Didn’t you tell me that mormons were a cult?

Doesn’t that logically mean that Glenn Beck will end up in Hell?

Has it ever occurred to you that Satan may have sent Glenn as the anti Christ?

Can you understand that many non Christians watch this and conclude that the real issue is that many evangelicals prefer a white mormon over a black evangelical?

One recent comment came from Susan Hall who had this to say

i did a small qualitative study of evangelical women for my doctoral dissertation in 2007 and found that indeed, they say these very positive things…while at the very same time they tell stories of sexism and marginalization which they explain away and justify. they dismissed and invalidated the meaning of any experiences that didn’t fit the “right” picture of the church. they would literally say that even though they couldn’t speak in front of the church, they had complete freedom because their men were representing them and speaking for them.

Add your comments here

What did you learn about Christians from these interviews?

“Like normal humans, they come in all shapes and sizes – in general they’re well intentioned but lack insight which in and of itself isn’t so bad but when coupled with a devotion to “certainty”can create mean spirited, arrogant people – nothing like Jesus was aiming for”

What did you learn about people outside the Christian faith?

Same as Christians (which says more about Christians than Non Christians) they’re burdened with the same biases and confidence in “certainty” but when you find one who is humble and curious it’s like finding the treasure
hidden in the field Jesus mentioned

What/who was the most interesting/surprising experience/person you encountered during this experiment?

Rio in Denver – on the face of things she appeared to be the most on fire Christian we encountered which she probably was at one time in her life. Hearing the painful journey she has been on since coming out as being gay was disturbing, heartbreaking and revealing. Her unwillingness to make a commitment to being gay for life made her even more fascinating. Lots for Christians to learn in that interview

What are some practical ways to nurture and engage in real conversation with people outside our faith?

1) Be open to being influenced by THEM
2) Be transparent about what you truly believe
3) Ask more questions about them instead of their beliefs (those are things we adopt to make us feel and appear smarter, more powerful and in charge of things)
4) Tell them about your doubts, failures ( meaning give them some ammo they can use against you and then watch if they do)
5) Ask them these questions…
a) What would you say to Christians if you thought they would listen (then
take notes)
b) How do you navigate life spiritually (or not)
c) How are you? (then put something in your mouth and listen

They (Barna Group) spoke with 603 women who met the following qualifications: 18 years or older, described themselves as “Christian” And had attended a Christian church service at least once during the past six months. Among those women, 63% met the survey criteria for being a “Born Again Christian.”

The complete survey findings will not be available until 2011 when our books are published but since we’re using these stats to help shape our thinking we thought it would be interesting to get the feedback from an even larger audience to see how they responded to some of the data.

To be fair, Lisa and I found the picture these statistics paint somewhat skewed toward an unusually positive view of things. However we might be wrong- these stats may in fact reflect how the majority of Christian women see things regarding their personal sense of spiritual fulfillment and access to influence and leadership in the church.

That’s why we want to hear from you! Especially if you agree with these statistics!

And if you disagree with them tell us why you think so many women disagree with you.

Choose whatever statistics speak to you and tell us your story.

Please post your response on our blog and (whenever possible) use your real name and tell us if you are willing for us to contact you with follow up questions.

(NOTE: by posting your story here you agree that we may use it in any of our publications)

Also please help us by posting this article on your Facebook, Twitter or Blog

Feel free to respond to one or several of the statistics. We are not looking for yes/no answers. We’re looking for all kinds of stories that substantiate, support, or refute and challenge these findings.

Here’s what we want to know…

Do these statistics match your experience?

1. 84% say that their church’s perspective on women in ministry is almost identical, very similar, or somewhat similar to their own.

2. 83% say that their Senior Pastor is somewhat, highly or completely supportive of women leading in their church

3. 82% say they can tell by their church’s actions that the church values the leadership of women

4. 81% say that their church provides women with the same degree of leadership opportunities as Jesus would.

