Ukrainian teens' voices from the middle of war: 'You begin to appreciate what was common and boring for you'

THE CONVERSATION
Alexander Motyl, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University - Newark
Sat, April 1, 2023 

A residential building destroyed by Russian army shelling in Borodyanka, Kyiv province. Hennadii Minchenko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A colleague from Kyiv, Ukraine, whom I’ll call N.M., sent me brief essays her students wrote on what they would do when the war ends. As both a scholar and a novelist, I knew that these voices, which expressed a beautifully straightforward and pure yearning for the simplest things that are lost in war, needed to be heard by the world.

The essays were written in English, and N.M., who has a master’s degree in English language and literature, told me she made only “2-3 corrections.” The students attend the 10th and 11th grades at a Kyiv school, are 15 to 17 years old, and hail from the capital city and its suburbs. The essays were written between March 14 and March 18, 2022.

Several themes run through most of the essays. The teens yearn for peace and want to do ordinary things, such as meet family and friends, take walks, enjoy the city. Daily routines have become extraordinary after several weeks of war. All intend to stay in Ukraine. Despair is absent. The students expect the war to end with a Ukrainian victory, and they’re decidedly proud to be Ukrainian.

Their optimism is all the more remarkable in light of the essays’ having been written in mid-March, when anything like victory seemed remote. Many of the students have also learned an important existential lesson: Life can be cut short at any time, and it’s imperative to live it to the hilt.

Before the war, Ukrainian teens weren’t thinking about bombs or hunger.

Mykola Miakshykov/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Diana captures the overall mood well:

“Literally 2 weeks ago, everyone lived their quiet daily lives, but one night these lives changed forever. Russia attacked our cities and forced some people to leave their homes forever or stay in a dangerous place and live in a fear. But the horror cannot be eternal, the end will come, and it will be significant for our country. After our victory I will definitely meet all my friends and family members, I will say how much I love them. Also I will appreciate every moment spent with family and people of my heart. Also I will definitely help my country to recover what it lost, I will volunteer and after graduating from school, I will enter that faculty which will be useful for Ukraine. Now we can just hope and pray for the best.”

Like Diana, Masha yearns for the ordinary:

“Today the situation in our country is very difficult, and we understand that we did not appreciate our everyday life, our meetings with friends, and even a simple walk. … After all these circumstances, your views on life have changed, you begin to appreciate what was common and boring for you. After the war, we will all be completely different people!”

Dasha’s expectations are equally quotidian:

“When I come back home the first thing that I would do is play the piano. I will play as long as I can. After this, I will water my plants.”

Nastya, meanwhile, says,

“I’ll do everything I didn’t have time to do before the war. For example, I’ll go to the dentist, because it was that Thursday that I had an appointment with him for the evening. But most of all I want to come home to my peaceful and strong Ukraine.”

Anya’s discovered the depth of her patriotism:

“Every morning I get up and thank you God I’m alive. … When I heard explosions, I thought it can be my last minute. I will spend more time with my family and friends. And I will LOVE MY UKRAINE MORE THAN EVER.”

So has Sofia:

“We are strong, I am proud to be Ukrainian.”

Growing up fast: A group of teens listening to a military medic who came to teach them first aid on Feb. 20, 2022, in Skole, Ukraine. Gaelle Girbes/Getty Images

Vlad is also feeling patriotic:

“When this war is over I will be thanking our Heroes, absolutely fearless defenders, who have been protecting our country this time. I’m totally proud of them. Their behavior inspires all the world and this is wonderful. … Anyway, we’re winning this bloodshed and building new country with freedom for our descendants. … I hope, our culture will be the best in the world and people will start respect it.”

Hlib’s optimism is both religious and political:

“I think that the war will be over when God says, because everything depends on him. Also when the President of Russia is removed or when all the supplies run out and all the soldiers retreat. When the Russian economy will be completely destroyed and the revolution will begin. When everyone will stop being afraid of the President of Russia and will oppose him. But the war will surely be over soon. Because good always wins.”

