Recipe for Conflict: Paul, Women and Corinthians

I know you think you know where this is going, but unless you know me really well, you might not. It’s this thing about the apostle Paul. If there’s a controversy about what the Bible really says, it’s likely Paul is at the heart of it. So, I get up this morning, and there he is, standing in my head. So, I was like, “Hey, hi.” And he was like, “You got a problem with some of the things I wrote?” And I was like, “Yeah.” And he was all like, “Take a seat. Let’s chat.”

Soon, there I was with a cup of coffee, my computer and the apostle Paul.

Paul: Hit me. What bothers you? Not life in general. That’s not my thing. But my writing. My letters. How could you possibly find fault with them?

Me: It’s not me. It’s that passage about women. People keep throwing it in my face, like I’m supposed to be subservient.

Paul: When did I say women were subservient? Subservient to who?

Me: You know.

Paul: (no response)

Me: Men.

Paul: (Laughter, finally subsides.) Show me where I said that.

Me: Right here. Corinthians 11:2. You say women are below men. “The head of every man is Christ. The head of woman is man.”

Paul: If you’re going to be ignorant, don’t come whining to me.

Me: Who are you calling ignorant? You wrote it.

Paul: You read half of it and stop, and then you want to pick a fight. If you’re only going to read half of my letters, don’t bother at all. Look right here, two paragraphs later: “But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. Although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.” Among the Lord’s people. Are you among the Lord’s people?

Me: Oh, wow. So, who were you talking to up here? Why did you say women were subservient to men?

Paul: The Corinthians had a cartload of questions. They just didn’t get it. God loved them so much. The Holy Spirit came on them and blessed them with the pure essence of God’s love, and they let that slip away.

Me: So, they wanted to know how to live under God’s rule?

Paul: Something like that. They wanted to live like the Roman Jews. They wanted to know the hierarchy, the old Jewish Law. I gave it to them, because they were slipping, and something is better than nothing. But the truth is, when they were living in the Holy Spirit, they knew they all were servants of God. Period.

Me: Well, what about his, where you say, “The head of woman is man” (1 Corinthians 11:3).

Paul: (Raised his eyebrows.) And what about this? “For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God” (1 Corinthians 11:11-13).  

Me: Oh. You did say that. You were kind of conflicting, you know? No offense.

Paul: None taken. Here’s how it works. When you’re in the spirit of God, it all makes sense, because you all love God first. You act out of love. Women care for men out of love, but they serve as our Lord served, out of love. Men care for women better than they care for themselves, out of love. This whole all-about-me mentality flies out the window, for everyone.

Me: So…

Paul: If someone is trying to make you feel subservient, then they aren’t in the Spirit, and you are not subject to them. You’re subject to God. Sometimes, you’ll be led to do for those who can’t. Other times, you’ll leave it alone, because you do more harm by helping. Make sense?

Me: Yep. Been there.

Paul: Then trust me. God loves you. You are meant to be a strong, beautiful woman. And your husband is meant to be a strong, beautiful man. (Okay, he might not have said beautiful, but it does sound good, doesn’t it?)

Me: But if we’re both strong-willed, won’t that create conflict?

Paul: I didn’t say strong-willed. I said strong. Be strong in faith, even when it’s hard ---especially when it’s hard. Be strong in knowing the Lord’s law that lives in your heart. When you’re both doing that, then you’re both serving God. Then, there is no conflict. There’s only love.

Me: That was kind of cool. Maybe you should have written that.

Paul: Maybe you should read the whole letter instead of taking my words out of context.

Luckily, he winked at me when he said it. I hope he comes back tomorrow.

I know this sounds crazy, but if I’m going to have an imaginary friend, I’d rather it be someone like Paul than someone who beats me up for being imperfect. So much more pleasant.

Beyond the Third Mansion: Don't blame Oprah

            When I heard a Christian speaker refer to the Oprah-brand of Christianity, I didn’t have to wait for the explanation. I already knew what he meant.  He was talking about the wave of eastern mysticism washing over our bookshelves. He was talking about Buddhism, Taoism and an it’s-all-good teaching that says, if you like Christianity, that’s fine, too.

