Before Church: Sunday October 27, 2019
by Elizabeth Stone
A sermon written for 6/22/2008 and edited for 9/22/2019. Longer than my usual, but in view of requests for the message, as well as the timeliness of the subject in the church, thought I would share.
And after
that, I will pour out my Spirit on all people;
your sons and
your daughters will prophecy,
your old men
will dream dreams,
and your
young men will see visions.
Even on my
servants, both men and women,
I will pour
out my Spirit in those days. ~ Joel 2:28,29
Last week I
promised to take on the elephant in the room, so today we are going to talk
about women in ministry. Good, honest
Christians come down on both sides of this debate. Is it Scriptural to ordain women, to let them
teach, preach or hold office, or is it not?
In the end analysis, that is the only question that matters. So today I would like to take you on a
journey to help form your own theology of women in ministry.
Back in the
seventies, an Episcopal bishop ordained three women to the priesthood against
church law, and they were big news on TV.
Arrogant and defiant, they flaunted church polity using ordination as a
protest. Ministry was not about a call
God placed on their hearts; they wanted a job that the church told them they
could not have because of their gender.
Their feminism pre-empted faith and their Christian witness. Had they in humility declared that God had
put a Jeremiah-like fire in their hearts, and they had to preach or be consumed
with it, I could have sympathized.
Instead their attitude shamed me as a woman, and I was pretty well
convinced that women shouldn’t be ministers.
As the years rolled by, more and more denominations ordained women, and
I hate to be hard on my own sex, but so many of them showed the same arrogance
and defiance. Many women clergy just
didn’t do the job well; it disheartened me that once having attained what they
wanted, they didn’t go at it with all their heart and soul, and serve with
excellence. Thus, when I went to
college, in spite of all the best efforts of the Religious Studies department
to woo me away from mathematics, I was convinced that I had no future in
vocational ministry.
Exposure to
some excellent women in ministry began to change my mind; women pastors and
seminary professors doing their jobs well challenged me to think that women’s
callings might include ministry. The
Rev. Dr. Roberta Croker, the first woman ordained by the Upper Ohio Valley
Presbytery in 1977, is the most astounding pastor I ever met: kind,
compassionate, smart, and with a great work ethic. She mentored both Greg and me, and all of her
advice was golden. Never have I seen
anyone with a more passionate pastor’s heart, never have I been so loved and
supported in ministry. She used to laugh
so heartily as she said, “I can’t imagine anything better than getting paid for
loving Christ, just for loving Christ!” When you realize that as she spent herself in
service to others she was also battling cancer, her ministry is even more
amazing.
As you can
imagine, this towering example of God’s love in action brought me to a faith
crisis. While more and more of my work
in education faded, and ministry came to the forefront, I had to get into the
Scriptures to see if women were allowed to do the job that more and more I felt
called to do. And today I will tell you,
that if I believed I was truly in violation of God’s Word, then I would resign
at this moment and never do pastoral ministry again. So we have to ask: what does the Word of God
say about women in ministry?
First
question: where did the inequality of the sexes come from? From Genesis, of course. God created the man and woman as equal
partners. Although Eve was
created second, she was not subordinate.
God’s parade of critters in Genesis 2 convinces Adam that he needs a human
helpmeet, someone like him. The Hebrew
word “ezer” meaning “help” is the same word used to describe God as our helper,
and word for “meet” best translated as “equal” and “similar.” Therefore Adam’s
helpmeet cannot be inferior to him. Adam
and Eve are equal stewards, equal bearers of the God-image. Before the fall marriage was perfect. Human relationships were perfect. All equal.
No tension. When did it all go
off the rails? After the fall, when both
Adam and Eve equally receive judgment.
Genesis 3:16 tells us the relationship between them was ruptured; Eve
will desire her husband, yet Adam shall rule over her. The Hebrew here could
also be translated as Eve desiring her husband’s authority. The inequality of
the sexes we see in history is a result of the fall.
As Christians
we believe that everything is redeemed in Christ. All of our sins, all of our curses,
everything was bought back by Jesus on the cross and confirmed in His
resurrection. And although we live in
the time of already and not yet (already saved, not yet glorified), we see the
seeds of redemption sprinkled throughout the Bible, seeds that show us a
glimmer of Heaven here on earth.
