature, and even tips on writing. Besides these topics, it was terrific to interview her. I found a strong feminist greatly concerned with women’s issues, a great literary mind, and an incredibly talented writer with tremendous spirit and voice.\n\nBesides this work, she won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories for her work, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/World-Fairy-Tales-Cassandra-Parkin/dp/1844718816/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>New World Fairy Tales</em></a>.” Her novel, \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Summer-All-Ran-Away-ebook/dp/B00BU2NGR6/ref=la_B007NCIS2U_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610678&amp;sr=1-4\"><em>The Summer We All Ran Away</em></a>\", will be published by Legend Press in August 2013 and she is working on her second novel, \"<em>The Beach Hut</em>.\"\n\nHere is n excerpt from “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” to give you an idea of its flavor: “<em>Even if you feel there’s something wrong with a world where this book will shortly be outselling bread, it’s hard to argue that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ isn’t…significant. And a book this…significant…deserves to be subjected to thorough textual analysis. By taking it apart into teeny tiny small little pieces and putting those pieces under a spiteful, mean-spirited microscope, we may all just learn something about the elusive nature of the best seller.</em>\n\nAnd at the very least, we’ll all get to spend time enjoyably picking holes in the success of others. And time spent having fun is rarely wasted, I think.” (Kindle Location, 55)\n\n<strong><em>Ray:</em></strong> <em>I wanted you to know there was so much I enjoyed about your book: Your writing style, your snarkiness and your obvious love for good fiction. My concern is that people will just see your critique of James’ work as an act of jealousy instead of a clarion call to responsible writing and just an entertaining work of writing in its own right. Have you had such criticism? How do you react to this?</em>\n\n<strong><em>Cassandra:</em></strong> Thank you – I’m so glad you enjoyed the book! It was a lot of fun to write, I have to say.\n\nYou’re right, of course; I’ve been accused of jealousy by plenty of people, sometimes in alarmingly vivid terms. I especially enjoyed the lady who described an entire life for me where I’ve spent years scratching away in a garret at some terribly high-brow and pretentious work of literature, rejected by agent after agent and mocked by publishers, and now pass my time by endlessly raging about E L James’s success every day, and drinking myself into a coma every night. (I think she was talking about me. It’s possible she had me confused with the ghost of Ernest Hemingway.)\n\nI must admit, I do find it quite odd that so many people’s instinctive response to me saying, “<em>I think this is a bit rubbish, and here’s why</em>” is to instantly scream “<em>Oh, but you’re just JEALOUS!</em>” Why would I be? I genuinely don’t wish I’d written “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. If one day I write a book and it sells as well as “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and I’m also proud of it – well, that’ll be a lovely experience. But if it never happens, so what? Is there a certain level of sales or wealth that entitles us to have an opinion?\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> The phenomenon of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a remarkable thing and you address it well in the opening section. You put aside <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8652\" alt=\"50shades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades-213x300.jpg\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" /></a>the idea the popular theory of “<em>mommy porn</em>” being its biggest attraction and show its appeal being its origins with Fanfic, especially its commonality with the “<em>Twilight</em>” series. Since these books have been written, how have you seen the market grow? More books like this have been written, surely. But has the writing gotten better or are readers just settling for even worse written fiction?\n\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em> I think the main impact of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has been to bring non-conventional sex into the Romance genre – in the same way “<em>Twilight</em>” combined Romance with Supernatural. We all know that Romance books are commodity items, with hundreds of titles published a year. Collectively, they’re a huge success. But none of the individual titles are bestsellers because they’re written to a formula, and there are so many to choose from.\n\n“<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has created a market for Romance with BDSM sexual content. At the moment, there are quite a few BDSM-themed romances on the Top Ten shelves in the supermarkets, because if you want a BDSM-themed romance, there aren’t that many choices yet. But as the market catches up, I imagine the individual titles will disappear from the Top Ten, but BDSM romances will have their own imprint within the big Genre-Fiction houses. Mills and Boon have a Supernatural Romance imprint, with eight new titles every month. This time next year I’m sure they’ll have the same for the “Fifty Shades” fans.\n\nHas there been a change in quality? I’d probably draw a distinction between bad writing and retrogressive themes. I’m sure the writing will get better, because I can’t imagine any editor willfully commissioning a bad writer to create a Fifty-Shades-A-Like novel when the Genre Fiction field has so many excellent writers to choose from. However, if they stay true to the central theme of the Fifty Shades series - which is basically “<em>Stand by your abusive man, girls, because if you love him hard enough you can fix him!</em>” - then I’ll stand by my judgment of their overall value to society.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> James’ book, as you mentioned, didn’t undergo much critical editing. Hypothetical question: Do you think an editing process would have helped this book? Or, would it have made it less appealing to the readers?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Well, I think it would have made it a lot harder for me and others to laugh at! I don’t know if fewer descriptions of Christian’s well-hung pants or Ana saying “<em>Oh my</em>” less often would have made it less fun for fans, but it would certainly have taken away a lot of what I enjoyed about it.\n\nHowever, I think what Fifty Shades fans respond to is the underlying theme of falling for a monster, who you then redeem through the power of your love. Women are taught from a very young age that it’s rude and ungrateful to reject male attention – even when it’s offered by someone who is violent, destructive or dangerous towards us. Instead, we should use our power to transform these cruel and undesirable men into our perfect heroes.\n\nWhen you write it out like that, it’s pretty laughable, and I’d laugh about it myself if this particular fantasy didn’t come with its own verified body-count. In the UK, two women a week are killed by violent and abusive partners – usually after enduring months and years of appalling behaviour. The reasons we stay with men who treat us like this? Because we think that if we love him hard enough and long enough, he’ll reform.\n\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> One of the major themes of your writing that many reviewers seem to have missed is how Ana is forced to have sex against her will. (Loc. 355, 647 Kindle) Over and over, you mention that Ana has the right to say “<em>no</em>,” whether there is a contract or not. In fact, you note how Ana is even raped and kidnapped. Further, Christian morally justifies his actions. Why are these actions skipped over by many readers or excused? Is it because it is under the guise of a fiction/fantasy novel? What are the dangers?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The way I’ve heard it justified is that Christian behaves like this because he’s “<em>damaged</em>”, and doesn’t know how to have a proper relationship. Well, yes; I can absolutely buy that. His childhood was terrible, and a lot of his behaviour is strongly suggestive of sociopathy. How could he not struggle with healthy relationships?\n\nWhat I take issue with is the idea that Christian can be fixed if he only finds the right woman; and that, because Christian thinks Ana might be the one, it’s then her responsibility to become that right woman. The narrative’s driven by what Christian needs, not what Ana needs. Ana’s “<em>reward</em>” is Christian’s transformation.\n\nFor the record, I don’t think this idea comes from “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. It’s already in our heads, which is why we respond to it so strongly, and why so many people get so angry when it’s challenged.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Ana commonly references “<em>Tess of the D’Urbervilles</em>” and compares herself to her. You commonly note that the reference is terrible since the correlation is awful. Tess was raped. But the problems don’t end there. James struggles with the basic use of metaphor, simile, character interaction, and descriptions. At what point did James become responsible for her major errors? If she had sold 30 books on Amazon, I suppose we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Is the real problem James’ writing or the fact that we have a population that doesn’t recognize subpar writing?\n\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>I think it’s always okay to point out when you think something isn’t very good. How loudly you feel compelled to point that out depends on how big an impact you believe the not-very-goodness is having. If I go to a restaurant and my burger is horrible, I’ll probably complain to the waiter. (Well actually, since I’m British, I’ll probably eat it anyway, pay the bill, leave a tip and then complain to my husband in the car afterwards…but you get the idea.) But if I go to McDonald’s and my burger is horrible, I think it’s appropriate to complain far more publically. A lot of people eat in McDonald’s, so a lot of people might be interested in my experience.\n\nAnd if people want to carry on eating in McDonald’s anyway, fair enough. I haven’t ever said to anyone, “<em>Don’t buy this book because it’s awful</em>”. I’m just sharing my experience.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> As a follow up, many people might say, “<em>I don’t care that it’s poorly written. I just like the story.</em>” Should that concern us? Are we a world of undiscerning readers or is it okay to expect less out of our writers as long as the “<em>story</em>” is compelling and titillating?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I’m not sure the success of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a four-horseman-style harbinger of the death of quality writing. The <em>succès fou</em> is a very old phenomenon, and the world seems to have survived. If there’s anything that worries me about “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, it’s what it tells us all about our collective willingness to endorse and even romanticise abusive relationships.\n\n________________________\n\n<em>Please stay tuned for part two of this interview.</em>\n\nCassandra Parkin has a Master\'s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life - mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.\n\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Author Interview: Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,\'\" Part One','','inherit','open','open','','8646-revision-2','','','2013-03-29 19:48:44','2013-03-30 02:48:44','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8646-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8655,12,'2013-03-29 20:04:51','2013-03-30 03:04:51','E. L. James “<em>Fifty Shades of Grey</em>” trilogy has sold millions upon millions of books. Her success has been accredited to all sorts of things. She has critics as well as fans, an <a href=\"http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/fifty-shades-grey-movie-emma-roberts-or-emma-bell-play-anastasia\">upcoming movie</a> and <a href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/03/e-l-james-fifty-shades-of-gray-new-book\">just announced a book on writing tips</a>.\n\nI was browsing Amazon recently and came across a work by <a href=\"http://cassandraparkin.wordpress.com/author/cassandraparkin/\">Cassandra Parkin</a>, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Grey-Critical-ebook/dp/B009KBL1DA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.</em></a>” She also has companion novels for the other two works in the trilogy, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Lighter-Critical-ebook/dp/B009JF5RO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Fifty Shades Lighter: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Darker</em></a>” and “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Freed-Critical-ebook/dp/B00A3EMVXC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades Freed: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Freed.</em></a>’”\n\nI read a couple of reviews and noting its humor, I decided to give it a try for its unbeatable price of $2.99. I was not disappointed. Parkin takes James to task with biting sarcasm for her writing failures, but also uncovers some serious issues.\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8650\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"lighter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter-228x300.jpg\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" /></a>Parkin recommends her book for several audiences. First, for those who enjoy the book so they can be aware of the arguments that will come their way as to why the book is so awful. Secondly, for those on the fence trying to decide whether or not to read it. Finally, it’s for those who have decided not to read it and have been asked, “<em>how can you know it’s bad when you haven’t read it?</em>”\n\nI wanted to talk to her further so I contacted the North England native. I’m definitely glad I did. We talked about James’ work, the dangers within toward women, the BDSM element, bad literature, and even tips on writing. Besides these topics, it was terrific to interview her. I found a strong feminist greatly concerned with women’s issues, a great literary mind, and an incredibly talented writer with tremendous spirit and voice.\n\nBesides this work, she won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories for her work, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/World-Fairy-Tales-Cassandra-Parkin/dp/1844718816/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>New World Fairy Tales</em></a>.” Her novel, \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Summer-All-Ran-Away-ebook/dp/B00BU2NGR6/ref=la_B007NCIS2U_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610678&amp;sr=1-4\"><em>The Summer We All Ran Away</em></a>\", will be published by Legend Press in August 2013 and she is working on her second novel, \"<em>The Beach Hut</em>.\"\n\nHere is n excerpt from “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” to give you an idea of its flavor: “<em>Even if you feel there’s something wrong with a world where this book will shortly be outselling bread, it’s hard to argue that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ isn’t…significant. And a book this…significant…deserves to be subjected to thorough textual analysis. By taking it apart into teeny tiny small little pieces and putting those pieces under a spiteful, mean-spirited microscope, we may all just learn something about the elusive nature of the best seller.</em>\n\nAnd at the very least, we’ll all get to spend time enjoyably picking holes in the success of others. And time spent having fun is rarely wasted, I think.” (Kindle Location, 55)\n\n<strong><em>Ray:</em></strong> <em>I wanted you to know there was so much I enjoyed about your book: Your writing style, your snarkiness and your obvious love for good fiction. My concern is that people will just see your critique of James’ work as an act of jealousy instead of a clarion call to responsible writing and just an entertaining work of writing in its own right. Have you had such criticism? How do you react to this?</em>\n\n<strong><em>Cassandra:</em></strong> Thank you – I’m so glad you enjoyed the book! It was a lot of fun to write, I have to say.\n\nYou’re right, of course; I’ve been accused of jealousy by plenty of people, sometimes in alarmingly vivid terms. I especially enjoyed the lady who described an entire life for me where I’ve spent years scratching away in a garret at some terribly high-brow and pretentious work of literature, rejected by agent after agent and mocked by publishers, and now pass my time by endlessly raging about E L James’s success every day, and drinking myself into a coma every night. (I think she was talking about me. It’s possible she had me confused with the ghost of Ernest Hemingway.)\n\nI must admit, I do find it quite odd that so many people’s instinctive response to me saying, “<em>I think this is a bit rubbish, and here’s why</em>” is to instantly scream “<em>Oh, but you’re just JEALOUS!</em>” Why would I be? I genuinely don’t wish I’d written “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. If one day I write a book and it sells as well as “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and I’m also proud of it – well, that’ll be a lovely experience. But if it never happens, so what? Is there a certain level of sales or wealth that entitles us to have an opinion?\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> The phenomenon of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a remarkable thing and you address it well in the opening section. You put aside <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8652\" alt=\"50shades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades-213x300.jpg\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" /></a>the idea the popular theory of “<em>mommy porn</em>” being its biggest attraction and show its appeal being its origins with Fanfic, especially its commonality with the “<em>Twilight</em>” series. Since these books have been written, how have you seen the market grow? More books like this have been written, surely. But has the writing gotten better or are readers just settling for even worse written fiction?\n\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em> I think the main impact of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has been to bring non-conventional sex into the Romance genre – in the same way “<em>Twilight</em>” combined Romance with Supernatural. We all know that Romance books are commodity items, with hundreds of titles published a year. Collectively, they’re a huge success. But none of the individual titles are bestsellers because they’re written to a formula, and there are so many to choose from.\n\n“<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has created a market for Romance with BDSM sexual content. At the moment, there are quite a few BDSM-themed romances on the Top Ten shelves in the supermarkets, because if you want a BDSM-themed romance, there aren’t that many choices yet. But as the market catches up, I imagine the individual titles will disappear from the Top Ten, but BDSM romances will have their own imprint within the big Genre-Fiction houses. Mills and Boon have a Supernatural Romance imprint, with eight new titles every month. This time next year I’m sure they’ll have the same for the “Fifty Shades” fans.