            Don’t blame Oprah Winfrey for giving people what they’re craving. Her book club selection, “A New Earth,” by Eckart Tolle, sold nearly five million copies. Oprah XM (radio) carried Marianne Williamson teaching “A Course in Miracles,” by Dr. Helen Schucman, a book that has sold over a million copies. Books by her friend and guest, Wayne Dyer, have sold in the millions.

            These writers and speakers met people where their craving lies. We tell ourselves God meets us where we are, but when I turn to Christian media, I hear the same message over and over, writing and speaking geared at the most basic of Christian teachings.

            St. Teresa of Avila wrote of the mansions in God’s castle. In the first house is humility, the place where forgiveness first takes root. By the third house, the soul has glimpsed real communion with God. By the fourth house, or mansion, God begins to flow freely, and intense, spiritually-guided prayer becomes routine. In the center, the interior castle, resides a place of complete union with God.

            These eastern-bent authors and speakers are meeting people in the third and fourth mansion and beyond, while Christian communicators are often still in the first or second house. We might argue it’s foundational and people aren’t getting it, but the masses tell us different. Millions of people are telling us they’re looking for that deeper walk.

            This is a call to action to my fellow writers. If we believe God meets us where we are, then let’s do no less as writers. Let’s meet people where they are. Let’s take our writing into the third and fourth house and beyond.

            If you haven’t read “The Interior Castle,” I encourage you to. But be fairly warned. What you’ll find in our community of Christian teachers is there are some preaching from the first mansion, because that’s all they know.  We’re only capable of teaching at our own level and below. We might recognize a higher level, but can’t teach it until we’ve reached it.

            Christianity is alive and vibrant, a beautiful truth filled with hope, joy and a deeper path than many imagine, a path many now think exists only in other religions. As writers, let’s take the deeper walk to our friends and neighbors. Let’s answer the craving and fill the need for teachings on the deeper spiritual path they’re seeking, and let’s do it from the Christian viewpoint.

The Trinity Twist

A month before a tiny Kentucky church voted to ban interracial couples, Christian scholars warned that a growing twist on the holy trinity would lead to sexism and racism.

The pastor of the church reversed the voted-in policy when the news swept like wildfire across the national media. Not to be harsh, but that is what it took. If I read it right, it appears there was some bullying going on, some hard-headed church members who bullied the rest into submission and rammed a vote through. What’s disturbing is that they felt empowered to go public with their racism.

Before that, on November 7, 2011, bible scholars published “The Trinity Statement,” which sounded way too weighty for me. But I’m always intrigued by subtle twists on Christ’s real message for us, because we are loaded with them. The Trinity Statement was penned by Dr. William David Spencer, editor of Priscilla Papers, a journal focusing on biblical equality (the heck you say!). “The Trinity Statement” has this radical premise, that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. Not so radical, you say? A growing trend distorts that basic building block of our faith. This trend says that God is the king and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to God.

The first time I heard it a few years ago, I did a mental head wobble and dismissed it as not worth arguing over. But Dr. Spencer and a list of other bible scholars warned that the twist leads to sexism and racism.

I got notice of the statement from the Evangelical Press Association via email. What it comes down to is this:

A hierarchy in the Trinity leads to hierarchy among human beings. If the Trinity contains ranks, humans must also display a ranking as they reflect the image of God. As Spencer says, this teaching has been used to argue that "some gender (usually the female) is ranked below the other (usually the male) and some "races" may be ranked below other "races." This conclusion not only undermines monotheism but also the equality of humanity as created in God's image."

If you think this trend is dangerous, there’s a place to sign “The Trinity Statement” at www.trinitystatement.com. Think about it.

Blessings on you all,

Jennie

Stay A while

This contest brought an amazing caliber of entries. Seriously. The stack of entries considered to the very end was a couple of inches thick and carried from one room to another, to a restaurant to be discussed over dinner, some even sent to a back-up judge for an opinion. Some were off-the-hook creative. Some were so inspired. We were honored by the writing and thought that went into these. More than a few non-winners brought tears or peace or made us smile.


