Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Men and Women in the Church, part 1

This may very well be the most balanced, honest and challenging book I've ever read on women in leadership in the church. It's so good....so Biblical...so insightful.

Sarah Sumner, is amazing. She doesn't argue either a complimentarian or an egalitarian view of women in the church per se....but a balanced, truth-filled, middle ground. She shares her own story, lots of scripture and info on church tradition as passed down by our church fathers.

Here are just a few of the great things she says (and I'm only about half-way through the book):

"People who know me understand that I am a Christian, not a feminist. Here's what I mean by that. I am a follower of Christ (Mt 16:24). I confess with my mouth that "Jesus [is] Lord" and believe in my heart "that God raised Him from the dead" (Rom 10:9). My vocation is to become like Christ (Rom 8:29). With that, my number one goal is to love God foremost (Mt 22:37). If I were a feminist, my focus would be on women and equality and power. But since I am a Christian, my focus is on Christ and truth and grace (John 1:17). As a Christian, I don't function in a feminist paradigm.....Anyone who thinks that treating women fairly is a feminist thing to do, not a Christian thing to do, doesn't understand Christianity" (pg 27-28, italics mine).

"Granted, on the surface the debate about women has to do with proper roles. But underneath, it has to do with the more complex question of the God-given nature of women. Followers of Christ are struggling to figure out how it is that female human beings can be made in the image of God who reveals Himself as "he." On top of that, we're arguing about culture and perspectives and the authority of the Bible. In truth, we are arguing about a multitude of things because the question of women's identity inevitably is connectd to a multitude of other related factors. So many questions come to mind. For instance, what does it mean to be a woman? What does it mean to be a man? Why do an inordinate number of men avoid the church? Would even fewer men attend if women served as pastors and preachers? What are we going to do about the divorce rate? What about women who feel convicted to stay at home and rear their kids? What about the Bible? What about the church being true to obey God's Word?" (pg 31).

"I agree that it is not God's way for women to come barreling in making personal demands for themselves. But I would like to add that it's not God's way for men either. It's not God's way for women to interact as mutual lovers, but it's not God's way for men either. It's not God's way for mothers to abandon their children either born or unborn. And yet, it's not God's way for fathers either. In the kingdom of God, there is no double standard. All of us are responsible to live for God, and yet all of us are guilty of living primarily for ourselves." (pg 32).

This is a long one....
"From the start of my research, I have felt convicted by a well-known passage in I Peter: 'For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.' (1 Peter 2:21-23)
"Every time I read this, I see the word you. God has called 'you,' meaning me, for this purpose, since Christ suffered for 'you,' meaning me, and left me an example for me to follow in His steps.
"Though many people might still argue that women are entitled to the political right to lead in the realm of church government, I do not concur. Within the Kingdom of God, people have only one right. The Bible says that all who receive Christ as Savior and Lord, to them God gives 'the right' to become children of God (John 1:12). That one right is sufficient. As long as I have the right to be a child of God, then my identity on earth cannot be threatened. I am God's child, an heir of the kingdom, empowered by the Spirit of the Lord.....The Bible does not say to lead one another. It says to 'love one another." Once we do that, we won't have a thought about clamoring for our positions anymore. Instead, we'll be like Him to came to serve (Mark 9:34; 10:35-45)." (pg 35-36)

"Although I am a woman, I have tacitly thought of myself as a special type of woman, the kind that can keep up with men. I've exercised the same pride and prejudice.....It wasn't a self-esteem issue. It was far deeper that that, and far more insidious and subtle. I've never for a moment wished I were a man. But, I have wished in a wordless way deep inside my ehart that I could somehow transcend my female self whenever I perceive that my womanhood has become a liability. " (pg 78-79)

And, finally:
"The Bible never commands us to strive for mature masculinity or mature femininity. Instead, the Word of God calls people to become like Christ. The right question is not 'Am I fulfilling my call to become a biblical man or a biblical woman?' The right question is 'Am I imitating Christ?'" (pg 86)

Gosh...there are so many fabulous quotes. I could type up the whole book if I'm not careful!

No comments: