Hello my friends,

In today's newsletter, I wanted to respond to the deeply disturbing rhetoric that was said by several pastors here in Idaho during a CNN interview. Rhetoric that was especially disturbing regarding women, women leaders, and women's rights. My hope is that you will find my responses meaningful and helpful in your own conversations with others on this topic.

Housekeeping: Rebecca is due on the 19th to have our third child, a little boy! I wanted to let you know not only so you could be praying for us, especially for Rebecca and our baby, but to also let you know in case you happen to not get a newsletter next week, you'll know why! haha. Thank you all so much for your continued encouragement and support. I am truly grateful.

Recommended Resources:

​-This Evangelical Pastor Wants to Replace Women’s Right to Vote, by David French. NY Times columnist David French also responded to this same topic I'm writing about today and shares some very important thoughts.

​-Pete Hegseth and His ‘Battle Cry’ for a New Christian Crusade This article details the particular kind of extremist Christian theology that is ascribed to by the current secretary of defense.

​-She Leads: God's Intent for Women in the Church, by Robbie Cansler My friend and college Robbie Cansler has written a wonderful book on God's Intent for women in the church. If this is a topic of interest to you, I highly recommend checking it out.

​-Women Rising: Learning to Listen, Reclaiming Our Voice by Meghan Tschanz Another good friend of mine has written a wonderful book about reclaiming the need to listen, learn, and raise the voice of women, both within and outside the church. A great read if you haven't already.

​-Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation By Kristin Kobes Du Mez. I can't really talk about this topic without recommending what has quickly become a must read book. In this New York Times best seller, Du Mez outlines the history of the kind of Christianity and its bent towards patriarchy that we are discussing today. If you haven't yet read this book, I highly recommend you do.

​-Onward Christian Soldiers, by Extremely American Podcast. My friend Heath Druzin has created this award winning podcast. His second season focuses entirely on Doug Wilson and the movement he has created here in Idaho, which now has national reach. I highly recommend listening to his stellar investigative journalism on this topic.

​-The Junia Project If you are looking for a great resource that can provide so many resources and answers to your questions about women in the Bible, church history, and the theological debates on those topic, I can't recommend the Junia Project enough. They have so many scholarly articles and resources that provide great clarity and wisdom.

​-A Christian Defense For The Separation of Church and State. Here is a recent article I wrote on the need for the separation of church and state from a Christian perspective.

Lastly, I have recently written a 30 day devotional in the hopes to provide a resource of hope, encouragement, and equipping for followers of Jesus in the days we are currently living through together. You can read more about this devotional below.

$20.00 Following Jesus In A World Obsessed With Empires: 30 Days of reclaiming the hope, compassion, and justice of Jesus. Today, our world can often feel overwhelmed by darkness, division, and despair. I created this 30-day devotional to... Read more Get it now!

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Nationalism and Patriarchy Go Hand In Hand.

Before you read on, please watch this CNN interview with Doug Wilson if you haven't yet. He is a self-described Christian nationalist here in Idaho.

The fact that this ideology is becoming mainstream, and that the sitting Secretary of Defense is promoting it by posting it on his professional social media page, should be unsettling to every American and every Christian.

Figures like these men claim to know what is best for all Americans, all Christians, and all people. I believe we must make it clear that they do not speak for all of us and that they do not have the right to impose their beliefs upon us. Especially using Jesus' name to do so.

I believe that white, straight, Christian, male pastors (like myself) need to be the loudest voices opposing this ideology. Why? Because white, straight, Christian, male pastors are at the top of the hierarchy in this movement. We are seen as having the highest authority in all sectors of society by this movement.

Therefore, white, straight, Christian, male pastors have the greatest responsibility to make it clear that this is not what we stand for.

As a pastor and lifelong Idahoan, I have opposed this ideology for decades as it has been allowed to shape Idaho’s culture and policies, and as I have watched it gain momentum on a national scale. The most troubling thing to me in this work is how silent many of my male colleagues have been as it happens.

It is one thing for men like this to advocate such an ideology. It is another thing entirely for it to go unchallenged, especially by those who benefit the most from it.

That is simply not what Jesus would do.

So, in light of this conviction, I want to write a Christian defense of women's rights, leadership, and equality as well as an brief opposition to Christian nationalism. These two things go hand in hand, as you can clearly see in the rhetoric of those who advocate these beliefs the loudest.

