Discussion Questions

Christy described herself as a “recovering feminist” because certain passages (like 1 Peter and 1 Timothy) felt “unfair” and “ridiculous” as a teenager—what specific assumptions about God’s goodness and wisdom were underneath that reaction, and what had to change in her view of God for those same texts to become “fuller” and “more beautiful” rather than limiting? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Christy thought some Bible passages were “unfair” as a teen, what was she assuming about God (his goodness and wisdom)? What changed in how she saw God so those same passages later felt “beautiful” instead of restrictive?

Christy warned that churches can “see women’s roles as narrower than they actually are” or even “release women of responsibility” for spiritual growth—where have you seen either of those distortions show up in real church life, and what would it look like to correct them without rejecting “biblical submission and the ordering of the genders”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen churches either shrink women’s roles too much or treat women like they don’t need to grow spiritually? How could a church fix that without throwing out biblical submission and the different roles of men and women?

Christy insisted that a woman’s primary identity in the kingdom is not “wife,” “mother,” or even “woman,” but “disciple,” and she appealed to Galatians 3—how would early Christians have heard “neither male nor female… you are all one in Christ,” and what modern identity-habits (family role, personality type, career, politics) compete most with “disciple” as your functional core? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do you think early Christians understood “neither male nor female… you are all one in Christ” (Galatians 3)? What parts of your identity (family role, job, politics, personality) most compete with “disciple” being your main identity?

Christy said starting with “prohibitions” led her to fear and paralysis, focusing on what she couldn’t do—what specific forms of paralysis does that produce in women (and maybe in men) today, and how would church culture change if we trained people to start with “prescriptions for all disciples” instead? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kind of fear or “stuckness” happens when people focus on what they’re not allowed to do? How might church culture change if we started with what all disciples are called to do instead?

Christy made an uncomfortable claim: “second only to Christ himself, you are the most important ingredient in your discipleship,” and “your growth is not primarily the church’s responsibility… it’s yours”—how does that challenge common evangelical instincts about outsourcing growth to pastors/programs or leaning on “covering,” and what concrete responsibilities are you tempted to avoid by calling them someone else’s job? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does it challenge you to hear, “Your spiritual growth is mainly your responsibility”? What parts of growing do you tend to hand off to pastors, programs, or other people instead of doing yourself?

When Christy unpacked identity terms—ambassadors of reconciliation, fellow workers with God, priests/temple, members of God’s household—what do these reveal about God’s intention for ordinary believers (not just leaders), and which identity is hardest for you to actually believe is true about you when you look at your weekly life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do these titles (ambassador, fellow worker with God, priest/temple, member of God’s household) say about what God wants for regular believers, not just leaders? Which one is hardest for you to believe fits your real life week to week?

Christy emphasized that the gospel announcement and celebration came first to women (Mary/Elizabeth), and that women were first witnesses/evangelists of the resurrection—how does that storyline confront modern assumptions that public gospel proclamation is mainly “for the men,” and what might early church expectations have been for women’s voices because of this pattern? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does it change things that women first received and shared the news of Jesus’ birth and resurrection? What does that say to the idea that speaking about the gospel in public is mostly “for men”?

Christy highlighted women as models that rebuked men’s unbelief or misjudgment (the woman with the issue of blood interrupting Jairus’s story; the alabaster flask rebuking the disciples)—what does God seem to delight in communicating through these narrative “interruptions,” and where might God be confronting your church’s reflexes about whose faith and discernment should be taken seriously? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why do you think God highlights stories where a woman’s faith “interrupts” and corrects others’ unbelief? Where might God be challenging your church about whose faith and judgment get taken seriously?

In Luke 8:1–3 Christy said she once imagined Jesus traveling mostly with “the 12,” but then noticed the named women who “provided for him from their substance”—what does this imply about the early Christian assumption of shared sacrifice and shared mission between brothers and sisters, and what would have to change in finances, schedules, and risk tolerance for your church to resemble that? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it show that women traveled with Jesus and supported the mission with their own resources (Luke 8:1–3)? What would need to change in your church’s money, schedules, and willingness to take risks to live like that?

Christy argued women are “teachers and leaders” even though not bishops/elders, defining leadership as “initiative and responsibility,” and she said, “You don’t need permission… to take responsibility for the flourishing of your spiritual family”—where does that statement confront your comfort with passivity or needing official approval, and what is one specific initiative (discipleship, hospitality, evangelism, peacemaking, care for the poor, training youth) that you could begin in the next month that would require real courage and sacrifice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where does “you don’t need permission to take responsibility for your spiritual family” challenge your tendency to stay passive? What is one specific thing you could start in the next month that would take real courage and cost you something?