In a recent story at Christian Headlines.com Emily McFarlan Miller posited this accusation: Women Bloggers Spawn an Evangelical ‘Crisis of Authority’. The article quotes the Anglican priest Rev. Harrison Warren who wrote an article a few months ago and remarked
... a lot of women are going outside their congregations to the internet for discipleship, is that they don’t have women in their congregations who can come to them, not just as buddies but with pastoral authority
The good reverend Harrison-Warren wrote an article entitled Who's In Charge Of The Christian Blogosphere? in Christianity Today. The Reverend asks that Christian bloggers (and the article is primarily directed toward women bloggers) "have oversight and accountability that matches the weight of their authority and influence."
Oh, and by the way, this is Reverend Tish Harrison Warren. Her complaint is people, especially women type people, are *gasp!* writing about Christianity without any training or structure of authority.
Personally I'm not sure what is meant by a "Crisis of Authority", my guess is that there are people out there saying things without her permission. As for me, my Authority is primarily God. God and Pastor Paratus. Ok, God and Pastor Paratus and the members of the First Congregational Church of the Bereans who read my blog. Ok,to be totally honest my Authority is primarily God and Pastor Paratus and the members of the First Congregational Church of the Bereans who read my blog and anyone else who reads my blog. They are my authority, if they say I fell short of the word of God, I apologize and that article is expunged of the offending words.
I read a lot of blogs, and the ones I find honest and true to God's word and I really enjoy reading I post over there to the right → and those that inject personal opinion into the word of God (narcegesis) or fall short of the word of God I respond to the author then refuse to darken their blogspot ever again.
As for Rev. Trish's question as to who is in charge of the Christian blogosphere? the Christian blogosphere is most definitely part of the church, the one Jesus built, which means He is in charge of that whether you like it or not. And the Christian blogosphere part of the church completely and very accurately reflects the brick and mortar part of the church, from the tiny God loving, Jesus worshiping little church on the prairie to the money lusting 10,000 goat prosperity loving megachurch straight from the pit of hell.
Is this a "Crisis of Authority"? or are the authorities in a crisis because they suddenly looked up and saw that they could possibly be those "certain persons have crept in unnoticed"? Maybe we all need to sit down and read the entire book of Jude tonight then go talk with men and women who are hidden reefs in your love feasts and bring them to Christ.
You know that the real problem is that too many legalistic evangelicals say women shouldn't have ministry blogs because then men can read them and then they will be teaching men. Of course nothing in the Bible says women can't teach men -- what it says is that they can't do so in the assembly.
ReplyDeleteBut for a fake pastor (woman) to complain about lack of authority, it just makes me chuckle! Oh the irony!
I'm glad you caught that. When I saw it I literally laughed out loud.
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