I hold the Bible as a sacred authority that informs my faith and living. And I also recognize that the Bible contains many unfortunate misogynistic and patriarchal views that have defined the beliefs, religious practices, culture, and family practices of many.

One does not have to look very far in our history as a Baptist movement to see the tension between equality and God’s calling on women to lead with the toxic masculine interpretations of our forebearers.

So how do we hold the Bible as sacred while also unpacking many of these troubling views voiced by patriarchal societies?

“I read my Bible, and every book I could get my hands on that talked about women’s roles in the church. I prayed, telling God if I was really designed to be submissive housewife I would do it, but if God had something else for me, He needed to reveal it,” said Meghan Tschanz on the CBF Podcast Conversation.

We sat down with the host of the Faith and Feminism podcast and author of a new book, “Women Rising,” to discuss how the church can deconstruct toxic masculinity and build a new understanding of gender equality in the process.

Subscribe or Livestream

CBF’s podcast shares stories from across the Fellowship and innovative practices of those working to renew God’s world. The vision is to share ideas, stories, and innovations from ministers, authors, and practitioners.

Join this bi-weekly audio Podcast by subscribing in iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or Facebook.

Sponsorship

This podcast episode is brought to you by The Center for Congregational Health, Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, and McAfee School of Theology Doctor of Ministry program.

Listener Support 

We are inviting you, the listeners, to join us in connecting with the Podcast. Become a monthly listener supporter and receive some perks, including name recognition on the Podcast, questions for upcoming guests, free books from the Podcast, joining the Podcast for an interview, and a VIP experience with the General Assembly Podcast guests.

There are five levels of listener support, starting at $5 per month…learn more and become a supporter today at www.cbf.net/podcastsupport.

Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following eight years as the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton and five years as CBF’s church start specialist. Follow on Twitter @haleandy