Our guest for On The Other Side #6 is Joel Muddamalle. Joel serves as the Director of Theology and Ministry Products at Proverbs 31 Ministries. Prior to this role, Joel worked at Faithlife Corporation (makers of Logos Bible Software) as a National Conference Presenter speaking at over 30 conferences and did over 100K miles of travel per year. Joel has also served as a pastor. Joel and his wife, Brittany, have three sons – Liam, Levi, and Lucas – and 1 daughter, Emelia Jane. This is Joel’s story of being on the other side of women in leadership.

It’s no secret that this has historically been a hot and divisive topic within the evangelical community, but Joel truly believes it doesn’t have to be. In today’s episode, Joel talks with us about the difference between complementarian and egalitarian views on gender roles in the church, his thankfulness for having the opportunity to learn under godly women, and how he manages the backlash that often comes with this conversation. He also dives into his past views on this topic coming from a very strict background, and some of the reasons he was hesitant to be open to different perspectives. When talking about women leaders, we really appreciate when he says, “Why is it that we can gain something from their writing, but we feel like we wouldn’t get it from their physical presence or auditory teaching within our spheres of life? That’s a disconnect.” From his own experience, he shares that people are hesitant to welcome a different view due to fear that it will lead to a slippery slope on other topics. It really all comes down to being able to disagree well, listening to one another, and turning to the scriptures for answers. We are so thankful for Joel joining us and greatly appreciate his thoughts in a much needed conversation!

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