Anzhelika’s expectations concern politics – and food:

“I pray very much for Kyiv, because this is an incredible city that I dream of returning to! And after the war, of course, everyone will get drunk, so maybe I’ll drink a couple of drops for victory. And I dream of eating sushi, this is my favorite dish, so I’ll eat them all week. And of course I still want to go to university in Ukraine and live in Ukraine with my friends and relatives. And I believe that after the victory, not Ukraine will ask to join NATO, but NATO to [join] Ukraine, because our people have incredible strength! Glory to Ukraine!”

Alina picks up on the theme of Ukraine’s strength:

“These three weeks of a continuous horror changed all of us. Some people were left homeless, some people were left without relatives and a huge amount of Ukrainians lost their lives for peace. But there is at least one principal thing, which is common for all of us: Our nation became stronger. We became stronger. … Everything will be tranquil again. Everything will be Ukraine.”

A second Alina looks at the war’s cost - and how Ukraine will move forward in its aftermath:

“Sooner or later the war will stop. These events will leave an imprint in every Ukrainian. … Maybe we will bury many thousands of people, but they all did not fall in vain. We will remember everyone. Then we will renovate our houses, malls, museums. … Ukrainian will build their future in a progressive country. We will all develop and other countries will respect us. No one will ask anymore ‘Ukraine? Where is it? Is it in Russia?’ Our country will join NATO and European Union. In the end no one will attack us again.”

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation is trustworthy news from experts.

It was written by: Alexander Motyl, Rutgers University - Newark .

Read more:

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Lessons in realpolitik from Nixon and Kissinger: Ideals go only so far in ending conflict in places like Ukraine

Why the best way to stop strongmen like Putin is to prevent their rise in the first place

RATS JUMPING FROM A SHIP OF FOOLS
Rough week for Alberta's ruling UCP casts shadow ahead of May election


Premier Danielle Smith Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference in Ottawa

Sun, April 2, 2023 
By Nia Williams

(Reuters) - As Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta prepares for an election next month, its combative Premier Danielle Smith is facing a series of controversies and resignations that could undermine support for her ruling United Conservative Party (UCP), political analysts say.

In the space of a week, a leaked recording of a phone call between Smith and a Calgary pastor facing pandemic-related charges has raised questions about the premier's judgment, two senior members of Smith's cabinet said they would not be running for re-election in May and a UCP candidate resigned after accusing teachers of exposing kids to pornography.

Polls show Alberta's election, scheduled to take place no later than May 29, will be a tight two-way race between the UCP and left-leaning New Democratic Party, led by Rachel Notley.

The series of events, of which Smith's phone call with controversial street pastor Artur Pawlowski is the most serious, may damage her standing among moderate conservatives and undecided voters in key election battlegrounds like Alberta's corporate oil capital Calgary, said Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University.

"I think it will make a difference (to voters), it's going to keep coming up," Bratt said of the recording. "It's going to be reluctant conservatives in Calgary who are concerned about the judgment and trustworthiness of Premier Smith and this adds to questions about that."

Pawlowski is facing charges related to COVID-19 protests in Canada last year, which included a weeks-long blockade of the Coutts border crossing in southern Alberta. A verdict is expected in early May.

In the 11-minute phone call released on Wednesday by the NDP, Smith expressed sympathy with Pawlowski's situation and said she would ask justice department officials about the case again. Critics including the NDP say it is inappropriate for the premier to discuss individual cases in the justice system with officials.

Smith denies any wrongdoing. In a statement, the premier said she had her staff work with the Ministry of Justice to determine if anything could be done to grant amnesty for people charged with non-violent, non-firearms COVID-related charges, and followed their advice when they recommended dropping the matter.

Smith became UCP leader and premier last October, replacing Jason Kenney, by appealing to grassroots UCP members in the traditionally conservative province. But some political analysts have said the UCP's rightward shift risks alienating more moderate voters.

Last week's controversies come just days after two senior Alberta government minister, Finance Minister Travis Toews and Environment Minister Sonya Savage, said they would not seek re-election.

Their departures will deplete the strength of Smith's cabinet should she win in May. Savage's retirement from front-line politics may also hamper collaboration between the Alberta and federal governments over climate policies.

LIBERAL FEDS SAY NICE THINGS

"I think it's a loss for Alberta and I think it's a loss for Canada, she was a very effective minister," federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told reporters on Thursday.

(Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; additional reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Watch: Fisherman hauls in ‘river monster’ from the River of Death

David Strege
Sat, April 1, 2023 

Fisherman Alberto Flores stated he was “chasing river monsters” and managed to hook one Sunday near Dallas in the West Fork of the Trinity River, also referred to as the River of Death.

Flores landed a 5-foot-plus alligator gar, a prehistoric fish that has survived in the nasty waters of the Trinity, unlike other fish species.

The Trinity River is so polluted it earned the “River of Death” nickname because more than 1 million fish have died in its waters over a 15-year period, as reported by Chron.

“Decades of pollution and mass death of other species have yet to vanquish this uniquely ancient and resilient fish,” Chron stated.

Flores posted video of his catch on TikTok. (Note: The video doesn’t appear on some media platforms, in which case you’ll need to go to the link to view it.)

@albertoflores5264

Chasing river monsters 🦖🔥🔥🔥 check out the “Fishin is my addiction”Angler Fever dry fit t-shirt💧💧💧#fyp #anglerfever #fishtok #outdoors #alligatorgar #fishing #pescando #dallas #tx #letemgoletemgrow #madkatz

♬ original sound – albertoflores5264

“This girl put up a beautiful fight, beautiful fish,” Flores said in the video. “I think she’s ready to go back, so we’re going to get her back into the water.”

He carried the alligator gar to the edge of the dirty river, put it down on the bank and the fish slithered its way back home.

One commenter on TikTok asked Flores, “That’s good eating, why did you put it back in?”

His reply: “We don’t eat fish out of the Trinity River.”

UAE Mars orbiter creates stunning new map of the Red Planet


Robert Lea
Fri, March 31, 2023 

A new map of Mars created by the United Arab Emirates' Hope Mars mission.

A new map of Mars shows the Red Planet in stunning detail, revealing a wealth of fascinating geological features as seen from orbit.

The high-resolution map could help scientists answer a number of pressing questions about Mars including how it came to be a dry, arid, and barren landscape despite once being abundant with liquid water.

The Martian map was created by a team of scientists led by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Center for Space Science. The researchers used data collected from orbit around Mars by the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), also known as Hope or Al-Amal.

Related: New Mars water map reveals history of Red Planet

The map shows the Red Planet through the eyes of Hope's state-of-the-art onboard imaging system, the Emirates Exploration Imager (EXI), and is a testament to the growing influence of the UAE in science. In a statement, NYUAD wrote that it hopes the new Mars map will motivate young people in the UAE to pursue careers in STEM disciplines.

"We plan to make our map available to the entire planet, as part of the new and more advanced Atlas of Mars, which we have been working on, and will be available in both English and Arabic once published," NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) group leader and research scientist Dimitra Atri said in the statement. "The hope is that this accessibility will make it a great tool for researchers, and also students to learn more about Mars, and showcase the possibilities that the space sector in the UAE can offer."

To create the map, Atri and the team took over 3,000 observations from EXI taken over one Mars year,a period equivalent to two years here on Earth, and stitched them together to build a color composite. The resultant map shows many of the major geological features of the Red Planet in high resolution.

The map reveals polar ice caps, mountains, and long inactive volcanoes, as well as remnants of ancient rivers, lakes, and valleys that around 3.5 billion years ago overflowed with liquid water. As such, the map could help planetary scientists better understand how the climate of Mars has changed over billions of years resulting in the dry and barren world we observe today.

"The complete Mars map also brings the UAE and the Arab world another step closer to achieving EMM's ambitious mission goal to provide a complete global picture of the Martian climate," Atri added. "More than 30 previous spacecraft have only managed to capture a snapshot of the Mars weather, whilst EMM will follow the seasonal changes throughout a Martian year."

Related stories:

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— This new map of ice on Mars could guide future astronauts

— NASA Mars lander makes 1st ever map of Red Planet underground by listening to winds

By allowing scientists to study the distribution of impact craters across the planet's arid surface, the map also reveals the history of early asteroid bombardment of Mars. As such the composite of EXI images could also help researchers better understand the conditions in the tumultuous early solar system when space rock impacts were far more common than today.