5. 72% say they possess a lot of spiritual freedom in their life

6. 70% say that the media has little influence on their decision-making

7. 71% say fear is not something they experience ever or often in their life

8. 62% say that ALL leadership roles are open to them in their church.

9. Only 1% say they often struggle with jealousy

10. Among those who feel they are capable of doing more to serve God, and should be doing more, only 4% say that their fear of failure is holding them back from doing more to serve God.

This article by Tom Krattenmaker breaks the mold. He provides the most accurate picture of what I do and Why I do it.

1. Resigned To
Using the word “resigned” in the passive sense we will highlight the most widespread abuse of women in the church – blocking, stonewalling and stalling women’s interest in gaining more influence in the church. We will tell the stories of women who find themselves “stuck” in a Catch 22. They love their church and the people but they also know they aren’t being given the opportunity to bring their best. Some are very frustrated others have simply come to terms with it.

2. Resigned From
This section profiles women who have walked away from Christianity, Church and in some cases God. These are women who at one time were very dedicated Christians, church goers and bible study leaders who have opted out for other beliefs or no beliefs. In spite of their rejection of the religion that confused and complicated their lives many of these women often lead fulfilling and productive and even deeply spiritual lives.

3. Re-Signed Up
Life is about making trades. Two people can appear to be doing the same thing but for two very different reasons. This section features the stories of women who have found a way to “orbit the giant hairball” called Christianity. They’ve learned the art of “defining themselves and staying connected”. They’re engaged but not owned, integrated within the church but knowledgeable about its inherent limitations and dangers. They’ve discovered ways to contribute to something they often disagree with. What makes these women different is that they don’t deny or just accept the situation they know it exists, talk about it and are seeking to change it from within.

We enjoy looking down our noses at groups like the Sunnis and Shiites, The Irish Catholics and Protestants and the Chechens and Russians. We love feeling above it all – advanced as a society. These multi generational eye for eye battles over ancient issues is not how we do business here in God’s chosen country. The good old US of A.

I voted and worked for Barack Obama. President Obama is not doing what I would like. He’s not liberal enough for me. He’s too centrist for my taste. I also think that he is smarter than I am and most likely doing the right thing. I also think history will record him as one of America’s greatest political leaders but I could be wrong.

I voted for him because he was less dangerous than Bush, smarter than his competitors, young and to no small degree because he is a Black man.

I happen to think that the sins of the fathers don’t die after the fathers are dead; they get passed down like the national debt to succeeding generations. If I claim the benefits of being American what rule disqualifies me from our liabilities.

Our national economy was founded and built on the backs of forced slave labor. This is historical fact.

What if I told you, you could pump gas for free or take food off the shelves of your local grocery store without having to pay for it? What if the only real price you had to pay was to look into the eyes of the people who were running the gas station or stocking the shelves ? Our nation did something terrible to Africans. We owe them. My vote for Barack Obama was not only substantial (he was the best candidate) it was symbolic (he gave me an opportunity to act on my inherited regret)

Obviously close to 50% of my fellow citizens disagree with me – some quite vehemently – especially those who live in the South. Bush sounded like them, carried himself like them, was an elite version of them. Obama is from the other tribe, he represents what their ancestors died trying to stop from happening. For them it’s personal, just like it is with the Sunnis and Shiites. Today it’s the Tea Party that carries the water for their tribe.

It’s that kind tribal passion that provided the Chechens the twisted logic necessary for adults to send a 17 year old girl/widow of a freedom fighter into the subways of Moscow to blow herself up along with several other innocent civilians.

It’s this tribal passion that enabled Virginia Gov. Bob McDonell to lie to himself and then us when he said he didn’t know what he was doing when he failed to acknowledge the causal connection between the confederacy and slavery. Gov.Bob is from a tribe that’s been at war with the North for hundreds of years. This was just another volley in the longest tribal war in American hitory. The Union vs The Confederacy.

The weirdest part… we call ourselves Christians.

I get the community-to-church exchange. Basically it’s “we ship you people and money”.

But here’s my question – what does the church ship back to the larger community? What is it that the church provides (or could provide) to that larger community?