It is very
interesting to see how Churches across denomination are holding on to different
interpretation and most often such contention are nullified either because of
its strong church background or for many other reasons. So when we talk about
women’s role in the church and wider ministry, I wonder if at all women can be
trusted to do anything other than pour tea and snacks at the end of the church
service or leading the Sunday schools. I know we’ve moved on from such
situation but the question of inclusive theology and gospel in our church and
society is still in the recovery process. Having said that, Apostle Paul’s view
of women as mention in I Timothy 2:12 and I Corinthians 14: 34 has been one of
the biggest sources of controversy and judgement too. Contrary to many
interpreters, interestingly enough Paul had an inclusive worldview- an attitude
that was rather extraordinary for his times. Many people have misinterpreted
through different lens and have caused enough spiritual casualties. So personally
speaking, I strongly believe that issues such as this deserve and qualify to be
treated very cautiously and dealt with humility and with the soundness of the
word of God and divine influenced. Otherwise, there are enough slippery slopes
where our faith and beliefs can be easily sold out to what I can say as
distortion and assassination of truth and God’s redemptive work. To many, the insulting
implication is that any Christian woman who steps outside the lines of
ecclesiastical propriety and presumes to speak for God or displays any level of
courage is labelled rebellious, disobedient, or spiritually conniving. Collectively, we have cultivated that
bizarre fear and so if we want to stake a claim that women shouldn’t involve in
leading or preaching, do we assume then that the church have supressed and
buried alive their spiritual gifts too or are we prepared to say that
everything women and men have done to expand the kingdom of God was a mistake
because women was involved and she was a leader too.
Therefore, the main objective and the backbone of this
article is to acknowledge the fact that the inclusion of women in the Christian
ministry is imperative but as believers and body of Christ, we have to
ingrained it in our heart that the return of Christ is imminent and while all
these quarrels and disputes needed to be resolved, our utmost responsibility is
to carefully ensure that such contention doesn’t limit us from serving God
fully and deprive us from making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to
obey God’s command (Matthew 28:16-20). As mention earlier, whenever any debates on women and their role in the
church and ministry are laid out in the table, undeniably the first thing that
comes to our mind is the Pauline’s perspective on women as mention in I
Corinthians 11 and I Timothy 2. For a person like Paul, who was sharply
criticized and disapproved by many early believers for all his past involvement
and influences was later on significantly used by God to minister powerfully to
all of them and one of whom was Peter. Paul ministered to them that there’s no
difference between circumcised or uncircumcised because that was still debated
strongly within the disciples. GALATIANS 3:27- 28 Paul edified the believers and the
church that in Christ there is no difference between races or gender. “For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ
Jesus.” So interestingly it was
the same Paul who said about the modesty of women and to what many considered
it as imposition of the Jewish rabbinical law or in other words spiritual subordination.
Many Christians are most familiar with a few passages in Paul’s letters that
seem to denigrate women, keeping them in their place, and even silencing them.
Perhaps we need to give these passages a fresh hearing, with special attention
given to the original context. In Paul’s first letter to Corinth, he writes
about the worshipping assembly, emphasizing the appropriate attitudes and
roles. In one particular passage he speaks of the need for women to cover their
heads so as not to bring shame when praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians
11:3-16). So, here’s the background of Corinth.
In 44 BC Corinth became a
Roman colony under Julius Caesar and adopted Roman law and culture as its own. The
population included foreigners and resident aliens from Egypt, Syria, Asia
Minor, and other parts of the east Mediterranean who brought their own cultures
and customs to Corinth. Paul was certainly concerned about confused and
disorderly meetings aggravated by frequent interruptions. Because everyone is
jabbering away at once, the content of good theology was not being
communicated. This is why Paul supplies the theological basis for orderliness
in the next verse"... … for God is not a God of confusion but of peace”.
Against such development, Paul admonishes the believers in Corinth to stay in
oneness and be united by the word of God. It is in this context that Paul says "let the women keep silent."
It
was also suggested that many women were guilty of misusing their freedom in
Christ, including false teaching, to try to take over the running of the
church. In such a case, Paul would not be speaking to a
normal situation, but to a threatening division or at least disruption in the
local church.
By saying this, the writer’s intent to convey that the main
theme repeatedly found in the New Testament is that the special qualification
to serve God and his people doesn’t at all come from being male or female but
from the new birth. The coming of Christ inaugurated a “new creation” identity
which transcends the law and the law that differentiate the uncircumcised, the
gentiles, barbarian, Scythian; slaves are put to eternal rest by Christ
redemptive act on the cross.
The new creation, chosen
race, holy nation, royal priesthood, aroma, ambassadors, children of God, the
bride… are all the entitlement and privileges for those who are in Christ.
Before the Pentecost, circumcision was the sign of membership in the community
but now it is only within the parameter of God’s grace that we are determined. So
to override that new identity in Christ in order to promote what is convenient
for us is nothing but to tamper God’s word and his will too. Therefore,
withstanding the full involvement of women in the church and ministry including
spoken ministry on the basis of gender is to deny the theology of partnership
as intended by God. God’s providential love and mercy in choosing us and calling
us are profoundly evident as mention below.
