In November eighth-grader McKenna Pope launched a campaign urging Hasbro to make an Easy-Bake Oven that could be marketed to boys. Her younger brother had asked for the popular toy, but Pope couldn’t find an Easy-Bake with boy-friendly packaging and design. Her campaign paid off. Hasbro brought Pope and her family to its Rhode Island headquarters and unveiled an Easy-Bake prototype designed to appeal to boys. The story raises all sorts of interesting questions about boys and girls and their tastes and interests. Through the years the church has made its share of assumptions about gender roles, some of which have been hurtful. LinC looks at what the gospel says about gender roles and discusses what it means to live with integrity as the people God calls us to be. Key Scriptures: John 4:27-30, 39-42; 1 Corinthians 11:3-15; Galatians 3:26-28. After nine months off the air, and rumors that it might be cancelled, NBC’s critically acclaimed comedy Community returns in a few weeks. In anticipation of the return of the students at Greendale Community College, we’ll be talking about community, not the show but the idea. Jesus instructed his followers to be his church and to make disciples, and he gave us instructions for our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Next week LinC discusses what it means to be part of a Christian community, why Jesus calls us to be a church instead of a bunch of individual Christians, and how we rely on one another for love and support.