\n\nHas there been a change in quality? I’d probably draw a distinction between bad writing and retrogressive themes. I’m sure the writing will get better, because I can’t imagine any editor willfully commissioning a bad writer to create a Fifty-Shades-A-Like novel when the Genre Fiction field has so many excellent writers to choose from. However, if they stay true to the central theme of the Fifty Shades series - which is basically “<em>Stand by your abusive man, girls, because if you love him hard enough you can fix him!</em>” - then I’ll stand by my judgment of their overall value to society.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> James’ book, as you mentioned, didn’t undergo much critical editing. Hypothetical question: Do you think an editing process would have helped this book? Or, would it have made it less appealing to the readers?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Well, I think it would have made it a lot harder for me and others to laugh at! I don’t know if fewer descriptions of Christian’s well-hung pants or Ana saying “<em>Oh my</em>” less often would have made it less fun for fans, but it would certainly have taken away a lot of what I enjoyed about it.\n\nHowever, I think what Fifty Shades fans respond to is the underlying theme of falling for a monster, who you then redeem through the power of your love. Women are taught from a very young age that it’s rude and ungrateful to reject male attention – even when it’s offered by someone who is violent, destructive or dangerous towards us. Instead, we should use our power to transform these cruel and undesirable men into our perfect heroes.\n\nWhen you write it out like that, it’s pretty laughable, and I’d laugh about it myself if this particular fantasy didn’t come with its own verified body-count. In the UK, two women a week are killed by violent and abusive partners – usually after enduring months and years of appalling behaviour. The reasons we stay with men who treat us like this? Because we think that if we love him hard enough and long enough, he’ll reform.\n\n<em><strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8653\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"bomer\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer-225x300.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>R:</strong></em> One of the major themes of your writing that many reviewers seem to have missed is how Ana is forced to have sex against her will. (Loc. 355, 647 Kindle) Over and over, you mention that Ana has the right to say “<em>no</em>,” whether there is a contract or not. In fact, you note how Ana is even raped and kidnapped. Further, Christian morally justifies his actions. Why are these actions skipped over by many readers or excused? Is it because it is under the guise of a fiction/fantasy novel? What are the dangers?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The way I’ve heard it justified is that Christian behaves like this because he’s “<em>damaged</em>”, and doesn’t know how to have a proper relationship. Well, yes; I can absolutely buy that. His childhood was terrible, and a lot of his behaviour is strongly suggestive of sociopathy. How could he not struggle with healthy relationships?\n\nWhat I take issue with is the idea that Christian can be fixed if he only finds the right woman; and that, because Christian thinks Ana might be the one, it’s then her responsibility to become that right woman. The narrative’s driven by what Christian needs, not what Ana needs. Ana’s “<em>reward</em>” is Christian’s transformation.\n\nFor the record, I don’t think this idea comes from “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. It’s already in our heads, which is why we respond to it so strongly, and why so many people get so angry when it’s challenged.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Ana commonly references “<em>Tess of the D’Urbervilles</em>” and compares herself to her. You commonly note that the reference is terrible since the correlation is awful. Tess was raped. But the problems don’t end there. James struggles with the basic use of metaphor, simile, character interaction, and descriptions. At what point did James become responsible for her major errors? If she had sold 30 books on Amazon, I suppose we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Is the real problem James’ writing or the fact that we have a population that doesn’t recognize subpar writing?\n\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>I think it’s always okay to point out when you think something isn’t very good. How loudly you feel compelled to point that out depends on how big an impact you believe the not-very-goodness is having. If I go to a restaurant and my burger is horrible, I’ll probably complain to the waiter. (Well actually, since I’m British, I’ll probably eat it anyway, pay the bill, leave a tip and then complain to my husband in the car afterwards…but you get the idea.) But if I go to McDonald’s and my burger is horrible, I think it’s appropriate to complain far more publically. A lot of people eat in McDonald’s, so a lot of people might be interested in my experience.\n\nAnd if people want to carry on eating in McDonald’s anyway, fair enough. I haven’t ever said to anyone, “<em>Don’t buy this book because it’s awful</em>”. I’m just sharing my experience.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> As a follow up, many people might say, “<em>I don’t care that it’s poorly written. I just like the story.</em>” Should that concern us? Are we a world of undiscerning readers or is it okay to expect less out of our writers as long as the “<em>story</em>” is compelling and titillating?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I’m not sure the success of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a four-horseman-style harbinger of the death of quality writing. The <em>succès fou</em> is a very old phenomenon, and the world seems to have survived. If there’s anything that worries me about “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, it’s what it tells us all about our collective willingness to endorse and even romanticise abusive relationships.\n\n________________________\n\n<em>Please stay tuned for part two of this interview.</em>\n\nCassandra Parkin has a Master\'s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life - mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.\n\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Author Interview: Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,\'\" Part One','','inherit','open','open','','8646-autosave','','','2013-03-29 20:04:51','2013-03-30 03:04:51','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8646-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(8656,12,'2013-04-11 08:00:51','2013-04-11 15:00:51','<strong><em>R:</em></strong> <em>I was interested about your take on how the BDSM community was angry at the book. You said, “The whole point is that both parties are supposed to enjoy the act itself.” (Loc. 956, Kindle). Apparently, James got the BDSM part wrong as well. Have you had members of the BDSM community agree with you on this point?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>Actually, I have – both in public discussion, and in private conversations. The main themes I’ve seen are as follows:\r\n\r\n-          BDSM sex (like all consensual sex) isn’t about willfully imposing your needs and desires on another person. It’s about finding out what you both like, and then doing that together.\r\n\r\n-          Liking BDSM isn’t a sign of damage, and isn’t something that needs fixing. It’s just a preference. Some people like stamp-collecting, some people like gourmet cooking, some people like tying each other up during sex. As long as everyone’s happy, what’s the problem?\r\n\r\n-          Liking BDSM has nothing to do with being abusive towards your spouse. Christian telling Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he likes BDSM. He tells Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he is abusive…and, co-incidentally, he likes BDSM.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R: </em></strong>One of the reactions that came from this book was that women were engaging their husbands more intimately after they read the book. It’s an argument, in a way, that the book must be having some sort of positive effect and can’t be “<em>all bad</em>.” I have all types of theories about this, but I’m wondering if it is a positive, negative or neutral response to reading it. Thoughts?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C: </strong></em>If couples really are having better, more loving sex and happier marriages as a result of reading “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, then <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8657\" alt=\"usashades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades-300x220.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>fair play to them. And if I’m honest, it probably contributed to my marital happiness as well. Mainly by making me think, “<em>Thank goodness my husband is absolutely nothing like Christian Grey</em>.”\r\n\r\nOkay, being serious; I’m kind of suspicious about this idea. I’ve had a lot of comments from a lot of people about my “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” series, ranging from “<em>You go, sister</em>” to “<em>You will spend eternity in Hell, stewing in a boiling pot of your own jealous bile</em>”. I’ve never, ever had anyone say to me, “<em>I love this book because it improved my sex life with my spouse</em>”. Maybe I just attract the wrong sort of reader, I don’t know…\r\n\r\nI’m not saying that no-one in the whole world anywhere has ever read “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and experienced better marital sex as a result. It’s sold 65 million copies world-wide. I’d be more surprised if there weren’t a few people in there who found it liberating. But whole nations of couples? Seriously? We’ve all been sexually repressed and frustrated in our marriages, from the long-ago dawn of Time right up until last year? Are we really that dumb at relating to each other?\r\n\r\nI do wonder if this is just one of those Factoids that get invented one afternoon in an office somewhere, and then take on a bizarre life of their own. You know that urban legend that we all eat eight spiders a year because they crawl into our mouths while we sleep? Apparently that was invented by a journalist called Lisa Holst, specifically to prove that we’ll believe stuff that sounds exciting, even when it’s completely made up.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> I liked the fact that in the information at the end, you answered questions that I’m sure people would have about you. Specifically, “<em>Are you jealous of her success?</em>” You answered, “<em>Well, what do you think?</em>” Any of us would love to be living off of the profits she will be seeing for years. But in this work, in your own creative way, you have done a lot of things: You are pointing out the need for responsible writing, you protect the classics, you show a need for women to respect themselves, and more. What has been the most important thing for you in writing these three books?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>There’s definitely a perception out in the world that Feminist is the opposite of Funny. So I definitely hope I’ve managed to write some books which are both funny and feminist in their finished form.\r\n\r\n<strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8658\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" alt=\"writing\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\" width=\"254\" height=\"254\" /></a>R:</em></strong> E. L. James recently announced that she was working on a book about writing. After your careful examination of her work, what do you think she could offer to the writers of the world?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The comforting thought that if it can happen to her, it can happen to any of us.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> What would you suggest to an aspiring fiction writer? Are there any classes to take, works to read, or helpful tips?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Okay, this will be very, very subjective because this is just what’s worked for me! But here are my top five tips:\r\n\r\n1.      <strong>Find the right notebook</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is a very important stage of the writing process. Go into one of those luxury stationers filled with gorgeous notebooks of every imaginable size and design. Indulge yourself for as long as you feel you need in swooning over their sheer papery loveliness. Spend some time choosing the notebook you love the most, because it’s a wonderful object that makes your heart beat faster just looking at it.\r\n\r\nThen put it back on the shelf, walk away from it and go and buy the cheapest, tattiest notebook you can find. This is the notebook you will actually use to work in. Writing is a messy, scribbly process, and if you buy the gorgeous notebook, you’ll never actually use it to write in because you won’t want to pollute its loveliness with your scribbled-out notes and terrible handwriting. Beautiful stationery is the hidden enemy of creativity.\r\n\r\n2.    <strong>  Allocate time to actually write.</strong>\r\n\r\nTime is a very democratic resource. We all get exactly the same amount of it - twenty-four hours in every day. Time is also a very well-used resource. We all use exactly the same amount of it – twenty-four hours each day.\r\n\r\nTo start writing, you have to stop doing something else. Play less. Work less. Sleep less. Eat less. Go out less. Stay in less. Something has to give.\r\n\r\n3.      Accept that writing is often not fun\r\n\r\nThere will be days when every word you write will suck beyond all explanation. Words will not be your friends. Your characters will be annoying and wooden. Their dialogue will not sparkle. Your plot will meander into an implausible cul-de-sac. You will wonder why you’re bothering. This happens to everyone – you, me, Stephen King, Jacqueline Susann, Iris Murdoch, J K Rowling, everyone. Write anyway. Write even though you don’t feel like it. Keep going. The only way out is through.\r\n\r\n4.      <strong>Editing is what makes the difference</strong>\r\n\r\nYour first draft will probably be a train-wreck. That’s okay, it’s supposed to be. Go through at least three times – once with a hatchet, once with a chisel and once with a scalpel. When every word you cut causes you actual physical pain, you’re probably about half-way there.\r\n\r\nAlso, never compare your first draft to anyone else’s finished work (even your own finished work).\r\n\r\n5.      <strong>Ignore every word I’ve said</strong>\r\n\r\nThe only thing that matters is that you actually write. Whatever works for you at getting the words out of your head and onto paper is the right way.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Just for kicks, what are some of your favorite works of literature?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em>  Goodness, where do I start? I can probably manage a Top Ten, as long as I can cheat and have a couple of anthologies and omnibus editions…\r\n\r\nJane Austen’s collected works (especially Mansfield Park), The Grimm brothers’ Fairy Tales collection, The Night Watch sequence from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Shining by Stephen King, Middlemarch by George Eliot, Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by some mysterious Anglo-Saxon genius, Villette by Charlotte Bronte, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter\r\n\r\nNow I feel like a traitor to all the other books I love that I haven’t included – Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls and Carrie and Morte d’Arthur and Hitchhikers and The Canterbury Tales and Mennonite in a Little Black Dress…oh dear. What a difficult question. I have to move on now or I’ll lose my mind!\r\n\r\nAnd of course, it goes without saying that I am really, really looking forward to E L James’s book on the subject.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-8659\" alt=\"adams\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\" width=\"177\" height=\"169\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> Do you have any favorite books on writing? (for instance, I love Stephen King’s, “On Writing.”)\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I love Stephen King’s On Writing – it’s wise and funny and real and honest, and I really admire his approach to it as a serious profession. I also rather like Douglas Adams’ occasional notes in The Salmon of Doubt (“<em>I like deadlines…I love the whooshing noise they make as they rush by</em>”).\r\n\r\n____________________\r\n\r\nCassandra Parkin has a Master’s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life – mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.  You can also follow Cassandra on Twitter <a href=\"https://twitter.com/cassandrajaneuk\">@cassandrajaneuk </a>and read her blog at <a href=\"http://www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com\">www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com</a>. You will definitely be doing yourself a favor by reading any of her books, so take time to check them out.\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>” He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey\" - Part Two','','publish','open','open','','cassandra-parkin-lighter-shades-of-grey-part-two','','','2013-04-09 20:44:56','2013-04-10 03:44:56','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=8656',0,'post','',0),(8657,12,'2013-03-29 20:05:23','2013-03-30 03:05:23','','usashades','','inherit','open','open','','usashades','','','2013-03-29 20:05:23','2013-03-30 03:05:23','',8656,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8658,12,'2013-03-29 20:07:23','2013-03-30 03:07:23','','writing','','inherit','open','open','','writing','','','2013-03-29 20:07:23','2013-03-30 03:07:23','',8656,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif',0,'attachment','image/gif',0),(8659,12,'2013-03-29 20:08:48','2013-03-30 03:08:48','','adams','','inherit','open','open','','adams','','','2013-03-29 20:08:48','2013-03-30 03:08:48','',8656,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(8660,12,'2013-03-29 20:09:32','2013-03-30 03:09:32','<strong><em>R:</em></strong> <em>I was interested about your take on how the BDSM community was angry at the book. You said, “The whole point is that both parties are supposed to enjoy the act itself.” (Loc. 956, Kindle). Apparently, James got the BDSM part wrong as well. Have you had members of the BDSM community agree with you on this point?</em>\n\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>Actually, I have – both in public discussion, and in private conversations. The main themes I’ve seen are as follows:\n\n-          BDSM sex (like all consensual sex) isn’t about willfully imposing your needs and desires on another person. It’s about finding out what you both like, and then doing that together.