A Healing Priestess and Feminist Christianity

2Timothy2:15 said:

You should read on in Chapter two where the Lord explains it in context. It really does help to flip the page and put things in context.

21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Taken out of Man, Man being created in the image and woman being created out of Man. Really context is everything.

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God took the rib bone and made Eve; Adam didn't make Eve - and Eve wasn't just made of Adam's rib. Really, context is everything. (And this is coming from someone who isn't a feminist, especially in the secular modern sense...I'm just a believer that God values all equally - both men and women. In Him, there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, etc. Besides that - adam in Hebrew is either man or mankind - which includes both male and female. Context shows that Genesis 1:26 references mankind, not just men).

Raphael Jauregui said:

Ebenezer Lutheran Church in San Francisco, also known as 'Her Church', is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and identifies as a congregation which focuses on women's spirituality and feminist thealogies.

The congregation also advertises itself as a centre for women to explore feminist images of God and has a 'healing priestess.'

A Healing Priestess, ‘Changing Church’

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What is up with women these days.

What is a feminist image of God? And a healing priestess? Women are so insecure. God loves you ladies, you don't need to feel like you have to have some God to relate too. Look for the Only Living God and accept Him as He is, because there is not a second God to choose from, nor is their a "feminist theologies" or "healing priestesses"

Get your relationship with God right and you won't need a church to tell you how to find God much less a non-existant feminist God.

People, this is what happens when we don't read the Bible.

2Timothy2:15 said:

We know that God is a spiritual being and does not possess physical characteristics. This does not limit, however, how God may choose to reveal Himself to humanity. Scripture contains all the revelation God gave to humanity about Himself, and so it is the only objective source of information about God. In looking at what Scripture tells us, there are several observations of evidence about the form in which God revealed Himself to humanity.

Scripture contains approximately 170 references to God as the “Father.” By necessity, one cannot be a father unless one is male. If God had chosen to be revealed to man in a female form, then the word “mother” would have occurred in these places, not “father.” In the Old and New Testaments, masculine pronouns are used over and over again in reference to God.

Jesus Christ referred to God as the Father several times and in other cases used masculine pronouns in reference to God. In the Gospels alone, Christ uses the term “Father” in direct reference to God nearly 160 times. Of particular interest is Christ’s statement in John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.” Obviously, Jesus Christ came in the form of a human man to die on the cross as payment for the sins of the world. Like God the Father, Jesus was revealed to humanity in a male form. Scripture records numerous other instances where Christ utilized masculine nouns and pronouns in reference to God.

The New Testament Epistles (from Acts to Revelation) also contain nearly 900 verses where the word theos—a masculine noun in the Greek—is used in direct reference to God. In countless references to God in Scripture, there is clearly a consistent pattern of His being referred to with masculine titles, nouns, and pronouns. While God is not a man, He chose a masculine form in order to reveal Himself to humanity. Likewise, Jesus Christ, who is constantly referred to with masculine titles, nouns, and pronouns, took a male form while He walked on the earth. The prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament refer to both God and Jesus Christ with masculine names and titles. God chose to be revealed in this form in order for man to more easily grasp who He is. While God makes allowances in order to help us understand Him, it is important to not try to “force God into a box,” so to speak, by placing limitations on Him that are not appropriate to His nature.

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Being referred to with masculine titles within the bible or anywhere else for that matter makes sense - we all do that when we are personifying something that isnt physically human - But God isnt human and so the reality of God having a gender simply makes no sense at all.

Jesus on the other hand was human and so of course had to adopt a gender. Good choice to be male as the culture of the time was very much patriarchal and so Jesus words would have carried authority.

But its a far stretch then to use the pronouns said by people of the time in reference to God to suddenly assign a gender to a spiritual entity.

ToBeLoved said:

What is up with women these days.

What is a feminist image of God? And a healing priestess? Women are so insecure. God loves you ladies, you don't need to feel like you have to have some God to relate too. Look for the Only Living God and accept Him as He is, because there is not a second God to choose from, nor is their a "feminist theologies" or "healing priestesses"

Get your relationship with God right and you won't need a church to tell you how to find God much less a non-existant feminist God.

People, this is what happens when we don't read the Bible.

