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June 16, 2005
Kathleen Nielson Rocks My Socks Off
Pastor Eric was right. General Assembly is like Christmas for the PCA.
I’ve fully enjoyed my stint as an unapologetic seminar-glutton for the past few days. Despite the breadth of seminars being offered, I somehow managed to create neat pairs each day: heard Ligon Duncan twice on Tuesday, thought long and hard about visual culture (Morty and Kickasola) on Wednesday, and got all excited about being a woman on Thursday (Nielson and James).
Right before I graduated from Covenant and as I frantically wondered how concurrent desires for graduate school and marriage could possibly coexist, I met with Kathleen Nielson over coffee and tea. I was hungry to pick the mind of a woman so obviously intelligent and so obviously enthralled with being a loving mother and utterly supportive wife. She, of course, responded with wisdom, compassion, honesty, and Word-filled encouragement.
In her seminar “Voices Young Women Are Hearing,” Dr. Nielson spoke to older women in the church, summarizing and distilling the conversations she has had with young women such as me. Speaking as an observer, not an expert (after all, she has three sons!), she sifted out three main issues of concern and suggested a directions for finding a biblical answer for each.
For our struggles with body image, she challenged us to learn and live a theology of the body’s whole story, from creation as an image-bearer to the promise of restoration at the end of time. Living “in light of our eternal hope” reveals the utter foolishness of making our bodies ‘the thing.’ For our fear that intellectual gifts and marriage/motherhood must be pitted against each other, she reminded us that God gives His gifts and callings with sovereign kindness. If we are faithful, our gifts will always be put to use in whatever calling we answer. For our bewilderment over where we belong in the church, she demanded that we learn and do theology. Women need to be students of the Word, eagerly digging into its wisdom and letting ministry grow from that foundation.
I left her a note as I filed out of the seminar room: “I wanted you to know that your advice [from last May] has panned out….Growing my mind is growing our marriage. God’s callings are complimentary, never contradictory.”
Faith | By elissa | 11:55 PM
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Comments
Ya how 'bout that Kickasola lecture. Great stuff.
I tried to attend some of the "women" seminars, but Kathleen took off one of her pumps and smacked me in the head when I tried to get into the room. Lesson learned.
There's something really humbling about having your butt kicked by someone both stronger and smarter than you.
Posted by: JosiahQ at June 17, 2005 09:39 AM