\n\n-          Liking BDSM isn’t a sign of damage, and isn’t something that needs fixing. It’s just a preference. Some people like stamp-collecting, some people like gourmet cooking, some people like tying each other up during sex. As long as everyone’s happy, what’s the problem?\n\n-          Liking BDSM has nothing to do with being abusive towards your spouse. Christian telling Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he likes BDSM. He tells Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he is abusive…and, co-incidentally, he likes BDSM.\n\n<strong><em>R: </em></strong>One of the reactions that came from this book was that women were engaging their husbands more intimately after they read the book. It’s an argument, in a way, that the book must be having some sort of positive effect and can’t be “<em>all bad</em>.” I have all types of theories about this, but I’m wondering if it is a positive, negative or neutral response to reading it. Thoughts?\n\n<em><strong>C: </strong></em>If couples really are having better, more loving sex and happier marriages as a result of reading “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, then <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8657\" alt=\"usashades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades-300x220.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>fair play to them. And if I’m honest, it probably contributed to my marital happiness as well. Mainly by making me think, “<em>Thank goodness my husband is absolutely nothing like Christian Grey</em>.”\n\nOkay, being serious; I’m kind of suspicious about this idea. I’ve had a lot of comments from a lot of people about my “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” series, ranging from “<em>You go, sister</em>” to “<em>You will spend eternity in Hell, stewing in a boiling pot of your own jealous bile</em>”. I’ve never, ever had anyone say to me, “<em>I love this book because it improved my sex life with my spouse</em>”. Maybe I just attract the wrong sort of reader, I don’t know…\n\nI’m not saying that no-one in the whole world anywhere has ever read “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and experienced better marital sex as a result. It’s sold 65 million copies world-wide. I’d be more surprised if there weren’t a few people in there who found it liberating. But whole nations of couples? Seriously? We’ve all been sexually repressed and frustrated in our marriages, from the long-ago dawn of Time right up until last year? Are we really that dumb at relating to each other?\n\nI do wonder if this is just one of those Factoids that get invented one afternoon in an office somewhere, and then take on a bizarre life of their own. You know that urban legend that we all eat eight spiders a year because they crawl into our mouths while we sleep? Apparently that was invented by a journalist called Lisa Holst, specifically to prove that we’ll believe stuff that sounds exciting, even when it’s completely made up.\n\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> I liked the fact that in the information at the end, you answered questions that I’m sure people would have about you. Specifically, “<em>Are you jealous of her success?</em>” You answered, “<em>Well, what do you think?</em>” Any of us would love to be living off of the profits she will be seeing for years. But in this work, in your own creative way, you have done a lot of things: You are pointing out the need for responsible writing, you protect the classics, you show a need for women to respect themselves, and more. What has been the most important thing for you in writing these three books?\n\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>There’s definitely a perception out in the world that Feminist is the opposite of Funny. So I definitely hope I’ve managed to write some books which are both funny and feminist in their finished form.\n\n<strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8658\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"writing\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\" width=\"254\" height=\"254\" /></a>R:</em></strong> E. L. James recently announced that she was working on a book about writing. After your careful examination of her work, what do you think she could offer to the writers of the world?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The comforting thought that if it can happen to her, it can happen to any of us.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> What would you suggest to an aspiring fiction writer? Are there any classes to take, works to read, or helpful tips?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Okay, this will be very, very subjective because this is just what’s worked for me! But here are my top five tips:\n\n1.      <strong>Find the right notebook</strong>\n\nThis is a very important stage of the writing process. Go into one of those luxury stationers filled with gorgeous notebooks of every imaginable size and design. Indulge yourself for as long as you feel you need in swooning over their sheer papery loveliness. Spend some time choosing the notebook you love the most, because it’s a wonderful object that makes your heart beat faster just looking at it.\n\nThen put it back on the shelf, walk away from it and go and buy the cheapest, tattiest notebook you can find. This is the notebook you will actually use to work in. Writing is a messy, scribbly process, and if you buy the gorgeous notebook, you’ll never actually use it to write in because you won’t want to pollute its loveliness with your scribbled-out notes and terrible handwriting. Beautiful stationery is the hidden enemy of creativity.\n\n2.    <strong>  Allocate time to actually write.</strong>\n\nTime is a very democratic resource. We all get exactly the same amount of it - twenty-four hours in every day. Time is also a very well-used resource. We all use exactly the same amount of it – twenty-four hours each day.\n\nTo start writing, you have to stop doing something else. Play less. Work less. Sleep less. Eat less. Go out less. Stay in less. Something has to give.\n\n3.      Accept that writing is often not fun\n\nThere will be days when every word you write will suck beyond all explanation. Words will not be your friends. Your characters will be annoying and wooden. Their dialogue will not sparkle. Your plot will meander into an implausible cul-de-sac. You will wonder why you’re bothering. This happens to everyone – you, me, Stephen King, Jacqueline Susann, Iris Murdoch, J K Rowling, everyone. Write anyway. Write even though you don’t feel like it. Keep going. The only way out is through.\n\n4.      <strong>Editing is what makes the difference</strong>\n\nYour first draft will probably be a train-wreck. That’s okay, it’s supposed to be. Go through at least three times – once with a hatchet, once with a chisel and once with a scalpel. When every word you cut causes you actual physical pain, you’re probably about half-way there.\n\nAlso, never compare your first draft to anyone else’s finished work (even your own finished work).\n\n5.      <strong>Ignore every word I’ve said</strong>\n\nThe only thing that matters is that you actually write. Whatever works for you at getting the words out of your head and onto paper is the right way.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Just for kicks, what are some of your favorite works of literature?\n\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em>  Goodness, where do I start? I can probably manage a Top Ten, as long as I can cheat and have a couple of anthologies and omnibus editions…\n\nJane Austen’s collected works (especially Mansfield Park), The Grimm brothers’ Fairy Tales collection, The Night Watch sequence from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Shining by Stephen King, Middlemarch by George Eliot, Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by some mysterious Anglo-Saxon genius, Villette by Charlotte Bronte, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter\n\nNow I feel like a traitor to all the other books I love that I haven’t included – Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls and Carrie and Morte d’Arthur and Hitchhikers and The Canterbury Tales and Mennonite in a Little Black Dress…oh dear. What a difficult question. I have to move on now or I’ll lose my mind!\n\nAnd of course, it goes without saying that I am really, really looking forward to E L James’s book on the subject.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-8659\" alt=\"adams\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\" width=\"177\" height=\"169\" /></a>\n\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> Do you have any favorite books on writing? (for instance, I love Stephen King’s, “On Writing.”)\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I love Stephen King’s On Writing – it’s wise and funny and real and honest, and I really admire his approach to it as a serious profession. I also rather like Douglas Adams’ occasional notes in The Salmon of Doubt (“<em>I like deadlines…I love the whooshing noise they make as they rush by</em>”).\n\n____________________\n\nCassandra Parkin has a Master’s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life – mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.  You can also follow Cassandra on Twitter <a href=\"https://twitter.com/cassandrajaneuk\">@cassandrajaneuk </a>and read her blog at <a href=\"http://www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com\">www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com</a>. You will definitely be doing yourself a favor by reading any of her books, so take time to check them out.\n\nRay Carroll is author of “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>” He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\n\n&nbsp;','Author Interview: Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,\'\" Part Two','','inherit','open','open','','8656-revision','','','2013-03-29 20:09:32','2013-03-30 03:09:32','',8656,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8656-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8661,12,'2013-03-29 19:51:34','2013-03-30 02:51:34','E. L. James “<em>Fifty Shades of Grey</em>” trilogy has sold millions upon millions of books. Her success has been accredited to all sorts of things. She has critics as well as fans, an <a href=\"http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/fifty-shades-grey-movie-emma-roberts-or-emma-bell-play-anastasia\">upcoming movie</a> and <a href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/03/e-l-james-fifty-shades-of-gray-new-book\">just announced a book on writing tips</a>.\r\n\r\nI was browsing Amazon recently and came across a work by <a href=\"http://cassandraparkin.wordpress.com/author/cassandraparkin/\">Cassandra Parkin</a>, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Grey-Critical-ebook/dp/B009KBL1DA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.</em></a>” She also has companion novels for the other two works in the trilogy, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Lighter-Critical-ebook/dp/B009JF5RO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Fifty Shades Lighter: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Darker</em></a>” and “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Freed-Critical-ebook/dp/B00A3EMVXC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades Freed: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Freed.</em></a>’”\r\n\r\nI read a couple of reviews and noting its humor, I decided to give it a try for its unbeatable price of $2.99. I was not disappointed. Parkin takes James to task with biting sarcasm for her writing failures, but also uncovers some serious issues.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8650\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"lighter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter-228x300.jpg\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" /></a>Parkin recommends her book for several audiences. First, for those who enjoy the book so they can be aware of the arguments that will come their way as to why the book is so awful. Secondly, for those on the fence trying to decide whether or not to read it. Finally, it’s for those who have decided not to read it and have been asked, “<em>how can you know it’s bad when you haven’t read it?</em>”\r\n\r\nI wanted to talk to her further so I contacted the North England native. I’m definitely glad I did. We talked about James’ work, the dangers within toward women, the BDSM element, bad literature, and even tips on writing. Besides these topics, it was terrific to interview her. I found a strong feminist greatly concerned with women’s issues, a great literary mind, and an incredibly talented writer with tremendous spirit and voice.\r\n\r\nBesides this work, she won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories for her work, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/World-Fairy-Tales-Cassandra-Parkin/dp/1844718816/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>New World Fairy Tales</em></a>.” Her novel, \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Summer-All-Ran-Away-ebook/dp/B00BU2NGR6/ref=la_B007NCIS2U_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610678&amp;sr=1-4\"><em>The Summer We All Ran Away</em></a>\", will be published by Legend Press in August 2013 and she is working on her second novel, \"<em>The Beach Hut</em>.\"\r\n\r\nHere is n excerpt from “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” to give you an idea of its flavor: “<em>Even if you feel there’s something wrong with a world where this book will shortly be outselling bread, it’s hard to argue that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ isn’t…significant. And a book this…significant…deserves to be subjected to thorough textual analysis. By taking it apart into teeny tiny small little pieces and putting those pieces under a spiteful, mean-spirited microscope, we may all just learn something about the elusive nature of the best seller.</em>\r\n\r\nAnd at the very least, we’ll all get to spend time enjoyably picking holes in the success of others. And time spent having fun is rarely wasted, I think.” (Kindle Location, 55)\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Ray:</em></strong> <em>I wanted you to know there was so much I enjoyed about your book: Your writing style, your snarkiness and your obvious love for good fiction. My concern is that people will just see your critique of James’ work as an act of jealousy instead of a clarion call to responsible writing and just an entertaining work of writing in its own right. Have you had such criticism? How do you react to this?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Cassandra:</em></strong> Thank you – I’m so glad you enjoyed the book! It was a lot of fun to write, I have to say.\r\n\r\nYou’re right, of course; I’ve been accused of jealousy by plenty of people, sometimes in alarmingly vivid terms. I especially enjoyed the lady who described an entire life for me where I’ve spent years scratching away in a garret at some terribly high-brow and pretentious work of literature, rejected by agent after agent and mocked by publishers, and now pass my time by endlessly raging about E L James’s success every day, and drinking myself into a coma every night. (I think she was talking about me. It’s possible she had me confused with the ghost of Ernest Hemingway.)\r\n\r\nI must admit, I do find it quite odd that so many people’s instinctive response to me saying, “<em>I think this is a bit rubbish, and here’s why</em>” is to instantly scream “<em>Oh, but you’re just JEALOUS!</em>” Why would I be? I genuinely don’t wish I’d written “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. If one day I write a book and it sells as well as “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and I’m also proud of it – well, that’ll be a lovely experience. But if it never happens, so what? Is there a certain level of sales or wealth that entitles us to have an opinion?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> The phenomenon of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a remarkable thing and you address it well in the opening section. You put aside <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8652\" alt=\"50shades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades-213x300.jpg\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" /></a>the idea the popular theory of “<em>mommy porn</em>” being its biggest attraction and show its appeal being its origins with Fanfic, especially its commonality with the “<em>Twilight</em>” series. Since these books have been written, how have you seen the market grow? More books like this have been written, surely. But has the writing gotten better or are readers just settling for even worse written fiction?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em> I think the main impact of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has been to bring non-conventional sex into the Romance genre – in the same way “<em>Twilight</em>” combined Romance with Supernatural. We all know that Romance books are commodity items, with hundreds of titles published a year. Collectively, they’re a huge success. But none of the individual titles are bestsellers because they’re written to a formula, and there are so many to choose from.\r\n\r\n“<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has created a market for Romance with BDSM sexual content. At the moment, there are quite a few BDSM-themed romances on the Top Ten shelves in the supermarkets, because if you want a BDSM-themed romance, there aren’t that many choices yet. But as the market catches up, I imagine the individual titles will disappear from the Top Ten, but BDSM romances will have their own imprint within the big Genre-Fiction houses. Mills and Boon have a Supernatural Romance imprint, with eight new titles every month. This time next year I’m sure they’ll have the same for the “Fifty Shades” fans.\r\n\r\nHas there been a change in quality? I’d probably draw a distinction between bad writing and retrogressive themes. I’m sure the writing will get better, because I can’t imagine any editor willfully commissioning a bad writer to create a Fifty-Shades-A-Like novel when the Genre Fiction field has so many excellent writers to choose from. However, if they stay true to the central theme of the Fifty Shades series - which is basically “<em>Stand by your abusive man, girls, because if you love him hard enough you can fix him!</em>” - then I’ll stand by my judgment of their overall value to society.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> James’ book, as you mentioned, didn’t undergo much critical editing. Hypothetical question: Do you think an editing process would have helped this book? Or, would it have made it less appealing to the readers?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Well, I think it would have made it a lot harder for me and others to laugh at! I don’t know if fewer descriptions of Christian’s well-hung pants or Ana saying “<em>Oh my</em>” less often would have made it less fun for fans, but it would certainly have taken away a lot of what I enjoyed about it.