Different Perspectives

Priscilla Papers Volume 3, number 3

Summer 1989

ISSN I 0898-753X

Biblical Equality and Christian Ministry Gretchen Gaebelein Hull This material was first presented by the author of Equal to Serve at the November' 88 meeting ofthe Twin Cities Chapter of CBE. held at Bethel College.

When speaking to various CBE groups around the country, I have shared two incidents to help put my topics in focus. One is humorous, one sad. Both show how pervasive is the notion of an "appropriate" (but restrictive) role for women. For the first: When clearing out family papers last year, I came across a 1932 news clipping head­ lined "Methodist Women Ministers Denied Again." This was a report of the Methodist General Conference in Atlantic City that refused to accept women ministers as equal with men ministers. The article gave the views of one opponent of women's equality thus: "Six days out of seven I must listen to a woman preaching in my home. And on the seventh day the Lord said, 'Thou shalt rest.' It seems to me that there are things higher and nobler for a woman than gallivanting around filling pulpits." Well, in the so-called "mainline" denomina­ tions, as far as equal opportunity for ordination is concerned, "You've come a long way, baby!" Not so in the Anglican Church. In 1988 I made a second lecture trip to Australia, where ordination of women is a key issue and is tied into the debate on the "proper" role for women. I was also in England at the time of the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference where the "women question" was prominent on the Anglican agenda. Hence the second incident: Last June, after a lecture I presented at the London Institute for Contem­ porary Christianity, a man got up in the discussion period and said: "I don't understand why a woman wants to go into ministry of any sort. Women were created specifically to support men at home, and so women have quite enough to do being wives and mothers." He gave a lengthy discourse extolling wife and mother as the only possible biblical role for women, totally oblivious to the many single women present, to childless women, widows, or women with grown chillkcn. During his remarks, one single

woman left, saying, "I just can't deal any longer with the hurt he's causing me to feet" The issue of role-playing is not confmed to England or Asutralia. In recent years gender role­ playing has become an issue championed by the religious right in America. For example, one very conservative group denounced a primary grade reader as teaching gender role reversal because one of the illustrations showed a little boy making toast The complaint was that it is a woman's role to cook, and boys were being taught a woman's role. But where does the Bible say men should not cook? What about Jacob's gourmet stew for which Esau sold his birth­ right? And why shouldn't men help in the kitchen? I could cite as my prooftext II Kings 21:13 which records God's own action in these words: "I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down." If God refers to Himself as wiping dishes, isn't this a perfectly suitable male role? However, there is indeed a noticeable increase in rhetoric from the conservative wing of the church calling for rigid roles for men and women, in effect defining activities in home, church, and society primarily by gender. And very often this rhetoric claims to be representing a Christian world view, thus • at first glance - making its conclusion seem ironclad. Well, any of you who have read my book. EQUAL TO SERVE. know that I am a questionasker. Therefore I ask: What is a Christian world view? Surely it must be more than a televangelist's clich~ or an empty religious slogan. A Christian world view must mean a basic, scriptural way of looking at life that will cut across denominational particularities or emotional bias or cultural pressures. So let's explore the matter to see if there is a broad outline to our Christian world view that we can establish before we go on to those particularities, or deal with that emo­ tional bias or cultural pressure. Certainly if someone stopped you or me and said, "Define a Christian world view," we would not begin with particulars but would start with the broader basics. So let's ask some Questions about those basics,

and see if our answers will shed light on this particular matter of gender roles.

everything is God, most people are making a theologi­ cal statement of some sort as they articulate their notion of how things in this life are set up. Therefore we Christians need not ever feel defensive about developing and promoting a Christian world view. You might say that we are simply sharpening or focussing the theological world view that almost all human beings have - whether or not they realize it (The only persons who might be exempt from operating from a theological basis would be those who espouse a complete randomness in the universe, but they are in the distinct minority.) So let's ask: What are the components of a Christian world view? What makes us different from the person who says vaguely, "Nature is in charge"?

Asking questions In being question-askers, you and I are in good company: Job, the Psalmists, Habakkuk, those Bereans in Acts 17 who searched Scripture for their answers. From the beginning of recorded history, throughout Bible times, and ever since, human beings have been asking questions about their existence. Today we might be phrasing the questions a little differently, but we all still want to know: Who am I? What am I doing here? What is life all about, anyway? Do I have a meaningful role in life? For the Christian, answers to these questions will be found in a Christian world view. We do indeed have a theologically-based world view, but I hasten to point out that we are not alone in that. No matter how much they might protest to the contrary, almost every person's world view has a theological basis. If you doubt that, think of the ordinary lan­ guage people use when they describe how they think things are ordered in this world. For example, when the New York City sanitation department opened its ranks to women, there was a lot of controversy. From the pictures I saw of the fIrst women sanitation workers (in plain language, garbage collectors) these women appeared physically capable, and they had passed tests showing they could lift a certain weight. Like their male counterparts, they wanted steady work rather than be on some welfare program. But in the case of these women, there was further motivation: Not only were they minority women (which, sad to say, can still be an unspoken limitation in today'sjob market) but they were single heads of households with a desperate need to put bread on the table, and also provide their children with a good role model, a work ethic. So these women were capable of doing this heavy work, they wanted the security of the sort of municipal job that would be open to unskilled laborers, and they wanted to provide for their families. I was fascinated by the reactions of many men, which, as reported by the New York papers, were along this line: "It's against Nature for women to do such work. Nature tells us that men do yard work and women do dishes." (Obviously these men did not know my prooftext, II Kings 21:13!) Now I suggest that any time someone says, "Nature tells us...,", that this is really a theological statement. The person is saying: "The force behind things has set up society in certain ways so that men do this and women do that." Thus when we peel back language, we see that most persons do indeed have a theological basis for their world view. Whether it's Nature, a "higher power" or "creative urge", or Fate, or whether they acknowledge that the power behind

Laying the Foundation Most people today accept a moment of origina­ tion for the universe, popularly called "The Big Bang." And many persons, including scientists, would attribute that moment of origination to a higher power of some sort That's roughly Deism, the concept that God started everything off. Christians, however, take the further step beyond Deism and say that God not only started everything off but that God sustains it, cares for it, and, as evidence of that care, at times intervenes in His created world. In explaining this to a non-Christian, I may use the Argument from Design. To use an illustration: If you came on a model train layout, you'd know someone had made that layout And if you saw a little train derailed, you'd assume the creator of the layout would retumto put it back on track. Yes, the design presupposes the Designer. As we Christians look at the tremendous intricacy of the vast design of the universe, we affIrm that there is a living God who (because He is absolute and we are only relative) must be self.revealing. That is, because the Designer so transcends the design, God must take the initiative in communicating with His creation. We believe that one of God's initiatives is the Bible, God's written Word, which presents God's revelation of what we need to know to "get back on track." We further believe that God's greatest initiative was coming into our world of time and space in the Person of Jesus Christ, as the ultimate means of communicating with us, God's creatures. And we also believe that God did all this because God loves us: The God of the Bible is love. In Byron's poem, CAIN, there is a very provocative question. Cain asks about God: "Because He is all-powerful, must all goad follow too?" In the abstract sense, the answer could be "No." An all­ powerful force might not have to be goad. However, as we Christians examine the universe, its intricate design convinces us that its Designer is not only all-powerful but all-goad too. For

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could enjoy life to the fullest, and - as the ultimate sign of the worth and dignity of the individual human being - God gave men and women free will, freedom to act as individuals and not as automotons. Then, even after humanity's loss of innocence in the disobedience of the Fall, in love God still reached out to offer re­ creation, renewal, restored spiritual fellowship, a return to all we were created to be. Therefore a Christian world view incorporates the sequence of Creation, Fall, Redemption.

