Let's listen to some more stories

Another round of listening to women's personal stories this week brought some new thoughts and perspectives to the attention of my mind. Becky and Jere are two people I really love and respect, as well as have be able to get to know on a personal basis. Monday night though allowed me to get to know them even more as they shared some personal experiences that have really affected who they are.
Becky's story was really impactful to me, as she described the hard times she has faced with the church. I connect with her hurt feelings, as honestly the church has hurt my family and I in different ways, but evoked the same type of response as it evoked in Becky. It's part of the reason I want to join the administration side of a church, to help prevent those feelings of hurt coming from a church. Instead, encouraging positive feelings to those who are part of the body is something I feel really passionate about. I really admire Becky's heart and passion for God, as well as her determination to continue with the calling God has given her in the capacity that man allows her to fulfill. I heard in her words a sense of determination, mixed with hurt, that I admire.
Jere was terrific, but I wanted to share some thoughts I had after listening to the last person speak. She mentioned a lot about the differences between men and women, something different than the main core of anything I have heard in this class so far. I've heard a lot about how men and women are equal and can do the same things, but she pointed out differences. If there are differences, which I agree there are, it's the beauty of God's Creation, how do those differences affect women in society and in the church? Should they? Or should they be ignored?

Living the life of the future today.

Shauna Niequest speaks honestly and from the heart in her book, “Bitterweet”. I enjoyed reading this book greatly, she had such great ideas and insight into everyday situations. It is great to read stories about real life and how hard times can be, but it is even better to see how she handles the situations in ways that are glorifying to God. This story of Shauna’s life has brought courage, confidence, and light to my life, I now know that if will not always be a fairytale and that you will have to work at the things in life that really matter.

I personally have not gone through many of the things that Shauna talks about in her book because they are mostly about life after college and being married. But it is so interesting to hear about and to better understand what it means to live a life that doesn’t include homework. It brought so much light to the situation for me, that life really will not get easier after school, that other things come up that are just as much work and if not even more work. But that the work is worth whatever you are striving for in the end whether it be a better relationship with your spouse, spiritual life, or everyday tasks. Some parts of Shauna’s journey were similar to mine in that I hope to do many of the things that she has done in her life. One story in particular stuck out to me, it was about staying in contact with her girlfriends from college and how they made the effort to spend a weekend away together intentionally spending time together. I pray that when I graduate from college that my friends and I will follow the model that these ladies have set before us. I hope that one day when we all have little children like Shauna and her girls that we too will bring them and share life together just like the old times. This is so important to me because these relationships we are forming in college are so tight, deep, and truly special that if I had to give them up after graduating I would be devastated. Yes, there will be many people that we will loose contact with but the ones who truly were there and that we made deep connections with will share in the commitment to continue a relationship later in life.

Being a woman influenced Shauna’s writing in many ways, mostly through her life experiences. She spoke a lot about being a mother and wife. These experiences and positions that she chose to be and was also asked to be shaped her into the women she is and also what her everyday looked like. She painted the picture of what real life looks like to be married and to have a child while also balancing sanity. Shauna also talked many times about her struggles which included many instances which only women can face such as; miscarriage, being a wife, and the desire to compare herself to other women her age different than herself. It was interesting for me to gain insight into an older woman’s life and see what it is truly like for her. To see that she too struggles with things and that these struggles will not go away any time soon for me. This opens my eyes to see that I need to stop ignoring them or waiting for them to go away because they really aren’t going to. I need to find a way to get a handle on my struggles so that I can learn ways to become better and not be as susceptible to falling into the same traps again and again throughout my life’s journey.

I would recommend this book to other women, or girls who want to gain insight into real life. To see what it means for a woman and how even the simplest things can become a struggle. Shauna illustrates that despite these daily trials it is possible to persevere and live a life that brings glory to God and love to those around her. This is a lesson that every person needs to learn. We all could use a story that shows us how to live in this way and how it can help get us through the hard times. If we turn to Jesus in our times of hardships then He will help us through them. My favorite part of this story is just the inspiration that it gives me to live my life today, and not live for the future. Yes, I need to prepare myself for the woman, wife, and mother that I will become later in my life but I should begin to live my life as if I were coming closer to that woman with every decision that I make. That I would be happy with the decisions that I am making right now if I looked back to this time in my life. I am so thankful for great role models such as Shauna who can bring light to what living life should truly look like for a woman of God.