I write this not only as an encouragement to you, but in hopes that it may help equip you for your conversations about these things with others.

A Christian Defense of Women's Rights, Leadership, and Equality.

I am a Christian in the Wesleyan tradition, which has been ordaining women since its inception, long before women had the right to vote in the United States. Christians in the Wesleyan tradition have a presence in every region of the world and have been on the front lines against the subjugation of women, championing women’s rights, autonomy, equality, and leadership. It is central to who we are. We do this because of the Bible and church history, not in spite of them.

The biblical witness affirms the full dignity, equality, and giftedness of women. From the creation narratives to the ministry of the early church, Scripture reveals God’s intent for men and women to share equally in the stewardship of creation and in the mission of God’s people.

Genesis 1:27 declares, “God created humankind in his image… male and female he created them.” This is the first and primary identity marker, not role, not hierarchy, but shared divine image. The Hebrew word we often translate as “rib” in the creation account is tsela, which can also mean “side” or “flank.” Given the ancient context, it is more accurate to see humanity created as one being, genderless or with all genders, which is “like God.”

God then chooses to divide humanity into male and female for the sake of relationship, not to make women as a kine of leftover part from men. Genesis 1:28 gives both men and women the same commission to be good stewards over creation, without any hint of subordination.

Genesis 3 then describes the tragic consequences of “the fall,” which include patriarchy. Women being subservient to men is a sign of the fall, not original creation. Christ’s redemption reverses these distortions. As Galatians 3:28 explicitly declares, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus consistently defied cultural norms to affirm women, teaching them directly (Luke 10:38–42), receiving their public witness (John 4:39), defending their dignity (John 8:1–11), and entrusting them with the first proclamation of the resurrection (Matthew 28:1–10; John 20:17–18).

The New Testament names women as deacons (Phoebe, Romans 16:1), apostles (Junia, Romans 16:7), prophets (Acts 21:9), church planters (Priscilla, Acts 18:26), and house-church leaders (Lydia, Acts 16:15).

In short, biblical authority affirms that women are fully called and empowered for leadership in God’s mission.

Church History

Throughout church history, women have played leadership roles, even when their contributions were suppressed or erased. Archaeological and textual evidence from the first several centuries shows women serving as leaders, teachers, and missionaries. Inscriptions from the Roman catacombs refer to women as presbytera (female elders) and episcopa (female bishops).

In the medieval period, women like Hildegard of Bingen, Clare of Assisi, and Catherine of Siena exercised theological influence, prophetic critique, and political counsel to popes and kings.

During the Reformation, women such as Argula von Grumbach, Katharina Zell, and Marie Dentière were outspoken reformers, writers, and preachers.

In more recent history, leaders like Sojourner Truth, Phoebe Palmer, and Jarena Lee challenged both racial and gender oppression through preaching, activism, and theological innovation.

The historical record is clear: the church has always had women in leadership when it has been faithful to the Spirit’s gifts.

Women's Rights

Denying women equal rights, whether in society or in the church, is both a moral and a civic injustice.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), influenced heavily by Christian thinkers, affirms that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” (Article 1) and that these rights “shall be enjoyed by all without distinction of any kind, such as race, sex…” (Article 2).

Around the world and in the U.S., women’s rights, including voting, reproductive healthcare, and workplace equality, are under threat from movements rooted in patriarchal and authoritarian ideologies. These restrictions often draw on a distorted theology that treats women as inherently subordinate, as we can see.

When the church models equality in leadership, it strengthens democracy and human rights. When the church perpetuates inequality, it lends theological cover to political and social systems that restrict freedoms.

In doing so, it perpetuates the consequences of the fall rather than the teachings of Jesus.

Misused Texts

Certain biblical texts (for example, 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34–35) have been used to restrict women’s roles. However, in context, these are situational instructions addressing local disruptions or false teaching, not universal, timeless bans. Even the same letters that contain these verses also affirm women as co-workers in ministry. A consistent biblical hermeneutic must weigh these against the overwhelming scriptural witness to women’s leadership.

Globally, women’s exclusion from leadership correlates with higher rates of poverty, violence, and systemic injustice. In the U.S., this resurgence of Christian nationalism often includes efforts to roll back women’s political rights, including the right to vote, access to education, access to healthcare, and the ability to hold public office.