example, we recall the tremendous passages in Job and Isaiah where God says words to this effect: "The created world with its provision for every aspect of plant and animal life demonstrates that I care about My world." Thus in other passages God says, "Because I love My creation, I do indeed want what is best for it And part of what is best for humanity is knowing about Me and the abundant new life I offer to all who believe, a new birth that gets them "back on track." So for Christians, two of the most familiar verses in the Bible are "The Lord is my shepherd" and "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have etemallife." The word "whosoever" makes a very strong point The God of the Bible cares about the individual human being. Unlike other world views featuring blind fate or some uncaring deity, the God of the Bible recognizes and affmns our human individu­ ality. That individuality is essential to our humanity. No matter how generous we try to be in overlooking the insensitivity of others to our persons, each one of us does have a certain self-awareness. It is a common human desire not to be "lost in the shuffle", not to be merely a cipher on a state income tax list. At a party or a professional meeting, you and I know how disappointing it is when the person with whom we're conversing is always looking past us to see if there is someone present more worth knowing. All human beings want to be recognized and respected as individuals, and we also want to live in a society that allows us to express our individuality. It is no accident that we speak of "the free world" when describing countries with a democratic form of government. As the phrase puts it, "We only go around once" (in spite of Shirley McLaine and the New Age movement), and most of us hope our existence will be more than marginal. The biblical perspective on our individuality is that our origin was as beings created in the image of God. In line with Genesis 1:26-28 and 5:1, 2, and also Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1:5, the Bible tells us about human beings that "male and female created He them," and that God knew and knows each one of us even when we were first formed in the womb. We also believe that our future lies in God's hands, as promised in John 14:1 and Romans 8: 17. Contrary to those who see little meaning or dignity to human life, Christians accept the biblical precept that each human being has worth and value, and therefore that each individual life is significant in the eyes of our Creator and Redeemer. God-In-Christ loved our world so much He came to die for all the "whosoevers" who willllC(lCpt His saving power to get them "back on track-" Thus Christians affirm an absolutely good and loving Creator who set up a world where His creatures

The Importance of Human Rights One significant measure of the breadth of God's love is that it is unconditional. In spite of the estrangement of the Fall, and irrespective of any individual human being's fmal decision about God's redemptive plan, God loves us. Thus God has decreed the sanctity of human life, and His Word sets forth guidelines about how humanity is to be treated. These guidelines form the basis of a scriptural view of human rights. The Bible indicates that we are to uphold each person's rights to care and nurture on the physical level, and also the person's rights on the spiritual level. Study of Scripture shows that human rights fall into these two basic categories: Natural or physical rights, which are rights necessary to keep a person alive and help the person develop as a human being originally created in the image of God; and, secondly, spiritual rights, which include the right to know God's plan of redemption, the right to respond to that plan, and - if the response is affmnative - the right as a new creation in Christ Jesus to grow spiritually and to serve God as God calls. Careful reading of both Old and New Testa­ ments reveals that God's people are to be in the forefront of upholding human rights. Over and over, God's Word inveighs against injustice and inhumane actions. These many passages are undergirded by phrases like "It is the Lord who speaks" or "This is the word of the Lord." Both individual Christians and the institutional church must understand that God is deeply concerned with justice issues and that God expects His people to be concerned also. In the Old Testament, Israel was repeatedly told to respect the rights of those society considered "lesser" - the widow, the orphan, the alien or stranger. In the New Testament, Jesus not only showed care for the natural or physical rights of all persons by healing both Jew and Gentile, man and woman, rich and poor, but Jesus supported the spiritual rights of all persons as well. He commanded children be brouaht to Himj He interacted wilh so-called "sinnora" IIld not only with religious leaders; Ho did not tum aWRy me Romttn

centurion or the leper. Funher, He respected Ute individual moral responsiblity of women, and upheld women's right to learn of Him, and commissioned

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difficulties, that is, difficulties of meaning, and that means that they also have many difficulties of interpre­ tation as well. Most English translations will not indicate the depth and severity of the problems in these hard passages, and so the person working only from a translation may conclude that Scripture clearly teaches a subordinate gender role for women. But in New Testament Greek the matter is far different, as scholars world-wide are aware. Of course I recognize that this matter of gender roles is a highly emotional issue. But since we need to do much more work on the three New Testament passages traditionally used to invoke a subordinate gender role for women, then for me they must be put temporarily to one side. I would challenge groups wishing to restrict women to face honestly the possibility that their cherished presuppositions and long-held traditions about gender roles have been based largely on passages as yet unclear to us in the New Testament Greek. And, while specialists continue their research into these passages, I would ask all fair-minded people to be open to hearing fresh evidence about these "hard passages." Yet - sadly - some Christian leaders have felt they must impose their views on these unclear pas­ sages without discussion of the exegetical difficulties because their congregations cannot handle the fact that there might be unclear areas in Scripture. I cannot accept that reasoning. All sincere Christians can appreciate the fact that we finite beings can never hope to plumb the mind of the Infmite, and that there will be places in the inspired Scriptures that are beyond our comprehension. The sincere Christian can also understand that our knowledge of ancient times and ancient languages is expanding, and that verses that seemed obscure at one time may well be opening up at this time. And certainly the layperson understands that, in line with Jesus' words in John 16:13, the Holy Spirit will guide us into more cuth. So let's turn to clearer evidence as we continue examining what role gender might play in our Chris­ tian world view. We have already seen the ontological or essential equality of men and women in their very inmost being. Next we will take a quick look at some actual case histories of women Scripture itself com­ mends for acting in roles that transcend any narrow gender restriction. For the Old Testament: In Micah 6:4 God declared to Israel, "I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you." God's own Word describes Miriam as a leader. Then, Judges 4 and 5 tell us how God raised up Deborah as Head of State for ancicnt Israel, and in n Chronicles 34 we are tOld that the propheteSS Huldah

women to tell others about Him. The early church record in Acts and the Epistles reveals that the fIrst Christians cared for human life by helping each other with food, shelter, and possessions. Remember Paul's exhortations to liberality in II Corinthians 8, to the effect that we help others when we are able so that when we are in need they can help us. Compassion must be a part of our Christian world view. The early church record also shows that all persons' spiritual rights were to be upheld, as the Gospel was proclaimed to all persons - men, women, Jew, Gentile, slave, free. Further, the Gospel was proclaimed by all persons, as God called many diverse individuals to spread His Good News of new life in Christ. Thus broad components of a Christian world view include affirmation of God as Creator of this world, and ourselves as beings created in God's image - which means that all individual human beings share a fundamental equality of being. Each individual has worth and value, and each has been endowed by Creator God with certain inalienable rights indicating the sanctity of life, and the opportunity to know and serve God. Further, God's people are to uphold the rights of others, regardless of the person's race, gender, or class. For Go4, there are no "second-class" human beings, nor can there be for God's church. What about Gender? But then, what about that particularity· that matter of gender roles that is so controversial today? Some of the discussion is just plain silly, such as saying men are better at certain roles like chauffering. We've all heard the old saw that only women drive into garage doors! I can recall that after I drove Chuck Colson to an airport in record time he said, "If I didn't know you wrote on discrimination I'd say 'You drive like a man!' Well, I don't drive like a man. I drive like

me! However, the issue of appropriate roles for men and women is exactly where many tensions arise in contemporary evangelicalism. You see, as more women explore their modem educational and career opportunities, they are often puzzled to be told by their churches that certain spheres are closed to them simply because they are women. They question why their options in the secular world are increasing, while the church tells them their options are static or decreasing. The most frequent justifIcation for limiting women's sphere is to invoke three New Testament passages: I Corinthians 11:2-16 and 14:33-38, and I Timothy 2:8-15. In my book, EQUAL TO SERVE, these passages are dealt with in a lengthy Appendix that shows quite graphically exactly why, in theologi.