Patriarchs and hierachies

This last class, Sarah brought in three female speakers to share their spiritual journey as women. I greatly enjoyed this. They each taught me and inspired me, moved me.

Discrimination. Big word. Becky used it. I haven't really used discrimination and women in the same sentence before. Interesting. I can't describe more than that.

Their testimonies reminded me how hard it was to be a woman in a man's world. One of them, Beth, was actually a electrician, usually a man's job, cool!

I hope their journeys continue to inspire many women to come, and maybe some men too!

Wonderful women, inspiring stories!

The part of the class I've enjoyed the most thus far has been all the amazing personal stories we've been able to listen to. Each of them is so unique, so personal, so clear in that God's redemptive story works itself out in an individual way through each of us. That's a hopeful and affirming thought...it's good to be different...and it's good to be the same.

Anyway, there were a few things that really struck a chord with me tonight. The first was Jere said that she hadn't felt acute discrimination, even though it was there. That's how I feel, too. And I feel like this class and some of the conversations I've had a result of it have encouraged me to feel discriminated. And I don't think that's right. I have grown up in a patriarchal home and I've never felt limited. The buck stops with Dad at the Fakkema house, but he is the first to affirm women in ministry and leaderships roles; he would never tell me I couldn't do something.

Another thing that Jere said that made lots of sense to me was that the Holy Spirit is the "mom" of the trinity. For some reason, I don't know why, I have always thought of Jesus as a male, God as a Father, and the Holy Spirit as an "it." Because how can you put a spirit into a gender box...but when I start thinking about it that way, thinking of God as a male is the same thing. However, when I pray the Lord's prayer, I am praying to God the Father Almighty. So until that changes, I'm comfortable relating to God as a man. If somebody else wants to think of God as neither male nor female or as female, I'm fine with that, too. But when I pray, I'm praying to a Father.

Women Interview!

I had a conversation with a family friend Janette Woodard. She has been my best friend’s mom for all of his life (☺) so I have known her for many years. She has been a Christian for a large majority of her life and as long as I have known her. She mentioned that her parents have been Christian her whole life, but she considers that she started her walk with Christ around nine years old, once she was able to comprehend. Her church background consists of her attending a small-medium sized church (200ish people) her whole life in Salem, Oregon. It’s an Assembly of God denomination outside of the city.
She described her faith as a roller coast journey, one that doesn’t bring you back to the start, yet gives you plenty of opportunities to get off, but really only remembering the high points. It’s a dualistic ride, one that is extremely fast yet in the moment it’s like watching a slug. Specifics weren’t discussed in our time, but she briefly mentioned high points that caused her to view God in ways she never imagined, yet with low points that specific thoughts have been forgotten yet the lessons have stuck with her.
I was interested in her journey with Christ, but to be honest I was more interested in her journey with the Church, as she is a women and this class is about women. So that is what we discussed for a large part of our conversation. Janette knows that God doesn’t ‘view’ men any different then women, besides the differences that God created between them on a completely equal way, but she has noticed that over time the Church has viewed women differently. Her experience has been that her church has had men be in charge of the major decisions, while the women have been the ones making everything go. It’s the women that have been involved in child care, it’s the women who have been involved in the cooking for potlucks, and it’s been the women who have put together the music for the congregation. Her experienced has showed the men are the ones that do the spiritual teaching when it comes to the congregation as a whole, whether it be the Sunday Services or the small group Bible studies. The only teaching women have done is the small group women Bible studies, which meets every Thursday morning, as a woman leads that group.
Her perspective about this is that this happens because you sure don’t want the men taking care of the kids or cooking the food because then no one would enjoy themselves! She was joking, but I caught a bit of truth in her joke. It has been common for a long time that men don’t know how to cook or properly take care of children, where women have for a long time. On a serious note, she mentioned she doesn’t necessarily feel limited, because she doesn’t need a stage to teach, she can communicate with others in a variety of other ways, but it is interesting to her that there hasn’t been a woman leader in her experience. She argued that just because men have had the microphone doesn’t mean that women aren’t heard. It is common for people in her church to reach out to women for help, as they are known for the listening ability as well as their wisdom. She has had a large number of people come up to her for advice and she has been able to ‘preach’ to them in that manner. I asked her if she would want a microphone and she said no, she doesn’t want her persona to be one of power and influence, more of the natural influence that she has now. She mentioned that she could imagine there being women though wanting the microphone, feeling the calling to be on stage and preach in that manner. That possibility is completely alright with her and she encourages though who feel that passion, yet knows that it is a big issue in the Church.
There was a lot we discussed, too much to include in this paper, but the general sense I had from the conversation is that she is perfectly content in her role in her church, yet recognizes other women may not be as content as she is. She recognizes male dominance in the Church, but in a way laughs at them as she thinks the real influence is what happens outside of a service, through personal communication and worship together. That is where she feels the important stuff happens.