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Healing preistess - a pastor who does faith healing - Ok that sounds reasonable and I would have thought positive - or dont you accept faith healing

Seeing God as female - well that makes no less sense then seeing a spiritual entity as male - I mean really God with a penis? - thats what you believe?

Women are no less secure then any human - we all want to love and be loved and to understand ourselves and God. Your words came across not well to me so take time to reflect.

I think the name of it is is a little off putting. It's a shame, it might have a good message but it makes me think of something New Agey with incense and stuff.

Zoii said:

Healing preistess - a pastor who does faith healing - Ok that sounds reasonable and I would have thought positive - or dont you accept faith healing

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Biblically, I don't think there is anyone called a priestess. Second, God heals people don't.
To me the entire thing sounds like a marketing play for women who are feminists. Making out like God is a female or something, but God never refers to Himself as female, so I never will either

God doesn't do feminism though.

ToBeLoved said:

God doesn't do feminism though.

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Headdesk. I really must buy a "God is a feminist" t-shirt.

Go Braves said:

I think the name of it is is a little off putting. It's a shame, it might have a good message but it makes me think of something New Agey with incense and stuff.

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Yes. Priestess makes me think of the occult.

Paidiske said:

Headdesk. I really must buy a "God is a feminist" t-shirt.

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You'll probably get a lot of attention for it.

I wouldn't be hurting anybody. I'd be giving lots of people hope, though.

Paidiske said:

I wouldn't be hurting anybody. I'd be giving lots of people hope, though.

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Hope that there is a feminist God when God's revelation is that He Himself uses male verbage.

Yeah, that's hope all right.

A woman that is confident in herself does not need to change the God designated pronoun that He uses in scripture because she knows that God's plan for her is awesome.

You don't think it is prideful as a Christian to walk around with a t-shirt that indicates that you wish your Savior was something different then what He is and in His perfection has designated as the pronoun for Himself?

The same Savior that accepts you just as you are and died to give you the free gift of eternal life?

ToBeLoved said:

Yes. Priestess makes me think of the occult.

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In reading more about the church I think it's got some good things going on with it, but that "her church" name just sounds almost gimmicky to me. It's off putting.

ToBeLoved said:

Hope that there is a feminist God when God's revelation is that He Himself uses male verbage.

Yeah, that's hope all right.

A woman that is confident in herself does not need to change the God designated pronoun that He uses in scripture because she knows that God's plan for her is awesome.

You don't think it is prideful as a Christian to walk around with a t-shirt that indicates that you wish your Savior was something different then what He is and in His perfection has designated as the pronoun for Himself?

The same Savior that accepts you just as you are and died to give you the free gift of eternal life?

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You're conflating two separate issues. Even if you see God as male (I see God as transcending gender) that doesn't mean that God isn't a feminist.

To be feminist means that you see men and women as equal, and that you want to work towards a society which reflects that equality. I believe that God sees men and women as equal, and that the reign of God will shape a society which reflects that equality. I believe that to our fallen, oppressive world, that is good news!

It's not about wishing Jesus wasn't male, it's about saying even a male Jesus sees no need to put women down.

Paidiske said:

You're conflating two separate issues. Even if you see God as male (I see God as transcending gender) that doesn't mean that God isn't a feminist.

To be feminist means that you see men and women as equal, and that you want to work towards a society which reflects that equality. I believe that God sees men and women as equal, and that the reign of God will shape a society which reflects that society. I believe that to our fallen, oppressive world, that is good news!

It's not about wishing Jesus wasn't male, it's about saying even a male Jesus sees no need to put women down.

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I'm sure that is the message that you will convey with your t-shirt.

Paidiske said:

Headdesk. I really must buy a "God is a feminist" t-shirt.

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Well I agree with the message about that but I think the name once again gets in the way. Priestess, feminist, both have got a lot of baggage to them. I think they distract from the point trying to be made.

ToBeLoved said:

Biblically, I don't think there is anyone called a priestess. Second, God heals people don't.
To me the entire thing sounds like a marketing play for women who are feminists. Making out like God is a female or something, but God never refers to Himself as female, so I never will either

God doesn't do feminism though.

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Yes God heals but like many pastors they label themselves faith healers albeit through Jesus - You know this very well.