gave out the authoritative word of the Lord to the court of King 1osiah, thus sparking a nauonal rcvival. In addJuon, me p&U'D4Jsm or womllnhooll deSCribed In

ell! circles, thc)' arc cll!led "hard passages," Thcse three Scripture portions contain over 50 exegetical

Proverbs 31 is commended for being businesswoman, 4

real estate broker, estate manager, devotional leader, as well as wife and mother. In the New Testament, Jesus' interaction with human beings was not according to gender roles, and in the matter of male/female relationships, nothing Jesus ever said about marriage supports a hierarchical concept. For example, contrary to Jewish practice, Jesus' comments on divorce in Mark 10 and Matthew 19 place wives on an equal basis with husbands. And nothing Jesus ever did or taught suggests Jesus supported some sort of dominant/subordinate pattern between the sexes. This is often overlooked by those who teach that men should be leaders and women should be followers. The Book of Acts presents a gender-blind view of the early church. The Holy Spirit was poured out on women as well as men, a fact underscored by Peter's quotation of Joel's prophecy. In Acts, Luke (a careful historian) introduces many women's names in the most natural manner as women respond to the Gospel, and study and minister in everyday situations. John Mark's mother courageously opened her home to a house church; Phillip's daughters prophesied (the highest spiritual gift, and one that undoubtedly included preaching); the businesswoman Lydia spread the Good News as she helped plant the church in Philippi; Berean woman were among those called "more noble" for searching Scripture; Priscilla taught the man Apollos. In Acts, spiritual gifts were not parcelled out according to gender. And what about women martyrs who were imprisoned? Persecutors held women and men equally accountable for their faim (Acts 8:3). Then, as now, those outside the church saw no role differential with men more responsible and women less so. The Epistles also record women in various roles, including ministry. Paul commends Phoebe as a diakonos, or minister, and also as aprostatis, or leader. Romans 16 abounds with names of his female co­ workers, including Junia who may well have been an apostle, and in Philippians Paul singles out Euodia and Synteche as his fellow-laborers in contending by his side for the Gospel. In addition, the Elect Lady addressed in Second John led a house church. Thus full rights and privileges in the early church flowed from the saving work of Jesus Christ, not some gender role. As we develop our Christian world view, we see that the Bible itself does not present a record of only men in leadership and only women as subordi­ nates, or only men in certain roles and only women in others. Both men and women serve in a wide variety of roles. Yes, although this does conflict with some contemporary teaching about gender, in the Bible women do indeed act in leadership capacities. As I point out in my book, it is not intellectu­ ally honest to say, "These women are exceptions to the

truth of gender role-playing." Truth cannot have exceptions. If God had ordained a narrow female role that precluded any activity outside the home or prohibited women in leadership, then this would be a timeless, transcultural truth and as such could have no exceptions. Yet this is our common authority, the Bible, that itself records women as well as men operating in many different roles, including women leaders of men and teachers of men. The Question of "Headship" However, the usual rationale for promoting gender roles today is what is called male headship over women, and the particular verses used to support this are found in Ephesians 5:22-24, where the husband is termed head of the wife, as Christ is head of the church. Those who appeal to these verses say that the Bible does indeed set up a gender-based authority structure for home, church, and society, and that the male role is to be in charge. I am sure most of you are aware that there is solidly scholarly disagreement over the meaning of the word kephale, or head, as used in the New Testament Greek. Because the Bible in English is a translated book, it is indeed most important to discover all we can about the precise meaning of the original Greek, so that our translations are as accurate as possible. If the best translation of kephale is "source" and not "chief leader," then we should know and accept that. However, my own conclusions about headship are not drawn solely from the lexical meaning of kephale. As I study the entire passage, Ephesians 5:21­ 6:9, and not just a few verses, I find that Paul's own description of "head" in this context is that "head" is to be a sacrificial figure. Those who latch on to one or two verses as prooftexts for male leadership can miss the thrust of the larger context. This passage in Ephesians is a household code, as is a similar passage in Colossians, and when the entire passage is examined it is clear that it is not a role that Paul is highlighting, but the action of the person within the role. You see, Paul cannot be highlighting or endorsing every role he mentions, because then he would be endorsing slavery. Rather, within the general admonition that all Chris­ tians be mutually submissive to one another out of rev­ erence to Christ, (Eph. 5:21) Paul calls on both the unempowered persons (wives, children, and slaves) and the empowered persons (husbands, parents, masters) to be mutually submissive. In these household codes, the husband is to sacrifice himself for his wife, the parent is to put the needs of the child frrst by not acting in a tyrannical way, the master is to act towards the slave as Christ would act. Interestingly, there is a similar emphasis on mutual submission for both wives and husbands in Peter's parallel passage in I Peter 2:13-3:7, where both marriage partners are to act towards each other "in like 5

position of leadership just to be nice to a woman! But when some conservative church groups declare that a Christian world view means such women should not use their leadership gifts, the result can be confusion and pain. Why? Because the reason for the prohibition is not that the gifts are inappropriate for the tasks involved but solely that the gifts reside in women's bodies. In trying to cope with this teaching, many women feel that in the biblical sequence of Creation, Fall, Redemption, only women are mired forever in the effects of the Fall, unable to move out into spiritual freedom and co-administer their spiritual inheritance with their Christian brothers as equal members of the priesthood of all believers. Further, many dedicated Christian women agonize over their spiritual responsibility to use their gifts to the fullest, in line with Jesus' parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, which teaches that God's servants are to use their God-given abilities and not hide them. These women agonize over whether, when they stand before the judgment seat of Christ, it will be enough to say, "We were told not to use our gifts, and so we hid them." Yes, we need to be very sensitive to this question: Does the 20th century notion of gender role-playing deny a fellow-believer's call to serve God? The woman whose leadership, administrative, decision-making, teaching, or planning gifts have been confirmed and affirmed by the world, can feel tremen­ dous confusion and pain upon being told by her church that she must restrict use of her gifts simply because she is a woman. Here I ask you to recall the Argument from Design. Christians believe that all the myriad details in this world show the love and care of our Creator. God does know all about us because God made us and formed us. God has given us rights necessary to preserve and enhance our lives, including the right to know God and the right to serve God as He calls, and God has also given us talents - gifts - that God wants us to use in His service. If any person suggests that only on the ground of gender a woman should restrict use of her abilities, her special gifts, then that person is saying one of two things: Either her Designer made a mistake in giving her those gifts, or her Designer gave her those gifts only to frustrate her by giving her no opportunity to use them. But think what a warped view of God either statement makes! The person who says some God­ ordained gender role restricts a woman full use of her gifts is saying that either her design was faulty (and thus Creator God was careless), or that her Designer was cruel. But what a slander on the nature of our loving, caring Creator! No, a just and loving and omnipotent God could not be careless or cruel and still be true to His nature as Absolute Good. We must never forget that God is the One who endows us human beings with gifts, and if God has

