Join our Newsletter
If you like The NakedJournal, you'll enjoy my weekly newsletter about deconstruction, freedom, and life in general.
Tony Jones' Curious Call For Schism
On November 27, 2013 In his post, Maybe Schism Was the Wrong Word, Tony Jones shares his conversation with Sarah Cunningham who "fundamentally disagrees" with Jones' position.
Jones recants of using the word "schism".
Jones and Cunningham obviously disagree over this issue, yet he is fellowshipping and even collaborating with her at upcoming events, which goes against the words and spirit of his original post.
I'm confused.
21 comments
It bothers me to see this framed as an “equal rights” issue. My current church is, by and large, a complementarian church. About 30% are egalitarian. The people on both sides agree that men and women are equal in God’s eyes. The people on the complementarian side believe that it would be putting women down to have them behave in a manner that is in opposition to God’s plan for them.
But here’s the primary reason I’m uncomfortable with this being framed as an equal rights issue: Over half of the complementarians in my church are women. Same goes for my last church. Egalilarians are quick to say “us men (complementarians) are misogynists”, but what is the motivation for the women who supposedly wish to “hold back women”?
I read Tony’s post and the many, many great comments. So to take the other side for a moment, is there a pont where we have to say enough? The ‘million little schisms’ you refer makes me think of slaves coming North through the underground railroad. It weakens the opposition, but it took bolder action than that to truly give the freedom to african slaves that they deserved. Would we, today, have conference with a church that continued to have african americans stand in a proscribed place in the balcony? Would we attend conferences that excluded people of color? I don’t know the answers to these questions, nor do I know how LBGT folks are left out of the equation, but I think it was a provocative proposal that people should really think about. Is there a point where breaking communion is appropriate (schism, I think, was not the correct word as you pointed out it is not even possible unless every misogynist denomination (I refuse to use the long C word) splits in two), and who has the authority to make that call? A movement is fine but it often takes a revolution to effect real change. I will give Tony this much, at least we are all now listening!
Fantastic post!
This is a great breakdown and reflects my thoughts well. A number of women have become the voices of egalitarianism in the last few years. I think it would be helpful for the established male voices to let them lead. Hand over their microphones to them and let them lead the discussion.
Thanks Rhys. You’ve obviously thought hard about this and summed up in a paragraph what I tried to explore in a page.