Joel 2:28 mention, "After this, I will pour my
Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will
dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. 2.29 In those days I will pour
my Spirit on servants, on both men and women. 2.30 I will work miracles in the
sky and on the earth: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. I shall pour out my spirit on a woman (daughters) and she shall prophesy
but be silent?
In Matthew
28:5-10, it was not only the angel but even Christ himself who commended women
to go and tell the disciples about the good news of the resurrection of Christ.
However interestingly in the gospel of Luke
24:11 it was mention that when the women went and tell the apostles, “But they
did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense”. After
all what Christ taught them and showed them while he was still with them, they
miserably failed to exercise their faith and believe what Christ taught them. May
be they just can’t believe that God met those women first and not them or may
be women are stupid and are supposed to be silent. I shall tell women to proclaim the message of my resurrection but be
silent?
In
Romans 16:1 (and the following verses), we see how many women believers
supported Paul’s ministry. Special mention was given to Phoebe in 1-2, where
she was addressed as deacon of the church in Cenchrea. “Deaconess” was not a
word at that time and was first used in AD 375. The common word “deacon” is
most often translated “minister” in the King James Version. Paul
called himself a deacon in 1 Corinthians 3:5 and it is used for Timothy in Acts
19:22. Deacon is used with “co-worker” (synergos)
and commonly meant someone who teaches and preaches; the person would have some
authority in the church. Another thing to consider is that the term deacon was
masculine and only males functioned as deacons in Greek culture. Paul knew very
well what he was doing when he used that term for Phoebe. Many churches today quote
I Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1: 6-9 as a set of standard to elect ONLY men as elders
in the church. Elders and leaders in the
church need to be men (not women), but what about Phoebe who serves the church
in Cenchrea as deacon (minister)… a silent deacon? Acts 18:24 now there came to Ephesus a Jew
named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in
the scriptures. 18:25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he
spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning
Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 18:26 He began to speak boldly
in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside
and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. I shall tell Priscilla who instructed my servant Apollos to be silent? Was
Apollos spiritually emasculated when he submitted to Pricilla’s correction?
Absolutely not. His ministry was strengthened actually. Acts 21:8…The next day we left and came to
Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the
seven, and stayed with him. 21:9 He had four unmarried daughters who had the
gift of prophecy. I shall tell Philip's
daughters to prophesy but be silent? How about we assert that women remove
their braids and gold necklaces when they come to church as Paul says in 1Timothy
2:9? Probably not. We don’t regard these as universal. But when we come to
verses that restrict women’s participation in ministry just a few verses later
some suddenly view those verses as binding on all generation, for all cultures
and for all times. Why? Throughout the early Christianity and church history,
many women missionaries were church planters and were courageous in their faith
even to the point of dead. These women were not looking for a spotlight or a
pulpit, nor were they out to win an argument or to prove that women are better
than men. They were prayer warriors who loved the Word of God and used it
skilfully to combat the evils of their day. They were mothers of the faith who
nurtured new converts with the milk of salvation and obeyed the Lord. Can the
church then accuse them of blasphemy?
I
know this sounds primitive, but many Christian institution /churches hobbles
about on one foot because it is unwilling to give women their rightful role as
competent Christian co-workers. By
saying this, am not trying to set up propaganda that women MUST be allowed to,
instead it is God who chose us. He called us. So when that choosing /calling is
already been initiated by God, why at all then do we have to choose again on
the basis of colour, gender, status etc.
We know that Christ is the new covenant and in him all distinction are
dissolved. He is the mediator and the high priest. Surely then, our deepest
convictions should come from a positive response to the gospel of Truth, the
gospel that profess the supremacy of God the Father, God the Son and God the
Holy Spirit. The Father will not fulfil his purpose outside the church (the
bride of his son). Our main goal as
believers (both men and women) is therefore to become more like Christ each
day, he must become greater and we must become less (John3:30). So then,
the church should be a redemptive force amid oppressive traditions and cultures.
The church should then recognize the calling of both women and men and assert
our true Christian dignity as found in the bible whether it is Old Testament or
New Testament. Although discussions on women’s roles in worship and ministry
are significant, attention should also focus on how men and women might serve
together as co-workers in Godly partnership and engage in the sphere which God
has ordained for both and to that end, may the God of peace, the great Shepherd
of the sheep, equip us with everything good for doing his will, and may he work
in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever
and ever. Amen.
After my office (Shalom Delhi)
relocation, I’ve started spending many of my time traveling in Delhi metro to
reach my office and home too. My friend Persis ( i called her soulmate sister) therefore gave me a
book last month to read while traveling. Since the day I started reading that
book, I can’t help but realize how in odd places and circumstances, we can
always create that environment to learn and grow. SACRED MARRIAGE by Gary
Thomas has indeed attained the rank of a contemporary classic. The unusual premise of the book sets a
powerful ground breaking perspective on “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make
us happy?" A thought-provoking and challenging book where the writer treats
marriage with a respect far greater toward God than for happiness which is
fleeting, and that makes this book beautiful and profound. 