manner" as did Christ who went to the cross for our sakes. Thus for me any emphasis on power-oriented headship as a component of a Christian world view is deeply puzzling. Since Paul's own definition of kephale right in the Ephesians 5 passage itself is that head is a sacrificial figure, then, if the husband takes the lead in anything, it is in sacrificing himself for his wife, not in being dominant over his wife. Surely that is a much-needed corrective today as in the first century. I suggest that an objective look at this entire passage shows Paul's emphasis is on role worked out in servanthood, and thus brings both men and women back to the mutual submission enjoined of all believers in Ephesians 5:21. Individual Responsibility and Spiritual Gifts Some proponents of male headship over women do say headship involves sacrifice, and describe the sacrifice as the weight of taking extra care of the sex "liable to be deceived." For these people, headship is the burden of extra responsibility for what they term "the weaker, irresponsible sex." However, as we have seen, a Christian world view means that each individual is a morally respon­ sible human being, and each individual is accountable to God for the most important decision any human being can ever make, namely, the question of eternal salvation. We each - on our own - must answer: "What will you do with Jesus?" For me, it is com­ pletely illogical to say women are mature enough to make the single most important decision in life, but that in every other aspect women are irresponsible, weak, liable to be deceived, and need the "sacrifice" of male oversight If some persist in saying women, as was Eve, are easily deceived and thus cannot be trusted with decision-making roles, I ask: Why would a deceived person be a worse leader than a deliberately disobedi­ ent person, as Adam was? Rather than miring only women in the sin of the Fall, cannot redeemed women (as well as any disobedient men) also become new creations in Christ Jesus and as such exercise their spiritual gifts in the strength and wisdom God gives them as God calls these women today? Undeniably, women do have all types of gifts, including leadership gifts. I have mentioned some biblical examples of women in leadership, and subsequently women have been proven leaders - from Queen Elizabeth I to Golda Meir, Indira Ghandi, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In America, we see many women as capable leaders. One of my college classmates is Dr. Hannah Holborn Gray, who was Provost and Acting President of Yale University and is now President of the University of Chicago, one of the world's most prestigious universities. The academic world did not elevate Dr. Gray to this

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endowed a woman with leadership abilities, then what a tragic denial of her individual personhood and of God's divine creativity to discriminate against her solely on the ground of her gender. So the question must be asked: Is the current notion of male headship over women not only an artificial notion imposed on Scripture, but also an evasion of Scripture's clear call to mutual submission on the part of all believers, and thus on the part of male believers as well as female? Yes, it can be very difficult for some to be asked to give up a certain role to which they feel entitled, but is not that just what Christ asks us all to do?

So think what any rigid role-playing that would curtail women's full ambassadorship says about concern for those without Christ. If the church afflrms with John 3:36 that all without Christ will be eternally separated from God, then how can any limitation of Christ's ambassadors ever be justified? What does exclusion of women from any area of ministry really say about the church's concern for those outside the Body of Christ? I see only two conclusions, both tragic: Either segments of the church do not really believe souls will be separated from God, and thus espouse universalism, or, those groups do not care whether those without Christ hear the Good News. Surely, any rigid role­ playing that hinders proclamation of the Gospel by all believers is in direct conflict with Jesus' clear com­ mand to "Go into all the world and make disciples" and is in sad contrast to the sense of urgency of the New Testament church. Yes, I know very conservative church groups say, "Of course we want people to hear the Gospel, but we are not to use improper means. Certain preaching and teaching roles are improper for women." My rebuttal is that Jesus considered women apt to learn His truth, and appropriate vehicles to transmit His truth. As we have seen, Jesus' teaching in Luke 11:27, 28 is that women are not blessed by performing some feminine role but by knowing and obeying the Word of God, and Jesus charged all believers to obey His command to "Go into all the world and make dis­ ciples." The propriety of women in all ministerial roles is borne out by the actual practice of the New Testa­ ment church. Could it be that we need to hear again Acts 10:15, "What God has called proper, we must not call improper?" Therefore, as we consider evangelism - this vital component of our Christian world view - and as we see the fields are still white with the harvest, dare we restrict from working for that harvest women laborers whom God has called and gifted to serve?

Servanthood and Evangelism Inescapably, whenever Jesus talked about leadership it was within the context of giving oneself for others, and Jesus defmed His own mission thus in Mark 10:45: "The Son of Man has come not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." A vital component of any Christian world view is servanthood, and we must now ask: How does servanthood relate to gender roles? Of course I recognize that, as with racial and social differences, sexual differences are a fact of our humanity. But, in a Christian world view, those racial, class, and gender differences are not the primary factors controlling servanthood. Thus we read that Judge Deborah was also a wife and mother; Huldah the prophetess was a wife; the wife and mother in Proberbs 31 played multiple roles, as did women in ministry in the New Testament. So we today may play many roles. We can be spouse (husband =male role, wife =female role), or parent (father =male role, mother = female role), and in various career situations gender may well play a part However, rather than concentrating on gender and gender roles, the biblical emphasis for the believer is on obedience to God's call. Certainly Jesus made that plain in Luke 11:27,28. Paul then expands that thought in II Corinthians 5: 16 where he teaches that we Christians are no longer to view ourselves from a worldly, fleshly, human point of view. Instead, Paul challenges all believers to accept the mandate of II Corinthians 5:20: Moving out into our primary role, a spiritual role, as ambassadors for Christ. This involves one further aspect of servan­ thood. Think again on Mark 10:45: "The Son of Man has come not to be served,but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Inescapably, Christ came to die for the lost, and we His ambassadors are His deputies today in proclaiming that Oood News to those still outside God's family. Thus a Christian world view must also include evangelism. If our Lord Himself said, "I lUll come to seek and to save those that are lost," how can we ignore those who have Dot heard the Gospel?

Biblical People, not "Traditional" People No matter how familiar or how ingrained, a traditional world view is not necessarily a Christian world view. Remember that the first Christians were called "those who turned the world upside down." They wanted to be biblical people more than they wanted to be traditional people. They took to heart Jesus' admonition in Mark 7, where He said, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding to the traditions of men....Thus you nullify the Word of Ood by your tnIdltion that you huve handed down." My final question is: Don't we, too, want to be biblical people more than we want to be traditional people? Don't we, too, want to move on from blindly accepting traditional answers, to the excitement and challenge of implementing Christ-like answers?

7

Affuming a Christian world view· a Christ-like world view - must mean acting as Christ would act, and thus embracing the servant role over all other roles. When we stand before the cross of our Servant­ Lord, we see at last that there is no place in a Christian world view for any feeling of entitlement to a preferred position. We are all fellow-sinners for whom Christ died; we are all fellow-servants of our Savior. There is no biblical support for social mores or cultural traditions or even a religious teaching that would say, "One gender is ordained to be over another," or even "One gender is to be protected by the other." When we fmally begin to understand the import of Christ's new commandment to love others as He loves us, we see this decrees the death of self-interest. A Christian world view always means putting the rights of the other person above our own, and so encouraging all believers to grow and mature into ambassadors for Christ. A Christian world view means moving beyond the artificial restrictions of rigid gender role-playing and out into the greatest role any creature can ever play: Ambassador of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Remember Paul's words in II Corinthians 5:16­ 20: We no longer think of each other in fleshly, human tenns; we are now new creatures in Christ Jesus; we are therefore His ambassadors. Surely that takes the emphasis off self, and off gender, and puts the emphasis back where it belongs: On Jesus Christ, and serving Him. ~The words of an old hymn are my prayer for us all on our journey to servanthood: May the mind of Christ our Savior live in us from day to day, By His love and power controlling all we do and say. May we run the race before us, strong and brave to face the foe, Looking only unto Jesus, as we onward go. May His beauty rest upon us, as we seek the lost to win, And may they forget the channel, Seeing only Him.

The Game ... The Road ©Alice Movius Painter 1984 There seems to be a game· that you must play, if you would rise. There seems to be a game - and with it lots of compromise You live to impress others, and you're as slick as you can be. But, where - oh, where- are perfect hearts, and deep sincerity? There seems to be a game - if you would rise up to the top. Be funny - always funny - or they say that you will flop. Be polished and professional - yes, that's the way to be. But, where - oh, where - is power, and where's integrity? There seems to be a game - and if you want to get ahead, You have to bypass God's way, and choose the world's instead. You must be superficial- and light as you can be. But, where - oh. where - is depth, and where's profundity? There seems to be a way - that you can make yourself

a star. Just boast of your achievements - tell how wonderful you are. Be full of self-importance - yes, thal's the way be be. But. where· oh. where - is truth, and where's humility? I cannot say it's wrong - but to myself I must be true,

and to my God - who says. "My child, it's servanthood for you." He's called me to the lowly road - it's paved with peace and love. Rewards will come· in their own time - and praise from God above. Mailbag (continued) next few years. We have four children between the ages of 10 years and 6 months. I would like to be in touch with other women who are perhaps in similar situations, involved in ministry and study as well as molhering. I would also like to be aware of resources available which address the issues of women in such situations and stages of life written from a "biblical equality" perspective.

