In the Bible, there are many feminine images of God. Of course, we demean our concept of God when we try to limit God to gender or in any other way.
Last week a woman whom I greatly admire received full ordination in the United Methodist Church. This is a big deal. But she's a big deal. She has great gifts and skills and, most importantly, the calling.
I remember when our denomination did not entertain the idea of women in the pulpit. I remember when the bishop told us ministers wives that our husbands were NEVER to babysit their kids. The idea was that their work was too important for everyday parenting.
That was a shame because most all of us profit from experiencing the earthy messiness of families and children.
We women have come a long way in sharing world wide leadership. Although it's a small percentage, women have rolls as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, as generals in the Army and we comprise 19% of the senior faculty at the Harvard Business School.
But we have a long way to go - especially in religious communities around the world.
We look at women in Saudi Arabia, especially professional women, and wonder how they can quietly acquiesce to their subordination in that religious culture.
But writer Maureen Down, a Roman Catholic, says that her church, as well, took it's moral codes to extremes not outlined by Jesus. She reminds us, "In the New Testament Jesus is surrounded by strong women."
Why should this matter to anybody but us gals?
Dowd goes on to say that "Negating women is at the heart of the church's hideous indifference to the welfare of boys and girls in its priests' care."
We males and females need each other. We humanize each other and occasionally we help bring forth the Divine in each other.
By the way, my talented female clergy friend is married to a gifted clergyman. They have beautiful, well raised clergy children.
We're moving along.
***