The race of life

I believe that we as the younger generation of the church have much to learn from the older, more spiritually wise men and women in the church family. It is important to listen to what they have to say and what they have gone through because a lifetime serving Christ looks differently for each person and in a lifetime there is a lot to have been learned. In order to get a better perspective of what it is like for a woman in the church older than myself I interviewed my mom about what her experience has been like in the church. Because I did question my mom, I know a lot of background that surround the questions and can understand better the situations she describes as spiritual experiences and such because I was there with her through most of it.

My mom described her current spiritual journey as strong with times of weakness but always knowing that Jesus will show her new ways to grow and will answer her doubts in time as well. This is so true in almost everyone’s life I think even if they admit it or not. Everyone is going to experience times of highs and lows but part of having faith is knowing that despite where you are in your life you will be held up by the love of Christ. This is what pushes me through hard times and makes me want to become a better person each day as well.

When I began to ask my mom about how she became a Christian and how faith found her she laughed a little looking back at the memories of how she came to know Christ as her Savior. My mom was not raised in a Christian home many of her family members were alcoholics and spent their time smoking and drinking rather than showing their children the way in which they should live their lives. Despite this upbringing my mom never fell into the trap of alcohol and was brought to church by one of her friends in high school who herself was struggling from brain cancer. After the service they prayed for here friend to be healed and a week later she was miraculously cancer free! After seeing this my mom could not stay away form a God who had such compassion that he would help a suffering girl in her time of need. She knew she was missing out on a great relationship with a caring and compassionate God. So a few weeks later my mom went back to that church with her friend and came into contact with church members who were rude and many people who spoke in tongues. This was a huge turning point for her she was scared and angered that people who would serve this great God would be so rude and she was just scared of the speaking in tongues all together so she stopped going to church all together. It wasn’t until she met my dad that she returned to her interest and finally decided to live her life for Christ. Since this time my parents have obviously married and had my brother and I. There have been many struggles for our family and times that have stretched my mom’s faith and made it stronger as well but all of these experiences have only reaffirmed her desire to live a life of faith.

After we spoke about her life experiences with faith and Christianity I asked her what she thought about men and women and their differences in the church. Also I asked her about her opinion of women in leadership positions in the church. She first spoke about how men were created in the image of god and women was created in the image of man so thus they will be different. She also talked about how women are not less spiritual just created differently than men. She believes that if Eve hadn’t made the decisions that she had someone else would have come around to make that same mistake and we would still be in the same place we are today. According to her beliefs this was all a part of God’s plan and that no matter who it was making the mistake it would have been done and we would still have been in this same place of living in sin daily. As far as women in leadership go my mom believes that women should not be head or lead pastors in the church. She is fully supportive of women being involved in the church, she is the worship leader at our church at home and there is no problem with women speaking their opinions or having a voice in the church, she thinks it is important that they do. At our church we have men in leadership roles and they are especially careful to respect and listen to the voices and needs of the women in the church. This creates an environment that everyone feels heard and that follows biblical truths. Her perspective is probably a lot of the reason why I came into this class thinking the same way as her. I thought this way exactly but now having been informed of so much and looking deeper into what the passages are truly saying I am in a grey area. I don’t really know what the right or correct answer is to this question. But I do know that if I continue to seek advice from those older and with more life experience than me and also seek God’s will through His word I will eventually find a level of understanding. I will not ever understand completely but will know more of what God’s will for this subject is. Overall, I am so grateful to have people in my life that I can look to for answers and opinions that have been running the race of life a bit longer than myself and know the course better than me. It is comforting to know that at my age I do not have to have the answer to every question but that I should be searching relentlessly until I come to a place that is closer to the answer than when I began the race.

It's a Journey...

