Thx for your insight, I really appreciate your comments and your feedback and it's exactly the reason why I started this post. I want to understand other people's experiences in the PCA.
I did find some rather disturbing posts about Ms. James though that paint a little bit of a different picture of her. One post I found was by Tim Bayly a PCA minister who writes:
"February 16, 2006
Carolyn Custis James and evangelical feminists are in harmony...Carolyn Custis James' association with evangelical feminists opposed to the teaching of Scripture goes back several years, at least. She was one of the principal speakers at the Christians for Biblical Equality conference held in Orlando in 2003 http://www.cbeinternational.org/new/E-Journal/2003/2003MayWeb.shtml. Here is the list of speakers and representative topics:Find out why the devil hates women in ministry, how to be a wild-hearted woman, and what the Bible says about God?s gender at the 2003 conference in Orlando. An all-star cast of speakers awaits you, such as David Hamilton, Kevin Giles, Linda Belleville, Lee Grady, Funmi Para-Mallam, Carolyn Custis James, and John Kohlenberger. Our conference will explore the theme, ?The Priesthood of All Believers: Serving Christ as a Global Community.
Anyone who doubts that Christians for Biblical Equality is an organization in principle opposed to the teaching of God's Word concerning sexuality has only to go here http://www.cbeinternational.org/new/about/biblical_equality.shtml and read their confession of faith to know who Carolyn Custis James is making common cause with.
It is impossible to support Christians for Biblical Equality's confession of faith and the Westminster Standards. It is impossible to be an adherent to CBE's false doctrine and to Scripture's true doctrine of sexuality. It is impossible for a woman or man to subscribe to the plenary verbal inspiration of Scripture and to the doctrines of Christians for Biblical Equality. To illustrate, here are a couple excerpts from CBE's confession of faith...2. The Bible teaches that woman and man were created for full and equal partnership. The word "helper" (ezer), used to designate woman in Genesis 2:18, refers to God in most instances of Old Testament usage (e.g. 1Sam 7:12; Ps 121:1-2). Consequently the word conveys no implication whatsoever of female subordination or inferiority.
4. The Bible teaches that man and woman were co-participants in the Fall: Adam was no less culpable than Eve (Gen 3:6; Rom 5:12-21; 1Cor 15:21-22).
5. The Bible teaches that the rulership of Adam over Eve resulted from the Fall and was therefore not a part of the original created order. Genesis 3:16 is a prediction of the effects of the Fall rather than a prescription of God's ideal order.
9. The Bible teaches that, in the New Testament economy, women as well as men exercise the prophetic, priestly and royal functions (Acts 2:17-18, 21:9; 1Cor 11:5; 1Peter 2:9-10; Rev 1:6, 5:10). Therefore, the few isolated texts that appear to restrict the full redemptive freedom of women must not be interpreted simplistically and in contradiction to the rest of Scripture, but their interpretation must take into account their relation to the broader teaching of Scripture and their total context (1Cor 11:2-16, 14:33-36; 1Tim 2:9-15).
The natural question, then, is twofold: first, why did Christians for Biblical Equality feature Carolyn Custis James at their 2003 conference and why do they continue to offer Carolyn Custis James' books and tapes if Carolyn Custis James faithfully opposes the feminist spirit of the age which wages war against the biblical doctrine of sexuality?
But more to the point, why does Carolyn Custis James work side by side with Christians for Biblical Equality when the purpose of their organization is to oppose God's precious Truth?
Either Christians for Biblical Equality, despite hours and days with Carolyn Custis James (including reading her books and listening to her messages) is naive about her true commitments, or they recognize a fellow traveler and continue to promote her brand of theological work because it is in essential agreement with their own.
Either Caroloyn Custis James, despite hours and days with Christians for Biblical Equality (including reading their literature and hanging out at their national conference) is naive concerning CBE's true commitments, or she recognizes them as fellow travelers and continues to make common cause with them because she subscribes to their doctrine.
Either way, the largest question we are left with is why the James' are given leadership at Reformed Theological Seminary, why their doctrine is given prominence in the PCA's byFaith magazine, and why Covenant College chose her to be a keynote speaker at their conference on the Church and Gender when each of these communities is committed theologically to opposing the very errors CBE and her adherents exist to promote?"
Source: http://nebti5.typepad.com/baylyblog/2006/02/carolyn_custis_.html#more
I would also like to add one more excerpt from Christian's for Biblical Equality's website that Tim should have included. Pls note the following:
"Community
1. In the church,
spiritual gifts of women and men are to be recognized, developed and used in serving and
teaching ministries at all levels of involvement:
as small group leaders, counselors, facilitators, administrators, ushers, communion servers, and board members, and in pastoral care, teaching, preaching, and worship.
In so doing, the church will honor God as the source of spiritual gifts. The church will also fulfill God's mandate of stewardship without the appalling loss to God's kingdom that results when half of the church's members are excluded from positions of responsibility.
2. In the church, public recognition is to be given to
both women and men who exercise ministries of service and leadership.
In so doing, the church will model the unity and harmony that should characterize the community of believers. In a world fractured by discrimination and segregation, the church will dissociate itself from worldly or pagan devices designed to make women feel inferior for being female. It will help prevent their departure from the church or their rejection of the Christian faith."
I do very much agree with everything in your post about the importance of the education of women for the purpose of raising a family, supporting her husband. and serving the church in all the biblical roles the Holy Spirit has revealed in Scripture. This is very important.
Speaking again from experience, my wife has a College degree in English and Accounting and is smarter than me. She has been invaluable to our family and a definite step-up for me.