“Help
These Women”
“Yes,
and I ask you also, my loyal companion, to help these women, for they
have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with
Clement, and others whose names are in the book of Life.”
Philippians 4:3
There
are people who believe with all their hearts that women should not be
in pulpits. I would direct them to Paul in his letter to the Philippians. From earliest times, (and Paul's letters were the
earliest writings to come out of the fledgling Christian church) women had a strategic role to play that was not restricted to cooking
and keeping the tent clean. Women, from the time of Mary and Martha,
were actively engaged in matters of the church.
Yet,
in 2012, only about 37% of seminarians were women; in evangelical
denominations, even fewer—about 25%. So, while the Western
Christian church advocates on behalf of women in other parts of the
world, here at home, it doesn't put its money where its mouth is, so
to speak. The glass ceiling seems attached to a crawl space.
The
problem with this inequity is not only the erroneous double standard
it sets, it also means the church is denied capable and
competent leadership. For the first time in history, more women than
men are receiving Bachelor's and advanced degrees. They possess the
skills to be pastors and administrators, and they want very much to
lead the church out its current doldrums.
If
we want to be advocates for the value and rights of women, let's
begin at home. Let's hold women up as Paul did, and as Jesus did when
he said of Mary of Bethany, “she has made the better choice.”
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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