Intellectuelle

:-)

And hey . . . look at the Thinklings - they make claims about their intellecutal level and still post a lot of silly stuff. (Like that Gatorade post which has been going on for *how* long now?)

Personally, too much thinking stuff and I stop reading because my head starts going in circles. :-)

Amen! I enjoy your blog (and your individual ones) very much, both the thought-provoking things and the everyday items that make me smile. You all have your priorities in the right place, putting husbands, kids, and friends before blogging- keep it up and we'll enjoy whatever you post!

I think the problem stems from the way the contest for this blog was worded - "thinking women, C.S Lewis" etc. etc. Even now you have the link here from your blog with a description of "Mrs. to PhD." (Do any of the bloggers have PhDs?) I think it's a bit misleading. Of course I still think the entire way the contest was billed was a bit misleading, but we've already discussed that.

Just my 0.02 cents

Marla - its your and the other women's blog and it can be what you want it to be! I certainly have read quite a bit from CS Lewis that included everyday type topics. Part of his charm and readability is that he didn't write like a PhD dissertation, he drew from all facets of life in an intelligent way and articulated it with style. May you ladies continue to enjoy that endeavor here. That is why I enjoy the BHT so much, a great mix of life, humor, theology, friendly banter and yet even some serious thought and criticism.

This blog is just getting going, too early to level unkind criticism. I agree with Margaret and JH, I can't stand to read blogs that read 100% like my thesis editing class. The Bible doesn't read that way either. What's with all that detail about the curtains in the tabernacle! Some woman must have written it! :-)

Hi, Marla, I'm just checking in from my mini-vacation and feeling very snarky myself. Unfortunately, I am feeling snarky in my real life too, not just online.

FYI, I never refer to myself as a stay-at-home mom. I suppose it is accurate, though. I am actually a graduate student at Dallas Theological Seminary. I have 60 credits towards a 120 credit master of theology. On top of that, I am studying Korean daily and learning to live in a foreign country. And taking care of an active one year old.

My classes require me to do a lot of reading and writing. There is plenty of blogging fodder in my studies, but I often fear that it is just too technical for a person with no background to appreciate. Thus, I have tried to keep my posts non-technical and easy to read. Believe me, I could post some of my academic papers if people are really hungering to read a 25,000 word exegesis of the Greek text of Ephesians 2:11-22. . . or 50 pages of notes on the history of Christian doctrine. . . or a detailed examination of every "this fulfills" quote from the OT in Matthew. . .

After reading that comment (and the follow-up), Marla, I think you are being too hard on her. Perhaps there is more to it than we know (was she an entrant in the contest and is disgruntled about not being chosen?) but I think her sentiment will be shared by at least a few others. The 20+ women who didn't make the cut will obviously be a bit peeved when the posting is light, believing that they would have been more "committed" to the project. (Of course its easy for them to say that since they don't actually have to do anything.)

As someone who has been part of at least four failed group blog efforts, I can attest that it is extremely difficult to keep the momentum going. Just look at The Thinklings, the model for Intellectuelle. When I first started two years ago is was a vibrant interesting blog produced by eight members. It is still vibrant and interesting blog and the group dynamic is returning but let's give credit where it is due: Jared carried the load for a long, long time. He may have had a few others jump in, providing a cotton-candy post every now and then, but Jared was the one serving the meat.

I point all this out for two reasons. First, to the critics of Intellectuelle who complain about the lack/quality of posts. While intuitively it would seem easier to share the load with others, maintaining a group blog is very, very hard. It's particularly difficult when its comprised of bloggers who have their own individuals sites to maintain. It takes some time to adjust. These women are obviously dedicated to this venture and we should give them the time they need to sort out the kinks.

Second, to the Intellectuelles, who are probably feeling that this blog is becoming something of a burden rather than a pleasure: For better or worse, this isn't simply another group blog. As the contest results showed, there are large numbers of evangelical women who are desperately wanting to see women finally be perceived as being able to compete with the "boys" when it comes to producing intellectually weighty and theologically insightful material (a few of us boys have the same hope).

When the blog first started Jared joked that he gave it two months before the Intellectuelle's started "blogging about recipes and homeschooling." Unfortunately, that is the perception many people have about women bloggers. There is nothing wrong, of course, with posting about recipes or homeschooling. But evangelical women have more to offer than just that. They have so much more to say and need someone to provide a model to lead the way. Like it or not, that is what many people see when they come to Intellectuelle. Sure it’s a lot of pressure to put on the seven of you, but I think that God has called you together for a greater purpose.

You shouldn’t feel you can’t write “cotton-candy” (like the limerick post) but you also shouldn’t be afraid to regularly post some real “meat” (such as Hannah’s academic work). Will it turn off some readers? Probably. But you don’t see bloggers like David Wayne (Jollyblogger) or Jeremy Pierce (Parableman) choosing not to write about theology or philosophy because they are afraid that some of the men in the audience won’t be able to follow. (Besides, we all read the Bible yet how many of us really know what St. Paul is getting at?) You already have your individual blogs so why not take some chances with this one to stretch yourselves?