From our mailbag: I would like to introduce myself. I would defme

myself as a Christian who affirms biblical equality. I and my husband are missionaries in Sao Paolo, Brazil, working with the Mennonite Brethren. Previously we worked as missionaries for five years in India, and then studied together at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno, California. During this time I wrote one chapter on the controversial texts in I Corinthians for a study book that will.hartly be published by our church. I am seriously considering

Katrina Poer~r Rua Deputado Martinho Rodriiues, J03 Chacara Monte Alegre Sao Paulo, $,/'" BRAZIL 04646

pursuing doctoral studies In New Testament within the 8

make it inappropriate for men or women to teach or assert authority in some cultural situations. If I were to write a book on Muslim ministry. I might write. "it is not good for men to hold Bible studies in the homes of Muslim women." I should not feel that my personhood as a male is being violated just because there are times when it is not appropriate for me to use my spiritual gifts of Bible teaching. There may be some cultural situations where women should gra­ ciously decline to use their God-given gifts in teaching for the sake of the gospel. Some of the most influential people in my life have been my mother and my college professors, Mary LeBar, Lois LeBar and Vivian Bloomquist. Rebekah Price has influenced hundreds of women and men in Christian education publishing and set an example for the profession of Christian Education directors. Roberta Hestenes has sensitized the whole field of Christian education to the use of small groups in the church. The field of evangelical Christian education would be moribund today without the crucial influence of women. Forces within evangelical Christian education today attempt to polarize us. Some are trying to unbiblically and inappropriately limit the role of women in Christian education. If these forces gain influence. the Body of Christ will suffer. Other forces demand that women playa dominant role no matter what the cultural expectations. The use of gifts by men and women is not the ultimate purpose of ministry. Spiritual gifts for women and men are only a means for edifying the church. The Body of Christ is facing Satanic attack. Let us put the whole armor of God on the whole Body of Christ We must grow toward Christlikeness as the whole body is joined and held together by every supponing ligament. We can only build up the Body of Christ as each part does its work in love.

The Role of Women in Christian Education by James Plueddemann As a fonner missionary I've been in­ trigued with the American debate over the place of women in the ministry of the church. Some take the position that it is unbiblical to deny leadership and teaching roles to women in the church under any circumstances. Others say that when a church allows a woman to teach, it is denying the inspiration of Scrip­ ture. To build the Body of Christ. we must use all our God-given resources. Yet the church is fragmenting itself over the issue of how to use the resources. I argue that the testimony of the whole body of Scripture leaves room for cultural interpreta­ tion on the role of women in the church. and thus we must be sensitive to cultural expectations. From an interpretation of I Timothy 2:12, and I Corinthians 14:35. we have two options. Either we must require that women never teach men and keep totally silent in every educational situation. or we must understand the passage as a restriction of particular first-century women in their cultural setting. If women are to remain silent in the churches. then we must exclude women from the choir. congregational singing. and from the nursery. If God intended that women never teach men. as a universal ethical moral principle. then we would expect the rest of Scripture to support the restriction. Yet we find many examples of women teaching men. The prophetess Huldah proclaimed the word of God to the king Josiah and the High Priest Hilkiah. while her husband was in charge of the wardrobe (2 Chronicles 34:22). It is quite possible that the apostle Paul was taught by the four unmarried daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9). Moses was taught by the prophetess Miriam (Exodus 15:20). Deborah was not only a prophetess but a judge and a general (Judges 4:4). Jesus chose women to be the frrst to proclaim the Good News of the ressurection to the apostles. There are many more examples. Thus to make I Timothy 2:12 a universal moral principle, one is forced to deny the plenary inspiration of Scripture. If we hold a plenary view of the inspiration of Scripture, we must not limit the role of women in Christian education except for reasons of cultural appropriateness. The Danvers Statement by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood claims that "some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men," Could it be that the signers of this statement are either weak in their view of plenary inspiration or are culturally naive and e&hnocentric7 On &he o&her hand, cultural relativity is no absolute relativity. There are absolute biblical

Professor James Plueddemann is Chair of the Christian Education Department at Wheaton College (both for the Undergraduate College and the Graduate School). He and his wife were formerly missionaries in Nigeria. CBE proudly introduces two new officers: Treasurer Helen Johnson. whom many of you know from the book sales ministry. Helen gives a great deal of loving care to everything she does and has taken on a formi­ dable assignment. Our new executive director. Diane Chynowetb, has just returned from a year's mission

assignment In Peru ana has worked tor years at the office of the American Red Cross. She served as presi. dent of the Twin Citio. chApler and cngihOCrCd tho

principles of graciousness Bnd cultural sensitivity that

Original convening asscmbly Cor me rormatlon of CBB.

9

Double Jeopardy: Racism and Sexism by Tina Saxon The Rev. Tina T. Saxon is a D.Min. candidate at Andover Newton Theological School

for the Doctor of Ministry Degree is completed. I am planning to graduate in May of 1990. I hope that day will be as beautiful as this day. My doctoral project proposal concerns itself with the issue of black women as Senior Pastors in the Baptist and other black Churches. This is an educa­ tional project designed to encourage black women to become more effective leaders in their churches by helping them to appreciate their gifts and talents and not have others to limit their use of them. The issue of black women's ministry limitations is discussed with a view toward change. The project is designed also to empower women to assist in the effort to overcome their limitations within their church tradition. The project is proposed to help black Christian women to understand how their heritage has both limited and created possibilities for their lives. Women in Scripture and present day women have used their gifts and talents to go beyond their traditions for the cause of Christ. Black women, too, are involved in significant decision making, in medicine, in science, in the judicial system as lawyers and judges, in high level government positions, and in numerous other professions of the secular world. Why are they denied full equality in the pastoral ministry within the Baptist tradition? The project explores this question. I have witnessed the incredible faith that black women have in the black male pastor. They have almost "defied" him over the teachings of Jesus Christ. Lay men have supported this view of "the pastor". Sadly, at times, I have seen ethical behavior, spiritual­ ity, and a commitment to what is "good and true", be subordinated to the wishes and desires of the pastor. Women have "served" the pastor often apart from a commitment to the Christian ministry, but seemingly only as a means of pleasing the man, who, of course, is in God's image. The woman's role appears extremely subordinate and oppressed. Males and females within these churches appear to honor this traditional relation­ ship. I question this dynamic as I question racism. In some sense this may be even more difficult than racism because of its insidiously negative link with God. Here, the words of the prophet Hosea come to mind: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowl­ edge; because you have rejected knowledge..." (Hosea

The view from my window here at Andover Newton Theological School is quite picturesque. The small chapel in the background of deep green grass is surrounded by many beautiful trees, enhanced by a warm sun as we near spring's end. This is fertile soil for contemplating past events of my life while looking toward a future as warm and bright as this day. It was four years ago this very month, May of 1985, that I received a Master of Divinity degree and also was ordained into Christian Ministry at an American Baptist church in West Newton. It also was at this time over 32 years ago, at the age of 18, that I announce my "call" to my family as we were finishing up dinner one Sunday afternoon after church. "I want to be a pastor. I want to preach about Jesus Christ and His healing power and love. That's all I want to do for the rest of my life." • My aunt and uncl~ were gathered along with my mother and me. My uncle, a long-time deacon in the Baptist church, yelled, "Answer me, where did you get sulilb nonsense? Show me in the Bible where God called a woman to preach?" My mother and my aunt had always been my inspiration for the many times I had "spoken" in church services. They encouraged me to teach in Sunday School, organize Baptist Training Union at our church, begin a Gospel choir, raise money for the building fund, lead prayer and Bible groups. This and more all by the time I was 18! Yet, now they were silent as my uncle yelled. My mother quickly left the dining room, went into the kitchen, and began to wash the dishes. My aunt sat there head down, absolutely silent I could not "show" him where this came from. I could only "feel" this was what God wanted for me. So I ran out of the room, too. Why didn't my mother and my aunt come to my aid? They attended church quite often. Their faith was very strong, and I wanted to be like them. Now, they were denying the very thing they had taught me. I could not understand this. I read into their silence that in some way they agreed with him. I felt let down and unsupported. It took me twenty years to get over this feeling and answer my call.