The Hope orbiter is the first interplanetary mission from the UAE and from the Arab world as a whole. Commissioned by UAE leaders in 2014, the spacecraft was launched from Japan on July 20, 2020. After a journey of around seven months, Hope reached orbit around Mars on February 9, 2021.

"The Hope probe is helping researchers to create this global image of the planet due to its strategic position," Atri said. "Hope circles Mars in an elliptical orbit that allows it to observe from much further away than any other spacecraft. This strategic position is helping researchers to create a global image of the planet."

Americans want to lead in space but don’t love the price tag 

Poll: Americans aren’t over the moon about paying for space exploration

Sam Matthews
·Executive Producer, Yahoo News
Sat, April 1, 2023

Welcome to This Week in Outer Space, where you’ll find a roundup of the best space coverage from Yahoo News and our partners from the past week or so. Last week, we were off, due to a special visitor at our office in New York. This week, we’re back, with a potentially game-changing discovery on the moon, a new theory to explain a giant space rock’s bizarre behavior and an unfortunate update on the fate of Richard Branson’s satellite launch business. But first, a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that Americans aren’t quite ready to buy into the hype surrounding future lunar missions.
Poll: Americans aren’t over the moon about paying for space exploration

Lately, it seems like NASA will take any chance to remind you that we're going back to the moon. There has been no shortage of updates on the upcoming Artemis missions, with announcements, announcements of upcoming announcements and even the space exploration equivalent of fashion week. Returning to the moon after more than 50 years is an exciting prospect, and one that could have huge ramifications for how we live here on Earth. But a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that Americans aren't overwhelmingly enthusiastic about NASA's lunar ambitions.

Fifty percent of respondents told us they're excited by the possibility of returning to the moon, while 36% said they aren't. The rest, well, they weren't so sure. And when it comes to the specifics of the upcoming Artemis missions, 58% of Americans said they've never heard of it, with just 8% saying they've heard "a lot." However, a clear 62% majority still considers it important for the U.S. to maintain its status as the world leader in space exploration.

That said, Americans are far more divided on whether "space missions are a good use of taxpayer money" — 40% say yes, 36% say no — and oddly enough, here America's political divide finds a rare moment of unity: People who voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 election responded almost exactly in the same way as those who voted for Donald Trump, with 48% and 46% saying the cost of space exploration is worth it.

Illustration by Yahoo News

So, why are Americans hesitant about footing the bill for space missions? Tom Zelibor, CEO of the Space Foundation, says it may come down to a lack of "space awareness."

"The awareness side of space that people don't get is that the majority of technologies that we have to develop for being in austere environments in space absolutely benefit us on Earth," Zelibor told Yahoo News.

"The landscape is replete with examples," he added, pointing to everyday objects like football helmets, polarized sunglasses, WD-40 and even modern cosmetics that have connections to space program innovations. Motioning to his smartphone, he chuckled, "Everyone has one of these things in their pocket. Well, you know, 90% of that phone is useless if you don't have space technologies attached to it."

"We have to do a better job on the space awareness side, because people will see dollar signs, but they won't equate it to what it does for us on Earth," he concluded.

Artemis 2's Canadian astronaut got their moon mission seat with 'potato salad'

Elizabeth Howell
Sat, April 1, 2023 

illustration of canadarm3 attached to a space station. the moon is behind and the earth very far in behind

It took four years of negotations for Canada to get a seat on NASA's upcoming moon mission.

That mission, Artemis 2, will send a Canadian and three Americans around the moon no sooner than November 2024. The Canadian seat comes courtesy of a big contribution to NASA's Artemis program: Canadarm3, a robotic arm that will service the planned Gateway moon-orbiting space station. (The identities of the Artemis 2 crewmembers are currently unknown but will be revealed on Monday, April 3, in a live NASA event that you can watch here at Space.com.)

Canadarm3 was announced in 2019 as part of a big push in Canadian federal government circles to reprioritize space exploration. The government pledged US $1.56 billion USD in space spending over 24 years ($2.05 billion CAD under 2019 exchange rates). That's $65 million USD a year, a fairly significant amount for a space agency that specializes in niche projects.


Much of that Canadian Space Agency (CSA) money was for Canadarm3, but some was also earmarked for a business incubator known as the Lunar Exploration Acceleration Program (LEAP). Other support went to food and health tech development contests designed to assist future deep space astronauts.