I talked to my Oma (dutch for Grandma) today about her spiritual journey and I was so glad that I did :) She grew up in the worst part of Seattle in a horrible house with a mother who pretended she wasn't there...except when she needed chores done or a babysitter. Her first experience with Jesus was as a preschooler. She was riding her tricycle on the sidewalk outside the apartment building when the pastor of the missions church that met downstairs invited her to Sunday School. She accepted and attended off and on for years. As a teenager, God brought a Christian family into her life that paid for her to go to a Christian school for a year and in eighth grade she dedicated her life to Jesus. The Orthodox Presbyterian church she attended disbanded but the pastor recommended she try the Christian Reformed church because it was the most doctrinally similar. So she did and met my Opa (dutch for Grandpa) in the process. A bonus of marrying my Opa was his wonderful family and the first real "mom" she'd ever had. Her first "milestone" was when her mother-in-law died. She'd been an amazing spiritual mentor to Oma. The second "milestone" came shortly after (and wouldn't have happened had great-grandma not died) when Oma and Opa packed up their three little boys (all 6 and under) and move across the country to New York. For the first time they had to find their own church, make their own friends, and figure out their family faith on their own.

My Oma lives by a simple motto: J-O-Y. Jesus, others, yourself. I've always known it because she really does live it. She and Opa have it down - if you come to family dinner, there are always widows and orphans and the door is always open. Oma said that,at this point in her walk, she feels confident that Jesus comes first (not that's she's perfect, but that He is routinely the first priority). And now the hard part is putting others in front of herself - especially when it involves giving up family opportunities to serve somewhere else.

My Oma is extremely reformed and extremely conservative. Our denomination has a very open attitude towards women in leadership - women can be pastors. Oma thinks they are too lenient. She thinks that men and women are equal in God's eyes - that he loves us the same and salvation is the same for both - but she does believe we have been created for different (not better or worse or less or more) roles. She does concede that she's not sure where the line should be drawn for women in leadership and she understands the role that the Fall played in the flawed gender relationships. When I asked her about her image of God, she said he was definitely a man. This was her response, "When I pray the Lord's prayer and I pray 'My Father who art in Heaven...' I am praying to a He...not a unisex spirit." And while I think she may have been a little sassy, she's got a point. I've certainly always thought of God as a man and it's never felt like a hindrance to my spiritual life, but that's also the culture in which I've been raised. It is hard for Oma to reconcile a relational headship (in which she firmly believes) with women in leadership roles in the church. She views the church as Christ's bride in the most traditional way. In her family the "Buck Stops Here" role is absolutely Opa's - and that's biblical. She think that women in leadership take away jobs that men need to do - we step in and take control way more often than we should.

Coming from a very successful woman (she has a graduate degree and has been a principal, school district superintendent, and had various other administrative roles), I have to stop and consider what she says. When I asked Oma if she'd ever felt limited in her church experience she laughed and said, "No! I've always felt that I've been allowed to do too much!"

Getting into the Habit

Mother Teresa, we've all heard the name but not many of us know her journey or story. Indeed she was called to help fight poverty, but the path to getting there was tough. For example, the Church didn't like the idea of community houses in that area made by their church. They even removed her from the convent. It took much convincing and a blessing from the Archbishop for Mother Teresa to be able to be an independent nun. I find it interesting that the church was against her going to serve independently in the community. Wouldn’t they be excited to have her serve to the needy? Isn’t that what God asks us to do? I also ponder why she was the only one who wanted to do it at first. Were there no other nuns eager to get out and help the community? I guess they must have seen how hard it was for Mother Teresa to get permission. That or they were comfortable at the abbey and wanted to serve from there. She even traded her nun habit for a white sari and sandals, a traditional wear for Indian women!

Another thing I found interesting is where Mother Teresa went when she started the path to being a nun. She traveled to Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto. She didn’t know their language and they didn’t know a whole lot of her native language either. Yet she made it through and befriended many of the nuns. I wonder what they did to communicate when there were language barriers. Not only that, how did Mother Teresa come to know the many different languages. She knew her native one, had to learn English and whatever language the Indian people spoke, and possibly other languages as well. How does one woman do it all?

Not to mention, she spent quite some time with the poor. She always seemed gentle, enduring, and followed God’s will. That takes a lot of guts and a lot of strength. When I did the research for my presentation on her, I didn’t really see much of her struggles as I read her journey of reaching out. It can’t have gone that smoothly. Yes God was with her, but everyone has times where they struggle through many things, whether big or small. But it could be we want to remember Mother Teresa for the good she did. I feel that it is necessary to know what she went through to in order to do those great things. That shows her strength, and the truth that all things worth fighting for aren’t easy. Nothing is easy.

