Some friends and I started a Bible study group. It was born out of appetizers, drinks, dessert and lament over the direction-lacking mom's groups we have attended. We wanted our own. One where it was ok to love the Lord and enjoy a drink or two. One where didn't have to take an oath to respect our husband any more than we do ourselves or our friends. A place where we could talk about something other than our kids. And a group that, you know, actually reads the material in anticipation of the class.
Perhaps what makes this the most fun is that we choose a Beth Moore Bible study as our first book. One of us "just had to get it our of her system." And, the Lutheran version of Beth Moore needs to get crackin' on her lecture series, so there really isn't much out there for Lutheran women. We choose a study on Esther. Here is a link to the book from amazon.com.
I have been warned by a number of colleagues that Beth Moore will drive me nuts. After one session, I can't say that this is true. People forget that over the past four years I have been well versed in all things woman-mom-baptist-conservative. Not much is going to shock me anymore. And by the grace of God and the fierce winds of the Holy Spirit I have even come to appreciate some of what my more conservative sisters are up to.
(yes, you have the correct blog.)
My first impressions of Beth Moore's series and style:
She is well spoken. Very engaging. But not sickeningly sweet. She's sweet, don't get me wrong but with more authority than I expected.
She doesn't gloss over or simplify her topic. She didn't dumb much down in the introduction.
She's funny.
She didn't offend me.
It was also obvious that mainline-moderate Christians were not her target audience. I got pretty bored while she presented her defense of why Christians should study the book of Esther. She felt she had to overcome two obstacles--the fact God isn't mentioned by name and that it is about a woman.
Beth--may I call you Beth?--took great care in laying out why we should study this book. She drew in the idea of 'providence' to point to God's presence in the book*. She took a great amount of time to go over the power and purpose of providence. Again, losing me. Not because I couldn't keep up, but because I place as much priority to the (Calvinism) theological emphasis on God's providence as I do to the idea of purgatory.
It was also obvious she was working with the presumption that some of her audience needed permission to listen to a woman teach them about God. She took (too) great pains to quote and highlight outside sources. Clearly the woman knows her stuff. She could have easily taught us without the constant references to Biblical dictionaries and commentaries. While she didn't say it, I got the feeling it was done so that Pastors and church leaders wouldn't complain or comment on her exercising authority and knowledge.
It was a long introduction that was short on the actual book's history.
While I remain open minded and even hopeful I will learn and grow from the series....I was left wondering just how Tough (Being a Woman) this might get.
*My Bible's introduction says this "Coincidences (or possibly providence) combine with human initiative to bring about a resolution in which good triumphs over evil." The Harper Collins Study Bible NRSV
3 comments:
One where it was ok to love the Lord and enjoy a drink or two. Well, yes, of course. What a wonderful idea.
It's nice to have pals that understand the shared camaraderie that happens around a relaxed table of conversation and slowly sipped wine. aaah. nothin' like it.
my pal darby started this conversation over at her blog (aurelieexplainsthewine.blogspot.com) about growing up evangelical & now trying to sort it out. one of my favorite passages from her ongoing posts:
"all those youth groups and conferences planted the idea (consciously or unconsciously) that i was entitled to a life of changing the world for God. God wanted me to change the world, mandated me to change it, and would therefore give me influence, success, a vision, and a means to change it.
there's a bit here to unpack; a two-pronged idea that the burden for changing the world was squarely on my shoulders, but at the same time, God owed me a life in which i would be the next amy carmichael (but what to do about these blue eyes? that story made a big impression on me, too), or at least the next josh harris (awesomely kissing dating goodbye for the sake of the kingdom). i grew up fully expecting to be the hot stuff. for Jesus, of course. :) so there's a huge chunk of self-aggrandizement in the mix, and it's embarrassing to admit it. ugly. but, there it is. delusions of grandeur, mixed with spiritual entitlement.
what a devastating shock to my expectations and my ego, discovering myself to be entirely and totally ordinary, living a life that's invisible, wheeling my cart through the suburban target store with fifty other pale, tired mothers-of-toddlers just praying that nobody melts down in the dairy aisle. boy, did i let God down. boy, did he let me down. i never boarded the bus to kolkata, never got that book deal or speaking tour. in short, is my life okay with God? is this whole situation, so not what was promised by all those well-meaning youth pastors, enough?"
hope quoting that long passage doesn't make you wanna go batty.
great post, heather.
http://jenellparis.blogspot.com/
Check out this blog, Caron. She hasn't been active for quite a while but has rich archives. She wrestles with this conversation.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing for me about my time with MOPS was the glimpse into an entirely different culture. I literally had to learn a new language and recognize/honor unfamiliar struggles. I'll have to wait and see if other non evangelical people would comment, but I don't know if we (the moderates)carry baggage...and perhaps that is an even harder burden. I wonder if our confirmation programs and church camp experiences left any impact...you sometimes can't tell. ??? Not that baggage is a positive expression of faith.
great quote...thanks for sharing Darby's blog.
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