Category: uncut hair for women | Spiritual Abuse Blogs

Giveaway: Women and Worship at Corinth

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. There is absolutely no cost to enter.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul’s Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians by Lucy Peppiatt. It costs $23.

This is a more academic version of Unveiling Paul’s Women: Making Sense of 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 by the author and covers additional issues.

“Making sense of Paul’s arguments in 1 Corinthians 11-14 regarding both the role of women in public worship and the value of tongues and prophecy for the unbeliever has long posed challenges for any lay reader or scholar. Despite numerous explanations offered over the years, these passages remain marked by inconsistencies, contradictions, and puzzles. Lucy Peppiatt offers a reading of 1 Corinthians 11-14 in which she proposes that Paul is in conversation with the Corinthian male leadership regarding their domineering, superior, and selfish practices, including coercing the women to wear head coverings, lording it over the ‘have-nots’ at the Lord’s Supper, speaking in tongues all at once, and ordering married women to keep quiet in church. Through careful exegesis and theological comment this reading not only brings internal coherence to the text, but paints a picture of the apostle gripped by a vision for a new humanity ‘in the Lord’ resulting in his refusal to compromise with the traditional views of his own society. Instead, as those who should identify with the crucified Christ, he exhorts the Corinthians to make ‘love’ their aim, and thus to restore dignity and honor to women, the outsider, and the poor.”

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on October 18, 2024 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw a winner.

Be sure to check back to see if you have won as in the past some people have not responded after winning and so a new winner had to be drawn. You will then need to email me your mailing address if I do not already have it, so be sure to watch your email and check the spam folder. If I know your Facebook profile, I will message you there.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

Watch each month for our upcoming giveaways! We should be wrapping up 2024 with Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships by Janja Lalich (2nd edition) and Diane Langberg’s forthcoming book, When the Church Harms God’s People: Becoming Faith Communities That Resist Abuse, Pursue Truth, and Care for the Wounded.

In 2025, we’ll be giving away one copy of each of Thomas Fudge’s books on the UPCI/Oneness Pentecostalism (Christianity without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism, Heretics & Politics: Theology, Power, and Perception in the Last Days of CBC, C.H. Yadon and the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism), plus The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid: A memoir by Ronna Russell and hopefully more.

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Giveaway: Unveiling Paul’s Women

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. There is absolutely no cost to enter.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of Unveiling Paul’s Women: Making Sense of 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 by Lucy Peppiatt. It costs $18.

As many of our readers know, this section of 1 Corinthians has been used to teach that women must wear a head covering when in church, as well as that women must never cut their hair (as taught in the United Pentecostal Church). It’s also been used to teach that women are somewhat less than men.

I found it very interesting how Lucy Peppiatt puts forth the thought that in these passages Paul is repeating some things that the Corinthian believers had written to him. In other words, she believes that in verses 4-5 and 7-10, Paul was repeating what the Corinthians had previously shared with him. Verse 16 is then saying that there is no such custom of wearing head coverings.

We do know that Paul was responding to a letter he had received from this group of believers, so this thought is not unreasonable. We also know that the Corinthians were very messed up and carnal, and Paul had to correct them on numerous issues.

The author also covers various aspects and views on this section of scripture. I found her view of the passages to be plausible and that they made more sense that way. I don’t believe Paul was anti-women and have never liked when people attempt to portray Paul in a negative light. There are actually those who hate Paul, I believe due to a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of certain passages. Perhaps this book will help someone who feels this way.

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on August 15, 2024 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw a winner.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

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The UnBoxing Project: Gissel’s story

Gissel dyed her hair red for the first time during the first week after she left home.

Continued from Options, not ultimatums

In July 2014, Ashley came over to my apartment to visit one Saturday morning.

While we were talking, Ashley got a text message from Gissel, one of her friends from the First United Pentecostal Church of Colorado Springs (now known as Heritage Pentecostal Church), that she’d left six months before.

“Hey, can you come pick me up? My dad kinda went crazy and kicked me out. I don’t have anywhere to go… can I stay with you?”

Gissel was on her lunch break at work, so Ashley and I drove over to meet her and help her get her belongings out of her father’s house.

On the way to her dad’s house, Gissel explained she already planned on going to live with her grandmother in Texas.

The night before, she’d stayed out with her boyfriend and a group of other friends until past midnight. She discovered her dad had locked her out when she tried to come home, even though he’d never enforced the curfew he set for her older brother and his girlfriend.

Gissel kept asking why it was different for her as a girl, why she was being punished.

