Yesterday, a Graduate School of Theology alumna from several years ago was invited to come and speak to the current GST students. The topic of conversation was "Believable Futures of Church of Christ." Her name was Kim. She grew up in a small Church of Christ in Texas (120 members... large for Nebraska, small for Texas). It was an older, more conservative church where there were not many others her age. Her experience in that church was very positive, as she was doted on by about 20 sets of grandparents every Sunday. When she entered Middle School, her parents put her into a baptist school--that was the first time she learned that different people read the bible and interpret it in different ways. She had some great teachers and great friends in that school. So, once in Sunday school at church, she asked her teacher who was one of the older men if her baptist friends were "saved." His reply to her was, "no, they are not."
That conversation was a really important time for Kim in her journey of faith. Even at 13 years old, she wondered how it could possibly be true. I had a similar experience to the one that Kim described growing up. My church was loving, with lots of built-in parents and grandparents. And I learned in a Wednesday night class in middle school all of the ways that other traditions were not following the bible, as compared to how the Church of Christ reads and interprets the bible most correctly and therefore are probably the only ones who will be saved. I had a really good friend who attended the local Congregational church. I struggled with the statement my class teacher made, with this friend particularly in mind. I could not believe that she was not saved! It just didn't feel right.
A couple of things that Kim said stuck with me. First, as she continued to reflect on the answer her Sunday School teacher gave her, she was struck by the words of Jesus, that we are able to judge a tree by the fruit it bears. So many of her baptist friends bore the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. It was that realization, along with other events in her life I'm sure, that allowed her to explore the possibility that maybe different people read and interpret the bible differently; that things are not so black and white. I was refreshed to hear her recall that passage from Matthew 7, because it really does call into question (for me, anyway) the legalities that we expect people to submit to in order to be true Christ followers, and really... Jesus himself makes it much more simple and beautiful. A good tree bears good fruit! Instead of worrying about the label a particular group of Christians has on their building, and instead of worrying about where a particular friend or loved one worships on Sunday morning, wouldn't it be much more simple and beautiful if we all paid attention to the fruits we and others bear?
Kim graduated from ACU with her BA Biblical Studies and her MDiv. Along the way, because she had to take preaching classes, she realized that she was actually a very gifted speaker. Because she could not find her place in the Churches of Christ with this gift, she has since been ordained as a minister into the Episcopal church, where her gender is not an issue. This was one of the reasons she was invited to speak to the GST students. There are many women like Kim who are gifted beyond teaching children and cooking for potluck. Some of them who have realized this have the opportunity to blossom within safe contexts of people who affirm their gifts. They see hope for new possibilities for a partnership for women and men in the life of the church--but they wonder if they will ever find this partnership and freedom within their own Church of Christ heritage. So, some wonder, like Kim, if its best to find another place where their gender is not an issue. Others feel bonded to their heritage, like family, and they choose to stay, but perhaps with feelings of confusion, sometimes hurt, and sometimes hope for a better future.
Kim also mentioned the Church of Christ's strong-held conviction in the priesthood of all believers. We are adamant that we don't need a hierarchy of church offices, because all are equally ordained and have equal access to God. I wonder why we believe in the priesthood of all believers, but only certain parts of the priesthood apply to women? Priests had more duties than to be a mediator for confession of sins.
I think Kim had some great reflections to share. She really is gifted. The conversation about women and men partnering in the church (avoiding the term "women's roles") is something very close to my heart. I fall into the category of loving my heritage, and have no plans to "leave", for lack of a better term, but I do hope and pray that I and other women can navigate the waters with gentleness and love, and find ourselves in a place where our gifts can be valued and used for the building up of the church, right here in our own C of C heritage. Men and women need each other. Churches of all kinds need each other. May God give us grace and open arms to embrace the other.
