women and the mission of God

I've started doing some reading for my papers at University this semester. The first is entitled Women in biblical text and the second is the missional church. Both topics have captured my attention over recent years and I'm really looking forward to engaging in some dialogue about them. The first thing I've had to do is put aside any preconceived notions about the topics and those who spend their time researching and publishing about them. I have never really considered myself a feminist (I didn't like the idea of growing my hair & armpit hair and sticking it to the man every chance I got) - can you see what I mean about preconceived notions. My mate Jules helped me to understand that being a feminist is not about being 'anti men' or 'antagonistic' but its being concerned with issues of gender and gender equality. Well that I definitely am, and always have been. I have much to learn and the good thing is I am open to it. I think one of the best attributes anyone can possess is a teachable spirit.

The missional church one is a fascinating topic too. There is much debate around these days to do with the structure, purpose and effectiveness of the church. There are lots of schools of thought and some who would rather debate for debate sake, than debate for change sake. I'm interested in the paper because I want to be a part of seeing the body of Christ be effective in its pursuit of the Kingdom of God and fulfilling God's purpose for us. I will endeavour to blog regularly over the coming months as I learn new things about women in biblical text and the missional church. Any resources that you might know of that would be helpful would be greatly appreciated.