Vashti is an often-forgotten woman from the Old Testament. I love the Bible because it’s filled with stories–heroes and villains; kings and peasants; rulers and prophets. And often the Bible leaves us with stories without giving any commentary on them. We’re supposed...
She wanted to follow God and be a good complementarian wife. But after a few years it all fell apart! Before I jump into our story, a few definitions. Complementarianism is the belief that God created men to be in authority over women, in the church and the home (some...
Let's celebrate being a woman who loves God! I've been following the Her Cherch account on Instagram for a while, and she has awesome cartoons that cut to the heart of so much of what we talk about here on Bare Marriage! The artist is Marcia Takasaki, and we've been...
What happens when a charismatic man with no qualifications starts a marriage ministry? You end up with a book that sounds like he wants the best for people--but gives completely unhelpful, and often very harmful, advice. Today Keith and I are taking a deep dive into...
One of the things we’re passionate about on this blog is making sure the self-help and relationship advice in the evangelical world is healthy. Over the last few years, our team has surveyed over 32,000 people, measuring how certain teachings common in the evangelical...
We've figured out our biggest problem. Recently I was talking with a young couple who got married after having done everything "right." They thought marriage would be easy; instead, sex was the hardest part of their lives. She felt objectified; he felt rejected; and...
So many people want a Bible that reflects God’s heart for honouring and respecting women. But with so many Bibles offering biased translation work that elevates men over women, it can be hard to decide on which Bible is the best one to learn from. With Christmas...
There's been a horrible meme circulating about how God used David--so we should rejoice when God uses evil men. I've seen it myself; it's been shared and debated in our Patreon group; and so many of you have sent it to me. While it does have immediate American...
Is Divorce and Remarriage Permitted in Cases of Abuse? So many people ask for a robust Biblical investigation into whether divorce is allowed in cases of abuse, and considering how so much of the evangelical church treats divorce as an almost unforgivable sin, it’s a...
We don't have to accept pastors demonizing little girls. Recently, I was sent a clip by someone who attends Lake Pointe church and was concerned–I don’t go looking for these. Josh Howerton, you may remember, is the same megachurch pastor who told women to “stand where...
Jesus didn’t call out the Romans. Instead, he spent his life calling out the religious leaders of His day. He left the Romans pretty much alone. But what do we do? I have seen far too many pastors, and too many best-selling authors, making their main talking point...
One of the hardest things to do is to break dysfunctional cycles. Whether it's in our families or in our churches, being a changemaker is hard. But it is so, so necessary. It's the most vital thing that we all need to do. You can be the top politician in the land; you...
Recently in our Patreon group, a member posted a letter that she’s sending out to the girls (now young women) in a youth group she used to lead, apologizing for teaching toxic things. I thought it was so wonderful I asked if I could run it here. I just want to say:...
Next Tuesday, Dr. Camden Morgante's new book Recovering from Purity Culture launches! I'm so excited about it, because not only does Dr. Camden walk us through the 5 purity culture myths that harmed so many long-term, but she also provides exercises and help so that...
Do you need to recover from purity culture? This is a first for me--but I wrote a foreword to a book! Dr. Camden Morgante's first book Recovering from Purity Culture launches next week, and I'm so excited about it. Dr. Camden is a clinical psychologist (in other...