18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Gen. 2:18 NIV

Whether we women like it or not, that’s why Eve was created. It’s why we exist. There was a need and God chose to fill that need by creating woman. It’s undeniable. We could go on for ages (and people have) about gender roles in the family, and in the church and in society and how they feel the Bible gives direction to each of those issues. I will say that it is my belief that God did not intend women to be oppressed or harmed or to be perceived as “lesser” human beings than men.

MWJ – I liked you comments a lot – made me think about church and Christianity in different way although I’m still a little unsure how to incorporate your “creative morality” into my thinking…

In my experience with Mars Hill, the church leadership and teaching seems to be more focused on the immanence of the kingdom and the imminence of Christ’s return. The impending nature of his return in undeniable. It’s a reality. It’s coming. It’s something in the future that will happen. The kingdom is something we live with, amongst, etc… Although maybe I should revise my own word choice because I don’t feel a sense of dread attached to Christ’s coming and that’s what those words, (imminence, impending) make me think of – dread. So maybe, instead, we are expectant and watchful of His return, which to me connotes a sense of excitement, hope and caution – which is, I think, holy. I think it’s Biblical (there’s that word again, sorry Amber… ) to live carefully, in a sense, because we know there is a judgment day coming. I don’t think there’s anything kooky or fundamentalist or close-minded about that.

I agree with you that the future is now but how does that change our belief systems regarding gender roles and homosexuality. Even if the future was yesterday it doesn’t make homosexuality godly. I appreciate your commentary on being more present minded (I agree the collective church needs a more present minded focus) but there is still a sense of urgency in the preparation for Christ’s coming – the bride preparing for the bridegroom – that is necessary.

“Lang takes a more liberal, pluralistic view of right and wrong. He says conservative churches like Mars Hill appeal to those who believe that ‘we live in apocalyptic times. Society’s falling apart and Jesus is coming back—basically, there’s no future.’ Churches like Mars Hill ‘create a system where people can have a feeling of control, where they can believe that Papa’s going to fix it if you just follow the rules. I want that myself, but I just can’t find it.’”

Remove the sense of imminent judgment, and with it goes the urgency of line-drawing and circle making almost inevitably embedded in moral/gender language in the church, paving the way for some moral creativity that this faith of ours has lacked for far too long.

However, Christianity seems pretty tied up with the idea of the impending kingdom (a la regnum ex mergere).

I say we shift from the focus from the imminence to the immanence of Christ’s return.

This gets us out of all those nasty dispensationalist tendencies and into a much more present sense of presence. The future is now.

Does this reconcile Christian hope in the eternal with a much more flexible moral system? Je ne sais pas. Thoughts?