Emerging Women

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Ooze article- invitations for comments

I have an article on TheOoze. I hope you all can read it and express your comments. Here's the direct link: theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=1521

Labels: Community

posted by LisaColónDeLay at 7:47 PM

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6 Comments:

At 10/26/2006 07:42:00 AM, Lydia

Your link didn't work, wit4life (or should I call you Lisa? :) )

I wonder if blogger accepts longer strings of html code in it's comments? I've never tried it. If it doesn't work, go to www.theooze.com and look for the article entitled "A TINY EMERGENT FEMALE VOICE: Why I Won't Ask For a 'Seat at the Table.'" It should be about 3/4 of the way down the page.

And here's my experimental link to it.
At 10/26/2006 12:07:00 PM, LisaColónDeLay

Thanks Lydia- That's right, The article is on the home page under the Faith section. Yes, you can call me Lisa.
At 10/26/2006 12:08:00 PM, Julie

links are okay in comments as long as you don't set them up to open in another page (using the target="_blank" code...)
At 10/26/2006 12:55:00 PM, Julie

So Lisa - I'm not really sure how to resond to your piece. Part of me is very cynical and wonders if you asked to be part of this blog just so you could tell us why you don't like us and what we are doing. I hope you are interested in actually being part of this coversation and getting to know us. But I don't know, hopefully this will spark good conversation.

Yes, some women here are ordained/educated and are part of mainline deominations. Others of us are "nobodies" as you put it. I'm a stay at home mom from a very evangelical backgroud with a degree from a conservative christian college. We come from different places and that diversity is part of what I love about emerging women - we can learn from each other and realize that our particular lense isn't the norm.

I agree with you that often we hear very little from evagelical women in this conversation. Some of us have been having an interesting conversation about that over at my blog - onehandclapping (emerging women at the gathering thread). I personally don't buy the arguement that they shouldn't try to join the conversation, but that's just me.

I do interpret the story of the Caananite woman very differently than you. Instead of a humble woman content with the crumbs the men might remember to throw, I see a women who sought after what she desired, who pursued what was right, and demanded to be heard. She represented faith - but an active not submissive faith. Kinda like the story of the persistent widow.

Perhaps some women are called to sit on the floor. But as was the real theme of "A Seat at the Table" gathering, those of us who have voices will set a place for those who are voiceless. We will invite them to sit down and make sure they are welcome. I think there may be more than one way to serve Jesus and others. And to assume that by answering a call to serve God we are not being properly humble you are making some dangerous assumptions about the faith of a lot of women here.

Is it all about Jesus? Yes. Should we be humble? yes. But all to often those statements have been used to shut down conversation and as excuses to do nothing. There should be balance. there needs to be acceptance of diversity and gifts. and from that we can learn.

...so that's a few thoughts, my $.02 as it were. I'm interested in other's thoughts and the conversation.
At 10/26/2006 04:10:00 PM, Unknown

I too wasn't quite sure how to receive that article. As Julie said, I hope you want to join the conversation. I have been a part of this blog for many months, and have learned many things, and have a great respect for this group. I have experienced many differing positions and acceptance of the differences. Personally, a lot of my growth has come from hearing the differing opinions, and checking my own positions.
At 10/27/2006 01:45:00 PM, LisaColónDeLay

I've really enjoyed reading your insights. I was just presenting my initial experience with the emergent movement, and the need for women…and of course men… to be like Jesus- humble. I’ve had wonderful and enlightening conversations because of the article that have been quite a blessing. I didn’t mean to imply I “didn’t like” emerging women...my goodness-- On the contrary.

The lack of women in the movement is sort of shocking. Mainly in leadership I see this... When I went to WIKIPEDIA for instance, no women listed there.

I also love hearing from highly educated women and ordained women. I enjoy their perspective. I have friends in all kinds of walks in life. Lesbians, rich, poor, prisoners, students, professors, so it’s not like I think I have the market cornered of insight and knowledge. My references to “crumbs’ was largely hyperbole, for the point.

But anyway,
What I am finding that makes me quite hopeful is the egalitarian nature of Christian spirituality that is emerging. Women can be leaders in ministry without hearing audible gasps. I believe we are all ministers. What this means for some is different than others. It would be a shame to put our hopes in a Movement and neglect our ministry as women. As male or female agendas surface, or if they do, this beautiful Spirit-led time of emergence will become human-made (man-made, if you will.) I think we will lose a lot if this happens.

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