\r\n\r\nHowever, I think what Fifty Shades fans respond to is the underlying theme of falling for a monster, who you then redeem through the power of your love. Women are taught from a very young age that it’s rude and ungrateful to reject male attention – even when it’s offered by someone who is violent, destructive or dangerous towards us. Instead, we should use our power to transform these cruel and undesirable men into our perfect heroes.\r\n\r\nWhen you write it out like that, it’s pretty laughable, and I’d laugh about it myself if this particular fantasy didn’t come with its own verified body-count. In the UK, two women a week are killed by violent and abusive partners – usually after enduring months and years of appalling behaviour. The reasons we stay with men who treat us like this? Because we think that if we love him hard enough and long enough, he’ll reform.\r\n\r\n<em><strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8653\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"bomer\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer-225x300.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>R:</strong></em> One of the major themes of your writing that many reviewers seem to have missed is how Ana is forced to have sex against her will. (Loc. 355, 647 Kindle) Over and over, you mention that Ana has the right to say “<em>no</em>,” whether there is a contract or not. In fact, you note how Ana is even raped and kidnapped. Further, Christian morally justifies his actions. Why are these actions skipped over by many readers or excused? Is it because it is under the guise of a fiction/fantasy novel? What are the dangers?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The way I’ve heard it justified is that Christian behaves like this because he’s “<em>damaged</em>”, and doesn’t know how to have a proper relationship. Well, yes; I can absolutely buy that. His childhood was terrible, and a lot of his behaviour is strongly suggestive of sociopathy. How could he not struggle with healthy relationships?\r\n\r\nWhat I take issue with is the idea that Christian can be fixed if he only finds the right woman; and that, because Christian thinks Ana might be the one, it’s then her responsibility to become that right woman. The narrative’s driven by what Christian needs, not what Ana needs. Ana’s “<em>reward</em>” is Christian’s transformation.\r\n\r\nFor the record, I don’t think this idea comes from “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. It’s already in our heads, which is why we respond to it so strongly, and why so many people get so angry when it’s challenged.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Ana commonly references “<em>Tess of the D’Urbervilles</em>” and compares herself to her. You commonly note that the reference is terrible since the correlation is awful. Tess was raped. But the problems don’t end there. James struggles with the basic use of metaphor, simile, character interaction, and descriptions. At what point did James become responsible for her major errors? If she had sold 30 books on Amazon, I suppose we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Is the real problem James’ writing or the fact that we have a population that doesn’t recognize subpar writing?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>I think it’s always okay to point out when you think something isn’t very good. How loudly you feel compelled to point that out depends on how big an impact you believe the not-very-goodness is having. If I go to a restaurant and my burger is horrible, I’ll probably complain to the waiter. (Well actually, since I’m British, I’ll probably eat it anyway, pay the bill, leave a tip and then complain to my husband in the car afterwards…but you get the idea.) But if I go to McDonald’s and my burger is horrible, I think it’s appropriate to complain far more publically. A lot of people eat in McDonald’s, so a lot of people might be interested in my experience.\r\n\r\nAnd if people want to carry on eating in McDonald’s anyway, fair enough. I haven’t ever said to anyone, “<em>Don’t buy this book because it’s awful</em>”. I’m just sharing my experience.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> As a follow up, many people might say, “<em>I don’t care that it’s poorly written. I just like the story.</em>” Should that concern us? Are we a world of undiscerning readers or is it okay to expect less out of our writers as long as the “<em>story</em>” is compelling and titillating?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I’m not sure the success of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a four-horseman-style harbinger of the death of quality writing. The <em>succès fou</em> is a very old phenomenon, and the world seems to have survived. If there’s anything that worries me about “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, it’s what it tells us all about our collective willingness to endorse and even romanticise abusive relationships.\r\n\r\n________________________\r\n\r\n<em>Please stay tuned for part two of this interview.</em>\r\n\r\nCassandra Parkin has a Master\'s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life - mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Author Interview: Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,\'\" Part One','','inherit','open','open','','8646-revision-3','','','2013-03-29 19:51:34','2013-03-30 02:51:34','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8646-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8731,1,'2013-03-29 20:11:47','2013-03-30 03:11:47','<strong><em>R:</em></strong> <em>I was interested about your take on how the BDSM community was angry at the book. You said, “The whole point is that both parties are supposed to enjoy the act itself.” (Loc. 956, Kindle). Apparently, James got the BDSM part wrong as well. Have you had members of the BDSM community agree with you on this point?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>Actually, I have – both in public discussion, and in private conversations. The main themes I’ve seen are as follows:\r\n\r\n-          BDSM sex (like all consensual sex) isn’t about willfully imposing your needs and desires on another person. It’s about finding out what you both like, and then doing that together.\r\n\r\n-          Liking BDSM isn’t a sign of damage, and isn’t something that needs fixing. It’s just a preference. Some people like stamp-collecting, some people like gourmet cooking, some people like tying each other up during sex. As long as everyone’s happy, what’s the problem?\r\n\r\n-          Liking BDSM has nothing to do with being abusive towards your spouse. Christian telling Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he likes BDSM. He tells Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he is abusive…and, co-incidentally, he likes BDSM.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R: </em></strong>One of the reactions that came from this book was that women were engaging their husbands more intimately after they read the book. It’s an argument, in a way, that the book must be having some sort of positive effect and can’t be “<em>all bad</em>.” I have all types of theories about this, but I’m wondering if it is a positive, negative or neutral response to reading it. Thoughts?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C: </strong></em>If couples really are having better, more loving sex and happier marriages as a result of reading “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, then <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8657\" alt=\"usashades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades-300x220.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>fair play to them. And if I’m honest, it probably contributed to my marital happiness as well. Mainly by making me think, “<em>Thank goodness my husband is absolutely nothing like Christian Grey</em>.”\r\n\r\nOkay, being serious; I’m kind of suspicious about this idea. I’ve had a lot of comments from a lot of people about my “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” series, ranging from “<em>You go, sister</em>” to “<em>You will spend eternity in Hell, stewing in a boiling pot of your own jealous bile</em>”. I’ve never, ever had anyone say to me, “<em>I love this book because it improved my sex life with my spouse</em>”. Maybe I just attract the wrong sort of reader, I don’t know…\r\n\r\nI’m not saying that no-one in the whole world anywhere has ever read “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and experienced better marital sex as a result. It’s sold 65 million copies world-wide. I’d be more surprised if there weren’t a few people in there who found it liberating. But whole nations of couples? Seriously? We’ve all been sexually repressed and frustrated in our marriages, from the long-ago dawn of Time right up until last year? Are we really that dumb at relating to each other?\r\n\r\nI do wonder if this is just one of those Factoids that get invented one afternoon in an office somewhere, and then take on a bizarre life of their own. You know that urban legend that we all eat eight spiders a year because they crawl into our mouths while we sleep? Apparently that was invented by a journalist called Lisa Holst, specifically to prove that we’ll believe stuff that sounds exciting, even when it’s completely made up.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> I liked the fact that in the information at the end, you answered questions that I’m sure people would have about you. Specifically, “<em>Are you jealous of her success?</em>” You answered, “<em>Well, what do you think?</em>” Any of us would love to be living off of the profits she will be seeing for years. But in this work, in your own creative way, you have done a lot of things: You are pointing out the need for responsible writing, you protect the classics, you show a need for women to respect themselves, and more. What has been the most important thing for you in writing these three books?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>There’s definitely a perception out in the world that Feminist is the opposite of Funny. So I definitely hope I’ve managed to write some books which are both funny and feminist in their finished form.\r\n\r\n<strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8658\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"writing\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\" width=\"254\" height=\"254\" /></a>R:</em></strong> E. L. James recently announced that she was working on a book about writing. After your careful examination of her work, what do you think she could offer to the writers of the world?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The comforting thought that if it can happen to her, it can happen to any of us.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> What would you suggest to an aspiring fiction writer? Are there any classes to take, works to read, or helpful tips?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Okay, this will be very, very subjective because this is just what’s worked for me! But here are my top five tips:\r\n\r\n1.      <strong>Find the right notebook</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is a very important stage of the writing process. Go into one of those luxury stationers filled with gorgeous notebooks of every imaginable size and design. Indulge yourself for as long as you feel you need in swooning over their sheer papery loveliness. Spend some time choosing the notebook you love the most, because it’s a wonderful object that makes your heart beat faster just looking at it.\r\n\r\nThen put it back on the shelf, walk away from it and go and buy the cheapest, tattiest notebook you can find. This is the notebook you will actually use to work in. Writing is a messy, scribbly process, and if you buy the gorgeous notebook, you’ll never actually use it to write in because you won’t want to pollute its loveliness with your scribbled-out notes and terrible handwriting. Beautiful stationery is the hidden enemy of creativity.\r\n\r\n2.    <strong>  Allocate time to actually write.</strong>\r\n\r\nTime is a very democratic resource. We all get exactly the same amount of it - twenty-four hours in every day. Time is also a very well-used resource. We all use exactly the same amount of it – twenty-four hours each day.\r\n\r\nTo start writing, you have to stop doing something else. Play less. Work less. Sleep less. Eat less. Go out less. Stay in less. Something has to give.\r\n\r\n3.      Accept that writing is often not fun\r\n\r\nThere will be days when every word you write will suck beyond all explanation. Words will not be your friends. Your characters will be annoying and wooden. Their dialogue will not sparkle. Your plot will meander into an implausible cul-de-sac. You will wonder why you’re bothering. This happens to everyone – you, me, Stephen King, Jacqueline Susann, Iris Murdoch, J K Rowling, everyone. Write anyway. Write even though you don’t feel like it. Keep going. The only way out is through.\r\n\r\n4.      <strong>Editing is what makes the difference</strong>\r\n\r\nYour first draft will probably be a train-wreck. That’s okay, it’s supposed to be. Go through at least three times – once with a hatchet, once with a chisel and once with a scalpel. When every word you cut causes you actual physical pain, you’re probably about half-way there.\r\n\r\nAlso, never compare your first draft to anyone else’s finished work (even your own finished work).\r\n\r\n5.      <strong>Ignore every word I’ve said</strong>\r\n\r\nThe only thing that matters is that you actually write. Whatever works for you at getting the words out of your head and onto paper is the right way.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Just for kicks, what are some of your favorite works of literature?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em>  Goodness, where do I start? I can probably manage a Top Ten, as long as I can cheat and have a couple of anthologies and omnibus editions…\r\n\r\nJane Austen’s collected works (especially Mansfield Park), The Grimm brothers’ Fairy Tales collection, The Night Watch sequence from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Shining by Stephen King, Middlemarch by George Eliot, Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by some mysterious Anglo-Saxon genius, Villette by Charlotte Bronte, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter\r\n\r\nNow I feel like a traitor to all the other books I love that I haven’t included – Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls and Carrie and Morte d’Arthur and Hitchhikers and The Canterbury Tales and Mennonite in a Little Black Dress…oh dear. What a difficult question. I have to move on now or I’ll lose my mind!\r\n\r\nAnd of course, it goes without saying that I am really, really looking forward to E L James’s book on the subject.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-8659\" alt=\"adams\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\" width=\"177\" height=\"169\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> Do you have any favorite books on writing? (for instance, I love Stephen King’s, “On Writing.”)\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I love Stephen King’s On Writing – it’s wise and funny and real and honest, and I really admire his approach to it as a serious profession. I also rather like Douglas Adams’ occasional notes in The Salmon of Doubt (“<em>I like deadlines…I love the whooshing noise they make as they rush by</em>”).\r\n\r\n____________________\r\n\r\nCassandra Parkin has a Master’s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life – mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.  You can also follow Cassandra on Twitter <a href=\"https://twitter.com/cassandrajaneuk\">@cassandrajaneuk </a>and read her blog at <a href=\"http://www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com\">www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com</a>. You will definitely be doing yourself a favor by reading any of her books, so take time to check them out.\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>” He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Author Interview: Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,\'\" Part Two','','inherit','open','open','','8656-revision-3','','','2013-03-29 20:11:47','2013-03-30 03:11:47','',8656,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8656-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8662,12,'2013-03-29 20:09:51','2013-03-30 03:09:51','<strong><em>R:</em></strong> <em>I was interested about your take on how the BDSM community was angry at the book. You said, “The whole point is that both parties are supposed to enjoy the act itself.” (Loc. 956, Kindle). Apparently, James got the BDSM part wrong as well. Have you had members of the BDSM community agree with you on this point?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>Actually, I have – both in public discussion, and in private conversations. The main themes I’ve seen are as follows:\r\n\r\n-          BDSM sex (like all consensual sex) isn’t about willfully imposing your needs and desires on another person. It’s about finding out what you both like, and then doing that together.\r\n\r\n-          Liking BDSM isn’t a sign of damage, and isn’t something that needs fixing. It’s just a preference. Some people like stamp-collecting, some people like gourmet cooking, some people like tying each other up during sex. As long as everyone’s happy, what’s the problem?\r\n\r\n-          Liking BDSM has nothing to do with being abusive towards your spouse. Christian telling Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he likes BDSM. He tells Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he is abusive…and, co-incidentally, he likes BDSM.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R: </em></strong>One of the reactions that came from this book was that women were engaging their husbands more intimately after they read the book. It’s an argument, in a way, that the book must be having some sort of positive effect and can’t be “<em>all bad</em>.” I have all types of theories about this, but I’m wondering if it is a positive, negative or neutral response to reading it. Thoughts?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C: </strong></em>If couples really are having better, more loving sex and happier marriages as a result of reading “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, then <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8657\" alt=\"usashades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades-300x220.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>fair play to them. And if I’m honest, it probably contributed to my marital happiness as well. Mainly by making me think, “<em>Thank goodness my husband is absolutely nothing like Christian Grey</em>.”\r\n\r\nOkay, being serious; I’m kind of suspicious about this idea. I’ve had a lot of comments from a lot of people about my “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” series, ranging from “<em>You go, sister</em>” to “<em>You will spend eternity in Hell, stewing in a boiling pot of your own jealous bile</em>”. I’ve never, ever had anyone say to me, “<em>I love this book because it improved my sex life with my spouse</em>”. Maybe I just attract the wrong sort of reader, I don’t know…\r\n\r\nI’m not saying that no-one in the whole world anywhere has ever read “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and experienced better marital sex as a result. It’s sold 65 million copies world-wide. I’d be more surprised if there weren’t a few people in there who found it liberating. But whole nations of couples? Seriously? We’ve all been sexually repressed and frustrated in our marriages, from the long-ago dawn of Time right up until last year? Are we really that dumb at relating to each other?