Through the Eyes of a Woman

I have often wondered why we do not learn from our history. That is, until I realized that many people do not know our history. Even as a person who has lived more than 75 years on this earth, there are lots of things I do not know, just because I was not an eyewitness. I didn’t experience it myself. That is why we need monuments and museums and information that transmits to succeeding generations what it was like to live in a past era. We need information now more than ever. The last survivors of the Shoah are old and will soon be gone. We need to hear and know their stories. The generation born after the fall of communism needs to hear what life was like for people who lived without freedom. The same could be applied to the whole world with its various experiences of suppression and discrimination. Looking from my perspective in Western Europe, particularly in Germany, it is good to know that our constitution, our Grundgesetz, is based on democracy and equality. No matter what politi...

The old song by Peter, Paul, and Mary, “Where have all the flowers gone?” came to my mind as I listened to the leadership of my church in North America discussing a report by the Ministerial Association on the number of pastors. The number of retired pastors and those eligible for retirement is increasing. The number of pastors who leave pastoral ministry due to attrition, as they call it, is substantial. The young people studying theology and religion majors at Adventist Universities will never make up for these numbers. Where have all the pastors gone? The song repeats the question, “When will they ever learn?” Of course, the song is not about pastors. Nor does it offer answers, because the answers lead to further questions. Where have all the young girls gone? Gone for husbands every one. That’s what women should do, isn’t it? Not preach or teach. So why even think of studying theology and becoming a pastor? I didn’t follow the discussion well enough to find out whether the re...

  Women have so often been overlooked in history. The North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church organized a first conference on the History of Adventist Women and their significant contributions to their church from October 12 to 14, 2023, on the campus of Washington Adventist University. The purpose was to increase awareness of the roles of women in the past and increase scholarly research as papers were presented and keynote speakers showed the larger context of Adventist history. Adventist women were involved in the fledgling church right from the start, even though the culture of the time restricted women’s participation. With Ellen G. White as one of the prominent founders of the church, the pioneers strongly supported and defended the role of women in the ministry of the church in all areas. One after the other, women were presented who devotedly served their church, often in difficult situations, even risking their lives and health to spread the gospel trut...

I had seen the announcement of an upcoming event highlighting Women in Adventist History, asking for papers and submissions. My first impression was, how wonderful it would be to be there in person! But how crazy do you have to be to fly to Washington DC from Europe for just a weekend? After all, I’m not a person who can go anywhere anytime. When I saw the invitation to the Women in Adventist History Conference a couple of months ago I was intrigued. All of these interesting speakers have done research on Adventist history from a woman’s standpoint. Whoa! Could I go? I contacted some friends who live in the area and with whom I have a standing invitation to come and visit. Would they be at home at that time? Yes, and they would be happy to see me. Two days later reason returned. No way was I going to go. But then a friend said she would be interested in going, too! Why not look into flights? And finally, my dream of attending the conference is coming true. I will be at the Adventis...

 Today I am reposting the CBE blog featuring my 2022 Writing Contest Article https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/gods-world-is-not-a-mans-world/?emci=bdd4d5a1-5831-ee11-b8f0-00224832eb73&emdi=e98f1ad6-0132-ee11-b8f0-00224832e1ba&ceid=1203916 God’s World Is Not a Man’s World Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Editor’s Note: This is a 2022 CBE Writing Contest Honorable Mention! This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl You see, man made the cars to take us over the road Man made the train to carry the heavy load Man made electric light to take us out of the dark Man made the boat for the water, like Noah made the ark This is a man’s, man’s, man’s world But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl Man thinks about our little bitty baby girls and our baby boys Man made them happy, ’cause man made them toys And after man make everything, everything he can You know that man makes money, to buy from oth...

Some time ago I discovered Kate Bushnell and how she has made a difference for women in society. When I found “Daughters of Deliverance” by Lorry Lutz, I was keen to read more about the life of this often overlooked but astonishing woman. A medical doctor and missionary, a speaker for the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and a passionate proponent for the liberation of women from forced prostitution, Kate Bushnell saw the appalling situation of many women. Proposed as light summer reading, it took me back to 1879 when Katherine Bushnell felt called to work in China as a medical doctor, but the book was by no means light reading. Compelling, yes. Heartbreaking, definitely. Her years in China were destined to lead Kate to find her calling, not only to heal people’s bodies but to engage in liberating women from the cultural restrictions of patriarchy. She wanted her life to make a difference. I wonder if we today realize how painful life must have been for girls and women in Chin...

   I used to think that “old” was something conservative. After all, people who love old things, like antiques, conserve things from the past. When I first heard of the Old Catholic Church, I thought they must be even more conservative than the Roman Catholics. Far from it! The Old Catholics are the progressives, but they look back to the old times when the church was egalitarian. They have revived the old faith of the first church. After the First Vatican Council (1870) introduced the dogma of the infallibility of the pope, the Christians who rejected the new dogma were excluded from the church and called themselves Old Catholics, referring to the Old Church, i.e. the first Christian church communities. Thus they wanted to be dissociated from the “new” Roman Catholic Church with all the doctrines that had been added during the centuries. The church now has about 70,000 members in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Netherlands. The Old Catho...