All of this is past. I have been the Interim Pastor at three different churches. I have served as Associate Pastor of two churches. I am confident that what I "felt" lhirty-two years ago was IJ'Uly the working of the Holy Spirit in my life. My course work

4:6) I hold certain basic theological assumptions. These guide me as I continue research on my project. From "lhe beginning", we find in Genesis 1:26 that God created male and female to be equally responsible 10

for the care of the world. In the gospel accounts of Jesus Christ's ministry, we find women in leadership roles and among those who witness and are called to proclaim God's Word: the Samaritan woman (John 4:7-30); and Lydia, a business woman (Acts 16:11-15). Black women need to find encouragement from the woman in Mark 7:24-30 who boldly challenged her culture and tradition, holding to her argument with Jesus himself. She succeeds and receives Jesus' affmnation and blessing. Then, in the Gospel of Luke, we fmd examples of Jesus' unique relationship to women which is affmning, open, and empowering. As a Christian I also believe the following: TIrrough sin we are separated from God but through Christ grace is extended and we are reconciled to our Maker. Although we are created in the image of God, the reality of human finiteness serves as an ever present reminder to us that we are not God. But in covenantal relationship with each other we reveal God's presence to each other. It is my contention that such an educational process will raise the self-esteem of Christian black women. As black women encounter each other in a dialogical peer model of mutual learning, they will serve to motivate each other. This educational process will be more effective than the traditional hierarchical input-output system of learning. Yet most black women are repeatedly denied their place in the Senior Pastorate. This can be seen through a comparison of the number of ordained black women versus the number serving as senior pastors. Space will not allow me to set forth the entire proposal for this project which has been in process since January, 1989. However, the eight black women involved have been coming together, sharing stories, encouraging each other, and studying the works related to biblical equality in the leadership of the church. This is done through the inspiration of prayer, articula­ tion of Scripture, affmnation of individual ministry, and research. Due to the limited experience of black women, it is essential that we begin to fonn networks of support for our call to ministry. TIrrough the common sharing of our experiences, we affrrm each other in our various calls to ministry including that of senior pastor. Currently, black women primarily have been left to follow their call along isolated pathways. Thus, we must develop means of bringing black Christian women together to face the joys and heartaches of our call. This project is designed to benefit the black Church by recognizing God's call to women as well as men. The Church must provide the model for an oppression-free society. At the time (1982) that I left Washington, D.C. to come to seminary, there was an organization called the Council of 100 Black Ministers. One of their

agreed upon tenets was an alignment to prevent women from entering "their" pulpits. These churches are well attended, and many were literally packed to capacity on a given Sunday morning. Quite a few other churches who are not a part of this alliance give lip service to the support of women in ministry, but their support is marginal. The male bonding goes deeper than the concept of equality. As I have struggled through 32 years of answering my uncle's questions, I can now pass on to other young women that this "nonsense for the pastorate" has come from the God who created me in God's image. Yes, throughout the Scriptures I, too, as a female am affmned as one who can be a witness to God's love through Jesus Christ, because God's gifts in ministry are bestowed without consideration of gender. Jesus Christ demonstrated that His Father's ways were not our ways, nor our ways God's ways. Therefore, it behooves us to follow God, not man. As I follow God, I often walk alone, separated from my black sisters and brothers because of sexism, and separated from many white sisters and brothers because of racism. How long will it take us to discover that in God's eyes we are all equal?

"Umbrella Coverage" Our local chapters are rejoicing in the "umbrella coverage" which we have received from the Internal Revenue Service. Our 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt status extends to each local chapter provided they conform to the requirements stipulated by the IRS. There are both privileges and responsibilites. The privileges of our umbrella coverage include a lower mailing rate, exemption from sales taxes, and the right to accept income tax deductible contributions. There are stringent regulations, and IRS demands a more rigorous accounting than was once the case, at both the national and the local level. This means funds must be spent in accordance with the stated purposes of CBE and that there must be a careful accounting. Program activities also must be related to our stated purposes and must be reported to the national office at least yearly. Since the national organization is obli­ gated to assume the oversight and responsibility for the local chapters, we ask that each local member also be a national member. In this way, we can maintain better communication with individual members as well as with the chapter. After the Christians for Biblical Equality confor­ ence July 20-23 at Bethel College, local chapters are asked to send one or more representatives to a special meeting at which the details of the Internal Revenue Service ruling will be explained. Our lawyer, Terry Slye, will be on hand to elucidate. See you there! 11

Lady Justice: The Contribution of Women in Mystery Fiction by William David Spencer Are people sick of reading novels that portray women as either victims or villains? Are Christians fed up with fiction that stereotypes believers as simply helplessly innocent or hopelessly immoral? Is the major, moral, middle-class reader in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain growing weary of nearly exclusively seeing endless images of the sinister minister, churlish "church lady", and the dishonest deacon? A groundswell of new literature in the , mystery genre strongly suggests that such is the case. A part of the counter revolution is the new wave of women writers who have recently begun filling bookstores and libraries with portrayals of powerful Christian detectives, both women and men. Mystery literature may be traced back to such ancient sources as Bel and the Dragon and Susannah (in the Apocrypha) and Aesop's fable of the lion and the fox. However, detective fiction as a genre only came to full flowering in Edgar Allan Poe's tales of detection. Poe's" Murders in the Rue Morgue", "Purloined Letter", "Gold Bug", and especially, perhaps, "The Mystery of Marie Roget'" (based, as it was, on a true incident) struck immediate resounding chords in contemporary women writers. Such notable women as Louisa May Alcott began penning thrillers like her anonymously published Behind the Mask. So profi­ cient did women become that from 1878 through the early 1900's mysteries poured from the quills of Anna Katharine Green, the Baroness Orczy, and Mrs. Belloc Lowndes. In 1903, a young nurse, Mary Roberts Rinehart, struggling to help her husband surmount a $12,000 stock market loss, turned naturally to mystery fiction. Her success inspired Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, Marjorie Allingham, Georgette Heyer. The rise of these and many other outstanding women writers prompted literary critics Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor in their massive annotated index, A Catalogue o/Crime, to observe, "The greatest masters of the twenties and thirties were in fact mistresses...They wrote true detection; they fashioned unsurpassable models," Why have women found such success in the mystery genre? Leonard Wibberley, author of The Mouse ThaI Roared, who wrote mysteries himself under the pseudonym Leonard Holton, noted: The dectective stories written by men these days are usually full of tough talk and tense action and casual sex. Women, on the other hand, tend to deal with minutiae of appear­ ance, of habit, of thought, or dress, weather