\r\n\r\nI do wonder if this is just one of those Factoids that get invented one afternoon in an office somewhere, and then take on a bizarre life of their own. You know that urban legend that we all eat eight spiders a year because they crawl into our mouths while we sleep? Apparently that was invented by a journalist called Lisa Holst, specifically to prove that we’ll believe stuff that sounds exciting, even when it’s completely made up.\r\n\r\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> I liked the fact that in the information at the end, you answered questions that I’m sure people would have about you. Specifically, “<em>Are you jealous of her success?</em>” You answered, “<em>Well, what do you think?</em>” Any of us would love to be living off of the profits she will be seeing for years. But in this work, in your own creative way, you have done a lot of things: You are pointing out the need for responsible writing, you protect the classics, you show a need for women to respect themselves, and more. What has been the most important thing for you in writing these three books?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>There’s definitely a perception out in the world that Feminist is the opposite of Funny. So I definitely hope I’ve managed to write some books which are both funny and feminist in their finished form.\r\n\r\n<strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8658\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"writing\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\" width=\"254\" height=\"254\" /></a>R:</em></strong> E. L. James recently announced that she was working on a book about writing. After your careful examination of her work, what do you think she could offer to the writers of the world?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The comforting thought that if it can happen to her, it can happen to any of us.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> What would you suggest to an aspiring fiction writer? Are there any classes to take, works to read, or helpful tips?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Okay, this will be very, very subjective because this is just what’s worked for me! But here are my top five tips:\r\n\r\n1.      <strong>Find the right notebook</strong>\r\n\r\nThis is a very important stage of the writing process. Go into one of those luxury stationers filled with gorgeous notebooks of every imaginable size and design. Indulge yourself for as long as you feel you need in swooning over their sheer papery loveliness. Spend some time choosing the notebook you love the most, because it’s a wonderful object that makes your heart beat faster just looking at it.\r\n\r\nThen put it back on the shelf, walk away from it and go and buy the cheapest, tattiest notebook you can find. This is the notebook you will actually use to work in. Writing is a messy, scribbly process, and if you buy the gorgeous notebook, you’ll never actually use it to write in because you won’t want to pollute its loveliness with your scribbled-out notes and terrible handwriting. Beautiful stationery is the hidden enemy of creativity.\r\n\r\n2.    <strong>  Allocate time to actually write.</strong>\r\n\r\nTime is a very democratic resource. We all get exactly the same amount of it - twenty-four hours in every day. Time is also a very well-used resource. We all use exactly the same amount of it – twenty-four hours each day.\r\n\r\nTo start writing, you have to stop doing something else. Play less. Work less. Sleep less. Eat less. Go out less. Stay in less. Something has to give.\r\n\r\n3.      Accept that writing is often not fun\r\n\r\nThere will be days when every word you write will suck beyond all explanation. Words will not be your friends. Your characters will be annoying and wooden. Their dialogue will not sparkle. Your plot will meander into an implausible cul-de-sac. You will wonder why you’re bothering. This happens to everyone – you, me, Stephen King, Jacqueline Susann, Iris Murdoch, J K Rowling, everyone. Write anyway. Write even though you don’t feel like it. Keep going. The only way out is through.\r\n\r\n4.      <strong>Editing is what makes the difference</strong>\r\n\r\nYour first draft will probably be a train-wreck. That’s okay, it’s supposed to be. Go through at least three times – once with a hatchet, once with a chisel and once with a scalpel. When every word you cut causes you actual physical pain, you’re probably about half-way there.\r\n\r\nAlso, never compare your first draft to anyone else’s finished work (even your own finished work).\r\n\r\n5.      <strong>Ignore every word I’ve said</strong>\r\n\r\nThe only thing that matters is that you actually write. Whatever works for you at getting the words out of your head and onto paper is the right way.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Just for kicks, what are some of your favorite works of literature?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em>  Goodness, where do I start? I can probably manage a Top Ten, as long as I can cheat and have a couple of anthologies and omnibus editions…\r\n\r\nJane Austen’s collected works (especially Mansfield Park), The Grimm brothers’ Fairy Tales collection, The Night Watch sequence from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Shining by Stephen King, Middlemarch by George Eliot, Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by some mysterious Anglo-Saxon genius, Villette by Charlotte Bronte, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter\r\n\r\nNow I feel like a traitor to all the other books I love that I haven’t included – Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls and Carrie and Morte d’Arthur and Hitchhikers and The Canterbury Tales and Mennonite in a Little Black Dress…oh dear. What a difficult question. I have to move on now or I’ll lose my mind!\r\n\r\nAnd of course, it goes without saying that I am really, really looking forward to E L James’s book on the subject.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-8659\" alt=\"adams\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\" width=\"177\" height=\"169\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> Do you have any favorite books on writing? (for instance, I love Stephen King’s, “On Writing.”)\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I love Stephen King’s On Writing – it’s wise and funny and real and honest, and I really admire his approach to it as a serious profession. I also rather like Douglas Adams’ occasional notes in The Salmon of Doubt (“<em>I like deadlines…I love the whooshing noise they make as they rush by</em>”).\r\n\r\n____________________\r\n\r\nCassandra Parkin has a Master’s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life – mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.  You can also follow Cassandra on Twitter <a href=\"https://twitter.com/cassandrajaneuk\">@cassandrajaneuk </a>and read her blog at <a href=\"http://www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com\">www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com</a>. You will definitely be doing yourself a favor by reading any of her books, so take time to check them out.\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>” He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Author Interview: Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,\'\" Part Two','','inherit','open','open','','8656-revision-2','','','2013-03-29 20:09:51','2013-03-30 03:09:51','',8656,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8656-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8732,1,'2013-04-09 20:46:03','2013-04-10 03:46:03','<strong><em>R:</em></strong> <em>I was interested about your take on how the BDSM community was angry at the book. You said, “The whole point is that both parties are supposed to enjoy the act itself.” (Loc. 956, Kindle). Apparently, James got the BDSM part wrong as well. Have you had members of the BDSM community agree with you on this point?</em>\n\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>Actually, I have – both in public discussion, and in private conversations. The main themes I’ve seen are as follows:\n\n-          BDSM sex (like all consensual sex) isn’t about willfully imposing your needs and desires on another person. It’s about finding out what you both like, and then doing that together.\n\n-          Liking BDSM isn’t a sign of damage, and isn’t something that needs fixing. It’s just a preference. Some people like stamp-collecting, some people like gourmet cooking, some people like tying each other up during sex. As long as everyone’s happy, what’s the problem?\n\n-          Liking BDSM has nothing to do with being abusive towards your spouse. Christian telling Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he likes BDSM. He tells Ana where she can go, who she can see, how she can dress, what she can eat, whether she can go to work, what she does with her money and what form of contraceptive she can use because he is abusive…and, co-incidentally, he likes BDSM.\n\n<strong><em>R: </em></strong>One of the reactions that came from this book was that women were engaging their husbands more intimately after they read the book. It’s an argument, in a way, that the book must be having some sort of positive effect and can’t be “<em>all bad</em>.” I have all types of theories about this, but I’m wondering if it is a positive, negative or neutral response to reading it. Thoughts?\n\n<em><strong>C: </strong></em>If couples really are having better, more loving sex and happier marriages as a result of reading “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, then <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8657\" alt=\"usashades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/usashades-300x220.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>fair play to them. And if I’m honest, it probably contributed to my marital happiness as well. Mainly by making me think, “<em>Thank goodness my husband is absolutely nothing like Christian Grey</em>.”\n\nOkay, being serious; I’m kind of suspicious about this idea. I’ve had a lot of comments from a lot of people about my “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” series, ranging from “<em>You go, sister</em>” to “<em>You will spend eternity in Hell, stewing in a boiling pot of your own jealous bile</em>”. I’ve never, ever had anyone say to me, “<em>I love this book because it improved my sex life with my spouse</em>”. Maybe I just attract the wrong sort of reader, I don’t know…\n\nI’m not saying that no-one in the whole world anywhere has ever read “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and experienced better marital sex as a result. It’s sold 65 million copies world-wide. I’d be more surprised if there weren’t a few people in there who found it liberating. But whole nations of couples? Seriously? We’ve all been sexually repressed and frustrated in our marriages, from the long-ago dawn of Time right up until last year? Are we really that dumb at relating to each other?\n\nI do wonder if this is just one of those Factoids that get invented one afternoon in an office somewhere, and then take on a bizarre life of their own. You know that urban legend that we all eat eight spiders a year because they crawl into our mouths while we sleep? Apparently that was invented by a journalist called Lisa Holst, specifically to prove that we’ll believe stuff that sounds exciting, even when it’s completely made up.\n\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> I liked the fact that in the information at the end, you answered questions that I’m sure people would have about you. Specifically, “<em>Are you jealous of her success?</em>” You answered, “<em>Well, what do you think?</em>” Any of us would love to be living off of the profits she will be seeing for years. But in this work, in your own creative way, you have done a lot of things: You are pointing out the need for responsible writing, you protect the classics, you show a need for women to respect themselves, and more. What has been the most important thing for you in writing these three books?\n\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>There’s definitely a perception out in the world that Feminist is the opposite of Funny. So I definitely hope I’ve managed to write some books which are both funny and feminist in their finished form.\n\n<strong><em><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8658\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" alt=\"writing\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/writing.gif\" width=\"254\" height=\"254\" /></a>R:</em></strong> E. L. James recently announced that she was working on a book about writing. After your careful examination of her work, what do you think she could offer to the writers of the world?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The comforting thought that if it can happen to her, it can happen to any of us.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> What would you suggest to an aspiring fiction writer? Are there any classes to take, works to read, or helpful tips?\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Okay, this will be very, very subjective because this is just what’s worked for me! But here are my top five tips:\n\n1.      <strong>Find the right notebook</strong>\n\nThis is a very important stage of the writing process. Go into one of those luxury stationers filled with gorgeous notebooks of every imaginable size and design. Indulge yourself for as long as you feel you need in swooning over their sheer papery loveliness. Spend some time choosing the notebook you love the most, because it’s a wonderful object that makes your heart beat faster just looking at it.\n\nThen put it back on the shelf, walk away from it and go and buy the cheapest, tattiest notebook you can find. This is the notebook you will actually use to work in. Writing is a messy, scribbly process, and if you buy the gorgeous notebook, you’ll never actually use it to write in because you won’t want to pollute its loveliness with your scribbled-out notes and terrible handwriting. Beautiful stationery is the hidden enemy of creativity.\n\n2.    <strong>  Allocate time to actually write.</strong>\n\nTime is a very democratic resource. We all get exactly the same amount of it - twenty-four hours in every day. Time is also a very well-used resource. We all use exactly the same amount of it – twenty-four hours each day.\n\nTo start writing, you have to stop doing something else. Play less. Work less. Sleep less. Eat less. Go out less. Stay in less. Something has to give.\n\n3.      Accept that writing is often not fun\n\nThere will be days when every word you write will suck beyond all explanation. Words will not be your friends. Your characters will be annoying and wooden. Their dialogue will not sparkle. Your plot will meander into an implausible cul-de-sac. You will wonder why you’re bothering. This happens to everyone – you, me, Stephen King, Jacqueline Susann, Iris Murdoch, J K Rowling, everyone. Write anyway. Write even though you don’t feel like it. Keep going. The only way out is through.\n\n4.      <strong>Editing is what makes the difference</strong>\n\nYour first draft will probably be a train-wreck. That’s okay, it’s supposed to be. Go through at least three times – once with a hatchet, once with a chisel and once with a scalpel. When every word you cut causes you actual physical pain, you’re probably about half-way there.\n\nAlso, never compare your first draft to anyone else’s finished work (even your own finished work).\n\n5.      <strong>Ignore every word I’ve said</strong>\n\nThe only thing that matters is that you actually write. Whatever works for you at getting the words out of your head and onto paper is the right way.\n\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Just for kicks, what are some of your favorite works of literature?\n\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em>  Goodness, where do I start? I can probably manage a Top Ten, as long as I can cheat and have a couple of anthologies and omnibus editions…\n\nJane Austen’s collected works (especially Mansfield Park), The Grimm brothers’ Fairy Tales collection, The Night Watch sequence from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Shining by Stephen King, Middlemarch by George Eliot, Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by some mysterious Anglo-Saxon genius, Villette by Charlotte Bronte, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter\n\nNow I feel like a traitor to all the other books I love that I haven’t included – Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls and Carrie and Morte d’Arthur and Hitchhikers and The Canterbury Tales and Mennonite in a Little Black Dress…oh dear. What a difficult question. I have to move on now or I’ll lose my mind!\n\nAnd of course, it goes without saying that I am really, really looking forward to E L James’s book on the subject.<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-8659\" alt=\"adams\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/adams.png\" width=\"177\" height=\"169\" /></a>\n\n<em><strong>R:</strong></em> Do you have any favorite books on writing? (for instance, I love Stephen King’s, “On Writing.”)\n\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I love Stephen King’s On Writing – it’s wise and funny and real and honest, and I really admire his approach to it as a serious profession. I also rather like Douglas Adams’ occasional notes in The Salmon of Doubt (“<em>I like deadlines…I love the whooshing noise they make as they rush by</em>”).\n\n____________________\n\nCassandra Parkin has a Master’s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life – mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.  You can also follow Cassandra on Twitter <a href=\"https://twitter.com/cassandrajaneuk\">@cassandrajaneuk </a>and read her blog at <a href=\"http://www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com\">www.cassandraparkin.wordpress.com</a>. You will definitely be doing yourself a favor by reading any of her books, so take time to check them out.\n\nRay Carroll is author of “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>” He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\n\n&nbsp;','Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey\" - Part Two','','inherit','open','open','','8656-autosave','','','2013-04-09 20:46:03','2013-04-10 03:46:03','',8656,'http://provoketive.com/2013/04/09/8656-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(8663,12,'2013-03-29 20:11:34','2013-03-30 03:11:34','E. L. James “<em>Fifty Shades of Grey</em>” trilogy has sold millions upon millions of books. Her success has been accredited to all sorts of things. She has critics as well as fans, an <a href=\"http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/fifty-shades-grey-movie-emma-roberts-or-emma-bell-play-anastasia\">upcoming movie</a> and <a href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/03/e-l-james-fifty-shades-of-gray-new-book\">just announced a book on writing tips</a>.