Spiritual victories, God’s people coming into their own, and the
constant evidence of Christ’s salvation coming and happening and continuing even
up to today. This guarantee assures us
that when Christ comes again, eternal perfection will set in, everything will
be made right. So we have to ask: are
there seeds of Biblical equality that we see in redemptive history? In the Old
Testament? In the New? Who are the
heroines of the Bible, the women who made an impact for God? What was their historical and cultural
context? Well, strap on your seat belts,
‘cause here we go:
Let’s start
with the Law; God’s temporary fix until the time of grace. And let’s not rip it out of its context and
judge it by our modern standards. For
its time in history, the Law of Moses was far and away the best religious and
cultural environment for women, more than any other ancient nation. No other judicial system valued women and
protected their rights the way the Hebrews did; for example, women could
inherit property, and they could not be sold into slavery. They could be
married off, but not enslaved (I know, some of you ladies think it’s the same
thing – that’s the fall talking – marriage isn’t slavery).
There’s a
long list of extraordinary women in the Old Testament: Miriam led worship in Exodus 15:20, affirmed
in Micah 6:4 “I sent Moses to lead you, and also Aaron and Miriam.” When the Tent of Meeting was first set up by
Moses, women ministered at the entrance.
They even donated their bronze mirrors as an offering (awesome offering
for any woman, to give up her mirror!). Rahab rescued the two male spies in
Joshua 2. Hannah composed Scripture
recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 as did the mother of King Lemuel in Proverbs 31;
the midwives in Exodus and later Esther are women who all stopped the
annihilation of the Jews. Ruth was more
to Naomi than seven sons, becoming the wife of Obed and the ancestress of David
and Jesus; Abigail saved David from slaughtering the household of her foolish
husband, Nabal, in 1 Samuel; in 1 Chronicles 34:14-28 Huldah was a prophetess
who gave King Josiah counsel. When the
temple was rebuilt choirs included male and female singers. The Daughters of Zion figure largely in the
Old Testament prophets, women called out to be a voice of joy and of
promise. Psalm 68:11 contains a
specifically feminine gender, plural in the original Hebrew, and the NASB and
ESV translate accurately: “The LORD gave the command; the women
who proclaim the good tidings are a great host.” The most influential woman in
the Old Testament has to be Deborah in Judges 4 & 5; not only was she a
judge who governed the whole nation of Israel, not only was she the general of
the Israelite army, but she was a prophetess, the prophetess who was the
spiritual leader of the people of God.
If you want a one-word answer to whether or not women should lead, it
has to be: Deborah.
Fast forward
to the New Testament. Extraordinary in His time, the first thing a careful
reader of the Gospels notices is that the Lord Jesus treated women well, as
equals. Christ spoke with them, taught
them, healed them, and partnered with them in ministry. He saw and understood the suffering of women
in His culture and time better than anyone else. He loved His mother Mary and submitted to her
authority (Luke 2:51). Jesus honors the
widow who has only a meagre offering of a mite to give (Luke 21:1-4). In Nain
He raises the widow’s only son who is not only her beloved child but her only
financial security for the future (Luke 7:11-17), and He turns water into wine
at the wedding in Cana at His mother’s request (John 2). More than that, he accepts material support
from women who were, in effect, the breadwinners for his ministry (Luke
8:3). And in Luke 13 the Lord Jesus
heals a woman crippled and bent over for 18 years, welcoming her into the
“men’s only” section of the synagogue on the Sabbath day, proclaiming her
freedom from the demon that bound her and then: touching her, completely
against cultural practice and tradition.
When she glorifies God for her healing, Jesus doesn’t silence her, but
lets her proclaim the high praises of God in the congregation. His first missionary is the Samaritan woman
at the well in John 4. When she brings
her whole town to hear Jesus, He doesn’t say, “You stupid woman; what do you
mean by bringing all these people to hear the good news?!” No, He teaches them. And then He stays with them. Isn’t that our job, to bring others to Jesus?
In Christ’s
passion and death, it was the women who were the most faithful. The Gospels are
unanimous in praising the women who followed Jesus through the steps to
Golgotha, stayed with Him through the bloody hours, and watched to see where He
was laid. As if in answer to their
faithful vigil, while many of the disciples cowered in a room or even denied
Him, Jesus reveals Himself first to women after His
resurrection. When they make their way
to the tomb early on the first day after the Sabbath, it is the women who are
greeted with the angelic manifestations announcing the resurrection of the
Lord, “He has risen!” “He is risen indeed!” And it is Mary who has the first
sight of the resurrected Jesus. In
characteristic form, it is the women who are quick to believe the glorious
news, while the disciples are eventually convinced through further testimony
and their own encounters with the risen Lord.