Getting all that funding and securing a seat on Artemis 2, however, took four years of behind-the-scenes negotiations. To introduce what happened, let's talk about something that may not sound all that space-y at first: potato salad.

Related: NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know

Canada is a powerful tech specialist that has been supplying highly capable space robotics since 1981 — Canadarm for the space shuttle program; Canadarm2 for the International Space Station (ISS), along with a "handy robot" named Dextre; and Canadarm3, which will be built by the company MDA. These are all crucial tools used for applications such as spacewalking, satellite repairs and space station servicing.

Ken Podwalski, a senior CSA official involved with the Artemis 2 and Gateway negotiations, likens the reputation of Canada's space robotics to the dinner guest who comes armed with a divine side dish: "People look at Canada and say, 'Canada, you guys make the best potato salad, bar none. It's the best potato salad you can get. Nobody does it like you.'"

His confidence comes from decades of space experience. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, for example, would not be running today without Canadarm, which was used on five space shuttle servicing missions to the iconic observatory from 1993 to 2009. Nor would the ISS exist in its current form without Canadarm2, which berths cargo ships, assists in construction and even starred in a spectacular 2007 emergency spacewalk to fix a torn ISS solar panel.

Related: Astronauts ready for solar wing surgery

scott parazynski in a spacesuit beside a solar panel in space. he is riding a robotic arm
NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski during a tricky International Space Station solar array repair in 2007. He rode a combination of Canadian robotics to get to the distant site: the Canadarm2 grasped a modified Canadarm to extend the robotic reach as far as possible. (Image credit: NASA )

But in 2015, when the future of the ISS collaboration was being discussed within Canada, the U.S. and other nations, there were lots of questions about what would happen next. Canada was just changing over from a Conservative to a Liberal government for the first time in nearly a decade, following the 2015 election.

The U.S. was on the eve of the 2016 election, which brought in a new presidential administration as well. Numerous ideas were batted about concerning the direction of NASA's human spaceflight program over the coming years. Would the agency work toward a crewed visit to an asteroid? A moon mission? How quickly and with whom? And within Canada, no space plan for government spending direction had been formulated for many years, making roadmaps similarly uncertain — until a high-level strategy document came out in 2019.

The multinational space groups Canada is a part of all agreed on one thing, Podwalski said: Mars was the ultimate destination. The question simply came down to which pathway to take. The CSA created its own planning group that used the ISS agreements as a starting point. Gateway, though changing design and scope periodically, was a solid enough target to plan discussions with NASA during the 2015 to 2018 negotiations, he said.

"We were going through this quite intensive time. We were doing presentations with the partners and trying to understand what the right fit was," Podwalski recalled. "We were [also] doing presentations with our government, trying to make sure that we're taking the right approach."

Related: Maple leaf to the moon: Canadian Space Agency debuts new logo

illustration of spacesuited astronauts, a rover and a habitat on the surface of mars
NASA and other international partners have agreed that eventually they want to send humans to Mars, but the pathway has been under negotiation for many years.

 (Image credit: NASA)


Building the new Canadarm3 was established as the primary aim. Podwalski, citing what he calls the "potato salad speech" he brings out in such planning meetings, said he always told people that focus was essential.

"Everybody expects Canada to bring the potato salad," he said. "The potato salad gets you in the door, no problem ... and it doesn't stop you from bringing anything else. You're now a part of the party. Now's a good time to bring up other things."

He thus urged his collaborators to deprioritize expensive and newer work that Canada could undertake, such as space modules or large rovers. But they also sought other avenues where modest investments could have a powerful impact and involve many smaller companies in related industries to space. Through these conversations, a mini moon rover (announced in 2021), a lunar utility vehicle (announced in the Canadian federal budget on March 28) and the CSA LEAP incubator program (renewed in the 2023 federal budget) all eventually came to be as well.

Canadarm3 was also designed to align with the priorities of the Canadian government. Serving remote communities in the north, especially Indigenous groups, through spinoff medical technology? Check. Continuing to grow Canada's artificial intelligence community, a key tech direction for the country? Another big check, as Canadarm3 will be autonomously operating without astronaut crews nearby for at least 11 months a year. Preparing for Mars? Absolutely, as the artificial intelligence and robotics will also be beneficial on a more faraway planet, Podwalski said.

