Chester Oberg

Sacramentarian / Homilist / “Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda”

[Chester Oberg @ChesterOberg]

The decision made at the SBC conference against churches with female clergy is anti-catholic and should be heart breaking to the Christian Church, Evangelicalism has to recognize the influence female clergy has had to the Great Tradition.

[Beth Moore @BethMooreLPM]

Those in the SBC who think I no longer should have anything to say about the SBC profoundly underestimate the power of love. I’d served southern Baptist women for 40 years by the time I left. And when I left, I left directly on their behalf because it became disturbingly clear to me that the SBC as an entity was more interested in protecting shepherds than the sheep entrusted to their care. When protecting the pulpit from women becomes a far greater priority than protecting women (& children) from an abusive pulpit, something is wrong. Which has been the greater problem: women trying to become your senior pastors or pastors misusing or abusing women?

My biggest concern is that what happened with the CRT witch-hunt will happen now in regard to women. The overreach resulted in numerous pastors, teachers and professors dropping the immensely important biblical teachings against racism rather than risk being accused of CRT. I heard from pastors at that time who preached against racism and already had emails Monday morning from people in their congregation accusing them of CRT. Because the difference wasn’t clarified, they lumped all of it into the one category. The aim became: shut every mouth to shut some mouths.

I pled for SBC seminary presidents and leaders to please clarify to pastors and teachers and, thereby, to congregations & students what qualified as CRT and what indeed was the proper and deeply rooted and needed biblical approach to anti-gospel racism.

Crickets.

I see the same potential here. I have never once fought for SBC women to take over church pulpits. I have esteemed and supported the role of male senior pastors. My own pastors would tell you that. If you think I was in the SBC trying to lead a revolution against men, you are clearly not familiar with my materials. What I believed then and believe now is that God has called both men and women to serve their churches and communities and proclaim the gospel. He has poured out his Holy Spirit on men AND on women, calling them to broadcast the good news.

You have beaten the drum loudly about what women in SBC churches cannot do. So, what CAN they do? Clarity here is essential. What is a woman to do who has been gifted BY GOD to teach the Bible, especially if her church has moved to the community group model and there is no Sunday school to teach?

Here is what I see on the horizon. If you leave these matters involving women so vague that it becomes about pastoral roles/actions rather than the title of pastor, it will shift to the subjective rather than objective. I wish I was naïve enough to think that wasn’t the point to some of these leaders but, sadly, I’m not.

What if that senior pastor doesn’t allow a woman on the prayer team to pray over people at the end of the service because he deems she is acting pastorally? What if the pastor sees that a woman’s Sunday school class of WOMEN is getting, in his estimation, a little too big? Can he just decide she acting pastorally and remove her from the role? Can she counsel people with her God-given wisdom and knowledge or would she be acting pastorally? The examples could go on and on. And, of course, I realize many would not use their positions to disesteem women but surely you and I both know countless others would. God only knows how many unqualified, unloving, mean-spirited men are in pastoral positions but the obsession remains the women.

I have no desire to see SBC women leave the denomination. I loved and flourished in that denomination. I want them to be able to flourish in their spiritual gifts. I want them to be esteemed in their serving inside and outside their homes. I want them to be able to serve Jesus and proclaim his glorious gospel.

I know I’m going to get hit here. That’s fine. But you should know I will fight for them to the death. Because I love them. And, yes, whether they love me or not.

[Chester Oberg @ChesterOberg]

I just wrote my first note on Substack https://t.co/PA6qSy5Yjd

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

Christ is risen from the dead, and with him, we too rise to new life! This Easter proclamation embraces the mystery of our lives and the destiny of history, reaching us even in the depths of death. #Easter

[Esau McCaulley @esaumccaulley]

If none of this has crossed a line. There was never a line.

[Shane Claiborne @ShaneClaiborne]

Anyone who thinks it is extreme to call “Christian” nationalism a theological heresy and a perversion of the Christian faith... please watch this video of the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6.

[Chester Oberg @ChesterOberg]

@MikeCosper have you watched the new Knives Out movie Wake Up Dead Man. I think they made a reference to you and The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill!

[Christianity Today @CTmagazine]

The Christianity Today Board of Directors has unanimously elected Dr. Nicole Massie Martin as its next President and CEO.

Read more: https://t.co/Pdm56cA8Xf

[Holy Post Media @HolyPost_Media]

The Christian tradition is strong & flexible enough to extend empathy to all who need it. The social or political issues connected to those needs may code Right or code Left, but we should feel empowered to transcend those labels as Christians. @esaumccaulley on 🎙️The Esau McCaulley Podcast

[Chester Oberg @ChesterOberg]

So you know Nazis are still evil.

[Chester Oberg @ChesterOberg]

@lurker788228216 @MikeCosper The New Testament is a work of almost exclusively Jews

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

In the #GospelOfToday (Lk 18:9-14), Jesus gives us a powerful message: it is not by flaunting our merits that we are saved, nor by hiding our mistakes, but by presenting ourselves honestly, just as we are, before God, ourselves and others, asking for forgiveness and entrusting ourselves to the Lord’s grace.

[James Martin, SJ @JamesMartinSJ]

Pope Leo XIV: "The supreme rule in the Church is love. No one is called to dominate; all are called to serve. No one should impose his or her own ideas; we must all listen to one another. No one is excluded; we are all called to participate. No one possesses the whole truth; we must all humbly seek it and seek it together."

"[W]e must dream of and build a more humble Church; a Church that does not stand upright like the Pharisee, triumphant and inflated with pride, but bends down to wash the feet of humanity; a Church that does not judge as the Pharisee does the tax collector, but becomes a welcoming place for all; a Church that does not close in on itself, but remains attentive to God so that it can similarly listen to everyone. Let us commit ourselves to building a Church that is entirely synodal, ministerial and attracted to Christ and therefore committed to serving the world."

Read his whole homily here: https://t.co/mRknMRtSbI

[Chester Oberg @ChesterOberg]

https://t.co/qy4IXkfLzm

A beautiful Eucharistic homily from Augustine.

[Phil Vischer @philvischer]

Well, THIS happened on Jeapordy today…

[Holy Post Media @HolyPost_Media]

Empathy is not toxic. It's what leads us to see the humanity in others & advocate on behalf of their dignity.

"This idea that seeing things from the perspective of the oppressed is going to lead you always to moral  danger instead of moral  insight to me runs counter to the history of the Black Church and counter to what we see in the Bible." @esaumccaulley 🎙️The Esau McCaulley Podcast

#toxicempathy

[Phil Vischer @philvischer]

An entire apt building smashed up by fed agents in the middle of the night. US citizens zip-tied and dragged from their apts, left tied up for hours until their citizenship could be proven. Kids dragged outside w/o clothes.
This is America?
https://t.co/p0fRsJrHxa

[Chester Oberg @ChesterOberg]

@philvischer is it true that Bob and Larry are unable to receive salvation?

[Holy Post Media @HolyPost_Media]

When we put partisan loyalty before our principles, we find ourselves excusing the very thing we demonized the other side for when our side starts to do it.

@skye.jethani on today's episode of 🎙️The SkyePod, where we discuss Both-Sideism: why pointing out problems on both sides isn’t simple equivocation or conflict-avoidance, but a responsibility, and even a way to avoid idolatry. Join the conversation at the link in bio or on YouTube.