Andy Walton makes the classic mistake of confusing diversity with equality. He presents arguments based on diversity (bigger talent pool, good role models etc) to justify an equality outcome in his title – women should lead 50% of big churches. Neither his diversity observations, nor his equality outcome, are inherently wrong, it is just muddle-headed to argue an equality outcome based on diversity arguments. The diversity arguments could be satisfied by a few highly visible women, with no need for 50%. The 50% arises instead from an equality of opportunity for individual women. That’s the key difference. Diversity is about… Read more »
Pam
8 years ago
Sanity prevails. Archdruid Eileen’s guide to church-going, if she chooses to go with a major publisher, could beckon a cult following. “Lonely Planet” watch out!
Two from the Archdruid, too terrific! Nice to see there’s some room for milk in that cuppa. Aargh.
robert ian williams
8 years ago
Archdruid? Is this a spoof?
Pam
8 years ago
@riw. Perish the thought.
Rob
8 years ago
The author asserts the said disparity is a “massive problem”. And just why is this true? Would displacing all the men from these leadership roles (to replace them with other leaders because they are women) bring untold blessings to the Kingdom of God? What of the leadership gifts (of the men) now set aside? Is this inconsequential? Would solving this massive problem with quotas for women bring vitality, conversions, fruit that lasts to the Church? To the contrary, actual data indicates such a move would have no (if not negative) effect. The massive problems in the church, and there are… Read more »
Malcolm Dixon
8 years ago
The fairly obvious explanation of the problem that Andy Walton alludes to is that most of our ‘big’ churches (at least using the definition he mentions) are large conservative evangelical congregations, who do not believe that the ladies can assume positions of authority, and assert (confidently but erroneously) that the Bible tells us so.
David Runcorn
8 years ago
Malcolm Dixon ‘Most’? Too sweeping. The evangelical world is more diverse than that. At least some of it is simply unredeemed male-centred thinking and behaving.
Daniel Berry NYC
8 years ago
@ RIW: if I’m confident of anything, it’s your inability to recognize a spoof.
Andy Walton makes the classic mistake of confusing diversity with equality. He presents arguments based on diversity (bigger talent pool, good role models etc) to justify an equality outcome in his title – women should lead 50% of big churches. Neither his diversity observations, nor his equality outcome, are inherently wrong, it is just muddle-headed to argue an equality outcome based on diversity arguments. The diversity arguments could be satisfied by a few highly visible women, with no need for 50%. The 50% arises instead from an equality of opportunity for individual women. That’s the key difference. Diversity is about… Read more »
Sanity prevails. Archdruid Eileen’s guide to church-going, if she chooses to go with a major publisher, could beckon a cult following. “Lonely Planet” watch out!
My thanks to The Church Mouse for pointing out (on Twitter) my error, now corrected above.
Archdruid Eileen has a follow-on article “First Find Your Church”.
http://cyber-coenobites.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/first-find-your-church.html
Two from the Archdruid, too terrific! Nice to see there’s some room for milk in that cuppa. Aargh.
Archdruid? Is this a spoof?
@riw. Perish the thought.
The author asserts the said disparity is a “massive problem”. And just why is this true? Would displacing all the men from these leadership roles (to replace them with other leaders because they are women) bring untold blessings to the Kingdom of God? What of the leadership gifts (of the men) now set aside? Is this inconsequential? Would solving this massive problem with quotas for women bring vitality, conversions, fruit that lasts to the Church? To the contrary, actual data indicates such a move would have no (if not negative) effect. The massive problems in the church, and there are… Read more »
The fairly obvious explanation of the problem that Andy Walton alludes to is that most of our ‘big’ churches (at least using the definition he mentions) are large conservative evangelical congregations, who do not believe that the ladies can assume positions of authority, and assert (confidently but erroneously) that the Bible tells us so.
Malcolm Dixon ‘Most’? Too sweeping. The evangelical world is more diverse than that. At least some of it is simply unredeemed male-centred thinking and behaving.
@ RIW: if I’m confident of anything, it’s your inability to recognize a spoof.