These women become the first evangelists, sent by Jesus Christ to tell
others the good news of the full Gospel: “Go and tell My disciples.”. Go and tell.
Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit falls on the gathered
disciples in Acts 2, the assembled group is 120 people, male and female, and
the Bible says that they all were
filled with the Spirit and began to speak in other languages. When a crowd gathers, Peter uses today’s
verses from the Old Testament to explain what is happening to these
people. It is no accident that these
Scriptures say, “I will pour out My Spirit on all people, and your sons and
daughters will prophesy,” and “Even on My servants, both men and women, I will
pour out My Spirit in those days”. Peter chooses this particular prophecy to
describe what was going on. Everyone
there, regardless of their sex, was telling the glories of God and
communicating the Gospel. Joel foresaw a
time when everyone would experience Spirit-enabled prophecy, and Peter declares
“This is it!” This is the start of that epoch.
After
Pentecost, a revolution of faith began sweeping the ancient world, and house
churches sprang up all over the Mediterranean Basin, many of which were held in
the homes of prominent women, notably Lydia (Acts 16:11ff), and Nympha
(Colossians 4:15). Hosting a house
church meant you were also a leader of the church. Paul identifies fellow workers such as
Priscilla (Romans 16:3,4) Syntyche and Euodia (Philippians 4:3) all women who
have labored with him in ministry.
Priscilla was specifically involved with team teaching with her husband,
and since Scripture names her first, it suggests that she was the lead
teacher. Moreover, the only pupil
mentioned by name in Scripture under Priscilla’s tutelage was a man. Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis are women
mentioned in Romans 16. Prophetesses
speak in the early church. Anna prophesied
over Jesus when He was born (Luke 2:36-38), and there were four daughters of
Phillip who prophesied (Acts 21:9). Just
as in the Old Testament, the office of prophetess is affirmed in the New. Junia, a female, is named as an apostle in
Romans 16:7, the highest office of the primitive church.
Conclusion:
faith communities of ancient Israel and the early church not only included
women, but allowed them prominent positions as prophetesses, leaders, financial
supporters, missionaries, evangelists, teachers, and heralds of salvation. Example after example piles up in the
Scriptures so that the evidence to support women’s full integration at all
levels of ministry is overwhelming.
These aren’t just seeds of equality in redemptive history, they are full
grown redwoods. However, there are three
passages in the Pauline letters, I Corinthians 11, I Corinthians 14, and I
Timothy 2, that specifically address women’s role in public worship, and we
cannot just set them aside. These are
the Scriptures that are most often quoted by Christians who want to exclude
women from pastoral ministry. And any
woman who wants to do the job that I am doing must wrestle with these verses.
I Corinthians
11: 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his
head and every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors
her head.
I Corinthians
14:33-35 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints,
women should remain silent in the churches.
They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law
says. If they want to inquire about
something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful
for a woman to speak in the church.
I Timothy
2:11-15 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission, I do not permit
a woman to teach or have authority over a man, she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the
woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
But women shall be kept safe through childbirth, if they continue in
faith, love, and holiness with propriety.
So how do we
reconcile this with the overwhelming evidence of women’s ministry in the
Bible? We look at it in its context, the
surrounding verses and what we know about the book. And we expand our search to look at other
Scripture, because Scripture interprets Scripture. Where there’s confusion, we see what else in
the Word applies. Mike announced in
Sunday school that he has eleven pages, so if I miss anything, follow up with
him.
In I
Corinthians, Paul in chapter 11 tells women to pray and prophesy in public
worship with their heads covered, but in chapter 14 tells them to be
silent. Both are written by Paul, both
are in the same letter. How can women be silent while praying or
prophesying? And then, the real kicker,
he throws in that we should be silent and in submission as the Law
says. As the Law says? Excuse me?
Paul is the one who teaches that the Law was abolished by grace! Romans
6:14 says “For you are not under the law but under grace.” And chapter 7:6 “But now we are discharged
from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under
the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.” Every letter that Paul writes affirms that
the law is dead, and is a dead-end road for salvation. The only way we get to heaven is through the
new order that Christ created, the grace available to us through the
cross. Galatians 3:10, “All who rely on
works of the law are under a curse,” and verse 13 declares that “Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law. . .” Chapter 5:4 says “You are severed from Christ,
you who would be justified by the law.”. Putting women under the Law sends us
right back into the “before Jesus” time, and makes us live under the curse of
trying to fulfill the Law instead of enjoying God’s grace.
