Ryan Dueck critiques the ‘Masculine Christianity’ movement of John Piper, et al.

I have benefited profoundly from women in positions of leadership.  I have heard brilliant sermons, sat in deeply provocative and insightful lectures, and been in awe of the spiritual, moral, and intellectual breadth and depth of some incredible women.  My faith has been nourished and strengthened by competent, sensitive, thoughtful, and kind women occupying positions of leadership.  I am married to a woman whose leadership skills far outweigh mine.  These are facts (again, not particularly unique ones).  It seems to me that those saying that Christianity should only have male leaders are rather limited in their options when presented with stories like this.

Don Scrooby ponders the relationship between God and suffering from a Process Theology perspective.

But what if God is “within” already sharing in it [suffering],  feeling it and working with it? What if God is that life-giving presence permeating us all, holding us all together and who also suffers the pain and anguish as that union is fractured and broken. A great theologian, Jurgen Moltman, spoke at length of the God who suffers with us, who not only suffers, but who with love beyond our comprehension, works to restore, in other words, the God of Process Theology.

Rachel Hackenberg compares God to an inchworm.

The inchworm, though it measures a daffodil’s stem meticulously,
does not know the season or dance of the flower as you do;
no one can begin to understand the breadth of your wisdom
or comprehend your knowledge of life’s intricacies.

And this from Martin Luther touched my heart.

Imagine that two people each have a hundred dollars.  One person carries it in a paper bag.  The other keeps it in an iron chest.  Both have the same treasure no matter where they put it.  Similarly, we all have the same Christ.  It doesn’t matter if one person has a stronger or weaker faith than another.  Both of them still believe in the same Christ and have everything through him.

My faith is more the paper bag variety, but apparently that is enough.