Don Johnson

I was taught patriarchy since I became a Christian, so that is how I interpreted all the verses, it seemed so obvious to me, especially as all those I respected taught it. Especially because it seems so obvious (once your mind has been taught to interpret some things in a patriarchical way) it just seems like others are playing games when they do not read some verses like the patriarchs do. And of course, evengelicals are warned about those who claim to be Christians in some sense, but really do not hold the Bible in high esteem and so do almost anything they want.

Because of this pervasive mindset, it took someone who I really respected for other reasons to even be able to suggest I should study the other side. I simply did not believe at first that there WAS a viable other side for Bible believers. So when I see my old attitude in others, it is easy to remind myself that I was once there myself and be gentle. Blasting me would never have worked, it took a work of the Spirit along with an understanding that the other side were not bogus from the get go.

When I finally did flip to egalitarianism, I was amazed at the courage of the ones that had gone before, lighting the way so I could follow. They were willing to suffer being falsely accused, in order to bring God’s light to others. They are role models for me and I admire them greatly.