\r\n\r\nI was browsing Amazon recently and came across a work by <a href=\"http://cassandraparkin.wordpress.com/author/cassandraparkin/\">Cassandra Parkin</a>, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Grey-Critical-ebook/dp/B009KBL1DA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.</em></a>” She also has companion novels for the other two works in the trilogy, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Lighter-Critical-ebook/dp/B009JF5RO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Fifty Shades Lighter: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Darker</em></a>” and “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lighter-Shades-Freed-Critical-ebook/dp/B00A3EMVXC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>Lighter Shades Freed: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades Freed.</em></a>’”\r\n\r\nI read a couple of reviews and noting its humor, I decided to give it a try for its unbeatable price of $2.99. I was not disappointed. Parkin takes James to task with biting sarcasm for her writing failures, but also uncovers some serious issues.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8650\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"lighter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/lighter-228x300.jpg\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" /></a>Parkin recommends her book for several audiences. First, for those who enjoy the book so they can be aware of the arguments that will come their way as to why the book is so awful. Secondly, for those on the fence trying to decide whether or not to read it. Finally, it’s for those who have decided not to read it and have been asked, “<em>how can you know it’s bad when you haven’t read it?</em>”\r\n\r\nI wanted to talk to her further so I contacted the North England native. I’m definitely glad I did. We talked about James’ work, the dangers within toward women, the BDSM element, bad literature, and even tips on writing. Besides these topics, it was terrific to interview her. I found a strong feminist greatly concerned with women’s issues, a great literary mind, and an incredibly talented writer with tremendous spirit and voice.\r\n\r\nBesides this work, she won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories for her work, “<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/World-Fairy-Tales-Cassandra-Parkin/dp/1844718816/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610361&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=cassandra+parkin\"><em>New World Fairy Tales</em></a>.” Her novel, \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Summer-All-Ran-Away-ebook/dp/B00BU2NGR6/ref=la_B007NCIS2U_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1364610678&amp;sr=1-4\"><em>The Summer We All Ran Away</em></a>\", will be published by Legend Press in August 2013 and she is working on her second novel, \"<em>The Beach Hut</em>.\"\r\n\r\nHere is n excerpt from “<em>Lighter Shades</em>” to give you an idea of its flavor: “<em>Even if you feel there’s something wrong with a world where this book will shortly be outselling bread, it’s hard to argue that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ isn’t…significant. And a book this…significant…deserves to be subjected to thorough textual analysis. By taking it apart into teeny tiny small little pieces and putting those pieces under a spiteful, mean-spirited microscope, we may all just learn something about the elusive nature of the best seller.</em>\r\n\r\nAnd at the very least, we’ll all get to spend time enjoyably picking holes in the success of others. And time spent having fun is rarely wasted, I think.” (Kindle Location, 55)\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Ray:</em></strong> <em>I wanted you to know there was so much I enjoyed about your book: Your writing style, your snarkiness and your obvious love for good fiction. My concern is that people will just see your critique of James’ work as an act of jealousy instead of a clarion call to responsible writing and just an entertaining work of writing in its own right. Have you had such criticism? How do you react to this?</em>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>Cassandra:</em></strong> Thank you – I’m so glad you enjoyed the book! It was a lot of fun to write, I have to say.\r\n\r\nYou’re right, of course; I’ve been accused of jealousy by plenty of people, sometimes in alarmingly vivid terms. I especially enjoyed the lady who described an entire life for me where I’ve spent years scratching away in a garret at some terribly high-brow and pretentious work of literature, rejected by agent after agent and mocked by publishers, and now pass my time by endlessly raging about E L James’s success every day, and drinking myself into a coma every night. (I think she was talking about me. It’s possible she had me confused with the ghost of Ernest Hemingway.)\r\n\r\nI must admit, I do find it quite odd that so many people’s instinctive response to me saying, “<em>I think this is a bit rubbish, and here’s why</em>” is to instantly scream “<em>Oh, but you’re just JEALOUS!</em>” Why would I be? I genuinely don’t wish I’d written “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. If one day I write a book and it sells as well as “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” and I’m also proud of it – well, that’ll be a lovely experience. But if it never happens, so what? Is there a certain level of sales or wealth that entitles us to have an opinion?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> The phenomenon of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a remarkable thing and you address it well in the opening section. You put aside <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8652\" alt=\"50shades\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/50shades-213x300.jpg\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" /></a>the idea the popular theory of “<em>mommy porn</em>” being its biggest attraction and show its appeal being its origins with Fanfic, especially its commonality with the “<em>Twilight</em>” series. Since these books have been written, how have you seen the market grow? More books like this have been written, surely. But has the writing gotten better or are readers just settling for even worse written fiction?\r\n\r\n<em><strong>C:</strong></em> I think the main impact of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has been to bring non-conventional sex into the Romance genre – in the same way “<em>Twilight</em>” combined Romance with Supernatural. We all know that Romance books are commodity items, with hundreds of titles published a year. Collectively, they’re a huge success. But none of the individual titles are bestsellers because they’re written to a formula, and there are so many to choose from.\r\n\r\n“<em>Fifty Shades</em>” has created a market for Romance with BDSM sexual content. At the moment, there are quite a few BDSM-themed romances on the Top Ten shelves in the supermarkets, because if you want a BDSM-themed romance, there aren’t that many choices yet. But as the market catches up, I imagine the individual titles will disappear from the Top Ten, but BDSM romances will have their own imprint within the big Genre-Fiction houses. Mills and Boon have a Supernatural Romance imprint, with eight new titles every month. This time next year I’m sure they’ll have the same for the “Fifty Shades” fans.\r\n\r\nHas there been a change in quality? I’d probably draw a distinction between bad writing and retrogressive themes. I’m sure the writing will get better, because I can’t imagine any editor willfully commissioning a bad writer to create a Fifty-Shades-A-Like novel when the Genre Fiction field has so many excellent writers to choose from. However, if they stay true to the central theme of the Fifty Shades series - which is basically “<em>Stand by your abusive man, girls, because if you love him hard enough you can fix him!</em>” - then I’ll stand by my judgment of their overall value to society.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> James’ book, as you mentioned, didn’t undergo much critical editing. Hypothetical question: Do you think an editing process would have helped this book? Or, would it have made it less appealing to the readers?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> Well, I think it would have made it a lot harder for me and others to laugh at! I don’t know if fewer descriptions of Christian’s well-hung pants or Ana saying “<em>Oh my</em>” less often would have made it less fun for fans, but it would certainly have taken away a lot of what I enjoyed about it.\r\n\r\nHowever, I think what Fifty Shades fans respond to is the underlying theme of falling for a monster, who you then redeem through the power of your love. Women are taught from a very young age that it’s rude and ungrateful to reject male attention – even when it’s offered by someone who is violent, destructive or dangerous towards us. Instead, we should use our power to transform these cruel and undesirable men into our perfect heroes.\r\n\r\nWhen you write it out like that, it’s pretty laughable, and I’d laugh about it myself if this particular fantasy didn’t come with its own verified body-count. In the UK, two women a week are killed by violent and abusive partners – usually after enduring months and years of appalling behaviour. The reasons we stay with men who treat us like this? Because we think that if we love him hard enough and long enough, he’ll reform.\r\n\r\n<em><strong><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8653\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" alt=\"bomer\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bomer-225x300.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>R:</strong></em> One of the major themes of your writing that many reviewers seem to have missed is how Ana is forced to have sex against her will. (Loc. 355, 647 Kindle) Over and over, you mention that Ana has the right to say “<em>no</em>,” whether there is a contract or not. In fact, you note how Ana is even raped and kidnapped. Further, Christian morally justifies his actions. Why are these actions skipped over by many readers or excused? Is it because it is under the guise of a fiction/fantasy novel? What are the dangers?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> The way I’ve heard it justified is that Christian behaves like this because he’s “<em>damaged</em>”, and doesn’t know how to have a proper relationship. Well, yes; I can absolutely buy that. His childhood was terrible, and a lot of his behaviour is strongly suggestive of sociopathy. How could he not struggle with healthy relationships?\r\n\r\nWhat I take issue with is the idea that Christian can be fixed if he only finds the right woman; and that, because Christian thinks Ana might be the one, it’s then her responsibility to become that right woman. The narrative’s driven by what Christian needs, not what Ana needs. Ana’s “<em>reward</em>” is Christian’s transformation.\r\n\r\nFor the record, I don’t think this idea comes from “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”. It’s already in our heads, which is why we respond to it so strongly, and why so many people get so angry when it’s challenged.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> Ana commonly references “<em>Tess of the D’Urbervilles</em>” and compares herself to her. You commonly note that the reference is terrible since the correlation is awful. Tess was raped. But the problems don’t end there. James struggles with the basic use of metaphor, simile, character interaction, and descriptions. At what point did James become responsible for her major errors? If she had sold 30 books on Amazon, I suppose we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Is the real problem James’ writing or the fact that we have a population that doesn’t recognize subpar writing?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C: </em></strong>I think it’s always okay to point out when you think something isn’t very good. How loudly you feel compelled to point that out depends on how big an impact you believe the not-very-goodness is having. If I go to a restaurant and my burger is horrible, I’ll probably complain to the waiter. (Well actually, since I’m British, I’ll probably eat it anyway, pay the bill, leave a tip and then complain to my husband in the car afterwards…but you get the idea.) But if I go to McDonald’s and my burger is horrible, I think it’s appropriate to complain far more publically. A lot of people eat in McDonald’s, so a lot of people might be interested in my experience.\r\n\r\nAnd if people want to carry on eating in McDonald’s anyway, fair enough. I haven’t ever said to anyone, “<em>Don’t buy this book because it’s awful</em>”. I’m just sharing my experience.\r\n\r\n<strong><em>R:</em></strong> As a follow up, many people might say, “<em>I don’t care that it’s poorly written. I just like the story.</em>” Should that concern us? Are we a world of undiscerning readers or is it okay to expect less out of our writers as long as the “<em>story</em>” is compelling and titillating?\r\n\r\n<strong><em>C:</em></strong> I’m not sure the success of “<em>Fifty Shades</em>” is a four-horseman-style harbinger of the death of quality writing. The <em>succès fou</em> is a very old phenomenon, and the world seems to have survived. If there’s anything that worries me about “<em>Fifty Shades</em>”, it’s what it tells us all about our collective willingness to endorse and even romanticise abusive relationships.\r\n\r\n________________________\r\n\r\n<em>Please stay tuned for part two of this interview.</em>\r\n\r\nCassandra Parkin has a Master\'s degree in English Literature from York University, and has been writing fiction all her life - mostly as Christmas and birthday presents for friends and family. She is married with two children, has so far resisted her clear genetic destiny to become a mad old cat lady, and lives in a small but perfectly formed village in East Yorkshire.\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.</a>\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Author Interview: Cassandra Parkin, “Lighter Shades of Grey: A (very) Critical Reader’s Guide to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,\'\" Part One','','inherit','open','open','','8646-revision-4','','','2013-03-29 20:11:34','2013-03-30 03:11:34','',8646,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8646-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8664,204,'2013-03-29 20:34:11','2013-03-30 03:34:11','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\n\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\n\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\n\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\n\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\n\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\n\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\n\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\n\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\n\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\n\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-27','','','2013-03-29 20:34:11','2013-03-30 03:34:11','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(8665,204,'2013-03-29 20:34:16','2013-03-30 03:34:16','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an article for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-28','','','2013-03-29 20:34:16','2013-03-30 03:34:16','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-28/',0,'revision','',0),(8666,204,'2013-03-29 20:37:10','2013-03-30 03:37:10','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an <a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/cqfhocd\">article</a> for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-29','','','2013-03-29 20:37:10','2013-03-30 03:37:10','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-29/',0,'revision','',0),(8667,204,'2013-03-29 20:49:17','2013-03-30 03:49:17','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an <a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/cqfhocd\">article</a> for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from The Center For Action and Contemplation.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-30','','','2013-03-29 20:49:17','2013-03-30 03:49:17','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-30/',0,'revision','',0),(8668,204,'2013-03-29 20:52:37','2013-03-30 03:52:37','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an <a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/cqfhocd\">article</a> for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from <a href=\"http://www.cac.org\">The Center For Action and Contemplation</a>.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-31','','','2013-03-29 20:52:37','2013-03-30 03:52:37','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-31/',0,'revision','',0),(8671,204,'2013-04-18 12:43:15','2013-04-18 19:43:15','There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:\r\n<blockquote>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</blockquote>\r\nThe rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?\r\n\r\nThe other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.\r\n\r\nSome 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an <a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/cqfhocd\">article</a> for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.\r\n\r\nI once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.\r\n\r\nElizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:\r\n<blockquote>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</blockquote>\r\nThe monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em>\r\n\r\nA true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who we are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThe problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:\r\n<blockquote><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></blockquote>\r\nThis could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.\r\n\r\nCould this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from <a href=\"http://www.cac.org\">The Center For Action and Contemplation</a>.\r\n\r\n*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPhoto by www.thatslikewhoa.com','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-autosave','','','2013-04-18 12:43:15','2013-04-18 19:43:15','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(8714,0,'2013-04-06 13:41:12','2013-04-06 20:41:12','Culture\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Marissa Brim\nAUTHOR EMAIL: mrs.mlbrim@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: \nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 69.137.251.18\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Marissa Brim\n    [Email] =&gt; mrs.mlbrim@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; \n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Culture\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; tonkers127\n)\n','Marissa Brim - 2013-04-06 13:41:12','','publish','open','open','','dbcd3c1229e50fafbe3c98f97e1af677','','','2013-04-06 13:41:12','2013-04-06 20:41:12','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=8714',0,'feedback','',0),(8670,204,'2013-03-29 20:56:29','2013-03-30 03:56:29','<p>There is a remarkable statement in the Hebrew Bible about two men brawling:</p>\r\n<blockquote><p>If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Deuteronomy 25v11-12)</p></blockquote>\r\n<p>The rule goes something like this: if two men are fighting, and the wife of one of them (who apparently is getting his butt kicked) comes over to rescue him from his attacker, and she reaches out and grabs him by his private parts, you are to cut off her hand and show her no pity. A few sentences before this rule is another one which says an ox gets to eat while treading out the grain. Just below is a warning that God doesn\'t like anyone who uses false weights and measures. But apparently the woman who rescues her husband with an effective self-defense technique is left with a missing body part and no emotional support. Sound familiar?