One of Gissel’s younger sisters let her in the house so she could get her suitcases already packed for her move. We put them in the trunk and drove to where Racquel and Ashley were living so Gissel could stay with them temporarily.

The rest of her siblings watched us from the window, huddled together.

Ashley told Racquel what had happened and that Gissel would be staying over for the rest of the week until she flew out of town. Gissel went back to work for the day, and we picked her up that evening.

She was quiet. Reality set in.

Silent tears slipped down her cheeks. There was no home to go back to now.

We hugged her, asked her if she was ok or needed to talk. Told her it was ok to be sad, ok to cry.

Later that night, she sat next to Ashley on the couch while we watched anime and the first Pirates of the Carribean movie. Watching television isn’t allowed in most United Pentecostal churches like the one she grew up in.

Ashley helped her dye her hair that week, another thing that the church deemed sinful.

Gissel started wearing a crucifix that her dad gave her. Her dad told her if she was going to leave the church and wear jewelry now, she might as well wear that. It was a religious guilt trip, since their church doctrine forbade wearing jewelry, and typically Pentecostal churches do not agree with Catholic doctrine.

After Gissel left for Texas, we kept in touch.

I asked her last fall how she was doing and if she would like to share her story.

Now she is free to live outside the cage of Christian fundamentalism and legalism.

I thought once Racquel and Ashley and the others that we’d moved out were free, that everything would start to go back to normal. That our little network wouldn’t need to keep helping people.

But Gissell reminded me that so many more are out there, waiting.

Gissel studied social work at community college and works in a healthcare center in Texas. She also cohosts a YouTube channel called Gen and Gigi.

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There’s No Such Thing As Dragons Giveaway #2

It is time for another book giveaway! This is only open to those with a USA mailing address.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of There’s No Such Thing As Dragons: Examining The Theology of The United Pentecostal Church by Jonah McElhaney. It covers aspects of the United Pentecostal Church such as Oneness, uncut hair for women, holiness standards, and their teachings on salvation. At just under 200 pages in the paperback edition, this is Jonah’s first book, being published last month.

Jennifer Brewer, author of Free: From Legalism to Grace Breaking Out of the United Pentecostal Church, had this to say about There’s No Such Thing As Dragons:

After spending most of his life in the United Pentecostal Church the author examines the theology of the UPCI. By drawing on his own experiences and examining the teachings of Scripture with the teachings of the UPCI, the author shows that the imaginary dragons that were placed in his life to prevent him from venturing out too far away from the doctrines were not real. The hope is for others who see the issues within the United Pentecostal Church but have been too afraid to question or examine the theology that they too will see that there’s no such thing as dragons.

If you have already read his book, please consider leaving a review or star rating on Amazon as it would be greatly appreciated. Reviews count more and can give others a better idea of the book contents and if it helped you.

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on June 20, 2023 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw the winner. Be sure to check back to see if you have won, as in the past some people have not responded after winning and so a new winner had to be drawn. You will then need to email me your mailing address if I do not already have it, so be sure to watch your email and check the spam folder.

There is absolutely no cost to enter. Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as they require approval when you are commenting for the first time.

We always provide these at no charge to our readers and support group members.

You can follow Jonah at his blogs here and here. Also, Amateur Faith Night had Jonah as a guest recently when they discussed Authentic Trinitarianism versus Oneness Pt 1 & Authentic Trinitarianism versus Oneness Pt 2.

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Shop at our Amazon store! As an Amazon Influencer, this website earns from qualifying purchases.

There’s No Such Thing As Dragons Book Giveaway

It is time for another book giveaway! This is only open to those with a USA mailing address.

Jennifer Brewer, author of Free: From Legalism to Grace Breaking Out of the United Pentecostal Church, had this to say about There’s No Such Thing As Dragons:

After spending most of his life in the United Pentecostal Church the author examines the theology of the UPCI. By drawing on his own experiences and examining the teachings of Scripture with the teachings of the UPCI, the author shows that the imaginary dragons that were placed in his life to prevent him from venturing out too far away from the doctrines were not real. The hope is for others who see the issues within the United Pentecostal Church but have been too afraid to question or examine the theology that they too will see that there’s no such thing as dragons.

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on June 12, 2023 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw the winner. Be sure to check back to see if you have won, as in the past some people have not responded after winning and so a new winner had to be drawn. You will then need to email me your mailing address if I do not already have it, so be sure to watch your email and check the spam folder.

There is absolutely no cost to enter. Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as they require approval when you are commenting for the first time.

We always provide these at no charge to our readers and support group members.

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Shop at our Amazon store! As an Amazon Influencer, this website earns from qualifying purchases.