Equal Time: Letters To The Editor -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 14:3 (Summer 2000)
Article: Equal Time: Letters To The Editor
Author: Anonymous


Equal Time:
Letters To The Editor

Too Much “Technical Language”?

Thanks for the invitation to provide feedback. I enjoyed all the articles save one [Spring 2000]: “The Patriarchs Are Coming!” by Del Birkey. I have an M.A. and worked in the field of blind rehabilitation for 31 years. We had a monthly journal I tried to read, and could not tolerate working my way through it. It mostly contained articles derived from research and written in “doctoral language.”

When I began reading the above-mentioned article I thought this writer must have a Ph.D. In the Summer issue of Mutuality, Mimi Haddad stated: “We must eliminate jargon,” and “We noted how technical language often hinders CBE’s message, excluding many from the discussion.” I am not certain how you would define “technical language” in the context of writing about social issues. To me it is struggling with language that is difficult to comprehend and takes much effort to digest. I don’t enjoy that kind of reading and do not retain much of what I read. I hope you don’t include more than one article of this type in each issue.

Gordon W. Oien
Minneapolis, MN

I loved Del Birkey’s article. Academic (I had to read parts of it several times), but very down to earth and with practical conclusions. Bingo!

Doris Shrewsbury
Cypress, CA

Sexism In The Church

Regarding Matt Messner’s statement “Egalitarians must be careful to recognize gender differences” or [this could lead to] androgeny” [“Reasons Women Should Lead,” Spring 2000]: I think a better statement would be that all people in Christ must be careful to recognize that, although our physical sex and dress may make our gender very obvious, in God’s purpose we were created person/spirit in his divine image and likeness, and for an eternal relationship with God as his people.

Rather than overemphasizing the obvious physical gender differences, churches today need to reread the Genesis account of human creation with eyes opened by the Spirit of truth. Three times it was emphasized that we were created to be person/spirit in the image and likeness of God who is Person/Spirit, and for a relationship with him. Then God created human bodies to be essentially the same, with an infinitely small part sexually different, and this primarily for the procreation of the human species.

My thinking has been shaped, of course, by my own spiritual pilgrimage. . . . In 1990 I became involved with a new evangelical church, and in 1991 I was widowed in April, was age 70 in May, and in summer learned the teaching of traditional sexism of that denomination. Retiring at age 67, I devoted my time to Bible...

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