You are wolves in sheeps clothing for some but to me you are just plain wolves, bringing in and promoting wrong doctrine within the ecclesia to satisfy the flesh and its desires!! God's word can not be modernized to satisfy fleshly needs, and keep with the ever changing times of this world! liberty, equality, fraternity is not bible teaching! A sisters role is vast and great, as the bible teaches!! As a Christadelphian sister I find this site to be offensive and altogether heartbreaking to hear how much the ways of the world are creeping in to the ecclesia and then attempting to use scripture to back up worldly thinking! God can not be modernized he is always the same!! You are doing such a great disservice to the Christadelphian body and I am so sorry for you and I pray that this type of thinking does not spread any farther!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear sister

Thank you for your prompter to review the ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ passage of scripture, Matthew 7. It is a very good chapter and my reading and meditating upon Jesus’ instructions have certainly helped me today. I have included the following points from that chapter for your interest:

• How I judge others is how I will be judged.
• As I measure it out to others it will be measured out to me.
• Do not concern myself with the speck that is in the eye of someone else, but concentrate on ensuring my own vision is clear.
• Do not throw what is precious in my life before those who will trample it down because they could destroy me.
• Ask, seek and knock because my Father wants to give me heavenly blessings.
• Treat others as I want to be treated because this sums up God’s laws and instructions.
• Many will not find the path which leads to life.
• Be aware of those who appear gentle but are ferocious in their treatment of others.
• You will know who these people are because their actions and words will reveal it.
• Those who do not bear fruit (do not love) will be cut down and cast away.
• Knowing Jesus means bearing his fruit. Many will think they know him, but will not be received by him.
• I need to be built on a firm foundation of Jesus (my cornerstone and vine which enables me to bear fruit) or I will be washed away in the storm.
• It is Jesus who speaks with authority so I should listen to his instructions for what is important concerning my God.

The wrong doctrine you mention, according to the context of the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” chapter relates to those who do not bear fruit for their fellow. The first and foremost fruit of the Spirit is love. Jesus taught us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbour as ourselves as the greatest commands. This instruction of God is never changing. "God is love" is timeless. This is the ultimate doctrine and practice rolled into one. If I have knowledge about all kinds of things but without love then I am nothing (1 Cor 13:3).

If the website which I sponsor does not lovingly treat others then I accept that it needs adjustment. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant (1 Cor 13:4) and as I take those words seriously, I will do my best to respond to your message according to those directives.

I recognize that I need to be patient with others in their understanding. Others have been patient with me in my learning and for that I am thankful. I accept that, for some, the scriptural views presented on our website are hugely challenging. They confront our traditional paradigm and can give rise to anxiety and stress. Some like yourself also see this as a result of what is going on around us in the world. But contrary to that belief, the views put forward on this site are built on the directive of treating others as we want to be treated (Matt 7:12); without division in the body (1 Cor 12:25); and submitting one to another in reverence of Christ (Eph 5:21). This is a foundation of love - Godly values, not worldly ones!

We all need to be careful about wanting to be different for the sake of it. Whilst some like yourself may consider that the words liberty, equality and fraternity are of ‘the world’ and not scripture, we have verses which should lead us to be very cautious lest we seem not to be taking the Bible seriously:

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Without going into any detail about these quotes, we should accept that there is at least some liberty when we are in Christ, we should accept that there is at least some equality in Christ and we should accept that there is some fraternity, when ‘frater’ is the Latin word for brother.

In kindness, I pray for the calming influence of Jesus to help you in your life as I pray for the same thing for myself. We all need Jesus to help us face challenging and difficult circumstances.

I hope, in time, you will no longer see this site as offensive but an important educational resource to help followers of Jesus discover a better way to live; founded on love.

Your sister in Christ
Janine Hennig

Dear Sister. Let's start with fraternity. If the bible does not teach fraternity, then in what sense or for what reason do we call each "brother and sister"? Why do we call God our Father and why does Jesus say of those who do his will... "these are my brothers and my sisters" (among other titles)?

If liberty from the sentence of death is not a part of the Gospel, then why does Paul use the phrase so frequently? Why does the Bible say we have been set "'free", and given liberty from the law of sin and death? And why does the bible say for we have great liberty in the Gospel?

If there is no equality in the Gospel then Paul lies outright and Jesus deceives us when he says the Gospel is offered to all peoples without exception and without price. Paul, inspired by Jesus, betrays us all when he says in Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, Slave nor Free, Male nor Female for we are all one in Christ. If these words to not teach equal standing before God, equal access to salvation, equal service based on faith in Christ Jesus, then what did Paul mean by saying these things?

It is easy to make blanket statements to accuse people whom you do not know of modern thinking, but if you want any credibility for your position you must offer more than condemnation; you must defend these assertions biblically and I suggest you cannot. You must contradict what the whole of the Gospel wholeheartedly preaches: complete equality, profound liberty, and deep fraternity.

I had no idea that there are sisters who speak in ecclesias. I had always thought that was a essential Christadelphian belief. I don't read a lot of Christo magazines, but the ones I have had only articles by brothers so I thought that was another area that comes under the teaching and speaking that sisters are excluded from.

