Urban Farmer Gets Genius Grant

Congratulations to Will Allen and his Growing Power urban farm. A $500,000 MacArthur Foundation grant was awarded to Allen for his innovative work melding the rural and the urban on 2 acres of carefully cultivated land in the city. Yes, he is a genius and he’s also put Milwaukee on the map as a global center for urban agriculture and local food production. Check out Growing Power online and if you live in the city consider buying from them or volunteering.

Women Should Not Be Pastors!

I’ve been meaning to write about this for awhile, but a recent article about a Baptist bookstore pulling a magazine from its shelves because it featured women pastors on its cover has pushed the issue. Writer James Choung has a pretty convincing interpretation of the 2 most (in?)famous passages regarding female leadership in the church, and I must agree with him that my view has changed over the years. As my dad would say: “We do not interpret scripture, scripture interprets scripture.” Which I take to mean don’t just pull a verse or two out of context – immediate context (such as a book or section) as well as overall context in the Bible. I believe that it would be inconsistent to say that women should not teach or lead. I also believe that the American church has an inherited sexism (and racism, but that’s another topic) which needs women to be “silent” in the church; is it generational? Perhaps, but I tend to blame too much on the Baby Boomers as it is… It is certainly theological – inherited from our forefathers but ultimately man-made (no pun intended) – the early church had no such imperatives regarding female leadership. The weightiest evidence, in my mind, is the women mentioned by Paul (and others) who were actually leaders in the early church (reprinted here from Choung’s article)! It’s hard to reconcile that list with the prohibition on women cited by many fundamentalists.

• Miriam, a prophet (Exodus 15)
• Deborah, a nation’s leader (Judges 4-5)
• Esther, an advocate (Esther)
• Priscilla, a teacher (Acts 18:18-26, Romans 16:3). Luke was purposeful in placing her name before her husband, just as he does with Paul and Barnabas when it was apparent that Paul was leading the Gentile mission.10 Paul did the same thing, signifying James as the leader of the church over Peter and John through name order in Galatians 2:9.11
• Lydia, Chloe and Nympha, leaders of the church (Acts 16:13-15, 40; 1 Corinthians 1:11; Colossians 4:15). Chloe’s oikos, translated “household” here but often translated as “church” as in Colossians 4:15, didn’t just refer to her family but to the church that met in her home. These patrons were often given leadership responsibilities and authority, such as in 1 Corinthians 16:15-16.
• Pheobe, a deaconess (Romans 16:1). Though modern translations often prefer a more generalized term of “servant,” the word clearly referred to a title because of the masculine form of the word diakonos rather than some feminine alternative, and because it’s connected to the local church at Cenchreae.
• Junia, an apostle (Romans 16:7). The earliest manuscripts and the early Christian Fathers know that Junia was a female, instead of the masculine version Junias.
• Philip’s daughter’s and other women prophets (Acts 21:9, 1 Corithians 11:5)
• Tryphena and Tryphosa, and Euodia and Syntyche, ministry partners (Romans 15:12, Philippians 4:2, cf. 1 Corinthians 16:16).

A few more thoughts: the pastor I grew up under has the view that a woman should not teach “men” over the age of 18 with the requirement that, if a woman is teaching a college-or-older mixed-gender class, she can only be a co-teacher. A man must be the primary teacher. The arbitrary nature of this is astounding! “18?” That’s what makes one a “man?” What constitutes “teaching” and “learning” anyway? Can I read books by women authors? Can I have theological discussions with my peers if they are women? Can my mom impart biblical truth to me?

I also know of a church that was “forced” to elect a woman to serve as an elder – a strong christian who was a business owner and a leader in the community – because they did not have enough qualified men to form a legal quorum under the church’s constitution. When the fellowship that this church was a part of heard about this (she was not a ‘teaching’ elder by the way), they threatened to revoke membership if she was not removed from the board.

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when I would have been uncomfortable with a female pastor, but I now believe that view to be a distortion of God’s word born of cultural mores. It is insulting for me to even suggest that “Women have something valuable to contribute to the Body of Christ, just like men!” – insulting because God has always seen it that way, it is my heart and mind that needed changing.

Is Pornography Adultery?

The Atlantic online asks if porn = infidelity. The answer, in christian terms, is unequivacolly “yes”. It can’t be stated more plainly in the bible: if you look at a woman with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery. Unfortunately, the rest of society seems to lean the other way – as the article points out – if porn reduces incidences of “real” infidelity and of rape (statistics seem to bear it out), then why not just accept it? Beyond the “good” effects of porn though, is the underlying idea that “every man looks at it, so get over it.” Really? That’s the attitude we’re embracing about it? “It happens, get over it?” I’m not going to insult you by using that phrase with various other unethical behaviours, because it’s an absurd point of view. Just because something happens a lot doesn’t mean we should accept it. For the christian trying to live a life that honors his or her Creator, disobedience to God is an issue far deeper than the physical acts. The real and the tangible is an expression of what is already in our hearts – the act is the final culmination of our will. In this way we as christians must reject porn and overt sexuality and exhibit self-control (which actually seems, thanks to freud, to nowadays be bad – usually labeled as repression). According to statistics from xxxchurch, 53% of christian men are regular consumers of porn (along with 30+% of pastors), so we’re not doing a very good job.

Possibility Playground

I just found out about the Possibility Playground, which will allow children with mobility challenges and other disabilities to play on an outdoor playland along with the rest of the kids. The finished playground will be the size of a football field and offer slides, tunnels, bridges, a pirate ship as well as

a lighthouse, rock wall, chain walk, and balance beams will encourage more imaginative play in the school-age section. In the Tot Lot, a castle, bouncy bridge, police car and a raised sandbox will inspire younger children. Both areas include a variety of swings, including several designed with additional support for children with limited muscle strength. A music area features palm drums, metalliphones and a drum shaped like an alligator!

Sounds fun. Giant, weird playgrounds we should definitely have more of. The cool thing about this: they’re building it “the old-fashioned way” – 100% community funded and volunteer-built over a 6 day period. It’s up in Port Washington on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Is this creepy though, in the text on the website? “You and your children will insist on returning again and again. That is, if you can ever leave once you arrive!” Sounds like “You’ll never make it out alive.”

Fasten Collective

Fasten is a boutique, art gallery, workshop studio, and launch pad dedicated to the thriving art and fashion community of Milwaukee. The store has been established in Milwaukee’s unique Bay View neighborhood since 2005.

In the store, you will find fashion-forward clothing, accessories, and jewelry hand-made by over 50 local designers. A vast range of styles are available for women, men, and kids too. A unique selection of sewing supplies and vintage fabrics are for sale as well as local music and independent zines. The art on the walls changes monthly to feature local talent.

Local designers and DIY “walking art” at Fasten Collective.