The Issue

As I visited with people immediately after the sermon today there were a couple of common themes. Some wanted to talk about their relatives that have left the Church of Christ because of the church's inflexibility. Some of these reflections went back many decades. Others wanted to talk about how the culture has dramatically and rapidly changed in regards to the role of women. However, the church does not reflect that change. A few days ago I turned 48. When I was younger the culture was in transition but there were still cultural norms restricting women from fully participating in a number of areas. Remember on Petticoat Junction when a woman doctor came to town? The men were aghast! No way in this world would they let a woman treat them. (If you're younger than me I don't want any comments like, "What's a Petticoat Junction?".) Women could be nurses, secretaries, or teachers. Other than that, they should be homemakers. How quickly our culture changed. My children (all in their 20's now) see the world I grew up in as a strange place in regards to restrictions women faced. Today the only place in the U.S. that still restricts women is the church. How weird is that to our contemporary culture?