{"id":22618,"date":"2019-04-08T19:40:59","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T02:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=22618"},"modified":"2019-04-08T19:40:59","modified_gmt":"2019-04-09T02:40:59","slug":"a-day-late-but-hopefully-not-a-dollar-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/a-day-late-but-hopefully-not-a-dollar-short\/","title":{"rendered":"a day late…but hopefully not a dollar short"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have often told young leaders when looking for staff or when looking for a staff position, to find a team that lets you thrive and helps everyone look good because everyone\u2019s gifts and abilities have\u201dcomplemented\u201d each other. Jake I am stealing some of your thoughts because I loved what you said about egalitarians complementing each other. If each of our own gifts and abilities are all used for God\u2019s glory whether in the church or in the home, then we would see God unleashed upon this world. I am writing this on the morning after our blog time so I have the benefit of knowing the thoughts of my class. (Yes that is cheating a little). So yes, I am an egalitarian and am thrilled that in my family my wife and I share responsibilities. There are times that I lead and times she does. We do complement each other this way. We have found that within our home and our ministry we need the strength of one another and see ourselves as a team. There are days living abroad that culture shock (or cultural weariness) causes us to loose focus and question our call. Having a partner in ministry that is able to pick up the slack when I am down (and vice versa) helps make us a great team.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One of Zondervan\u2019s counterpoint books, <\/span><\/span>Two views on women in ministry<\/i><\/span><\/span>1<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/sup>, tries to present major views from opposing sides and how scripture is used to reinforce the foundations around their arguments. I thought it interesting but knew that this kind of book was designed for discussion with the intent on bringing understanding and unity rather than to convince one side or the other that their arguement was right. In light of that I will take this discussion a different direction. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I had an opportunity this week to sit down with a non-christian woman and talk about the role of Chinese women in leadership. This topic fascinated me in light of the propaganda we often hear about the liberation of women when the communist government took over. Communism ( or in reality, socialism) is designed to level the playing field and allow both sexes to work, live and view life equally. Yet the reality of this is far from the original intention. As with most discussions we talked first about the positive moves of the country. We looked at the progress women had made within this Confucius country and how the opportunities were greater than before 1949. \u201cAmong many Chinese, as well as some people in the West, the perception is that Chinese women enjoy great gender equality, thanks partly to Mao Zedong\u2019s famous proclamation that \u201cwomen hold up half the sky\u201d. The reality may be more complicated.\u201d<\/span><\/span>2<\/a><\/span><\/sup> The leaders in China are men, whether that is within the government, the business world or the church. Honoring a women, respecting women, and letting them lead us are very different views.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For many women, Chinese tradition tells them that they have worth only when they are married, have children and contribute to the future generations of this great country. Those that have chosen to not conform to the social norms are considered outsiders and sometimes ostracized for their desire to be free from the expectations of the family.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n