Response to Jory Micah

There was an individual named Jory Micah whom caught my attention earlier today on Facebook and in light of the fact that at the time this article is penned, I have another article on the roles of women in the church, whether they can get a job or not or other issues that isn't finished yet, it would be pertinent to comment on this teacher and some of her comments in light of the subject matter.

This would have been part of the article but it's better to have this response as it's own self contained article. These things that have been said are rather concerning at best and disturbing at worst.

Let us take a look shall we?

"I believe that the Holy Scriptures are truth, inspired by the Spirit of God but I don't believe that God is confined to the Bible. God is much bigger than what is revealed to us in the Bible."

While God is bigger than scripture and us, I don't really see what she is getting at. The scriptures inspired by God are the church's sole infallible rule of faith. The scriptures determine what is true and what isn't. If there is information presented to us that is contrary to the scriptures, Why must we accept it at all? God can reveal himself to us, but he will not leave us in the dark or mislead us. He gives the church the Holy Spirit and the scriptures to lead us onto the right path.

"Feminism is the radical idea that women are human beings, thus deserving of the same opporunities as men, in the home, society and Church."

Men and Women have equal dignity and value in God's sight but have different roles and responsiblities. Putting aside the debate of whether or not women can go out to work, let's operate on the basis they can. There are jobs out there that would not be open to women and I am positive there are roles men cannot take up. While it is commendable to fight for women's rights, it is wrong to place them in a position that would violate their womanhood. There are jobs out there that would not and should not be open to women, the army being one example among many.

"If I, as a woman made in the image of God, then God must not only be a father, but a "mother" as well."
God is a father, not a mother. You could say that he birthed the people of Israel, you can say a man birthed a project, be it a movie, a program, a swimming pool. Men can give birth in that sense, they give birth to a project, but that doesn't make them a mother. Likewise, God birthed the Earth and Adam and created Eve from his side, but that doesn't make God himself a mother.

""God is described as Father by Jesus"

Yes, true, but this may be because Jesus was living in an extreme patriachal culture in which "Father" was the best metaphor available to describe God (and probably still is in much of the world), so humans can understand.

The father, in Jesus' day, was the protector, provider, and really the source of all livelihood in the home.

But remember, Mary was the source that God chose to use, to birth Jesus. No man was needed.

God is called, El Shaddai which means, "many breasted one." Our God is also a Mother-she births and nutures life. (Though God does not have a literal gender)."

If calling God Father was because of Jesus living in a patriachal culture and it was the best metaphor, then why would Jesus change that based on culture. This isn't like whether or not a woman could have braided hair where the hair in one culture carries a particular connotation that another culture would not recognize it in that way or let's say a word is innocent in one country and offensive in another (The word spunky in America does not carry a sexual connotation that it does in Austrialia or England.) This is talking about the roles of men and women from the beginning established by God, that the man is the one who is the provider for the family, not the woman.

Having said that, there are plenty of jobs for women that they could take up. In a marital context, the woman's priority is to look after the home while her husband's priority is the one to work.

See the following article on El Shaddai: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Lekh_Lekha/El_Shaddai/el_shaddai.html

Conclusion
If Jory Micah is reading this, I have this to say. Repent and turn back to Jesus, you are teaching rebellion against him and his Father in heaven. Reconsider what you are teaching, do not teach over mixed congregations and be obedient to the word.

Anything else that the Lord wants me to comment on, I'll do it if he so wills.

Answering Judaism.