There have been many topics rumbling around my heart this past week but ultimately this one bubbled to the surface as my heart‘s cry for my sisters in the faith could not remain unexpressed.
As the story about a prominent conservative pastor’s dismissive, dishonouring and unloving comments about two female preachers in particular and women in ministry in general made its way around the Christian news circuit I watched with mixed emotions. First, I was angry that this pastor and those of his ilk still find ears willing to entertain such unChristlike messages and attitudes. Even if his view was right (and I will get to that) the manner in which it was delivered negated everything he said. It was not delivered in love to say the least.
Then I was grieved. Grieved that we are still here in this place in the church. That women are still treated this way. It must hurt the heart of God. But then as the support started coming through from the Body of Christ condemning this message of hate and encouraging the women who had been named, I was filled with hope and joy.
The times are changing. The female voice in the Church is being recognized and honoured. I firmly believe that this is one of the signs that the church, the Bride of Christ, is maturing. There is no return of Christ until the Church appreciates, honours and is equipped by the female voice.
I first began to appreciate this on a very personal level years ago when I started doing bible plans on YouVersion. I was yearning for deeper intimacy with God and I quickly realized that the plans that really took me deeper were all written by women. Most plans tended to be very heady and academic, but the real gems were relational and encouraged an actual encounter with the Truth not just an appreciation of the truth. (Check out www.thistlebend.org!) There were some exceptions, but the trend was unmistakeable, women were better at teaching from a place of intimacy and encounter.
This explained a lot of why the church today is so much head and so little heart; so much truth and so little grace. The need to recognize and empower women is not just for their sake, it is more for ours! It also explains the nature of the enemy’s stronghold against female ministers; it’s all a rational, academic, biblical argument centred on some statements from Paul. The problem is, if we don’t have the heart of God, we cannot interpret the text accurately. We cannot discern what in the bible is the will of God, what is the culture of the day and what is the personality of men. There are so many passages in the bible that show women in prominent positions of ministry that it is strange that we hold onto a couple of verses from Paul.
What blinds us is our own hearts of course; our own lack of love. We see only what our hearts allow us to see. To illustrate: The bible has no support for the abolition of slavery. None. Slavery is accepted throughout. In fact, it admonishes slaves to obey their masters in sincerity of heart and not just to give eye-service! Yet the Church today is crystal clear on what the heart of God is. There is no doubt that slavery is not of God. But it was not always so. The upheavals that are happening today in Catholic and Protestant circles concerning women in leadership are akin to the battles that took place as men and women fought for the abolition of slavery years ago. Our current crisis is a sign that our hearts are awakening to God’s complete love for and calling upon women teachers, evangelists, pastors, prophets and apostles. It is a good sign!
One day the issue of the biblical view of women in ministry will no longer be a topic of debate. In that day the Church will shine with another degree of glorious brightness as we march on towards the fullness of the stature of Christ!
