Comments for James W. McCarty III

Comment on The Theology of “No Church in the Wild” by Ri

Ri — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:22:49 +0000

wow I was really impressed with this article. I think you managed to sum up the sentiments of Kanye and Jz very clearly, even when what they were saying was confusing. It also just goes to show how people undermine rap artists thinking of them as shallow and materialistic when some of the lyrics in here relates to theories of socrates and so on. People should really listen to lyrics before they make a judgement.

Comment on Christian Ethics, Invisible Children, Kony 2012, and International Advocacy by chia seeds lowest price

chia seeds lowest price — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:32:40 +0000

it WILL flavor distinct in that it won’t be sweet. if you’re on an anti-candida diet and don’t mind a non-sweet pudding leave it out; otherwise, try stevia. stevia is safe in anti-candida diets.

Comment on Launching One Voice for Change by One Voice for Change: What Can You Do? | James W. McCarty III

One Voice for Change: What Can You Do? | James W. McCarty III — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:52:06 +0000

[...] Voice for Change launched one week ago today. 1V4C is calling Church of Christ congregations and institutions to be fully egalitarian in their [...]

Comment on Why We Can’t Wait by Lyn Farris

Lyn Farris — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:41:39 +0000

Thank you and God bless you. I always remember the great hope I had when Gloria Sanders and D’Esta Love co-taught a ladies’ class at our church around 1978, using the book “All We’re Meant to Be”. The backlash against it was harsh in the following years. I hope this time we fulfill that hope. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” I don’t want to go further than God’s will, but I know for a fact there has been too much quenching of the Spirit and the church cannot find health that way.

Comment on Why We Can’t Wait by James McCarty

James McCarty — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:51:47 +0000

Lyn, thank you so much for sharing your story. The only way to prevent this for future generations is by being honest about our past. Your courage is inspiring.

Comment on Why We Can’t Wait by Lyn Farris

Lyn Farris — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:43:34 +0000

Some would say I’m old. Tears flow unbidden down my cheeks as I imagine the possibility of having the binding around my spirit unwound. I have always compared it to the Asian women whose feet were so crippled by being bound that unbinding could not make them able to walk again. I don’t want that crippling for my daughters and grand-daughters. I was told women could not participate fully because men are by nature less spiritual and would not even bother attending church at all if they didn’t feel needed to fill certain roles, and this was the sacrifice women must make so that men will take their place in the body of Christ. In the 1980′s, my writings had to be dishonestly attributed to an elder in order to be in the bulletin, so as not to offend a few. I’ve read the history of the way women were treated in centuries past, and I’m so glad we have restored some of the freedoms to the church that were taken away in the years after the 1st century. I have always cherished the way Jesus loved women, invited them to learn at His feet and participate in His ministry, even proclaiming the good news to men. I cherish the stories of women like Deborah and Priscilla, which tell me God did not intend for men to treat us the way they have. My deepest gratitude to those who have encouraged us and whose employment was on the line if they had become too open in what they believed about God’s intention for women in the church.

Comment on One Voice for Change is for Our Daughters (And Our Sons) by On Earth As It Is In Heaven | James W. McCarty III

On Earth As It Is In Heaven | James W. McCarty III — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:21:21 +0000

[...] about a new movement in churches of Christ: One Voice for Change. I support this movement for a variety of reasons, but one is simply because it calls us to live more faithfully into what we profess to [...]

Comment on Why I Support One Voice for Change by On Earth As It Is In Heaven | James W. McCarty III

On Earth As It Is In Heaven | James W. McCarty III — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:21:18 +0000

[...] I’ve been blogging about a new movement in churches of Christ: One Voice for Change. I support this movement for a variety of reasons, but one is simply because it calls us to live more faithfully into what [...]

Comment on Why We Can’t Wait by Anonymous.

Anonymous. — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:17:44 +0000

I heard this when completing my masters degree. Why couldn’t I pray or speak when my male colleagues could. The response from elders and professors (male) and even some much appreciated women in my church spoke to this lukewarm acceptance. I got a lot of “we need women to knock down doors but we also need to wait on the Lord” and even “this isn’t YOUR church. It’s everyone’s church. You need to be patient. This is something we need to talk about (i.e. but not right now).” I even had one professor say “well, if you don’t like it, leave. there are plenty of denominations that accept women. Go to one of those churches.” I, with my already suffering sense of self-confidence in my ability to speak, gave up. I balked and decided that I no longer wanted to be a part of this fight. I still struggle- like I spent all that time and hard work getting a ministry degree and trying to say “hey I have a voice, I belong here” and in the end, I ended up downplaying my degree and feeling really burn out and disconnected from my church and my faith. It’s taken a career change to start feeling like I am God’s hands and feet, even if I’m not working in an official religion-related position. I felt (and responded to) my own perception to be “somewhere else”. I go to a congregation that has also made some strides in gender inclusion, and I am grateful. I am not sure I could have stayed in the church had I gone to a church that wasn’t trying. I wonder if one thing that might be healing (for me) is to hear more from men (especially elders) in acknowledging the ways in which they have consciously/unconsciously perpetuated the idea of “men only”. It would be validating to hear a man from church say to me directly “I know that this was wounding for you. How can we work together to make things better?”

Comment on Why We Can’t Wait by Deborah

Deborah — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:59:23 +0000

Several decades ago, my elder friend counselled me “You have to be patient. There are people who are very uncomfortable with this kind of change.” My response “There are a lot of places those people can go where things are like they have always been, where is there for me to go?”

We have since made strides in gender inclusion at my congregation, but at the time, I felt the unspoken answer to be “Somewhere else.”