Im not sure anyone is an unquestioned authority on what God does or doesnt do, and given God loves women as much as men then theres no reason why God isnt a supporter of women and their rights. Even Jesus protected women's rights.

As for the church being a "marketing play", you may be right - so what its no less so than numerous other churches eg Hillsong. At least this one is unlikely to be plagued with paedopilia unlike other churches including Hillsong.

Zoii said:

Yes God heals but like many pastors they label themselves faith healers albeit through Jesus - You know this very well.

Im not sure anyone is an unquestioned authority on what God does or doesnt do, and given God loves women as much as men then theres no reason why God isnt a supporter of women and their rights. Even Jesus protected women's rights.

As for the church being a "marketing play", you may be right - so what its no less so than numerous other churches eg Hillsong. At least this one is unlikely to be plagued with paedopilia unlike other churches including Hillsong.

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The Bible is the authority.

2Timothy2:15 said:

I did not say you were guilty of both, I said that is the root of that teaching. Gnostic does not simply mean knowledge as you suppose. Occult means hidden knowledge and Gnostic's believe they have some special knowledge that is somehow beyond what is in scriptures.....Gnostic's are truly deceived and I see more and more of the Gnostic doctrine being put forth these days, off topic and rather large topic.

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I understand what you are conveying. I was the same 20 years ago, so I know what you feel. If you sought and came to that conclusion, being a skeptic though Orthodox thought is still better than total ignorance of God the Father (world). If you go by what others say, or what men teach you, I'm sorry you follow others.

But to address your "special knowledge" comment, there is NO special knowledge. There is knowledge and there is ignorance. People hear Secret books and believe that they are secret from the seeker. They are not. Once the spirit is understood, the secret books are for the spiritually knowledgeable who understand and not for the world that doesn't understand. They compliment the Gospel and take nothing away or mislead (Gospel). They were circulating in the first two centuries when the Hebrew Scriptures were never a part of Christs Gospel message. Once the Catholics combined the OT and New, the non Canon Gospels were eliminated because they went against the OT while being in chorus with the Gospel. Jesus explains this in the full chapters of John 6,8 and 10 as well as many of Pauls words.

The Catholic orthodoxy has repaired the veil, and gave truth back to control by men, just as the Pharisee's.

Jesus said, "The pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge (gnosis) and hidden them. They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You, however, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."- Thomas

Gospel of Mary:
10) I said to Him, Lord, how does he who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit?
11) The Savior answered and said, He does not see through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind that is between the two that is what sees the vision

Your Bible tells you this (Gospel) yet people don't see it because they don't know themselves.

The mind is where knowledge resides. On one side, is the soul tethered to the body. It was given by one god, who Jesus called the liar and murderer. It was dying from the beginning due to imperfection.

The other side of the mind is the spirit (attained from the Tree of Knowledge). Once accepted, the spirit is tethered to God the Father. Two gods. Both vying for the soul (the flesh profits nothing, John 8).

Jesus came to give us all knowledge of truth to save our soul. The spirit in us communes with the Holy Spirit of God. So many pray in asking, but few sit in (physical) silence to listen.

This is why Paul says: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.-Ephesians

In other words, the mind.

Many believe the Holy Spirit speaks only through the Bible. That men tamed her to remain in a box they choose.

In the end, the spirit saves the soul, or it returns to God without it.

I say this not to change your mind, but to only respond so as maybe one person may seek whether this is truth for them or not.

Remember: The non canon books glorify Christ Jesus. How can I not be on his part?
Mark 9:
38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

Just because I'm not "in your club of beliefs" doesn't mean Christ is not my savior as well. My perception of truth elates me and I learn to accept death, never fearing it, because it is the beginning, not the end.

Yeah, that ^ is Gnosticism. Just in case anyone wasn't sure.

Zoii said:

What you have failed to do is address what I stated. Exactly how is he male? Are you suggesting that God has a physical form with a penis? Are you suggesting he has Y chromosomes? If you are then wow that's stretching it. The fact that the bible says "He" is a natural expression for something that is personified...but surely you cant truly believe that God is actually male in some sort of physical form with a penis - Gender makes absolutely no sense with reference to God.

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I wasn't assigning biology to the Father. I'm just saying he revealed himself as Father, not Mother, in how he relates to his people.