Nooma - a just voice for the feminine

I love the Nooma DVD presentations featuring Rob Bell. Since I've been on Facebook I have signed up to be a 'fan' of Nooma which means I am invited to watch the premieres of each new video they release. They usually have them available to watch for free for 2 days then they take it off and the only way you can see it is to buy the DVD.

The latest Nooma DVD is called 'She'. It's hard to say which is my favorite Nooma but this one certainly grabbed my attention. I think it actually gives a welcome and liberating voice to the women of this world who have suffered marginalization and oppression at the hands of the church (dominated by men in leadership). I am grateful for Rob's voice of justice and I know many women (and men) who would welcome this message. Sadly I know many women and men who would not welcome this and i hope they would be open to dialogue and teaching on this issue.

Rob Bell speaks of a number of feminine images and metaphors use in the bible to describe God that may come as welcome relief to those who feel alienated by the dominant masculine images we have of God. Is that attributed to the male dominated leadership we have had over the centuries? We have only been taught a half truth about who God is and now our language and our songs refer to God in the masculine where in fact much reference to God in scripture is gender neutral language or as Rob says, 'God transcends and yet includes what we know as male and female'. He talks about how in the Genesis 'poem' created man in the image of God and female in the image of God. There is a masculine dimension to God and there is a feminine dimension to God.

I think it's a shame due to the constant oppression of women in all levels of church leadership that we have in a sense being robbed of much teaching and pastoral ministry expressing the fullness of the nature of God. What's worse is that the bible in which we find so much Good News about the equality of gender and the diversity of the gifts, has been used against women to shut them down and hold them in a lower class when it comes to authority on scripture, teaching and expressions of ministry as gifted by the Spirit of God.

And what about women in leadership? If you get a chance in the next 12 hours to view the screening of this presentation 'She', have a look at how Rob describes women as integral to the leadership of the early Christ movement. And if you think the Apostle Paul is against women in leadership i encourage you to not only read your bibles again but take some time to learn about the context into which he is speaking and the culture. We do great injustice to scripture when we can't be bothered even with a little exegetical work. Rob Bell even argues that Paul was the first person in history to argue for the equality of the sexes when he writes to the Galatian Church stating that 'in Christ there is neither male or female.'

Rob says, 'if you don't have her perspective, if you don't have her wisdom, if you don't have her leadership, you're not just missing her, you're missing out of something central to who God is'. He goes on to apologize to women who have been made to feel second class by the church. Good on ya Rob, we need more voices like yours.

If you are female and reading this and can relate, I want to encourage you. We desperately need more women taking up ministry with the church. We need more women preachers, teachers and pastors. I look forward to experiencing something more of the fullness of the expression of who God is through God's people.

Shalom
Mark