That is too funny! I was raised in a very traditional baptist church that was KJV only and to this day I still (very jokingly) call the NIV Satan’s Bible (But again, only to get a rise and hopefully a laugh out of people). The translation topic was a very hot button topic for that church. The ESV is my favorite version at the moment.
I’m sorry to hear that women are still somewhat constrained in your mom’s church. I attend a “Bible” church at this point, and we have several women ministry heads, though no women in preaching or eldership roles.
I feel the Bible does make it clear that there are some areas of the church where men are to take the leadership roles specificaly, mirroring the family structure as God described it. There are some interesting verses in there that I myself have a tough time understanding in the context of the “modern church.” All I can do is know the Bible is true and that God put everything in there for our benefit, and that he made it clear he thought no less of either gender.
I think sometimes the problem is that our culture has taken some of the traditional roles and devalued them. It used to be that many of the traditional roles that women served in in the church and the family were thought of as being extremely neccisary and important and honorable, but society and culture these days have redefined them as demeaning, limiting, and sexist. The Bible goes on at great length about how much Glory there is for a woman (Proverbs 31) in all manner of, what seem now to be mundane, pursuits. I guess we have to ask ourselves who do we trust to define our value and worth? A faithful and never changing God? Or an ever shifting and downward spiraling culture.
Boy did I go off on that one. Sorry about that I get caught up sometimes! Its the last day of our VBS tomorrow (Friday) and we have been talking about Peter. I feel bad though because I keep going off script and abandoning my leader book and cute flash-cards

Its just so much fun making God seem more real to a generation that is bombarded from every direction with humanist dogma and skepticism. I teach Bible at the Christian school I work at (among other classes) and the questions these kids ask show they are thinking and reasoning beyond what adults, a lot of times, give them credit for. They want to know what is real, and so often God is made to sound more like a collection of fairytales and the man behind the curtain, than a real life being who loves and craves a relationship with his creations.
All that to say.... ummm..... I may have forgotten my point... nuts! There I go again
But yeah, tradition is comfortable, but a personal relationship with God is so much more important. They may bothe result in the exact same actions, but the first is just “because” and therefore is empty, the latter is motivated by love which is what He wants most from us.
Anyway, sorry for rambling so long. This is the kind of stuff that I get passionate about.

Just out of curiosity (not trying to start a holy war) what sort of church does your mom attend? lutheran, baptist, catholic, etc...