</p>\r\n<p>The other day a friend told me about her awful treatment by the men in her workplace. She told me about receiving sexist and demeaning comments, emails and after-hours phone calls asking if they could come over to her house to discuss a presentation they had to make the next day. She told me about being ignored in favor of her male counterparts.</p>\r\n<p>Some 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew sage named Ben Sira wrote,<em> \"the birth of a daughter is a loss\" and \"better is a wickedness of a man than a woman who does good.\"</em> Today we would consider Ben Sira\'s words misogynistic, but they are part of the historical record and Ben Sira was not alone. From Mesopotamia to Egypt, women in the ancient world were considered property—valuable property, but property non-the less. Christopher Rollston, a tenured professor and author from a conservative Christian seminary wrote an <a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/cqfhocd\">article</a> for Huffington Post stating how sacralizing patriarchy is wrong. His point is that gender equality may not have been the norm two or three thousand years ago, but today it is essential. <em>\"So, the next time someone refers to biblical values,\"</em> he wrote, \"<em>it\'s worth mentioning to them that the Bible often marginalized women, and that\'s not something anyone should value.\"</em> The financially strapped seminary <a href=\"http://www.insidehighered.com/node/41131\">reprimanded </a>Rollston because his article ran afoul of their theological position on women. His article is also affecting the seminary\'s fundraising efforts. Rollston resigned, and I think he did the right thing. Ultimately conservative institutions are going to continue losing highly trained and talented scholars over embarrassingly parochial issues.</p>\r\n<p>I once asked a pastor why women do not have prominent leadership roles in his church. I wondered because he has a lot of terrific things to say about faith, life, and what it all means. But his response troubled me, \"Women,<em>\"</em> he said, \"would rather listen to what I have to say.\" <em>This is always about that</em>, I thought.</p>\r\n<p>Elizabeth Barret Browning\'s poem, <em>Aurora Leigh</em> has a few lines about the burning bush:</p>\r\n<blockquote><p>Earth\'s crammed with heaven,<br />\r\nAnd every common bush afire with god,<br />\r\nBut only he who sees takes off his shoes;<br />\r\nThe rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.</p></blockquote>\r\n<p>The monks at Sinai say their five-thousand-year-old mulberry is the bush. It occurs to me that for some, finding the bush is more important than what the bush represents: that faith is not about finding the right bush; it\'s about taking off your shoes—t<em>his is always about that.</em></p>\r\n<p>A true spirituality is one that affirms men and women at the level of their deepest identity—who they are in God which is much deeper than mere gender. This true self is more important than any issues of gender, culture, or sexuality, which are as Richard Rhor* says, <em>\"accidental to one\'s foundational core as a child of God.\"</em></p>\r\n<p>It is<em> \"pure heresy\"</em> to call anyone whose gender is different <em>\"intrinsically disordered.\"</em></p>\r\n<p>The problems caused by labeling anyone <em>\"intrinsically disordered\"</em> are profound. The wounds are deep. I asked my friend how sexism affected her:</p>\r\n<blockquote><p><em>Sexism makes me feel deep in my soul that I am not good enough.</em></p>\r\n<p><em>Sexism makes me think I might be overlooked;</em></p>\r\n<p><em>Sexism makes me think that all the hard work I have done in school is not worth anything;</em></p>\r\n<p><em>Sexism makes me question everything about my self;</em></p>\r\n<p><em>Sexism pushes me to overcompensate and be critical;</em></p>\r\n<p><em>Sexism causes anxiety and depression;</em></p>\r\n<p><em>Sexism causes division among women because we see each other as competition and not trusted friends.</em></p></blockquote>\r\n<p>This could be shocking to some, but if you read the four Gospels carefully, you will note Jesus\' consistently distinctive attitude towards the two genders. Jesus always calls women <em>upward</em> (\"Neither do I condemn you,\" John 8v11) and men <em>downward</em> (\"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last,\" to the twelve disciples, Mark 9v35). Our selective memory is such that most of us have not noted this clear pattern in the Scriptures.</p>\r\n<p>Could this be what we mean by sexism and patriarchy?</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>*To read more about Richard Rohr\'s <em>Unitive Consciousness: Beyond Gender</em>, see his periodical, <em>Radical Grace</em>, Summer, 2012 issue. You can order a copy from <a href=\"http://www.cac.org\">The Center For Action and Contemplation</a>.</p>\r\n<p>*And of course, if you are a victim of sexism in the work place, please do not suffer in silence. Seek out help. Talk to someone you trust.</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Photo by www.thatslikewhoa.com</p>\r\n','On Sexism, Patriarchy And Strange Ways To Lose Body Parts','','inherit','open','open','','8607-revision-32','','','2013-03-29 20:56:29','2013-03-30 03:56:29','',8607,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/29/8607-revision-32/',0,'revision','',0),(8783,67,'2013-04-18 09:26:37','2013-04-18 16:26:37','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/9780310336693_p0_v3_s260x4206.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8804\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/9780310336693_p0_v3_s260x4206-195x300.jpg\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>Few books have been radically instrumental in changing my perspective of the Kingdom of God. Some caused me to think. Some caused me to ask questions. Some caused me to change opinions and some changed the course of my personal ministry as a whole. One in particular has accomplished all of these, and more surprising; that book happens to be fiction. I don\'t read a lot of fiction and consequentially, I don\'t write a lot of fiction. It\'s difficult to write, takes more time and discipline and requires more patience than I posses. Reading fiction is just as difficult because when we give our selves and our time to fiction, we take on a huge responsibility. We can read fiction at face value, skimming through the pages, simply for the purpose of entertainment. Or we can allow ourselves to enter fiction, being taken deeper than the surface. We become part of the story, an observer that sees the details of every aspect. When we do this, we open ourselves up to the imagination, and sometimes the imagination is more powerful in spiritual transformation than reality itself.\r\n\r\nSo it is with <a title=\"Chasing Francis\" href=\"http://zondervan.com/9780310336709\">Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim\'s Tale</a> by <a title=\"Ian\" href=\"http://www.iancron.com/\">Ian Morgan Cron</a>. In reading the first few pages, I found myself transported into a new and unfamiliar story that was also far too real. The story is new, fresh and alive, but also very real and close to home. When introduced to the main character, Chase Falson, I met someone for the first time, but also felt as if I had known him for years. In many ways, Chase is diametrically different than I am; personally, emotionally and professionally. But I also found that Chase was me; a mirror that was reading back words and reflecting emotions that I have felt for many years.\r\n\r\nChase Falson is the lead pastor of the largest megachurch in New England, and the quintessential picture of evangelical success. He has jumped through every hoop, crossed every T and dotted every I. From the time he entered seminary, he accomplished everything that he set his mind to accomplish. From all reasonable perspectives, Chase has finally \"arrived\". But the reader quickly realizes that his arrival does not entail a permanent stay, but a possible departure. Not a temporary departure that can be found in a refreshing retreat or sabbatical, but a departure from all that he knows and has been prepared for.\r\n\r\nFrustrated and disenchanted with the modern church model and what he sees as transparent and empty, Chase begins to ask questions. He begins to feel more and more restless in his ministry, wondering if something more exists. Faith is diminishing for Chase and questions are outnumbering answers. The tipping point comes in the death of a nine-year old girl, daughter of a fragile thirty-five-year-old ex-con alcoholic who had recently gotten sober and become a follower of Christ. <em>\"So where\'s God now? I gave my life to Christ, did everything you told me. How could he do this?\"</em> The words of a grieving mother push Chase to the brink of anything he has ever experienced emotionally, spiritually or ministerially. He buries a little girl and with her buries his preconceived ideas of what the Church was supposed to be.\r\n\r\nThe Sunday after the funeral, Chase reaches the point of no return admitting his doubts to his congregation.  He lays himself bare, wounded and angry. Chase is no longer a minister, but one who desperately needs ministering for himself. His brokenness, frustrations and anger are laid before the church; the sacrifice of a pastor that has nothing left to give. As the congregation stands before him, Chase comes to the realization that he doesn\'t have the answers they seek, because they are the same questions he is asking himself and of God. Chase wonders if he has ever actually had answers and if some questions simply have no answer. The past meets the present and for Chase, they no longer mesh. <em>\"Maybe we\'re all fools.\"</em>  And with those words, his pilgrimage begins.\r\n\r\nDesperate for answers and forced by his elders into a leave of absence, Chase finds himself crossing the Atlantic to visit his uncle, a Franciscan priest.  It is here, in Italy, that he encounters the teachings and philosophies of Francis of Assisi, rediscovering his faith from this spiritual leader that lived 800 years ago. Realizing that Francis faced many of the same radical cultural changes that we face today, Chase finds a refreshing perspective of what being a follower of Christ truly is, what the Church should be and what the Kingdom of God is really all about.  In the transition from the middle ages to Modernity, Francis gives us wisdom as we find ourselves moving from the Modern era to the uncharted territory of the Postmodern.\r\n\r\nIn a way that very few other authors are capable of, Ian Morgan Cron tells a story that transcends the years since Francis lived. Revealing surprising parallels, he skillfully illustrates the problems that Francis faced in his day; a Church in the midst of a radical cultural, economic  and  societal shift. Realizing that the Church of today faces very similar issues, Cron paints a fictional picture that eerily resembles reality. For it is through this story that a great comfort is found in the old rather than the new. We feel encouragement in simplicity rather than the complex. We find that wisdom calls to us over hundreds of years and assures us that there is hope for the Church. And that hope is found in the liberating possibility that we can at least consider putting aside our endless pursuit of doing something new and different, and look at what has simply been laid before us. And that in itself could, ironically, be new and different.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Chasing Francis\" href=\"http://zondervan.com/9780310336709\">Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim\'s Tale</a> is being re-leased through <a title=\"Zondervon\" href=\"http://zondervan.com/\">Zondvervon</a> on May 7, 2013 and is currently available for pre-order.','Review of Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim\'s Tale by Ian Morgan Cron ','','publish','open','open','','review-of-chasing-francis-a-pilgrims-tale-by-ian-morgan-cron','','','2013-04-18 09:26:37','2013-04-18 16:26:37','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=8783',0,'post','',4),(8673,205,'2013-03-30 09:43:39','2013-03-30 16:43:39','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenominal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the rollout.\n\nIs the church you attend struggling?\n\nMicromanagement\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-6','','','2013-03-30 09:43:39','2013-03-30 16:43:39','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/30/8602-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(8674,205,'2013-03-30 10:59:22','2013-03-30 17:59:22','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out.\n\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. Also, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to do it a different way. It\'s not a better way, it\'s just different.\n\nPastoral training - seminary\n\nIs the church you attend struggling?\n\nMicromanagement\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-7','','','2013-03-30 10:59:22','2013-03-30 17:59:22','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/30/8602-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(8675,0,'2013-03-30 11:15:17','2013-03-30 18:15:17','Culture, Spirituality and life.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Naana\nAUTHOR EMAIL: naanaantwi14@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://beautifulyetassertive.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 41.66.207.150\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Naana\n    [Email] =&gt; naanaantwi14@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; beautifulyetassertive.blogspot.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Culture, Spirituality and life.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Naana\n)\n','Naana - 2013-03-30 11:15:17','','publish','open','open','','05a079c9df619583cf7e70dbc401fb10','','','2013-03-30 11:15:17','2013-03-30 18:15:17','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=8675',0,'feedback','',0),(8676,205,'2013-03-30 11:00:31','2013-03-30 18:00:31','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out.\n\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. Also, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to do it a different way. It\'s not a better way, it\'s just different.\n\nPastoral training - seminary\n\nIs the church you attend struggling?\n\nMicromanagement\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-8','','','2013-03-30 11:00:31','2013-03-30 18:00:31','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/30/8602-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(8679,205,'2013-03-31 14:09:13','2013-03-31 21:09:13','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\n\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\n\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPastoral training - seminary\n\nIs the church you attend struggling?\n\nMicromanagement\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-9','','','2013-03-31 14:09:13','2013-03-31 21:09:13','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(8680,205,'2013-03-31 14:41:07','2013-03-31 21:41:07','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\n\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\n\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\n\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors are frequently obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPastoral training - seminary\n\nIs the church you attend struggling?\n\nMicromanagement\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-10','','','2013-03-31 14:41:07','2013-03-31 21:41:07','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(8681,205,'2013-03-31 14:42:16','2013-03-31 21:42:16','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors are frequently obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPastoral training - seminary\r\n\r\nIs the church you attend struggling?\r\n\r\nMicromanagement\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-11','','','2013-03-31 14:42:16','2013-03-31 21:42:16','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(8682,205,'2013-03-31 14:42:27','2013-03-31 21:42:27','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors are frequently obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPastoral training - seminary\r\n\r\nIs the church you attend struggling?\r\n\r\nMicromanagement\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-12','','','2013-03-31 14:42:27','2013-03-31 21:42:27','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(8683,205,'2013-03-31 15:12:11','2013-03-31 22:12:11','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nThe issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description (do I like this??)\r\n\r\nPastoral training - seminary\r\n\r\nIs the church you attend struggling?\r\n\r\nMicromanagement\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-13','','','2013-03-31 15:12:11','2013-03-31 22:12:11','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(8684,205,'2013-03-31 15:12:21','2013-03-31 22:12:21','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nThe issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description (do I like this??)\r\n\r\nPastoral training - seminary\r\n\r\nIs the church you attend struggling?\r\n\r\nMicromanagement\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-14','','','2013-03-31 15:12:21','2013-03-31 22:12:21','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(8685,205,'2013-03-31 15:14:11','2013-03-31 22:14:11','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nThe issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description (do I like this??)\r\n\r\nPastoral training - seminary\r\n\r\nIs the church you attend struggling?