Women are not allowed to think for themselves: Bethlehem Baptist Church P/3

                                                     Read Part One HERE

In this post I will share the story of Lydia Arant's abuse at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, previously pastored by John Piper.

Lydia: "Over the course of eight years that I attended Bethlehem Baptist Church (almost five of which I was employed there) I began to hear stories of pain, spiritual abuse, and neglect. I became increasingly aware of the oppression that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous And People Of Colour) and female believers have experienced there."

Lydia: "I, as the Librarian was responsible for the book club and was the person to go to for any questions or concerns. However, I was cut out of the process for something I planned, scheduled into our church datebase and frequently sent emails to pastors and staff in regards to. The book club was ultimately shut down and disbanded."

Lydia: "Another time that I was completely disconnected from my direct work was when I was trying to evaluate our our librabry's section on "Biblical Manhood and Womanhood." It was recommended to me that I send an email to all our pastors and staff for help in making any decisions which I did. I mentioned in the email that I wanted to re-evaluate this part of the collection and take out outdated material. I was hoping to take out authors like Doug Wilson, and also hoping for some input on some healing and loving potential additions."

Lydia: "Pastor Sam Crabtree responded to this email with frustration and not only assumed that I was questioning Bethlehem's view on Complementarity, but he cut me out of the conversation entirely, only addressing the pastors in his response. When I spoke to my supervison, Joby Morgan, she told me he was probably just having a bad day. She responded to my push-back by asking how long I had been friends with Stephanie Denzer, another staff member. This really hurt, not only because Stephanie is a dear friend and someone who had been addressing issues at Bethlehem, but it communicated to me yet again that my intellect was of no value and that I couldn't think for myself or be addressed as an individual."

Read Part Four HERE