I believe in the idea behind this blog and am encouraged by what I’ve seen so far. Ultimately, it belongs to the seven women listed on the left. They are, of course, free to make it into anything they like (and no matter what happens, they will always have a home at EO). But I personally want to encourage them to fully share the intellectual gifts that God has given them. We need more women like this in the Church to step up as leaders. And the rest of us need to do what we can to help them fulfill that role.

Joe - great comment and encouragement.

Hannah - I'll read your papers, if you shorten them just a little :-) Maybe a summary of those 25000 words?

Hannah,

Actually, I think it would be interesting to hear a "Cliff Notes" version of some of your papers, which would require more work on your part. Maybe just a summary. For example, did you draw a conclusion based on all the "this fulfills" from Matthew?

Even if I was a bit "snarky" here, I'm grateful for the feedback it inspired. Annie--thanks for responding to the bit about Lewis because that's exactly what I had in mind when I started this blog. Intellectual but accessible. I also think Lewis would have appreciated a post on limericks. And if there it had been available in his time, he might have even worn a shirt with the word "Inkling" on it...okay, maybe that's stretching it :)

Joe, I may have overreacted to the commenter (and no, she wasn't a contest entrant), but I wrote this post after getting an email from one of the Intellectuelles (which also set off alarm bells) that made me think through the purpose and vision of the blog. I emailed my response to the other Intellectuelles, but I think I will forward it to you as well.

Anyway, your points are all valid and well taken. I know exactly what you're saying about Jared. And it's what you told me from the beginning--there has to be an anchor. Since it's been "my baby" I've wanted to be the anchor, but if that doesn't end up working out, perhaps another will step up to the plate and I'll let go. But I know I could only do that if I knew that the motivation was popularity and that there wasn't pressure to perform. If the winners had all (or mostly) been career women or childless women, or women with older kids, the blog might have a more academic feel, but we turned out to be mostly SAHMs so we can't maintain that kind of momentum/ambiance. At least I know I can't.

On a final note, on my own blog, I post something "weighty" maybe once a week at most and yet people keep coming back. Of course I conceived of Intellectuelle in order to be part of a blog that was more meat more of the time (which I thought would be possible with seven women) and so far I'm pretty satisfied with what we're doing here.

Also, I wish people would have read my post "The Intellectuelles Have Left the Building" explaining some unusual circumstances with our bloggers and the fact that it is, after all, summer.

Oh, and Elena, no none of us have PhDs though a couple of us have master's degrees. When I put that description on my blog (not here), I meant it figuratively, as in somewhere between wife/motherhood and the life of a scholar. I assume the other aspect you think was misleading (btw, I had no idea I was so influential) is that I didn't open the contest to Catholics, but only "evangelicals." According to Phil Johnson (and others), that would mean no one entered the contest since evangelicalism is dead. Oops, I guess I really did mislead people ;)

Note to self: Change description to "Somewhere Between evangelicalism and rapture." JK :)

I'd just like to ditto the comments re posting "heavier" stuff. While I'll sometimes skip over it - please don't be afraid to go over our heads if it's something you want to post. Maybe it will be a challenge to all of us. And while Greek isn't something I can pretend to understand, looking at how Christ fulfills the OT is something which constantly amazes me . . . so maybe some of those seemingly dry papers might not be that unappealing! :-)

As long as snarky does not = whiny, I'm okay with snarky.

I'm beginning to be afraid that anybody reading my blog will be convinced that I only have a serious side - I need to get out more!

But deep appeals - in a world where too many churches focus on the milk and neglect the meat, some of us get much (although not all) of our deeper discussions on line.

Mixing it up is good...

You can make this blog whatever you like. I enjoy reading it, light or heavier. I've enjoyed the ones that are thought-provoking, and look forward to more. But it's summer, and people are travelling, and everything seems to slow down in July and August.

Just one plea, though: please, not kool-aid! It has no nutritive value at all, it tastes vile, and I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy (if I had one). Instant coffee rather than frappucino would be a much pleasanter analogy ;-)

Instant coffee rather than frappucino

I was in Starbucks yesterday and say their "new" drink - green tea frappucino...

I'm not so sure about that...

But...I have green tea at home, maybe I'll try making a "low carb" one...

;-)

Oh, and Elena, no none of us have PhDs though a couple of us have master's degrees. When I put that description on my blog (not here), I meant it figuratively, as in somewhere between wife/motherhood and the life of a scholar.

A figurative PhD?

It's misleading.

I assume the other aspect you think was misleading (btw, I had no idea I was so influential) is that I didn't open the contest to Catholics,

or Orthodox or even the other flavors of Protestantism.

Which is fine - your contest - your blog. However as it turns out, being an Evangelical was the most important (crucial) qualification for entering. So it would have been nicer to have it presented that way. Even the title rather neglects that crucial point and might cause others who find their way here to feel that they too have been mislead. Just my opinion.

OK, I'll bite: how are you using "evangelical?" Joe had a good post on this (and maybe you do too, and I missed it), but I'm never sure exactly how it is meant by the particular user.