Related: Meet Au-Spot, the AI robot dog that's training to explore caves on Mars

A docked orion spacecraft with the gateway space station in an artist's illustration. gateway has numerous modules, somewhat like the international space station but smaller
A visualization of the crew segment of the NASA-led lunar Gateway station. Gateway's design will likely continue to evolve as new hardware becomes available. 

(Image credit: ESA/NASA/ATG Medialab)

Podwalski emphasized how important it was to stay flexible through the negotiations, which extended through several U.S. election and Canadian cycles across 2015 to 2018, not to mention policy changes in the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and other partners.

"It is difficult to pull together these multibillion-dollar programs and get all these partners with all their own agendas about what they want to do in space, what technologies they want to develop and what they want to do with their industry," he said.

Formulations also will continue to change on the key hardware, he emphasized, and negotiations are always undertaken with that flexibility in mind. For example, he said, it's possible that Gateway may alter again after SpaceX's Starship achieves its first spaceflight as soon as this month, given that Starship could carry a considerable amount of cargo to lunar realms.

Related stories:

—NASA to name Artemis 2 crew next week, the first moon astronauts in 50 years

—NASA's Artemis 2 mission: Taking humans around the moon

—NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know

But for Canada, the benefits from Canadarm3's "potato salad" approach have been considerable so far. The Artemis 2 seat, when offered by NASA, met the CSA's goal of having an early moon mission with an astronaut on board to build industry and scientific momentum for other moon ventures, Podwalski said.

So far, NASA has also promised a long-duration Gateway mission to Canada sometime in the future. Other astronaut lunar journeys may come, including a landing mission, in negotiations down the road.

The ISS journey will continue alongside Artemis, too. Canada last month committed to extending its ISS participation to 2030 alongside other partners who agreed to that last year, most crucially NASA. (Russia has said it aims to exit the ISS partnership sometime after 2024.) Canada will also fly an astronaut to the ISS again in 2024 or 2025, the Canadian federal budget confirmed a few days ago.

Podwalski urged the community to keep watching for new announcements. "We're a partner in good standing," he said of the ISS and Artemis consortiums. "We're part of the initial [moon] foray; we're part of the trailblazers. It really does position Canada in a good way."

Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

AMERICAN PROTESTANTISM

How 'complementarianism' – the belief that God assigned specific gender roles – became part of evangelical doctrine


Susan M. Shaw, Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Oregon State University
Sat, April 1, 2023 

Southern Baptist women demonstrating against the faith's gender role doctrine in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2019. AP Photo/Julie Bennett

Prominent evangelical leader Beth Moore, who announced in March 2021 that she was leaving the Southern Baptist Convention over its treatment of women, among other issues, also apologized for supporting the primacy of the theology of “complementarianism.”

This belief asserts that while women and men are of equal value, God has assigned them specific gender roles. Specifically, it promotes men’s headship or authority over women, while encouraging women’s submission.

As a scholar of gender and evangelical Christianity who grew up Southern Baptist, I watched how complementarianism became central to evangelical belief, starting in the late 1970s, in response to the feminist influence within Christianity.

The start of the doctrine

In the 1970s, the women’s movement began to make inroads into a number of arenas in the U.S., including work, education and politics. Many Christians, including evangelicals, came to embrace egalitarianism and to champion women’s equality in the home, church and society.

In response, in 1977 evangelical biblical studies professor George Knight III published a book, “New Testament Teaching on the Role Relationship of Men and Women,” and introduced a new interpretation of “role differences.”

Other evangelical biblical studies professors, such as Wayne Grudem and John Piper, began to write about submission and headship in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, making the claim that women’s submission to men was not, as many Christians at that time believed, a result of the Fall in the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit.

Rather, they argued, the requirement for women’s submission was part of the created order. Men, they explained, were created to rule and women were created to obey.
Southern Baptists incorporate the belief

Evangelical leaders began to hold secret meetings, conferences and evangelical associations to work out, and then promote, a fully developed framework for complementarianism.

