My favorite love story is Ruth and Naomi. It's of two women of different cultures and different values, brought together by marriage. They form a bond so strong that Ruth leaves her home and her own family to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, to a foreign country that will never recognize her as a worthy person. And that deep bond is rewarded by a 'jealous' God who makes Ruth the great grandmother of the great king David. Who, we all know is the line which produces the Messiah.
Rev. Deb Conklin
Rev. Deb Conklin’s wheels are always turning. How can the church make the world a better place? How can it make Spokane better?
Her passions are many, including social justice in the mainline tradition, emergence and the post-modern and missional church.
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Lou | Feb 25, 2013 | 9:33am
Pastor Deb,
I’ve heard accounts of Ruth and Naomi actually having a romantic relationship. What’s your opinion on that?
Pastor Deb Conklin | Feb 25, 2013 | 10:50pm
Lou, I don’t really have an opinion. I think the Bible leaves the question open. The truth is we really don’t have information about the sexual practices of women of that period. It seems that men kept the history, and told it from their viewpoint. I also think that relationships between women are much more ambiguous than most men realize. Clearly Naomi and Ruth had a deep bond. If they did have a sexual relationship, it does not seem to have caused Naomi to hesitate to help Ruth strategize how to gain a protector (for them both).
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