9Marks Journal: Pastoring Women (28期:牧养姊妹)

The egalitarianism of Western culture, for all its good purposes, leads to the homogenization of men and women. To unisex clothes, colognes, roles, and lifestyles. The lovely and distinct color palettes of men and women mush together into a gray-brown muck.You can have that if you want it. But we think God intends something better. That’s why this issue of the 9Marks Journal is dedicated to how to distinctly pastor women. We want to reflect on what he uniquely and wonderfully intends for women in the life of the church, and how to specially pastor them.

抹掉差异看上去很安全。如果你把男人和女人“一视同仁”,你就不需要冒任何得罪人、限制人或阻碍人的风险。

但是,假如神的确把男女造得不同呢?如果这根本不是限制的问题,而是神对不同肢体独特的旨意呢?我猜你会说,这样想的人是把自己的眼睛给限制了以至于看不见,或者把耳朵给束缚了以至于听不见,但这样说未免太一厢情愿了。

西方文化中的平权主义怀揣着美好的动机,想要抹掉男女性别的差异。他们期待人们穿中性的衣服、喷着中性的古龙水,扮演中性的角色和活着一种中性的生活方式。男女角色鲜活独特的差异,有如鲜艳的调色板,被平权主义粉碎揉成一团灰暗色调的淤泥。

如果你愿意,你可以这么做。但是我们认为神的创造和旨意更美好。这也是本期九标志期刊为何专注于如何切实牧养姊妹的原因。我们期待反映出神对姊妹在教会生活中独特、美好的旨意,并给出如何牧养她们的具体建议。