In 1987, a group including Piper and Grudem met in Danvers, Massachusetts, to prepare a statement that came to be known as the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. It set out the core beliefs of complementarianism.

Among other things, the Danvers Statement affirmed the submissive role of women. It said, “Wives should forsake resistance to their husbands’ authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands’ leadership.”

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood was created at the same time. The goal of the council was to influence evangelicals to adopt the principles of complementarianism in their homes, churches, schools and other religious agencies.

Within a decade, the council and the Danvers Statement began to have significant influence among evangelicals, particularly Southern Baptists, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Entrenched evangelical beliefs

The Southern Baptist Convention soon incorporated these beliefs into its confessional statement – a document of generally shared beliefs. In an amendment in 1998 to the “Baptist Faith and Message,” the convention included the complementarian language.

The amended section on “The Family” stated, “A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.”

For some, the theology of complementarianism became so deeply entrenched in evangelical belief that they came to see it as an essential doctrine of the faith. As Piper said in 2012, if people accept egalitarianism, sooner or later, they’re going to get the Gospel wrong.

While Moore has not entirely renounced complementarianism, she has now decried its use as a first-tier doctrine. First-tier doctrines are the ones that evangelicals believe people must accept in order to be Christians. For some evangelicals, however, complementarianism remains a litmus test for theological faithfulness, right alongside belief in God and acceptance of Jesus.


This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Susan M. Shaw, Oregon State University.

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THE POPE RECENTLY DECLARED THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BELIEVES STRICTLY IN COMPLEMENTARIANISM 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_and_Female_He_Created_Them

Male and Female He Created Them - Wikipedia 

The Congregation states that "gender theory" is "strictly sociological". : 7. The Congregation asserted a "distinction" between "the whole field ...

https://nypost.com/2023/03/11/pope-francis-gender-ideology-is-one-of-most-dangerous-ideological-colonizations

Pope Francis: 'Gender ideology' is one of 'most dangerous ... 

Mar 11, 2023 ... “Because it blurs differences and the value of men and women.” “All humanity is the tension of differences. It is to grow through the tension of ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/vatican-says-people-cant-choose-their-genders/2019/06/10/c3055aaa-8b8e-11e9-b6f4-033356502dce_story.html

Vatican says people can't choose their genders - The Washington Post 

Jun 10, 2019 ... A new document, titled “Male and Female He Created Them,” expands on comments from Pope Francis.

IN OPPOSITION TO FEMINIST HERETIC & GENDER BENDER; JUDITH BUTLER

Gender Trouble

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Gender_Trouble

Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990; second edition 1999) is a book by the philosopher Judith Butler in which the author argues ...

Publication date: 1990

Subjects: Feminism, ‎Philosophy‎, ‎Queer theory‎

Publisher: Routledge

Pages: 272 (UK paperback edition)

‎Summary · ‎Reception

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Gender trouble. Feminism and the subversion of identity

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Gender trouble : feminism and the subversion of identity / by. Judith Butler. p. cm. (Thinking gender). Includes index. ISBN 0-415-90042- ...

92 pages

Judy Blume Annihilates Book Ban Efforts With Scathing Takedown

“Try and define pornography today, and you’ll find that it’s everything.”


Ben Blanchet
Sat, April 1, 2023 

In this article:
Judy Blume
American children's writer

Judy Blume ripped attempts to ban books and described what “books are all about” during an interview published by Variety on Friday.

Blume weighed in on book bans as attempts to challenge literary materials in schools and public libraries reached a record high in 2022, according to a report from the American Library Association.

The iconic author, known as an activist against book ban efforts, has seen several of her books challenged over the years, including “Forever...” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”

Blume told Variety that the challenges “all broke loose” following the election of President Ronald Reagan but argued that efforts to ban books today are different.

“It was bad in the ’80s, but it wasn’t coming from the government. Today, there are laws being enacted where a librarian can go to prison if she or he is found guilty of having pornography on their shelves,” Blume said.

“Try and define pornography today, and you’ll find that it’s everything.”

Judy Blume arrives at the 40th Annual Miami Film Festival's premiere of

Judy Blume arrives at the 40th Annual Miami Film Festival's premiere of "Judy Blume Forever" on March 4 in Coral Gables, Florida.

