And it's not all good.
French radio, international radio in DC in the morning is abuzz with what is going on in the Belgiun church.
There is much uproar over the state raiding various churches and confiscating materials in a criminal investigation against the alleged pedophilia last month and the repurcussions. This morning a long featured news article detailed the hordes and masses of people undergoing a process of 'debaptismation" - to unbaptize themselves in protest over the church's policies. They don't want to be affiliated with the church at all inasmuch as they view it as a haven for sexual predators and misogynists (some gay-not to malign all gay but some do hate womenkind and it shows). Criminal. Anti-social. Perverse. The broadcast went on to note that conversions to muslim are becomming very popular. It's not just all about the great babaknoosh, couscous, pita bread and date recipes. Muslims stress personal piety and you won't find toleration of diddling children for one second in any mosque.
This suggests something so obvious it is amazing that it is resisted by the catholic intelligencia of American and Europe-re-examination of the role of women. Rather than rail against women with theology degrees or training as if they were misfits of the faith, rather than castigate ordination of women as if that were a 'crime against the faith" as opposed to an expression of the strength of the faith, the role of women in the church should be seriously deliberately studied from a biblical perspective. Women should be understood as co-collaborators, partners, equals in the bearing of the gospel to the nations, equal jont -heirs of the kingdom.
The married priesthood, women deacons, should be the norm not grounds for expulsion. There just is no biblical basis or reality in constricting the Spirit in this fashion and it is crippling the church.
The church is writing it's own European epitaph if it insists on narrowly construing the move of the Spirit to something experienced only in a monastic setting- and only giving enlightenment to celibate single men. Women are vessels of the same gifts of the spirit. Women are prophets. Women are teachers. Women are ministers.
Women -are Blessed. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary. And God loves them so much he espoused one.
You are maybe holier than the Holy Spirit?
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