Episode 79 :: Tiffany Bluhm :: Stories of Empowering Women, Examining Narratives, and Seeking Christ When Leaders Fall
Today, my girl, Tiffany Bluhm is back on the podcast! Tiffany’s heart lives at the intersection of justice, women and faith, and her newest book Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up shines a light on issues women face, burdens women bear, fears women live with, dealing with secrets that lurk in dark places until exposed in detrimental ways, and what we, as people of faith, can do about it.
As a recovering people pleaser, this is a vulnerable moment for me. Talking about the big issues women are facing in sacred and secular spaces, examining narratives that have done more harm than good, its murky water. But this is important. Jesus asked big questions to reveal hearts and draw us closer to Him. As a woman, made in the image of God, who has struggled with confusing narratives, and is raising both a young lady and a young man, these things need to be brought out into the Light. I want to be willing to navigate murky waters so that we can seek God’s heart and His wisdom here, do something with the questions in front of us, and make an impact for the present, and the next generation of image bearers, and Tiffany holds this space beautifully.
Tiffany’s perspective about responding to news of a scandal in faith based spaces was really powerful. She said: Love is not divorced from justice. We have to look at this issue holistically. What does it look like to move forward as Christians in the midst of the carnage from a spiritual leader’s fall? She mentioned great things like examining the differences in loyalty to conviction, and loyalty to a person or separating the message from the messenger. Just because broken people make broken choices doesn’t get to take the power of the Gospel in your life. And it also doesn’t mean that they won’t ever be used by God again! But there are consequences to our actions. This is super hard, and uncomfortable, but that doesn’t make it less important.
Praise God He isn’t finished with any of us. Thanks for hanging in there with me in the deep end today, friend. You matter. Your story truly matters. See you next time.
Connecting with Tiffany:
Latest book: Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up
References:
First time Tiffany was on the podcast
Our video conversation on my YouTube channel
YouVersion Bible Studies (one of the many! Search Tiffany’s name on the app to find more!)
First 2 books and Bible Studies: She Dreams and Never Alone
Article I mentioned about evangelical view of sex https://religionnews.com/2021/02/18/ravi-zacharias-carl-lentz-is-the-evangelical-view-of-sex-at-the-root-of-our-sex-scandals/
Ravi Zacharias scandal / I’m going to post two articles here, and then one for the following individuals. You are welcome to do your own research. xo
John Crist- interestingly enough… it took quite a bit of digging to get an article on this very recent event. All I can could initially find was recent material since he’s come back online, and his apology. Here is an article about what happened. Which. Is… interesting.
The arrest of a 95 year old man who worked at a concentration camp
“Case for Christ” (book and movie) by Lee Strobel -- which are VERY good by the way
Scripture Resources:
John 10:10 - Abundant life that Jesus came and died for
Genesis 3- Eve’s failure
Psalm 121:1 - I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from
Genesis 3:17-19- Adam and Eve’s curses from the garden
Hosea 1 -Gomer
2 Samuel 11- David and Bathsheeba
Genesis 16- Abraham and Sarah and Hagar
Genesis 12:10-20, Genesis 20- Sarah and Abraham - lying TWICE
1 Corinthians 11:3-16 / Ephesians 5:21-33 / (the biggie) 1 Timothy 2:11-15 - Paul’s often cited passages about women (there are several that are addressing specific church and cultural issues, especially in Ephesus and Corinth)
Acts 2 / Acts 16 / Acts 18 / Acts 21:7-9/ Romans 16:3/ 2 Timothy 1:1-5 - Paul also fiercely encouraged and supported women
Luke 8:1-3 / John 4 / Luke 7:36-50 / Luke 4:38-40 / John 19:25-29 / Luke 23:28 / Luke 7:11-17 / - (see also below with bleeding woman, adulterous woman and moooooore. Do the research :) ) - Jesus’s life and His encounters with women
1 Kings 18-19 / Revelation 2:20- Jezebel
Jeremiah 29:11 / Romans 8:28- God has made us for good purposes
Ephesians 4:1- Live a life worthy of their calling
Galatians 6:7-9-God wants there to be redemption, but there’s also consequences.
2 Samuel 13-24-David’s family is torn apart, his kingdom is torn apart, their son dies, and he doesn’t get to build the Temple.
Matthew 1:6- Bathsheeba is in the line of Christ
1 Chronicles 28:6- Solomon, their son, goes on to be King and build the Temple
2 Samuel 12- Nathan the prophet calling out David
Mark 5:1-20-The demoniac
Mark 8:22-26- The blind man
John 8:1-11-The adulterous woman
Matthew 9:20-22- The woman with the issue of blood
Psalm 27:13-14-I still know God is good
1 Peter 5:8 (many verses here)- Satan’s agenda to sow discord between us
Genesis 3:8-13-Blame shifting in the garden
Ephesians 5:14- Wake up, o sleeper
Matthew 5:44 / Romans 14:6-12- Praying for those who disagree with you
Matthew 21:12-13- Jesus flipping tables
Romans 10:11- The language of shame is not of the Lord
Connecting with Emily and Simply Stories Podcast:
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*Intro and Outro music is from audionautix.com