Blume’s comments come after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed that efforts to remove books from state classrooms only impact “pornographic and inappropriate” materials, a claim that literary group PEN America declared false in a post last month.

The author, a Key West, Florida resident, has also spoken out against GOP-backed efforts in the state.

The author wrote “Sorry, Margaret.” – a nod to the main character of her novel that addresses menstruation – in response to a tweet about a bill that would ban discussion of menstrual cycles in Florida classrooms.

Blume, in her interview with Variety, referred to politician-led attempts to challenge books as “the real danger.”

“What are you protecting your children from? Protecting your children means educating them and arming them with knowledge, and reading and supporting what they want to read,” Blume said.

“No child is going to become transgender or gay or lesbian because they read a book. It’s not going to happen. They may say, ‘Oh, this is just like me. This is what I’m feeling and thinking about.’ Or, ‘I’m interested in this because I have friends who may be gay, bi, lesbian.’ They want to know.”

Blume later praised one book – Maia Kobabe’s frequently-challenged memoir “Gender Queer” – for offering her insight into a life other than her own.

“I thought, ‘This young person is telling me how they came to be what they are today.’ And I learned a lot and became even more empathetic,” she said.

“That’s what books are all about.”’

You can read more of Blume’s interview with Variety here.

Judy Blume worried about intolerance and book banning in the US

Banning books "has become political... it's worse than it was in the 80s"

Steven McIntosh - Entertainment reporter
Sat, April 1, 2023 



Author Judy Blume has said she is worried about intolerance in the US, after some of her novels were removed from schools.

Some books have been removed from school libraries in the US due to concerns about how they explore complex themes of sex, race or gender identity.

One of Blume's novel was recently pulled in a Florida school district.

Blume told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg banning books "has become political... it's worse than it was in the 80s".

Asked if she was worried about intolerance in the US, she replied: "Absolutely, intolerance about everything, gender, sexuality, racism.

"It's just reaching a point where again we have to fight back, we have to stand up and fight."

Why author Judy Blume's classic still inspires

Blume's novels have been translated into 32 languages and sold more than 90 million copies, according to recent figures reported by The Washington Post.

A screen adaptation of the author's 1970 novel Are You There God? It's Me Margaret is set to be released in May, starring Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates.

Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams will star in the screen adaptation of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

The novel follows a young girl exploring her religious and sexual identity as she confronts adolescent anxieties about reaching puberty.

The book won several literary awards and has remained popular with teenage girls, but it has also attracted controversy both at the time of its publication and more recently, for how openly it discusses sexuality and religion.

Asked about book banning, Blume told Kuenssberg: "I thought that was over frankly, I thought we had come through that, you know, not in every way, but I never expected us to be back where we were in the 80s plus, much worse.

"I came through the 80s when book banning was really at its height. And it was terrible. And then libraries and schools began to get policies in place and we saw a falling off of the desire to censor books.

"Now it is back, it is back much worse - this is in America, it is back so much worse than it was in the 80s. Because it's become political.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed limiting discussion of gender and sexuality in schools

She continued: "We have legislators out there trying to put through laws, I just read about one last week in my home state of Florida, trying to put through a law - trying to put through laws saying that girls can no longer talk about periods at school or amongst themselves."

Earlier this month, Florida's state legislature introduced a new bill that may limit discussion of menstruation before sixth grade.

"I mean, that's crazy, that is so crazy," Blume said. "And it is so frightening that I think the only answer is for us to speak out and really keep speaking out, or we are going to lose our way."

Blume was also asked what she thought about Florida governor Ron DeSantis's proposal to restrict discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.

Last week, Florida's Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr tweeted: "Students should be spending their time in school learning core academic subjects, not being force-fed radical gender and sexual ideology."

Blume criticised "bad politicians who drunk with power, who want to get out there, and I don't know what they're trying to prove really".

She added: "I mean, there's a group of mothers now going around saying that they want to protect their children. Protect them from what? You know, protect them from talking about things? Protect them from knowing about things?

"Because even if they don't let them read books, their bodies are still going to change and their feelings about their bodies are going to change. And you can't control that. They have to be able to read, to question."