Guys, this is worth your 1:48 if only to observe how some women respond when they feel uncomfortable. It may seem counterintuitive to men, but women often react to discomfort by becoming *more* polite & conciliatory. Don't read it as agreement.
The logic's simple: As a class, men outmatch women physically & in aggression. When men are in position of authority--whether by age or role--this affect is augmented. Direct confrontation is not an option for women so we must get out of uncomfortable situations thru other means.
Why point this out? If you're a man in leadership or just want to be a good friend or Xian brother to women in your life, recognize how a woman's response to the same situation could look completely different to yours. Read her actions as coming from a *woman* not as from a man.
When threatened, a woman's defense posture often won't look like defense to you b/c it's not direct. She might actually look like she's agreeing w/ you. In reality, she's trying to extricate herself thru politeness that soothes the perceived threat long enough to make an escape
I'm an ennegram 8 & probably one of most direct women you'll ever meet & I still do this. When a situation w/ a man becomes uncomfortable--for whatever reason--I become *more* polite & affirming of him. I'm not encouraging him. I'm trying to delay until I can find a way out.
Now imagine how hard this would be for young women & women whose personalities aren't as... um... intense as mine. What you see as politeness is actually discomfort.
More broadly speaking, this phenomenon can also happen in communication w/ GOOD men. Discomfort can arise from something as simple as not feeling heard or seen. You're not a threat but something is.
When a woman begins to shut down, when she's suddenly quiet or polite w/ you, when she's not speaking her mind, there's likely a reason. Don't settle for perceived agreement.
Don't misunderstand: It's not your job to read her mind. But you do need to learn to be curious. Learn to recognize that something's happening & do your best to create conditions that allow her to speak what she needs to speak--*especially* if it's disagreement.
You need to hear her disagreement precisely b/c it's a view you don't have. You need the benefit of a complementary perspective.
Obviously, the video that initiated this thread represents an unhealthy encounter. But the young woman's reaction is significant & can better inform your attempts at healthy ones.
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I'd venture that his observations also help explain part of the exvangelical phenomenon. Both those who leave Christianity altogether & those who shift to Christian traditions outside evangelicalism.
Apparently there are just no shortcuts here. No programming or gimmicks that can replace the honest, deep work of living out of your own faith (& struggles!) in front of your children.
Don't laugh but @n_d_anderson & I did some white boarding for our family over the weekend & sure as anything, we included "Keep our faith" as one of our goals.
The kids also added "house w/ a creek" & "another dog" so take it for what it's worth, BUT...
What if the conversation about gender roles in the church isn't so much about gender itself but about how we form community & what we think that community is supposed to do?
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but I continue to be amazed by how little we question the shape of modern ministry.
When a church operates like a business or government, it will have little need for spiritual mothers b/c our culture understands family formation as a private (vs. public) endeavor. "Mothering" is exclusively biological, directed toward home. It's not a mode of being elsewhere.
I think about this quote from Dorothy L. Sayers a lot. It's from the essay "Why Work?" published in 1942 in the middle of WW2.
This bit from Sayers gets me every time: "The root causes of conflict are usually to be found in some wrong way of life in which all parties have acquiesced,
and for which everybody must, to some extent, bear the blame."
Sayers was writing in context of a literal war, but the principle applies to the ideological wars that often precede physical violence. The principle applies to how we engage in culture wars.
Quick niche thread for credobaptists on baptizing children after a confession of faith.
(Padeobaptist friends, I see that hand... please come find me after the service.)
Context: I'm a Baptist who believes in baptizing children upon a confession of faith regardless of age. I've thought through the question over the years as a pastor's wife, mother, children's SS teacher, & believer baptized at 6yo myself. Here's why:
1. A child's faith should not be evaluated by an adult's faith. A "credible" confession of faith for a 5yo is a confession of faith that shows that he or she as a 5yo is exercising a 5yo-faith in Christ, not 35yo-faith in Christ.