If I simply posted the title to this blog and said nothing more, questions should come to mind with concern. One of the big questions would be over the idea of a role among any of us since I hope we all want to be REAL and not play any kind of role. Unfortunately, we have all been taught how to behave and we have been guided into a role to play within our congregations.
In my life, I have resisted children playing any part other than one of a child and women, specifically in church, were to be seen but not heard. Basically, the church women I grew up with were treated as inferior objects within the congregation and they could come as long as they would not interfere with the working of the body. I have even witnessed earlier in my youth women passing notes to their husbands in class so an important question could be asked.
On Sunday, July 5, 2009, I was invited to play my horn in a Baptist Church where, through one of their songs, created a parallel view of the representation of our freedom found in the Statue of Liberty and the representation of our freedom found in the cross. After a woman was asked to come forward and lead the congregation in prayer, I realized, once again, the liberty found in what Christ did for us on the cross still does not apply in our congregations today. As mentioned in an earlier blog, women today are still not regarded as full heirs. I have in the past, regarded them as lesser heirs when it comes to the congregation.
I was taught and I still hear people within my fellowship today declaring how a person honestly studying with an open heart will see the truth of scripture. With the sinful nature being so powerful within all of us, I have severe problems accepting anyone studying the bible as not doing so in all honesty of purpose to learn more; to fill themselves more fully with the knowledge of God. Saying this, it still amazes me to find women so devalued in our gatherings each week.
I have found rationale in the past for women to do a few things within the church but this only represented things of a feminine nature. They could take care of the babies in the nursery; teach bible class for small children, female teens, and adult women (if a man was not available). Over the years, I gradually accepted women cooking in the “un-scriptural” kitchens, preparing the “un-scriptural” slide presentations, the “un-scriptural” bulletins and even running the various “un-scriptural” media found in our “un-scriptural” buildings. Basically, my view of women was how they were allowed to do anything behind the scenes of the actual “pomp and circumstance” I, as a male, could actually participate in during the “official” service. My status as a male Christian has been found superior to the female Christian in my past and has been continued by many Church of Christ congregations still today. It pleases me to know of at least two churches of Christ in the immediate Houston area not holding to this un-biblical position.
It is not uncommon to hear those of my fellowship discuss the required silence of women in the assembly when it comes to teaching, preaching, or leading prayer and yet these same people offering condemnation of a woman’s voice even being heard during small group prayer time will allow their wives and daughters the opportunity to sing or offer a profession of faith leading to baptism in the assembly. It took me nearly 50 years, but I can’t have it both ways. Either a woman is to remain silent (completely) or the text I have used for so long is addressing something entirely different.
While I grew up knowing how to use the bible to condemn women to be silent in our worship time, I was never taught about the woman apostle (Iounian) mentioned in our bibles as Junias or Junia depending on the specific translation of the name. In fact, the bias of our concept for the male to be dominant within the congregation, led some to make sure the translation of this name took on a male gender instead of the female gender. In fact, not only was this woman an apostle, but she was OUTSTANDING among the apostles. I can only imagine the church of Paul’s day having Junia coming to visit them as one of the apostles and not allowing her to speak! I would have done so in the past and many in the churches of Christ would do so today. For additional information on the subject of what has been done in the translation of Iounian, I would direct you to the following linked study of this topic.
http://www.godswordtowomen.org/juniapreato.htm
I am thankful to all of those who have been used by God to show me the falseness of my previous belief requiring women to be silent in our congregations and look forward to the day when my congregation will join those who have already matured to the point where women preach, teach, serve communion, and pray during our time together. The time when none of us plays a ROLE but rather a time when there will truly be no distinction between male and female Christians and we will all be one in Christ together.
Amen, Michael.
ReplyDeleteWjcsydney,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. One of the things I did not mention because I have a tendency to get long is how we are refered to as the body of Christ. He, alone, is the head and as the body who are any of us male or female to say we are more important in the work or direction of the body. Do the feet of the body tell the arms, "you go where I take you or does our leadership come from the head." No, men and women, we are the body and our only leadership has to be the head and not part of the body "acting" like the head.
I've always somehow become known as a rebel within my peer groups, surely I don't know how this could be possible (tongue in cheek). I remember when Gary was out to sea and I was literally left alone with no knowledge of what was going on in "church" since I didn't have a husband to represent me. One congregation actually split over "children" praying in groups...these were 2-5 year olds, and also handing the communion tray to a woman in the nursery to pass around so a man didn't have to come in with all the nursing mothers. When that congregation had a "special" speaker to come in and set us straight on the scriptural need for "men" to be the leaders, I spoke up (not really my 1st mistake) and said that the "men" he was talking about were out in the parking lot playing ball. Of course I was chastised very severely and pretty much had no choice but to leave that congregation. In spite of all, I "do" believe that the men should be the primary leaders or heads, but women are Christians too and I seem to remember Jesus allowing women to sit at his feet and listen to him. And, I can't imagine even Jesus growing up without his mother offering guidance...remember, he became human and I'm sure his mother changed his diapers too!!!
ReplyDeleteCathy,
ReplyDeleteI guess there is a family of rebels around! In my thinking, the body has one head and that head is in charge. Past the head I think it is useless to look at one part of the body and say "I/You" are more important to the function of the body. I believe this is even backed up in scripture. For some reason, we have allowed or forced some to be the "earthly" head of the body. I guess we believe Jesus is not actually capable of being the head until we get together at the end of time.