Ironically, I’ve sworn off contests. At that same time we ran this contest, I entered another contest and didn’t win. In the past, my responses to not winning ranged from anger (Oh, my gosh, my entry was much better!) to disappointment (I’m giving up. Who am I kidding? I can’t write!) to inspired (Wow, I can see why they won. That was good.). But this contest I was in finally made me realize something. For me, contests are a distraction from actually writing. I focus so much on what they want that I lose my focus on what I’m supposed to be writing. The creative flow is blocked. If I’m disappointed, I give up writing for at least three days while I nurse my wounds. Since writing is like breathing for me, that’s a long time. It’s even harder on Ron ---husband, co-publisher and co-editor--- because apparently, I sulk.

This year has two projects: The Jesus Climate (my book in-progress) and an Echoes of The Right to God book ---your stories. We hope you’ll consider submitting for the Echoes of The Right to God print compilation planned for this year. We’re open for essays mostly, but will consider appropriate short fiction and poetry. We’re looking for works that reflect our original purpose. Echoes online journal has expanded to include many sides of God in our lives.

But The Right to God is about seeing relationship with God in a new light, and that’s what we’re looking for. At the risk of being rebuffed, we’re going to pull out some previous non-winning entries that hinted there was more to the spiritual side than the story told.

If you’re interested in what we won’t consider, here are a just a few points.
• Anti-Christian works. I mean, really? We’re open to a range of backgrounds, but nearly every contest draws some anti-Christian writing, which surprises me. The first person to tell us they loved The Right to God was actually Muslim ---he borrowed his Christian wife’s copy before she had a chance to crack it open. We love that. We’re bridge-builders and ask the same in return.
• Works that use foul language. We’re not being prissy. We want an online magazine that anyone can read and enjoy. Can you find another way to say it?
• Works that have nothing to do with God. It can be brilliantly written and a fantastic concept, but works written around God go to a deeper level and the sense of God infuses it.

Diana Santelli wrote a blog about how writers are hard on each other and can fall into resenting each other instead of supporting each other. A friend of mine has an art gallery. His artist friends rave about his work and support him every step. They seem to recognize that different doesn’t imply better or less. It’s just his time. Perhaps tomorrow is your time.

So, will you stay a while and read the rest of Echoes of The Right to God online? Will you consider submitting for the Echoes book? We hope so. We love our readers. We love our writers. We love God and hope this work helps people come closer.

Blessings on your writing,
Jennie

Link to Diana’s blog: http://www.writerabroad.com/2010/07/jealousy-and-writing.html

Why Didn't My Essay Win?

When you hate to hurt people’s feelings, it’s killer to spell out why an essay didn’t win. But a few people have wondered, even gone as far as hinting it would help their future chances and future writing. So, briefly, I’ll hit on a few reasons essays didn’t win our contests, and perhaps it will help in other contests and opportunities, too.


We’re a Christian magazine that believes in religious tolerance. We’re not anti-any religion, including our own. A few entries have been clearly anti-Christian. I’m so sorry. No matter how well it’s written, that just doesn’t work for us.

Conversely, some entries had a purpose of trying to convert people. They had a strong ‘my way, the only way’ feel to them. For some reason, that pushes us away.

Some really good entries have had some fatal traits. One writer has almost won twice, and both times lost because of repeating the same word or phrase so many times, it lost its impact and became an obstacle to the story. It was too bad, because they were deep messages.

I blush at this one, because I admit I’ve done this myself, and swear I will never do it again. Taking a well-written essay and tacking on the theme doesn’t work. Again, some well-written entries didn’t win, because they simply weren’t about our topic. Adding a line or two just didn’t make it work.

I’m also guilty of this next one: preaching. We love essays that are personal and show your vulnerable side. Those preachy essays are easily corrected by admitting you’ve been there.

Not going deep enough into yourself is another problem I’d love to see corrected by some talented writers. Several writers, some with professional credentials, seemed to keep their essays superficial. It’s another flaw I struggle with. Here’s my suggestion. As you write and re-read, ask yourself, “Why is that?” several times throughout the story. You might be surprised at what you realize. It also allows you to be vulnerable, which makes your story personal.

Finally, a call for essays is a call for essays. We turned down some good fiction and poetry, because it wasn’t what we wanted. But if that’s your specialty, when we call for fiction, I hope you’ll still submit to us.

