The Dreaded T-Word - Part 2

Women need theology; there's no question about it, and they should be encouraged by the church in that pursuit. Carolyn Custis James lists these reasons why women need theology:

1. Women need theology for themselves. "Life comes to women in stiff doses. When it does, and we are crushed or shattered or stretched beyond our limits, we need to surround ourselves with good theologians...who will encourage and help us. But at the end of the day, it won't be their theology we will lean on, no matter how good it is. We will lean on our own. Adversity and adventures have a way of exposing the state of our theology. We may have heard a lot about God. In the thick of things, we will discover what we really believe about him. We ask too much of ourselves to wade into these deep waters with so little to keep our faith afloat." (p. 56)

2. Women need theology to encourage each other. Although everything else may change in our lives, we need the reminder that God never changes and he can be trusted.

3. Women need theology for their children. "One of the biggest and most significant tasks facing the church today is to raise the next generation of strong believers...It is a task to which every woman and man in the church is called and which demands the best from us...Children and young people need adults - parents, friends, and mentors - who have something real to offer them. They don't need to just hear it from us; they need to see it - when we trust God in our own struggles and hold each other up in the rough places." (p. 57)

4. Women need theology for men. "A wife knows better than anyone the depth and intensity of her husband's struggles. If her theology is weak or superficial, she will be ill equipped to come alongside with strength, encouragement, and godly counsel that she alone can give." (p. 58)

5. Women need theology for the church. "God calls women, along with men, to be runners (Heb. 12:1-2), warriors (Eph. 6:10-18), ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20), body builders (Eph. 4:16), teachers, and encouragers (Col. 3:16; Heb. 3:13; 12:12-13). These callings stand in hopeless conflict with so-called feminine virtues of ignorance, passivity, and neediness. Each demands high levels of strength, courage, and activity - impossible for the spiritually malnourished." (pp. 58-59)

~taken from When Life and Beliefs Collide