We were raised to be timid, most of us. In the tiny white churches speckling the countryside, we were taught to be cautious, to be courteous, to be kind and good and avoid even the appearance of evil. Being a good Christian looked like wearing clean, pressed clothes to Sunday School, like going to grandma’s […]
About Jenny Rae Armstrong
Hi there! I'm Jenny Rae Armstrong, an award-winning freelance writer, full-time ministry student, and mommy to four boisterous boys. I live on black coffee and lots of grace (oh, and my husband's incredible cooking)! I'm glad you stopped by--stay and chat a while!Author Archive | Jenny Rae Armstrong
Sexist Gender Roles or (Un)Common Courtesy? Why I Teach My Boys To Hold the Doors Open
Call me old-fashioned. But few things annoy me more than seeing an elderly couple or uncomfortable-looking pregnant woman standing in a crowded lobby while fresh-faced twenty-somethings slouch on the benches, fiddling with their iPhones. *visualize indignant mom-glare* Now, I’m hardly a stickler for manners. I don’t care if my kids put their elbows on the […]
Why Survivors, Not Politicians, Need to Guide Conversations About Rape
Yesterday, I wrote a post that talked around the horrible, outrageous, and really inexcusable things politicians have been saying about rape. And I’m not just talking about the conservative men who said the horrible, outrageous, inexcusable things. I’m also talking about the people who horribly, outrageously, and inexcusably used their opponents faux pas as a […]
Stop Saying Stupid Things: An Open Letter To Incorrigible Loudmouths, Myself Included.
Is it just me, or have instances of men running for public office saying outrageous things about women’s reproductive systems hit an all-time high? It’s possible I just never noticed it before. In my mid-thirties, I’ve lived through a blessedly limited number of election cycles. My aversion to television and talk radio has kept my […]
If You Don’t Love the Poor, CAN You Love Jesus?
How interesting that Jesus associates our response to “the least of these” with our response to him. In the past, I always thought it was a matter of obedience. People who really love Jesus take care of the down-and-outs, because it’s the right thing to do. The Christian thing to do. Because the Bible tells […]
Blowing Off the Least of These? Giving Autistic Kids the Resources they Need to Succeed
Last night, I saw a video of an 11-year-old autistic girl singing a duet with Katy Perry. As usual, I smiled as tears streamed down my face, feeling that bizarre mixture of trauma and joy, terror and heady hope, that I imagine is the secret companion of special needs moms everywhere. But last night, for […]
My Binder Full of Women…Writers
Who doesn’t love a good, harmless political faux pas? (Well, maybe not the person who committed it, but you know.) Romney’s “binder full of women” comment was classic, vaulted to internet fame by Twitter. Before you could say “open mouth, insert foot,” this Tumblr site had cropped up, featuring a distraught Ryan Gosling and incredulous […]
Creepy Old Men Are Stealing Pictures From Your Daughter’s Facebook Profile and Posting them on Reddit. Consider Yourself Warned.
Call me naive. But until last week, I had no idea just how creepy “reputable” sites like Reddit could be. Oh, I knew that pornographers used the internet to anonymously cater to all sorts of perverse fantasies. But I truly had no idea that creepy old men had been stealing pictures of scantily clad under-16 […]
Did God Create Gender Hierarchies? Or Are They the Result of Human Sin?
This is part of a series on biblical interpretation and egalitarian thought. The purpose is not to debate, but to promote understanding. Read previous entries here and here. What was God’s intention for human relationships when he created mankind, male and female, and told them to take dominion over the earth and creatures? (And yes, […]
Keeping Women in Their Place: Why Education Isn’t the Answer to Gender Inequality
Women’s rights and the gross consequences of gender inequality have come back into the spotlight this week. PBS aired “Half the Sky,” a documentary based on the book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. People in the Twin Ports got to see WuDunn speak at St. Scholastica. And yesterday, the media announced that the Taliban […]
How Awana Failed Me: Egalitarians and the Whole Counsel of the Word of God
This is part of a series on biblical interpretation and egalitarian thought. The purpose is not to debate, but to promote understanding. Read the introduction here. Like most Good Christian Girls, I learned a *lot* of Bible verses growing up. I was awarded with candy in Sunday school, tiny plastic crowns in Awana, and good […]
So, How DO Egalitarians Interpret the Bible? An Introduction
About a week ago, I posted a link to Adrian Warnock’s Complementarian-Egalitarian Spectrum. While I considered it a helpful resource, I wanted to elaborate on the issue of biblical interpretation, and promised a follow-up post. But the follow-up post was beginning to look more like follow-up book. There just wasn’t enough space to do justice […]
Talking the Talk Without Walking the Walk: What I Learned from Sheryl WuDunn’s Response to Sociology Snobs
Last night I saw Sheryl WuDunn, co-author of Half the Sky, speak at a local college. While it was fun to see one of my journalistic and humanitarian heroes in person, what I found really interesting were the questions people asked her during the Q&A following the presentation. Perhaps the college atmosphere played into it, […]
Where Were You, Guys? Why I’m Watching #HalfTheSky With My Husband and Teenage Son
I didn’t know whether to cheer or cry as I perused my Twitter feed last night. #HalfTheSky was everywhere, and for a couple hours, Twitter was a bit like a big tent revival, with the faithful recommitting themselves to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. But out of the 700+ writers, pastors, leaders, world […]
Half the Sky on PBS Tonight!
PBS will be airing a documentary based on Half the Sky: Turning Oppression to Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn tonight and tomorrow at 8 pm CST. I am SO excited that PBS is airing this! Be sure to tune in tonight and tomorrow!
Author, speaker, and mommy of four, living on coffee and lots of grace. Pastor at Darrow Road Wesleyan Church. Student at North Park Theological Seminary. Passionate about justice, mercy, and the "one anothers."
Check Out Jenny’s New Book!
- 50 Shades of Broken: Why Do Women Fantasize About Abuse?
- John Piper, Women in Combat, and How Gender Roles Fall Short of the Glory of Humankind
- How Much Money Does it Take to Be A Good Christian Woman?
- Faking It: Why You Should Stop Treating Your Husband Like a Toddler, and ACTUALLY Respect Him.
- Asking for a Friday FAVOR! What Do You Think Belongs In a Book About Mutual Marriages?
- I am never sure what to say…
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When you’re having a sleepless night of the soul
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Who do you hate? And is it right for you to be angry?
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Wives, Submission, and Slavery, Oh My! A Sermon on the Household Codes
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When you’re not good enough, and it’s okay.
- Comparing the Anointing Stories - Marg Mowczko: […] For a detailed analysis of the anointing...
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dan ohlerking: great thoughts. working on a message for our team ...
- Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany | Marg Mowczko: […] [9] Jenny Rae Armstrong has written a be...
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Teresa Castillo: I was so blessed to find this article. Only today ...
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Jeannie, RN: You really muddy the water when you add your unedu...
