Some of you might think this is a rant.
I just don’t get why men are so afraid of women in ministry. I grew up in a fairly traditional evangelical church. Women were never allowed to preach, although they were allowed to give testimonies or share stories, which now seems like a strange dichotomy. But just below the surface women secretly ran the show. They were the organizers, servants, and administrators making everything happen. I know because my mom was the Director of Women’s ministries on several occasions. If you wanted something done, you called a woman. And my mom was one of the those women.
Even though this was the prevailing culture in my church, it was never the culture in my home. My mom (see image above of Lydia McCullough, probably 1976) always began with the idea that a woman could essentially do anything a man could do, and often better. I grew up being told that a woman is just as empowered as any man. My mom kicked butt and took names with the best of them. She was the best friend anyone had. And she loved God. But God never became a stumbling block to preaching the Gospel.
The traditional response is Paul’s admonition in 1 Cor 1 Corinthians 14:34 – “…women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.” The key thing that I’m noticing is Paul’s response of “As the law says.” I’ve never noticed that before, that he actually clarifies himself by appealing to the law. In other words, is Paul suggesting that there is a cultural law in place. Because we treat it as the our law.
But I’ll be honest in saying that although I think it’s a cultural issue, I don’t think it’s the best reason for allowing women to speak in church. I think in keeping women quiet, we miss half of God’s voice in our midst. I got to see the lives of the people my mom touched, men included, and I can only imagine what it would have been like had women been allowed to participate in the larger theological dialog on a more proactive basis. I was reminded of this when I read this from Melody Hanson.
“It frightens me that so much of (most or all) biblical interpretation throughout history was done by men. “
Could it be that so many of our denominational problems, doctrinal issues, and theological debates actually feed the ego of men. I’ve worked with so many men over the last fifteen years in spiritual formation and we’re just bent toward the logical. We like thinking. We like debating and arguing. We like to be right. Women are different. They predominantly feel first. They get to the heart of the matter because their bent towards relationship. And isn’t that what the Gospel is ultimately trying to get to, a restoration of relationship?
What would it look like if us men actually took the risk to include the other, perhaps stronger, side into that conversation. I think it would be epic.