Did she ever get their sickness? Were there more obstacles she had to face with the church? Were there times even the faithful Mother Teresa doubted God and gave into her fears? I also wonder what Mother Teresa’s family thought of her going to Ireland and being a nun. Did she keep in touch with them? Or vice versa? She probably never saw them since she left. But did they know all the things she did? Did they miss her? I wonder how important she was to her family, or how important she was to them? I’m guessing Mother Teresa, as a woman of faith, cared for her family. That would be another roadblock for people wanting to follow those kinds of paths. Not getting to see or hear from their loved ones. I personally couldn’t do that.

However many questions I have, there is no denying Mother Teresa reached out to many people, not just those of her church, convent, or the poor, but even those who’ve never met her, or don’t even live where she did. For someone to make that kind of change is remarkable and admirable. Though she may not seem to for most of those who know me, I look up to her and draw inspiration from her. I had heard about her, but little about her journey and what she did, hence why I chose to write about her!

All these other women my group talked about were also brave and extraordinary. They went through many obstacles and made many sacrifices for their faith and God’s calling for them. I admire them for that. I wish I had as much courage and strength to do the things they did. Sometimes they even took on the roles men would normally take. Most admire them because they feel that they can’t do it themselves. Yes, God wants us to serve, but there are different ways to do so. Whatever it is, we must face it, fully relying on God.

Personal Experience

In last weeks class it was very interesting to hear the different stories of the four women who participated in the panel discussion. They each had such a unique experience and life story from each other and it was cool to see how they participated in the church despite the constrictions of gender roles in churches. Hearing the stories of hardships that the women each had to go through in order to follow what their calling was made me question what it would have looked like if they had been a part of my home church. I remember growing up in my little hometown church and never really seeing a women preach except when we went to children's church or if the one women pastor was speaking at the town Christmas service. Looking back on this experience now I am very curious if it was just the situation or circumstances or that they were intentionally keeping women from being in pastoral roles. I have absolutely no idea which is was or why, but it has lead me to ask many questions of my church's denomination as a whole and has also begun a great discussion within my own family. My parents have been attending this church for twenty years now and are very involved so hearing their perspective is also really interesting and eye opening. I enjoyed this panel so much because it really stirred thinking in me about what my church experience was like growing up and what I wanted my future church to look like when I have a family of my own.

Amazing women, crazy implications

Tonight was amazing. I loved listening to the stories of women who overcame people and ideas and boundaries...but I'm still struggling. I am still struggling because I don't understand how to reconcile the fact that I like my doors opened for me and I like to be pampered sometimes. I am in not a "needy" or "high maintenance" person but chivalry is nice. So how does one support an egalitarian view of women in the church and not support an entirely egalitarian view of women in relationships. I don't think it works like that. Something has gotta give and I'm not sure what...

Beyond just the women in church issue, there was a lot of wisdom I absorbed by simply listening to those women talk. Jamie said something interesting. she said, "It takes a little bit of time to learn to use your voice." I can relate to that completely. I'm actually at the stage right now and I feel like hearing someone else relate to that journey of finding voice in their spiritual journey and vocationally calling was refreshing and, quite simply, needed.

Historical Women

Last Thursday evening the five of us sat in a circle in front of the Coffin fireplace and shared the incredible stories of historical, amazing Christian women. I think what we need to ask ourselves as we absorb the stories of these women is "What can we learn?" Each story is unique and certainly has it's own lesson to share, but I think there is one underlying, incredible thing we can take from all of them and that is that they lived their lives as reflections of God's crazy redemption story. I talked about Corrie ten Boom and read the excerpt from The Hiding Place where she recounts a meeting she had with one of the former SS officers from the concentration camp she was at. Instead of allowing herself to feel hate, she forgives the man and her comment is that, "There is not pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still." That is an amazing testament not only to her life, but to God's story molding, guiding, and defining the life of an ordinary woman in incredible ways. Megan, Brady, Kim, and Sophia had similar stories to share and I enjoyed sitting, listening, and learning lessons from women much wiser than myself.