and surroundings; of remarks or absence of remarks. These form a truer but quieter picture of life as life is. As a result women in my view are far superior to men in writing detective fiction. At the same time, Christians and others of high moral principle have found the mystery a stimulating genre in which to write because it deals with ethical questions of right and wrong. Poet W. H. Auden, in his essay "The Guilty Vicarage", saw in detective fiction nothing less than the search, through evil, for a return to the pre-Fall state of innocence. He wrote: "The fantasy, then, which the detective story addict indulges is the fantasy of being restored to the Garden of Eden, to a state of innocence, where he may know love as love and not as the law." Theologian J. I. Packer calls detective tales: Christian fairy tales, with savior heroes and plots that end in what Tollien called a eucatastrophe - whereby things come right after seeming to go irrevocably wrong. Villains are foiled, people in jeopardy are freed, justice is done. and the ending is happy...The gospel of Christ is the arche­ type of all such stories. Paganism unleav­ ened by Christianity, on the other hand, was and always will be pessimistic at heart. Agreeing, evangelical statesman Roger Nicole notes that mysteries' appeal is eschatalogical - they reflect what will fmally be true about life: Mysteries represent a tremendously optimistic outlook on the place of justice in life. In mysteries the guilty are always brought to justice, which is not always the case in life at this level. It will be the case at the last judgement. But at this level there are people who escape the tentacles of the law. But the mystery situation demands there be a sleuth to bring the criminal to justice. That is the thing that is so deeply satisfying. Every time the force of justice wins. Literary critic Lionel Basney concludes, "The murder mystery witnesses to two moral laws: 'Thou shalt not kill,' and 'Be sure your sin will fmd you out.' Women authors with high moral values, includ­ ing many believing Christians, writing in the mystery genre have produced powerful images of ordained Christian detectives. From the 1940's through the 1960's, a member of the Montana Slate legislature, Margaret Scherf, created Episcopal rector Father Martin Buell, whose gruff approach to pastorlng and detecting disguised a gentle and caring heart. Then 12

Beginning at the Beginning

Margaret Hubbard created the straight-shooting nun, Sister Mary Simon of Sister Simon's Murder Case, who is as fast with a revolver as with a rosary. And in the 1970's Edith Pargeter, distinguished historical novelist and award-winning translator of Czechoslova­ kian poetry, writing under the pseudonym of Ellis Peters, created a delightful detecting monk, Brother Cadfael, herbalist and physician both to the body and to the spirit. Recently, women have been creating women detectives who are powerful religious leaders as well. Dorothy Gilman, creator of the redoubtable Mrs. Pollifax, espionage agent extraordinaire, introduced two detecting nuns, Sisters John and Hyacinthe, in her mystery A Nun In The Closet. A real nun, Sister Carol Anne O'Marie of the Sisters of St Joseph of Caron­ delet, has recently given readers a delightful detecting nun, Sister Mary Helen, as elderly as Christie's Miss Marple but spry and sardonical. And psychological novelist Isabelle Holland has created the flrst ordained Protestant female sleuth, the Rev. Dr. Claire Aldington of A Death at St. Anselm's and A Lover Scorned. Justice in mythology was a woman lifting fair scales. As a conduit for the searing yet merciful justice of God, the powerful image of a detecting Christian believer, piercing through intermeshing evil to identify sin and bJi.ng about retribution and restora­ tion, is a salutary one. It reminds us all by parable of what the Christian task is all about As God's emissar­ ies, all Christians - women equally with men- can bring the clear vision of justice and the sight of restoration to a groping, evilly-blinded world.

by Frances Hiebert

This is the second part of the article that appeared in the spring Priscilla Papers. To fully understand a book, it's a good idea to start reading at the beginning because you usually get a focus there for what follows. The same is true of the Bible. To really understand what it's all about, you need to begin with the Beginning. That gives you a perspective on cosmic and human history that puts the rest of Scripture in focus. We then see the Bible "through the Lens of Eden," as Mildred Enns Toews from Winnipeg, Manitoba says. But before we take a fresh look at the Begin. ning, let's have a little fun. Another thing we overlook in Scripture is the humor. Anthropologists tell us that humor is the most difficult form of communication to translate into a different language. Perhaps that's why we don't recognize it when we see it in the Bible. Let your imagination run loose for a minute. What I'm going to say is not found in Scripture, but I believe the point is bliblical. Have you ever heard Bill Cosby's dialogue between Noah and God? In that spirit,let's take a flight of fantasy and imagine a dialogue between a present-day Adam and God. It might sound like this:

ADAM WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? Who me, Lord? It's the woman thou gavest me. she talks too much, she's completely scatterbrained, and you can never tell when she's going to make a left

WilLIAM DAVID SPENCER is the author of Mysterium and Mystery: The Clerical Crime Novel (UMI Research Press: 1988). He is pastor of encour­ agement at Pilgrim church of Beverly/Salem, Massa­ chusetts and teaches "Prayer and Theology and the Arts" at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. His book will be on sale at the CBE conference.

turn.

RIGHT, ADAM. BUT LOOK AT THIS!

IT HAS BEEN WRITIEN RECENTLY -AND THE FACTS CANNOT BE DENIED­

THAT MEN TALK MORE THAN WOMEN IN A MIXED GROUP; ALAS, IT ALSO SEEMS THAT WOMEN ORGANlZE BETIER THAN MEN; AND FINALLY, ABOUT THE LEFf TURN ­ DOESN'T IT MAKE LIFE MORE INTERESTING? Well, God, at least you made me flrstl NO, ADAM. I MADE THE AMOEBA FIRST.

Please remember that we still need your help. As our organization grows. so too do our needs. Some­ times our "growing pains" almost overwhelm us! We ask particularlyfor your prayer support as we come to the coriference. It is a very busy and hectic time. Pray especiallyfor our staff, Secretary Susan McCoubrie and Registrar Nancy Strachota. New appointments are Executive Director Diane Chynoweth and Treasurer Helen Johnson. Pray for God's special blessing on our outgoing Treasurer, Ruth Hall, who has done yeowoman service in a turbulent time. We would be less than truthful ifwe did not add that we also need contributions of both volunteer effort andfunds. Gifts may be sent to CBE at 2830 Lower 138th St., Rosemount, MN,55068. tel (612) 423·2327.

AND THEN THE FISH, AND THEN BIRDS, AND THEN THE ANIMALS· IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! Keep that lJttJe fantasy in mind, now. Then look with me at the real story in the fl1'st chapters of 13

They both mirrored the image of God; they both were honored with the gift of responsibility for the rest of creation. James Torrance says that it is the privilege of human beings to voice praise to God for the entire creation that has no voice of its own. It is important to recognize that the man was not inferior to the woman; he was equal to her: *even if he had been created earlier and was closer to the animals; "'even if he was fanned from dust, and she, from human being; *even if the word "help", used to describe the woman, is used to refer to God in other parts of Scripture ('ezer). In spite of all that, man is not lower than woman because the very fIrst statement the Bible makes about human beings makes the man equal to the woman. He reflects the image of God in the same way that she does; and like her, he is given dominion over the earth. All right, maybe you've heard a slightly different version. Some people believe that man is superior to woman for two reasons. He was created fIrst; and second, the woman was taken out of the man. Think about the logic of that If being created fIrst means superior, the animals are superior to man because they were created fIrst Quite clearly, the order of creation is from lower to higher fonns of life. So if you want to argue purely from the order of creation, you would have to assume that the woman is a higher fonn than the man. And if the woman's being taken out of the man means that she is less than he; then that makes the man less than the ground out of which he was taken. If you want to argue from the logic of the created order alone, then two biblical scholars, both men, write that woman is "the crown of creation" (Terrien), and the woman is "humanity twice refmed" (Gilbert Bilezikian). Both men, of course, go on to point out that "bone of bone" and "flesh of flesh" describes the man and woman as fully equal and that they are dependent on each other for relationship. But what about the tenn "helper" that is used to describe the woman? Here is a case where our own context of what "helper" means - our own cultural glasses· may pervert the scriptural meaning. We usually think of a helper as one who is inferior to the one being helped. A "helper" is an employee, domes­ tic servant, or a teacher's aide. It is very important to understand that the Hebrew tenn for "one who helps" never implies subordination. It is used 19 times in the Old Testament. In 15 of those 19 times, the word is used of God. For example, Psalm 70:5: "But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, 0 Godl Thou art my help and my deliverer; 0 Lord do not tarry." "Thou art my help," That word "help" ad· dressed to God is exactly Ihe same word used for the woman's relationship to the man.

