Woman's place. Those two words can flare up intense controversy whenever they are uttered.

We often teach that the “Reformation period” ended in the late 1700’s, as the separation of church and state became viewed as a powerful and preferred ideal within Western political imaginations and structures. Interestingly, however, there are some who include the Reformation as merely the first half of the current “Modern period.”¹

While this is certainly debatable, I think one helpful insight about this perspective is the way it reframes our role in the life of the church universal.

The six people sitting across from me were so powerful that it was illegal for them to be in the same room. They had to get special permission from the government to meet. And yet, here they were in a Warner Brothers board room, six of the most influential people in television: the network vice presidents in charge of programming. Five men and one woman sat along an oak table framed by a television screen the size of Kentucky on the wall behind them.

The denomination's Centennial Celebration that took place October 5 included 18,000 Nazarene churches in all 24 time zones. In many churches, celebratory events spanned the days and weeks before and after October 5.

"When you're on the mission field, do you do anything besides travel around and eat?"

"When you're on the mission field, do you do anything besides travel around and eat?"

"When you're on the mission field, do you do anything besides travel around and eat?"

"When you're on the mission field, do you do anything besides travel around and eat?"

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, NIV

I stared at the phone in stunned silence.

A pastor had just told me about his experience. When he encouraged his congregation to pray for the persecuted church, he'd encountered skepticism at best. A member had even expressed doubt that the problem was "that serious."