So, it happened. I was working on a group assignment for Apologetics and it happened.
Conversation began about what classes each of us were going to take next semester and the guy sitting next to me says, “Yeah, I’m going to have to unenroll from Church Polity because it’s being taught by a woman and I don’t believe women should have a place above men.”
Whoa.
I didn’t think this type of thinking still existed.
Especially not in higher education.
In 2017.
I’m honestly shocked.
Just a little background information: This guy goes to a Bible study each week led by a woman; he admitted to having several female bosses and even said he didn’t want “to be right” about what he had said, even though he assured me he was.
And guys, can I just be real?
I’m heartbroken.
I’m heartbroken that this guy thinks that the God we serve is that unfair. He thinks the God we serve sees less capability in me than him, simply because of something I was born with.
And that’s simply not true.
The Jesus I love, loves all. He doesn’t love someone less for being exactly what he or she is.
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
The Bible even talks about women’s influence on Jesus.
Jesus healed women (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:41-42). Women followed Jesus (Luke 8:2). Women financially supported Jesus (Luke 8:3). When Jesus rose from the dead he first appeared to a woman (John 20:14-16). The Bible purposefully includes three women within His genealogy: Rahab, Ruth and Mary (Matthew 1:5, 16).
The Bible says teaching is a spiritual gift. It doesn’t denote that that gift is meant only for men.
Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (emphasis mine). It doesn’t say all things unless you’re a woman or unless you’re a slave. In fact, the same man, Paul, who wrote this verse wrote the one in Galatians, as well.
Also, God has put women in places of power, certainly over many men, before. Just think of Deborah who was a judge over all of Israel and Esther who changed the mind of the King and was ultimately responsible for the saving of many lives (and the ending of one).
Wisdom is even described in the Bible as being a woman. “Do not forsake wisdom and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you” (Proverbs 4:6). Is wisdom, herself, unable to teach men?
Looking outside of Scriptural examples, we see other extremely influential women who have truly changed history. Women like Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marie Curie (first woman Nobel Prize winner), Anne Frank, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller and so many more. The list could quite literally go on and on. Women have made invaluable advances in art, science and medicine, even though, historically, we have always been at a disadvantage and overlooked.
Personally, even as a woman, I believe the Lord has blessed me with intelligence. It is truly not my own. I didn’t earn it or even strive for it the majority of my life. However, it remains that I made a 31 on my ACT. That’s the top 90th percentile of the nation. I had a 4.5 GPA in high school because I took college courses. I am graduating this April with two full degrees and still have a GPA of 3.7 even though I’ve taken 170 hours in four years. I have been inducted into Theta Alpha Kappa, which is a national honor society for those in religious studies and theology. I don’t say all of this to brag, but only to show that the Lord has truly gifted me in this area. I would be selfish to not share what the Lord has given me and it seems absurd to me that someone would say I should not teach because of my gender.
Truly, no woman should feel as if she has nothing to offer or that she cannot bring something worthy to the table simply due to her gender.
At the end of the day, this person doesn’t understand hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the process of understanding Scripture in the context it was written, for the situation it was written and to the people it was written. This isn’t to say that the Bible doesn’t apply to our lives, or that God is somehow surprised that we still have access to and still read Scripture today. However, it does mean that when Paul was writing, he was writing to a specific church dealing with specific issues. He was not writing to 21st century North American Christians.
Ultimately, I know that this experience is preparing me for the World Race. While equality is still not perfect here in America, women are not as privileged in other countries as they are here. In fact, in many cultures today women are still viewed as nothing but property. I know I will be exposed to cultures that deem me less capable and intelligent because of my gender. They will likely tell me what I am or am not allowed to do because of my gender, what I can wear and where I am allowed to be. I will have to learn to be ok with that for this time. I will need to learn to understand that how other people see me does not change the way the Lord sees me. And ultimately, He created me exactly how He saw fit; He doesn’t make mistakes.
So will you join me in prayer?
Pray for me to have humility, patience and understanding.
And pray for women- women here in America and women around the world, women who are underprivileged and women who are struggling.
Pray for the Lord’s will to be done and for His Kingdom to come, for that ultimately means peace, mercy, grace and equality.