When Christians restrict women’s gifts, they actively silence half the Body of Christ, crippling its fullness, mission, and credibility.

Women’s full participation in leadership, in the church, in society, and in every sphere, is not a concession to modernity but a return to the biblical vision of creation and redemption. For Christians to deny women’s rights is to resist the work of the Spirit, betray the witness of Scripture, and partner with political movements that diminish human dignity.

Furthermore, to deny someone’s freedoms and rights based solely on their gender, especially when such repression is driven by the ideology of a particular religious sect, is deeply unconstitutional and should be offensive to every American.

Christian Nationalism is Neither Christian or American.

Christian Nationalism is a political ideology, not a theological conviction. It wraps itself in Christian language, but consistently contradicts not only the very teachings of Christ but its own conventions. Its fruit is not faithfulness, but hypocrisy. Here are just a few examples:

-It claims to be the strongest while playing the perpetual victim.

Christian Nationalists often posture as powerful defenders of the faith, portraying themselves as the last hope for a crumbling civilization. Yet at the same time, they insist that Christianity is under constant attack, from schools, the media, immigrants, or “the left.” This paradox, declaring dominance while playing the victim, serves a political purpose: it justifies aggression as defense, and claims of persecution become a shield against accountability.

-It opposes government control while weaponizing the government to control others.

Christian Nationalists rail against “big government,” until they can use its power to enforce their religious or moral views. Whether it’s pushing for state-sanctioned prayer in schools, posting the Ten Commandments in public places, requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools, restricting reproductive healthcare, rolling back women’s rights, repealing the 19th Amendment, censoring books, or curtailing LGBTQ+ rights, the ideology relies on state coercion. It’s not about freedom from tyranny; it’s about securing the freedom to impose their own tyranny.

-It claims to speak on behalf of all Christianity, but really only speaks for itself.

There are numerous different Christian sects within our country alone, let alone within the entire world. Each Christian sect has their own unique theology and interpretations of the Bible. What Christian nationalists advocate is a neo-evangelical Christianity, which is largely white, very patriarchal, and advocates a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible. This theological view immediately excludes a majority of other Christian sects from its definition of “true Christianity.” Catholics, Anabaptists, Wesleyans, Mainline Protestants, and any other Christian who doesn’t hold to Christian nationalist beliefs would be just as excluded and suppressed as any other belief system when the government favors its mandate.

-It claims to value truth while elevating loyalty over integrity.

In Christian Nationalist circles, truth often takes a back seat to allegiance. We’ve seen it repeatedly: lies about elections, denial of clear evidence (e.g., January 6, COVID-19), and unwavering support for political figures who bear no resemblance to Christ, so long as they promise to “protect Christianity.” This loyalty culture undermines truth, journalism, education, and even basic moral reasoning.

-It claims Christ as King while actually just taking his name in vain in order to worship wealth, nationalism, and political power.

Christian Nationalism speaks the name of Jesus but mimics the values of empire: power, dominance, profit, and exclusion. It bears more resemblance to Rome than the kingdom of God. Jesus was clear, His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and the Beatitudes bless the poor, the meek, and the merciful, not the rich, aggressive, or self-righteous. Christian

Christian Nationalism betrays Christ by making Caesar and the empire the messiah.

Christian Nationalism accepts the temptation from Satan that Jesus rejected in the wilderness, to have power over earthly kingdoms.

At its core, Christian Nationalism is not Christianity, it’s idolatry dressed in religious language. It uses the cross as a political symbol while denying its sacrificial love. It confuses dominance with discipleship and it harms both church and society by replacing the gospel with a counterfeit religion rooted in fear, arrogance, control, and supremacy.

Christian nationalism and patriarchy go hand in hand because they are both ideologies fundamentally rooted in dominion, power, and control. The gospel of Jesus is rooted in liberation and salvation. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

So opposing Christian Nationalism and the patriarchy that comes with it is not just about disagreeing politically, it’s about guarding the integrity of the faith. Because just as we’ve seen all throughout history, whenever Christianity is reduced to a tool of power and subjugation, it always abandons Jesus and loses its soul.

May we all oppose this ideology and make it clear that it does not speak for us.