Thoughts on women...

In this journey through the bible, next on our list is Dinah in Genesis 34. In preparing for this I started to read some commentaries because I knew that there is not complete agreement among the scholars with some believing it to be more of a love story than rape. A perspective I hadn't see before though caught my eye and it was so unexpected and shocking that I think it's a good place to focus today. To say it's a reach is an understatement and you can read it here if you like for the long version (its a section of a longer discussion and a suggested interpretation rather than a categoric statement). Essentially however, it takes a similarity in the language used for when Leah (her mother) "went out" to see Jacob to have see with him to conceive Dinahs brother, and compares it to how Dinah "went out" to visit the women of of the land. They suggest that she went with the intention of sexual immorality. They are suggesting "like mother, like daught...

As the saying goes, you cannot make a purse out of a sows ear. Folks, this one is difficult to read, think about and write. Lot was Abrahams brother and he lived in Sodom and Gomorrah.  Genesis 19 picks up right after Abraham has pleaded for the lives of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. God has 'sent' two angels to the city to see if even 10 'good' people can be found. Lot met them at the gates (where he was sat as a Judge) and insisted they stay with him in his home. 2 Peter 2:7 suggests that Lot was a righteous man, distressed by the depravity of the city he lived in. Perhaps the righteousness is credited to his position of Judge. Perhaps he was trying to make a difference. Lots of 'perhaps'.... 4  Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house.   5  They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” 6  Lot went outside ...

Today marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women. It triggers 16 days of worldwide activism to raise awareness of the many atrocities and oppressions suffered by women and girls globally. It also aims to provoke action by both individuals and governments. Things can change, we have to believe it, the lives and wellbeing of women and girls relies on it. This cause has been important to me for many years and my faith has only made me more committed and more sure that this is the right thing to be doing. In the Old Testament in the Bible, Micah 6:8 says "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God". This verse states really strongly that justice and mercy can co-exist. We can seek justice but still have mercy for a fallen world. The only way to do that well is to be humble, recognise the part we all play in upholding systems of oppression and how "th...