I am a sister who is content with my current role in the ecclesia.
I don't like people to assume that because I am a sister I am supporting the new teachings regarding women's roles.
I support only what God has set out in His Word.
After reading and stumbling across alot of articles centring on women speaking and reading and doing more within the ecclesia, I am going to look into this more, to try to find the answers.
I am deeply troubled that this is all heading down the wrong path. What if you are wrong?

thank you for this site...as a former bible student it has been impossible for me to join ANY church professing trinitarianism...my boyfriend is getting baptized as a catholic in april...how i long for community...i stumbled upon christadelphians through internet research...i was very excited...until i read the traditional roles of women in the church...so i kept looking and came upon this site...once again i am feeling hopeful...thank you again...with respect & in peace...S(f)

Dear Brothers and Sisters at Sistersspeak, I wrote this small sketch after thinking hard about the line "An intelligent wife is intelligent enough to never let her husband know how intelligent she is." Thank you for your work here. I hope many relationships will blossom because of the freedom you offer to people to relate on equal ground. Please feel free to use or ignore what I have written. With love in Christ, B.


O Brother who art thou? Hello friend, we play together, you like the trucks, I like the sand. You catch a crab and show it to me. We laugh at it waving it's claws helplessly. Then I tell you that I think the crab is hot and scared, so together we return it to a rock pool. You spot a tiny octopus and tell me about the venom it contains. It could kill me, you say, but you know how to keep me alive if it did bite me. I feel glad that you are my friend, you show me things, you listen to me and you can look after me. I feel safe with you. Time passes. Together we learn about a higher calling, a reason to be kind and good, and together we are inspired to be like Jesus. We respond to this calling and get baptised into the family of Christ. We encourage each other to be strong in our faith and examine our motives and convictions. We meet together to worship God and to remember the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made for us. While we do this we take bread and wine and pray together. Time passes. We marry each other. We sit together, reading the bible. You tell me that your last exhortation was not as good as your friend can do. I think making this comparison is a mistake. I observe an unhealthy anxiety in you and I want to share your burden. I know a passage in the bible that can help you. I want to teach you to compare yourself only to Jesus. I know that learning this will help you. I say I'd like to read Galatians together. You decline. You'd rather read Hebrews as it is the topic of your next study and you are feeling the strain already. You are my husband. We read Hebrews instead. What question will I ask you to help you learn? Or do I just lead by example? Time passes. You are bored and unstimulated. I have stopped forming opinions as I can't share them without teaching you. We both find other avenues of interest. You don't know me any more. Why did we marry? We were better as equals. Then we could both share our opinions. B (f) September 2009

Really impressed with the Sistersspeak website. Particularly love 52 minutes into the Q&A session [of The Other Side of the Story] - I gave her a spontaneous standing ovation and by the sounds of it, so did her audience! - 29/04/09

I just want to say thank you so much to all the brothers and sisters who have contributed to this site. What a refreshing resource that this community so desperately needs. I'm a young sister from XXXX, and I have been struggling with the role of women in the church for some time now. As a university student, I'm trained to think critically and I can't help but notice the constant contradictions in doctrine and practice. I've noticed that young people in general, and young women (from pre-teens to teens, to young adults) in particular are not getting the support they need on a lot of issues so pertinent in today's world… The biblical studies here are great, and I think it would be so beneficial for many young girls and women to consider different opinions and know there is support out there. - 24/04/09

I would like to say a HUGE thank you for TOSOTS [The Other Side of the Story]. The material presented was unlike anything I had ever heard before, and it opened up my mind to many new possibilities. Quite scary to think that a fundamental aspect of our church might not be what Jesus and our Father intended! It was an extremely thoughtful, sincere and well researched presentation from all of the speakers. I should also admit that I did not expect so much scripture to be quoted and to be the foundation, so that is to my chagrin. I'm not sure what the future will hold in our church re: women's roles, but I know that I'm blessed to have heard the "other side". - 08/04/09

I often watched with interest how a debate on women's roles in church centres on Greek and Hebrew text. For those of us who aren't linguistic scholars I often wonder what is actually being said. It's one thing for people to quote Greek or Hebrew in attempts to sway others on Bible teaching (history will show you can prove any argument taking this intellectual approach). It's quite another to simply step back and take a big picture logical assessment of Bible messages and themes in comparison to living the life of Christ in each of our societal contexts today.

I noted recently a comment posted on a website on the absurdity of the rule that says a woman cannot speak or teach (inside the church walls) while at the same time have female members who are "molecular biologists" teaching and speaking at a professional level, as an example. It astonishes me that there is an associated belief structure that says that theology and doctrine apply to what occurs within the walls of the church building but somehow don't apply at other times. Bearing in mind "other times" are likely to be the greater proportion of a believer's life, this approach tends to produce a Christian life of "orthodoxy" within the four walls but a vastly different set of lifestyle codes for the rest of the week.