The Timothy
passage is more complicated. Here a
woman is not allowed to teach or have authority over a man. Why?
Because Eve’s the one who was deceived and became a sinner. But again, this passage contradicts Paul’s writing
in Romans 5 that identifies Adam as the sinner, over and over. “Therefore as sin came into the world through
one man and death through sin, . . . the transgression of Adam. . .” Remember Adam was present in Genesis 3 when
Eve was having her fateful dialogue with the serpent. Why didn’t he speak? Why didn’t he challenge the serpent? And why would God curse Adam if Eve were the
only one to have sinned? God made it
clear that they were both guilty, and Paul, in his other writings,
concurs. Also, in all three of these
passages, the Greek word for “woman” can equally be translated “wife”; the word
for “man” as “husband.” Reasonably,
these passages could read that a wife not teach or have authority over her own
husband in public worship. In the Timothy
passage it makes sense because the preservation of the hierarchy within the
family is what saves a woman through childbirth. Why would childbirth be mentioned in the
context of the church? It wouldn’t. It would, however, make sense within the confines
of family. Plus the Greek takes us from
the singular “she” to the plural “they” in that verse: “But she
shall be saved through childbirth if they continue in faith. . .”
She, the wife, will be safe through childbirth, if they, husband and wife,
continue in faith.
Silent. The
word “sigao” that is translated as “silent” in I Corinthians can also be
translated as “hold your peace.” That
has a whole different connotation than mere silence; to hold our peace means
that we keep quiet for a reason, we are trying to promote peace rather
than conflict. The Timothy passage goes
even further with the idea of peace because this word translated as “silent” is
“hesychia,” one of the rarest words in
Koine Greek. It is used perhaps
twice in the whole New Testament, and outside the Bible only once. Other more common words that mean “silent”
were not chosen. “Hesychia” means not just “to be at peace with others” but also
means “ending warfare”, and the “cessation of hostilities”. The logical conclusion is that both in
Corinth and in Timothy’s church there were women, hostile women, battling
things out in public during worship.
It’s like those people who fight with their spouses on Facebook; please,
please, please, keep it off the internet. Public worship should not be a
battleground between husbands and wives, between church members and
leadership. Stop fighting; be at peace
with others.
Are there any
other groups that get so roundly rebuked in the New Testament? Sure are.
False teachers. II Peter 2 is
entirely devoted to condemning false prophets and teachers, the whole lot of
them. And every noun and verb in the
chapter is masculine: male false prophets, male false teachers. Paul kicks them up in Galatians and
Philippians, too, the Judaizers who wanted every male Christian to be
circumcised; he calls them “dogs” and “mutilators of the flesh.” John calls
false prophets the spirit of antichrist.
Conclusion? Any group that is doing something that harms the church,
they need to stop, male or female. Be nice. Get along. Be at peace. Teach the truth.
More
generally, in Galatians Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all are
one in Christ Jesus.” If this is true, then all of us are equal in faith
and in practice. And I Peter 2:9, “But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,
that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him Who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.” There is no gender mentioned in these verses;
the priesthood of all believers includes women.
Tractors,
epidurals, and tambourines. The
judgments of Genesis 3 restrict our sin and slow us
down, reminding us that we
need God. From the time of the fall, the
people of God have worked to undo the curses, but Christ’s grace is the final
solution. Yet until He returns we have
responsibility to redeem this creation, to share the freedom of the children of
God with every person, to reverse the curse.
So when a farmer is faced with cursed ground, what does he do? Does he dig in the soil with his
fingernails? No, he uses his gifts and
resources to buy and use a tractor. When
a woman is in childbirth, does she endure the unnecessary pain? No, she uses the gifts and resources available
to her in modern medicine to get an epidural.
In exactly the same way, it is un-Scriptural to maintain the inequality
of the sexes which threatens to squelch more than half of the church from using
their gifts and sharing the good news.
With Miriam we women take up our tambourines and lead worship, because
women are still called to be prophetesses and apostles and teachers and the
hosts of God’s people. If Christ’s cross
truly brings us back to pre-fall conditions, then the inequality of the sexes has
been handled by grace, and women are elevated once more to serve in all
contexts of the church. Ladies, pick up
your tambourines!
For further reading:
Beyond the
Curse
by Aida Besancon Spencer
Discovering
Biblical Equality, Pierce and Grouothuis,
editors
I am greatly indebted to my wonderful husband, Rev. Greg Stone, author of a masterful exegesis paper
on I Timothy 2, with a word study on hesychia.