Dangerous LIving

This week was very interesting learning about women who have some kind of history within the church. Many of the women presented had hardships because of different things but prevailed and still made an impact on many lives even to this day despite all their struggles. Every person in our group did a great job of researching and finding information that was interesting about their specific person. I really enjoyed hearing the stories of the women who have gone before us in difficult times and made an example for us to follow. I left our meeting inspired and thankful. Inspired because these women were living in hard times and still made an impact. Also, knowing that other people, women especially, have made a difference in many people's lives makes me realize that my life does count, and that I can make a difference too. I was thankful after learning about their conditions of laws, cultures, and families that my situation is so much easier than theirs. Now days it is so much easier to be a christian and a women than it was during the lives of these women. It is still a struggle to live for Christ no matter what year you are in but we have the help of strong Christ-centered communities to grow in then to leave and impact the world outside of those communities. But it is so much easier knowing that you have a strong group of people at home to go back to that are praying you through all your hard situations and that want to see you succeed. Many of the women we learned about didn't have support systems like these and I feel so blessed to have one to push me forward to live my life in a dangerous way that will impact many lives.

Hum de Dum

Not to be Debby-Downer (or Peter-Pouter), but I write this blog with not as much as excitement as I have had in past blogs. I don't mean to imply that the subject matter is boring (how could I say reading the Bible and talking about women is boring, the only thing missing from the perfect combination is basketball. Oh, also peachwave) but I'm ready to discuss how to apply what we have learned to real life situations. I'm pretty convinced in one thing, that is God made Creation. God made it well and loving, loving back to God and loving to each other. God's Creation is this perfect combination of not needing any relationship, yet we aren't able to live without relationship. With that said, I fully believe God Created man and woman to compliment each other, not dominate over one another. Some things in this class have blown my mind, but everything has reinforced my beliefs. I'm ready to move those beliefs into action.
Women in the Church is too broad of question. The Church consists of a lot. For example, women in marriage? Women in teaching? Women in leading? Women in speaking? Women and responsibilities? Women and children? Women and work? I'm ready to take the Book and give it legs, arms, hands and a nose. Yes, a nose.

Where is the answer?

Upon leaving class this week I was filled with more questions, not the usual questions of what makes people believe egalitarianism but about what should I believe. This class has began a big line of questioning for me and what my beliefs are. There has never been a question about women in the church growing up and to suddenly be thrown this huge question it is so overwhelming but great at the same time. I love that through this questioning I can become closer to God and learn so much by researching into what the Bible is truly saying in some passages and looking at different perspectives than those of what I have grown up with. It brings in some doubt which I believe doubt is healthy it makes you look at what you are actually believing and doesn't let you sit in one position without knowing why you are staying with what you are believing. So, after class this week my main question that has been frustrating me to think about is how can we really know which side is pulling true facts from the Bible. There are many translations of the Bible than when each person reads it they gather their own perspective of what they think it is saying to them. So it puzzles me to try to understand what I am supposed to believe or how I can fully commit to either without having done the research myself which is not possible since I don't know Greek. This leaves me still questioning and the only answer that I can come up with is that there is no right answer. Who really know the heart of God and what he is trying to say through the scriptures? No one does! This includes me, and I am finding out as we progress through this class that I will never truly know everything there is to about our amazing creator but the important thing is to never stop trying to understand more. We are supposed to keep on the race and run towards God and try to know Him better everyday. So my answer to my question is to just keep diving in and questioning knowing that I may never find the answer that is 100% correct but understanding that it is okay as long as I continue to push forward towards the answer.

Authority Vs. Origin

At the beginning of this weeks class session I felt tense about the passage we were discussing. Typically I do not like to change how I think about something after I have already become confident in what I believe, but I was able to stretch myself and embrace different perspectives. Specifically I thought a lot about how we discussed the difference between authority and origin. In the passage we read it talked about the husband having authority over the wife just as God has authority over Christ and Christ has authority over the church. Sarah explained that this passage could also be understood in terms of origin. The husband is the origin of the wife just as God is the origin of Christ and Christ is the origin of the church. There is a significant difference betweens these two views on this passage. Neither will dramatically change your life or relationship with God but the distinction can change your theology. Where someone finds himself or herself on this issue is not as important as staying consistent with your beliefs. Whether you find yourself aligning with the authority theology over origin, your choice becomes a commitment to remain consistent throughout the rest of your study in the Bible.