One of the things I’ve noticed is that, of all the great sites listed in a lot of emerging blogrolls, very few of them are authored by women. As I mentioned in a previous post, of 179 bloggers listed at
http://emergingchurchblogs.info/, only 11 of them are women. While there certainly seem to be fewer gals blogging than men, I think part of the problem is that they’re just not as well known. So, seeing as how this blog reaches so many people, I thought I’d enlighten all eleven of you with a list of some of the many emerging bloggers I love who just happen to be women.
Dan McCredden (
http://www.signposts.org.au/) Thanks to the pseudo-anonymity of the blogosphere, her typically-male first name meant that most people assumed she was a man for over a year. Her
"coming out of the closet" post about being a woman in ministry stirred up a lot of discussion—153 comments and counting, some of which are quite shocking. I understand that women in ministry is a complex issue, and I’m perfectly able to listen to differing views, but I would hope we don’t have to resort to name calling. Her husband posts at signpost as well—yesterday’s
post about converting to the cult of Mac was written just for you, James K!
Rachelle Mee-Chapman (
http://www.monkfish-abbey.org/blog/) Okay, I know most people have already heard of Rachelle, but she’s worth the publicity. I admit I don’t always agree with her. But I really like smart people who disagree with me. And her thoughts on roadblocks for women in the emerging conversation, found
here and
here , are brilliant.
Lynne Taylor (
http://www.emergentkiwi.org.nz/lynne/) Many of you have probably heard of emergent kiwi Steve Taylor, but did you know his wife’s been rockin’ it for years too? Her posts are thoughtful, poetic, and above all honest—and she’s not afraid to stir up a little controversy. (For Easter this year she used a photo of an Abu Ghraib prisoner being tortured by an American soldier to represent the suffering of Jesus—click
here to find out why).
Maggi Dawn (
http://maggidawn.typepad.com/maggidawn/) I’ve heard some people say there isn’t enough theology in the emerging church. Those people need to meet Maggi Dawn. Her most recent posts include thoughts on Ecclesiastes, the Psalms, and the Ascension, as well as some
rather amusing thoughts about God calling the vestry and the chapel catching fire on Pentecost Sunday. And you’ve got to read this
hysterical poem called Da Vinci Code Dr. Seuss Style.
The Hard Soap Gals (
http://www.hardsoap.net/) Four young women contribute to this blog, and I honestly don’t even know how they know each other. They all come with different denominational backgrounds (from Baptist to Pentecostal to Catholic), and they all live in different parts of the world (from Oxford to Mississauga to Texas). Their different traditions, locations, and experiences are all reflected in their posts, making for very interesting reading. Where else can you find four different descriptions of celebrating Easter, including receiving communion at St. Paul’s Cathedral and thoughts on the humdrum of Holy Saturday? As for the title, here’s their explanation: “There has been a great deal of soft soap talked about God for the last hundred years. That is not what I am offering." -C.S. Lewis
There are so many more I could list, but I’ll have to restrain myself. For now, I hope you can all take some time to find out what these chicks of the church are up to.
"in the line of kings"