Genesis. The fIrst thing I see is God. God is. Then I see what God has done. God created all things. Next I see that God is good. Because everything God made was good. "Let there be light"....and God saw that the light was good. God separated water and dry land...and God saw that it was good. God made the vegetable life and the small seeds that carry giant oaks inside them and that was good. God made the sun, moon and stars,... and God saw that it was good. God created animals so the world became a gigantic zoological garden - that was good too. God made the human- just one, not two. And that was not good. The only time it was not good was when the man was alone. But God soon fIxed that; he separated the human into male and female. And God gave them the privilege and joy of administering the garden. That was very good. It was good, it was good, it was good. Good is God's pUfPOse for all creation. 'The animals were not equal to the man, so they could not assuage his terrible loneliness - the "not good." But when God created the woman, the man recognized his equal. "bone of my bone; flesh of my flesh." She has his same strength of bone, and his same weakness of flesh. In other words, writes Samuel J. Terrien, they each shared the full spectrum of human characteristics. And because either of them alone would have been "not good," they were mutually interdependent. They were "for" each other. "For" in the sense of "being in support of', not in the sense of "being used by." God's gift of co-humanity brought forth the fIrst shout of human ecstasy. After the disappointing parade of animals, Adam may have fallen asleep think­ ing that even God had failed to find a companion for him. When he awoke and God brought the woman to him, he exclaimed "This one!" As the animals went by him, it always had been, "not this, not this, not this." Now it is "this one." She shall be called woman because she is just like me- only wonderfully different Biblical scholars point out that the Song of Solomon is a commentary on Genesis 1 and 2. Like a painting in rich color, based on an earlier pencil sketch, it shows the joyous, equal, and mutual delight in relationship that was made possible by God's gift of the woman to the man. When everything still was good in God's creation, the man and the woman were fully equal. 14

The mistake of the traditional interpretation of Genesis is to think that this shattered relationship is the way God meant it to be. If you begin at the Beginning, a different picture comes to light. The first sin brought consequences for male/ female relationships as well as for the human relation­ ship to God. It is important to realize that these are the consequences of sin, and not what God first intended for humanity. The way things are between men and women after the Fall is not the order of creation. According to the German theologian, Helmut Thielicke, it is the disorder of creation. A fresh look at Genesis 3: 16 will show that this verse is descriptive, not prescriptive. The woman's desire will be to her husband and, in spite of that, he will rule over her. That's what will happen because of sin, not what ought to happen. It shows how things will be, not how they should be. Man and woman both committed the same sin, but the consequences are somewhat different for each. Remember how Satan tempted them - "you shall be as gods"? Now the man and the woman will try to be as gods to each other, but in different ways. The man will try to dominate the woman by force; the woman will try to rule him by pleasing him. The man takes more responsibility than he should. The woman evades personal responsibility. Men dominate, woman manipulate. Remember the book, The Total Woman, by Marabel Morgan? That book was read by thou­ sands of Christian women. but it is a guide to manipu­ lation from start to finish - how to get what you want from your husband and make him like it. Another way to say it is that man tries to be God to the woman by pre-empting the place of God in her life. The woman is willing to go through anything in order to keep the relationship. For every abusive man, there is a woman who lets it happen, who doesn't take the responsibility for stopping it The man has forgotten what it was like to be alone, so he takes the dominion of the creation on himself, including the right to dominate women which was never given to (continued on next page) em rs lp pp lcauon orm Susan McCoubrie, 2830 Lower 138th St W. osemount, MN, 55068 (tel. 612-423-2327) nc10sed is my yearly membership fee (check one) _ _ _ $10 for individual _ _ _ $15 for couple _ _ _ $ 5 for studentllow income/senior embership includes subscription to Priscilla Papers.

Again it is necessary to point out that this does not make the woman superior to the man. What comes after the word "help", makes this clear. that word describes the helper as one who is worthy of him or matching him. Samuel Terrien says that woman is the savior who delivers the man from his void of aliena­ tion. Genesis 1 and 2 presents a sublime picture of what the relationship of women and men was meant by God to be. It was good in every way and for every one. but, of course, that is not the end of the story. The Fall changed everything. It splintered the image of God and it shattered the relationship between women and men. Ray Anderson, of Fuller theological Seminary, has written this rather poignant piece of poetry: "Let it be good" ­ He (God) breathed, as he kneaded The swirling dust into every hope and hue of his own image, And then, stepping back a bit From his still-new creation, separating its fresh consecration from his older glory, He whispered again, to no one in particular, "It is good!" But even then, as the green world groaned and stirred to life ­ making minor miracles seem common enough, The image lost it footing And set the whole plan ajar ­ the simplicity of good splintered into a thousand possibilities Of greed of lust violence and worst of all, unawareness. The world is still reeling from that terrible, cosmic disaster. The man and the woman were alienated first of all from God. And then from each other. We are alienated from or unaware of others; we are imprisoned within ourselves. But we are especially alienated from the opposite sex. Right there is the basis of hostility between women and men that is a fact in every culture and every time. In our time, people from many branches of the social sciences are trying to explain this phenomenon. Mostly they explain it in terms of socialization. But Mary Stewart van Leeuwen, a professor at Calvin College, says such an explanation misses something. Those who espouse it either do not realize or refuse to admit that there is an inescapably religious dimension to the problem. The consequences of the Fall are more important than the process of socialization.

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him. The woman has forgotten that she was meant to be a help like God to the man. Instead, she contributes to the idolatry of the male. But what appears to be her devotion to him, also has a strong element of self­ interest, whether she recognizes it or not. It all happened after the Fall. There is nothing in the fIrst chapters of Genesis about a wife meeting her husband at the door dressed only in Saran-wrap. In case you didn't know, Marabel Morgan passed on that suggestion as one way for a woman to get what she wants from her husband. And by the way, before the stores run out of Saran-wrap, it didn't work for her anyway. I'm sorry to say she's now divorced from her husband. The trouble is, no human can bear the burden of Godhood. Neither the man nor the woman. Trying to be God to someone else only ends in terrible perver­ sions. Idolatry of any kind has the most devastating consequences. Is there anything more clear in the Old Testament? Only God is God. But, thank God, even that is not the end of the story. The New Testament is about restoration. The broken body and shed blood of Jesus is able to restore the broken image of God in us and in our relationships. What was lost in Eden is restored in Christ Jesus, if we live in the awareness of what God means by good, in the strength of the in-dwelling Spirit of God, and in mutual submission to the rule of God

Frances Hiebert is in advanced studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena Calif, She is a member of the City Terrace MB Church in East Los Angeles. Her article was adapted with permission from a seminar on women's ministry in the church held March 12 on the Tabor College campus. The seminar was sponsored by the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies.

Statement on Men, Women, and Biblical Equality to be Presented at National CBE Conference In response to increasing demand for a statement on biblical equality, a document has been drafted by Roger Nicole, Stanley Gundry, Jo Anne Lyon, Gilbert Bilezikian, Gretchen Gaebelein Hull, Ward Gasque, and Catherine Kroeger. Both Gretchen Hull and Roger Nicole will address the specifIc issues contained in the document during plenary addresses at our CBE conference July 20-23 at Bethel College. The state­ ment is strongly biblical and contains a large number of Scripture references to substantiate the thesis of the essential equality of women and men in church, home, and society. Roger Nicole is professor emeritus of systematic theology and Gordon Conwell Seminary and has been very active in the Council on Biblical Inerrancy.

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