\r\n\r\nMicromanagement\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-15','','','2013-03-31 15:14:11','2013-03-31 22:14:11','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(8686,205,'2013-03-31 15:53:54','2013-03-31 22:53:54','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\r\n\r\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\r\n\r\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\r\n\r\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-16','','','2013-03-31 15:53:54','2013-03-31 22:53:54','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(8687,205,'2013-03-31 15:54:11','2013-03-31 22:54:11','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\r\n\r\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\r\n\r\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\r\n\r\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-17','','','2013-03-31 15:54:11','2013-03-31 22:54:11','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(8688,205,'2013-03-31 17:13:43','2013-04-01 00:13:43','','To_the_church_cropped_2','','inherit','open','open','','to_the_church_cropped_2','','','2013-03-31 17:13:43','2013-04-01 00:13:43','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/To_the_church_cropped_2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8689,205,'2013-03-31 16:15:31','2013-03-31 23:15:31','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\r\n\r\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\r\n\r\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\r\n\r\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-18','','','2013-03-31 16:15:31','2013-03-31 23:15:31','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(8690,205,'2013-03-31 17:14:17','2013-04-01 00:14:17','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\r\n\r\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\r\n\r\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\r\n\r\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-19','','','2013-03-31 17:14:17','2013-04-01 00:14:17','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(8691,205,'2013-03-31 17:19:46','2013-04-01 00:19:46','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\n\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\n\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\n\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\n\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\n\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\n\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\n\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-20','','','2013-03-31 17:19:46','2013-04-01 00:19:46','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(8692,205,'2013-03-31 17:29:12','2013-04-01 00:29:12','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\r\n\r\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\r\n\r\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\r\n\r\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-21','','','2013-03-31 17:29:12','2013-04-01 00:29:12','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(8693,205,'2013-03-31 17:44:09','2013-04-01 00:44:09','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. You\'ve come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes,\" and you start planning the roll out. Your team ????\r\n\r\nThen the reality of the situation sets in. You find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor and he sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major donations. The elder board or denominational hierarchy are afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\r\n\r\nAlso, you might have decided to set up one way but the pastor tells you that you have to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t simply another way to implement the proposal. Rather, they cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry, leaving it to rot on the garbage heap of failed programs.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\r\n\r\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\r\n\r\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\r\n\r\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\r\n\r\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\r\n\r\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-22','','','2013-03-31 17:44:09','2013-04-01 00:44:09','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(8694,205,'2013-03-31 18:12:11','2013-04-01 01:12:11','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. The church has been changing and seeing new life as people explore what it means to be a church in the 21st century. The group has come up with an idea for a phenomenal new ministry connecting the community and congregation leading to radically transformed lives. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes!\" and you start planning the roll out.\n\nAs you are finalizing the plans, you find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor (\"We\'ve never done it that way\") and she sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major contributors. Indirectly your hear that the elder board or denominational hierarchy is afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church and reduce the weekly attendance.\n\nMaybe the group decided on what they believe will be an optimum structure, but the pastor tells you to run it a different way. Yet the mandated changes aren\'t an alternative way to accomplish the same purpose. They cut out the essential core out of the proposed ministry. The group mourns and loses heart, realizing the ministry will end up on the garbage heap of failed programs. You\'re convinced the pastor follows and loves Christ, so what went wrong? Is the pastor the stumbling block or is\n\nWe\'ve been working through the re-definition of church recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era are the catalyst for major transformation what it means to be a church. Yet I have only encountered a limited number of publications examining the role and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\n\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\n\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\n\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\n\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-23','','','2013-03-31 18:12:11','2013-04-01 01:12:11','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(8697,205,'2013-03-31 19:10:14','2013-04-01 02:10:14','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. The church has been changing and seeing new life as people explore what it means to be a church in the early 21st century. The group presents a concept for a phenomenal new ministry connecting the community and congregation, leading to radically transformed lives. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes!\" and you start planning the roll out.\n\nAs the group finalizes the plans, you find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor (\"We\'ve never done it that way\") and she sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major contributors. Indirectly your hear that the elder board or denominational hierarchy is afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church, thus reducing the weekly attendance.\n\nMaybe the group decides on what they believe will be an optimum structure, but the pastor tells them to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t just an alternative way to accomplish the same purpose. They cut the essential core out of the proposed ministry. The group mourns and loses heart, realizing the ministry will end up on the garbage heap of failed programs. You\'re convinced the pastor follows and loves Christ, so what went wrong? Is the pastor the stumbling block or is the church encountering a larger and systemic problem?\n\nIn the overall Christian community we\'ve been thinking through re-definitions of church, recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist industrial mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how Western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era is a major catalyst for transformation of what it means to be a church. These works almost always look at the structure of the church and proposed alternatives without a deep consideration of how pastors interact with the transitions.\n\nI still think churches need some person or group of people that function similar to current day pastors. I can\'t yet envision a congregation larger than a house church (which may be our future) functioning without some semblance of a pastor.  Let\'s consider a few ways in which pastors are caught between their training, management expectations, and roles current contrasted to how they might be ch\n\nIn seminary, pastors encounter a strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative. This bias minimizes the inherent humanity of God\'s self-description through the narrative and image. Emphasis on parsing Greek or Hebrew at the expense of connecting with people in their own personal life situations encourage pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than engage in the harder work of coming alongside them. I\'m glad I learned both languages but I didn\'t trust the narrative of the Bible for years.\n\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. He must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if he is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\n\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\n\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-26','','','2013-03-31 19:10:14','2013-04-01 02:10:14','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(8696,205,'2013-03-31 18:51:01','2013-04-01 01:51:01','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. The church has been changing and seeing new life as people explore what it means to be a church in the early 21st century. The group presents a concept for a phenomenal new ministry connecting the community and congregation, leading to radically transformed lives. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes!\" and you start planning the roll out.\n\nAs the group finalizes the plans, you find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor (\"We\'ve never done it that way\") and she sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major contributors. Indirectly your hear that the elder board or denominational hierarchy is afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church, thus reducing the weekly attendance.\n\nMaybe the group decides on what they believe will be an optimum structure, but the pastor tells them to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t just an alternative way to accomplish the same purpose. They cut the essential core out of the proposed ministry. The group mourns and loses heart, realizing the ministry will end up on the garbage heap of failed programs. You\'re convinced the pastor follows and loves Christ, so what went wrong? Is the pastor the stumbling block or is the church encountering a larger and systemic problem?\n\nIn the overall Christian community we\'ve been thinking through re-definitions of church, recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist industrial mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how Western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era is a major catalyst for transformation of what it means to be a church. These works almost always look at the structure of the church and proposed alternatives. Only a few examine the role, occupational expectations, and training of pastors as obstacles to the needed transitions.\n\nIn seminary, pastors encounter a strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative. This bias minimizes the inherent humanity of God\'s self-description through the narrative and image. Emphasis on parsing Greek or Hebrew at the expense of connecting with people in their own personal life situations encourage pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than engage in the harder work of coming alongside them. I\'m glad I learned both languages but I didn\'t trust the narrative for a long time.rust the story.\n\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\n\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\n\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-25','','','2013-03-31 18:51:01','2013-04-01 01:51:01','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(8695,205,'2013-03-31 18:29:40','2013-04-01 01:29:40','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. The church has been changing and seeing new life as people explore what it means to be a church in the early 21st century. The group presents a concept for a phenomenal new ministry connecting the community and congregation, leading to radically transformed lives. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes!\" and you start planning the roll out.\n\nAs the group finalizes the plans, you find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor (\"We\'ve never done it that way\") and she sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major contributors. Indirectly your hear that the elder board or denominational hierarchy is afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church, thus reducing the weekly attendance.\n\nMaybe the group decides on what they believe will be an optimum structure, but the pastor tells them to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t just an alternative way to accomplish the same purpose. They cut the essential core out of the proposed ministry. The group mourns and loses heart, realizing the ministry will end up on the garbage heap of failed programs. You\'re convinced the pastor follows and loves Christ, so what went wrong? Is the pastor the stumbling block or is the church encountering a larger and systemic problem?\n\nIn the overall Christian community we\'ve been thinking through re-definitions of church, recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist industrial mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how Western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era is a major catalyst for transformation of what it means to be a church. These works almost always look at the structure of the church and proposed alternatives. Only a few examine the role, occupational expectations, and training of pastors as obstacles to this transition. Most fervently seek Christ\'s leading but their training, denomination, parishioners, or administrative board gives them a strong bias to do the exact opposite.\n\nPastor\'s issues start in seminary with the strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative, thus removing the inherent humanity of the God\'s self-description in words and images. Parsing Greek or Hebrew often outweighs the importance of connecting with people in their own personal life situations, encouraging pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than encouraging them to find themselves in the narrative. I\'m still glad I learned both languages but I sure took a long time before I learned to trust the story.\n\nMicromanagement is a typical response to the myriad pressures on a Pastor. She must satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals and all the groups can only be kept satisfied if she is the one managing the subtleties of decision-making. If the attendance drops then the offering drops, reducing what the church sends the denominational office. Denominations are under such severe financial pressure so they become very concerned with any changes that cause an income decline. Attendance losses or economic downturns in larger churches result in staff layoffs or deferred bill paying which jeopardizes the Pastor\'s employment.\n\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\n\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-24','','','2013-03-31 18:29:40','2013-04-01 01:29:40','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(8698,205,'2013-03-31 19:58:24','2013-04-01 02:58:24','Imagine yourself and a group of people in a meeting with your church\'s pastor. The church has been changing and seeing new life as people explore what it means to be a church in the early 21st century. The group presents a concept for a phenomenal new ministry connecting the community and congregation, leading to radically transformed lives. Excitement grips the group as they explain the concept to your pastor. You\'re elated when she says \"yes!\" and you start planning the roll out.\n\nAs the group finalizes the plans, you find out about newly imposed guidelines and limitations that cut out the core of the ministry. Influential members of the congregation complain to the pastor (\"We\'ve never done it that way\") and she sets limits out of fear that the church will lose major contributors. Indirectly your hear that the elder board or denominational hierarchy is afraid the ministry will reflect poorly on the church, thus reducing the weekly attendance.\n\nMaybe the group decides on what they believe will be an optimum structure, but the pastor tells them to run it a different way. The mandated changes aren\'t just an alternative way to accomplish the same purpose. They cut the essential core out of the proposed ministry. The group mourns and loses heart, realizing the ministry will end up on the garbage heap of failed programs. You\'re convinced the pastor follows and loves Christ, so what went wrong? Is the pastor the stumbling block or is the church encountering a larger and systemic problem?\n\nIn the overall Christian community we\'ve been thinking through re-definitions of church, recognizing how much it is a product of a corporate, modernist industrial mindset. Book after book and innumerable blog posts explore how Western society\'s transition out of the enlightenment era is a major catalyst for transformation of what it means to be a church. These works examine the structure of the church and propose alternatives but rarely consider how the role of pastors changes with potential transitions. I still think churches need some person or group of people that function similar to current day pastors. I can\'t yet envision a congregation larger than a house church (which may be our future) operating without some semblance of a pastor.\n\nLet\'s consider a few ways in which pastors find themselves caught between their training, expectations, roles, and changing expectations.\n\nIn seminary, pastors encounter a strong academic bias toward Bible as text rather than Bible as story and narrative. This bias minimizes the inherent humanity of God\'s self-description through the narrative and image. Emphasis on parsing Greek or Hebrew at the expense of connecting with people in their own personal life situations encourage pastors to rapid-fire verses at people rather than engage in the harder work of coming alongside them. I\'m glad I learned both languages but I didn\'t trust the narrative of the Bible for years.\n\nPastors attempt to simultaneous meet expectations of diverse constituencies, and their challenges are becoming more difficult. Shrinking budgets/attendance, more demanding denominational leadership, and long term attendees who feel displaced by changes increase the stress levels on a pastor. Micromanagement is a typical response since the pastor may feel he is the only one who can simultaneously satisfy so many different constituencies with conflicting goals.  Many pastors under such pressure may exhibit health problems, engage in unhealthy behaviors, or decide that what they are doing is not worth the pain and leave the pastorate.\n\nThere\'s also a danger that the pastor grasps only part of the\n\nI\'m not even sure that we should even have full time clergy going forward. Most Pastors are drastically underpaid yet with the high cost of benefits such as health insurance drains the financial resources of a congregation. Why not embrace a model in which several people earn their living in commercial or other non-church settings and function as the leaders?\n\nExamples counter examples? dialog?\n\nThe role of a pastor changes as a church grows or shrinks. Who has ownership?','Is Your Pastor Holding Your Church Back?','','inherit','open','open','','8602-revision-27','','','2013-03-31 19:58:24','2013-04-01 02:58:24','',8602,'http://provoketive.com/2013/03/31/8602-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),