How does this play out? It means brothers often encourage and endorse women exercising authority in their work place, are subordinate to them in the sense they report to women corporately, have no issue with wives, sisters or mothers exercising authority in day to day issues, and enjoy radio, TV and newspaper print regardless of the gender at the source of the media.

For sisters who believe they should be silent and not teach in church it means at other times (the greater proportion of their life) they teach (most teachers in the education system in the west are female including members from our own church community), many clearly exercise the greater proportion of authority and control in their households and extended families, and are vocal within their local communities speaking out against issues they believe are important. One simple question then. When does "church" start and finish? The answer for the believer described above is that their "Christ life" is only the few hours in church each week.

The other times are not Christ life and their church doctrines simply get turned off when they leave the building and "go out into the world". Forget the debate on roles of the sexes in church... there are far bigger issues at stake here... issues associated with a lack of understanding of what it means to follow Jesus in all your life (rather than just in "church"). Now back to the Greek and the Hebrew. - 03/12/08.

I have recently been told about your website, so I've been reading and continue to read through the articles… starting with the McHaffies' writings. I am very excited about it all, as it gels with what I've been thinking, and I found their articles very well reasoned. I am looking forward to reading some more…. I think it's great that you have contributions from both brothers & sisters on the website, as it gives it some balance in the eyes of those who want to think that it's only sisters being vocal and "rebellious". - 20/10/08

I want to quickly register my appreciation and support for this site. I really appreciate the thoughtful approach, the information provided, and the clear organization. At the same time, I feel a tightness in my chest as I realize that what is so obvious to me – Jesus' overturning of the "traditions of men" – is still an undiscovered teaching in Christadelphia…. Father, may this website be the beginning of a non-violent movement toward building the non-discriminatory community which Jesus showed us and pointed us toward…. This issue, I am coming to understand is not specifically about women, it is about people. Jesus' approach to all people, every individual was unequivocal; he simply made no distinction between human beings, males, females, prostitutes, heads of congregations, Roman authorities, tax-collectors – none. He approached every human as a human…. As one who endeavours to be a disciple of Jesus, I have come to the point where I can no longer accept distinguishing between individual humans…. So, I am coming to understand that my advocacy for equality is not about women per se, it is about my own practice as a disciple. To practice discrimination/distinction and preach non-distinction puts me in an untenable position before my master. 30/09/08

I can't tell you how encouraged I am to see this site… [having been] recently baptised. I have to say, one of my biggest objections to the religion has been its treatment of women members. I am looking forward to reading all the articles posted in detail as a basis for my own Biblical study of these issues…. I have had real trouble engaging with a religion that has such restrictions based on gender within its cultural norms….

I realize that faith is bigger than this, which is why I have decided to embrace this religion nonetheless. My relationship with Christ is larger than the restrictions I'm up against within the organized body. However, becoming a member has not diminished my serious concern and objections to the relegation of women to subjection and the sidelines. I was questioned even before my baptism, about my decision not to wear a head-covering, and I've had to start defending myself right away. I realize that there is a long way to go on these issues within this community, and everything must be argued Biblically; however, it has been extremely heartening to talk to other like-minded sisters and brothers and realize that not everyone in the community thinks this way. My discovery of this website has been the cherry on top.

I am absolutely encouraged to see that some members of the Christadelphian body are actively engaging with these issues and calling for their serious consideration. I applaud everyone who is involved in this project. You have encouraged and strengthened me. Thank you for your courage to speak out. - 19/09/08

This is a great looking website, I've printed off a few articles, I love the little abstracts introducing each article. It's an informative read, respectful and I'll recommend the site to others. It's so troubling that too often our community can't bear divergent opinions. I choose to cover my head for example, but welcome sisters making their own individual choice to do likewise or otherwise, as an opportunity to re-examine and re-connect with my own rationale and understandings. That's what diversity does for us. It doesn't necessarily corrupt, it strengthens. This practise is an offering, and I don't appreciate it being treated as a "rule" or an "edict". It removes the beauty. Anyway, very many sisters do it for reasons such as compliance and conformity. This hardly makes it more righteous. - 16/09/08

Hello, I am considered an outsider spouse. What are your thoughts on this phrasing and how do my chances look when it comes to being treated as an equal in 2008? I wonder what Christ is thinking as his men try to control their women. What is it they think we will say when given the chance? Are we only good for raising the boys to men, then we are to have a seat and shut up? Half of the integrity and moral stance of a child is due to the raising we have done and very much alone from what I have witnessed within some Christadelphian-run households. Anyhow, I will keep reading and pray for a resolution to be found that will have the men thinking this much needed renovation was solely their idea! Then we will see the ball rolling! - 14/08/08

I've been a little frustrated at times, wondering where God is leading me to. SistersSpeak is a real help to me through those times – reaffirming to me what I know is true, but can sometimes be led to doubt. I feel like Christadelphians' attitudes to women is such a major doctrinal issue upon which I differ, and I don't know where to take it…. I don't just want to hang on, hoping that one day things will change, yet meanwhile feeling that the exclusion of half of the group is fundamentally wrong! ... It's so true that once you're asked to do something, be it a reading/talk/whatever, it probably benefits you more than your audience! - 18/05/08