It’s Like Martial Arts

    When I taught martial arts, you had to perfect the basics before you could move on to the higher levels. My students always thought it was fun when they started learning flying kicks and techniques like that. But when it comes down to a street fight, to protecting yourself, you always go back to the basics. Bruce Lee even said that. You can learn advanced techniques and earn degrees of black belts in different styles, but when you need it, the only thing that counts is how well you do the basics.
    Our book is like that, too. It's basic, easy reading. It's not filled with big words and theories. It's all things you can read and use immediately, today. "The Right to God" really is about your right to God, one of the most basic concepts there is. But when it comes right down to it, that's what's most important … the basics.
    ---Ron Dugan

What We Loved About the Winners

If you wonder why we chose the winning essays in our first contest, here's a short rundown. We'll also drop a few hints at what doesn't hit us quite right. And while we're at it, we'll let you know where we're willing to expand our borders.

The winners were the ones we kept thinking about when we put the essays down and walked away. A nugget, a truth, an image lingered in our minds as we went to work or cooked supper. For Darlene Pistocchi's essay, our First Place, it was that single line that kept echoing in our minds: "What had I done to my canvas?" That one line sums up her entire essay and struck a chord. How many times have we felt like we really messed up the canvas this time? I loved the idea that it was a masterpiece once and could be again.

Virgil Youngblood's Second Place essay was a different story. His created an image of a set-jawed, hard-lipped old time Christian, who then gave it all over to God, and watched a slow, miraculous change in his life. One after another, his realities shifted as he became a different person.

Stephanie Beck's Third Place essay, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, took another track entirely. Stephanie had that profound spiritual experience we were hoping to find in the essays. A moment swept over her and changed her life in a day. But something subtle lingered with us. When someone has an intense spiritual experience, people sometimes try to rationalize why it happened to "you, and not me." It ranges from, "It must have been because…" to disbelief to anger. On the radio recently, I heard a speaker passionately urging listeners to talk about their spiritual experiences, bordering on accusing people of being selfish by keeping it to themselves. The talk show host quickly called him on it, pointing to her own experience of people thinking she was crazy. "Besides," she said simply in a New York accent. "Not every experience is meant to be shared. Some are for us alone."

Thomas Fuhrman raised just that question in his Fourth Place essay when he said, "I would like someone to believe me." Thomas did the most incredible thing. He prayed what, to us, is one of the hardest prayers. He said to God, if anything in his life stood between him and God, he wanted God to take it away. He didn't pick and choose. He said, "Anything." Sometimes when God answers a prayer, you alone have the strong sense of "God did this." It's personal, and no one else gets it like you do. As Thomas wrote, regardless of whether God actually "did this," Thomas's prayer and his reaction to a series of thefts brought him closer to God. We loved that. Instead of resenting God for something lost, he let it take him further down God's path.

Charity Vester's Fifth Place essay did something few entries did. It made us laugh. It had humor. Why not? Isn't the spiritual path about losing burdens? But it also had that one line that carried on when we walked away. "I was supposed to be in Peru." That line has already become a metaphor for something that clearly wasn't on our agenda, but appears to be on God's plan. I hadn't planned to write a book about God. I had planned to write a novel. "I was supposed to be in Peru," I think, and I smile, because while Charity was cleaning up after dogs instead of wandering Peru, she was quietly spreading the truth, that relationship with God makes us happy, no matter how much the circumstance conflicts with our original plan.

For all of the winners, a common thread was the way they applied to everyday spirituality. We had some well-written, passionate entries that addressed hot-button issues. But our focus is the everyday walk, the people we love, the daily prayers and trials. We're unlikely to publish polarizing issues, unless it's part of the Both Sides Now column. We like the personal story, the one that makes us feel something, the line that lingers after we put down the paper. We are open to essays that explore walking with God in so many ways. It doesn't have to be distinctly Christian, but if it feels anti-Christian, it's not right for us. A few people have written and asked if we're open on certain things, like blog entries or fiction. (Yes, to blog entries, and no, not doing fiction right now.) If you have a question, feel free to shoot us an email.

We want to bring people closer to God, and we're open on how that happens. This month's contest already has some interesting entries, some potential winners rising to the top. The deadline is August 15. If you have a story to tell, this is a great place for it. Check out the rules here: Echoes Essay Contest.