I am irritated by male chauvinis

I am irritated by male chauvinism in religion.

Where do they get it? All they have are a couple of passages, taken out of context, which Paul wrote to churches in areas where the culture viewed women in a context not favorable to them providing leadership.

Many of those heavy-handed and narrow-minded male-chauvinists probably wouldn’t change even if they knew better. Why? Because there is a deeper problem behind most abusive behaviors.

Why should women be in leadership, in ministry, and in positions of responsibility?

It’s sometimes difficult trying to work in peace and harmony with fellow Christians who have frequently taken me to task for encouraging everyone to find their place of ministry in the church, regardless of their gender.

The scriptures are quite instructive as regards the role women have played in God's scheme of things down through the centuries of Biblical narrative.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3.28

For perspective we must view the whole panorama of Biblical history. We will start early in the history of the tribes of Near Easterner’s called Israelites. In Exodus 15 we read about one of the triumvirate of leaders God set in place at the head of the newly gathered congregation of Israel . “Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand...” Exodus 15.20

Miriam was a prophet. The Hebrew word used here for “prophetess” is ‘nebiah.’ Nebiah is the feminine of ‘nabi’ which means: “a spokesman, speaker, prophet. Nebiah is used six (6) times in the Old Testament as prophetess.

Among these other women who are listed in the Old Testament as “prophetesses” are Deborah and Huldah. Deborah was a prophet and a judge (Judges 4.4 & 5). “Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.”

Huldah was a prophetess who authenticated the scroll discovered in the days of Josiah (II Kings 22.14 & II Chronicles 34.22). “Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem , in the Second District.”

In the cases of Deborah and Huldah we find that there were men, representatives of the congregation of Israel , coming before these women for leadership, wisdom, and knowledge.

While there have been some attempts to distance the relationship between the system and order of the congregation of Israel from the Church of Jesus Christ, it is noteworthy that God never has been a partial God and He doesn’t change (II Chronicles 19.7, Acts 10.34, Romans 2.11, Ephesians 6.9).

“Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”
Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.’
“For God does not show favoritism.”
“And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.”

The Old Testament prophet Joel prophesied (Joel 2.28-29) “And afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days.” The Hebrew word translated here as “prophesy” is ‘naba’ a verb form of ‘nabi.’ We’ve already been there...

That passage of Joel’s is quoted in the New Testament in the book of Acts (Acts 2.17) “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

In the writing of the New Testament Greek was generally the language of choice, not Hebrew. The word translated “prophesy” in this passage was “prophaeteuo” meaning: to foretell, tell forth, prophesy.

There are a couple of other significant passages using this word in connection with women: (Acts 21.9 & I Corinthians 11.5) “Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.” “And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head -- it is just as though her head were shaved.”

Each of these is gender sensitive and specific as to ‘proclamation’ activity in the context of the “prophaeteuo.”

There is Anna, in Luke 2.36 who was a prophetess, and

Tabitha (Dorcas) who is called a “disciple” and had a ministry of helps as is defined by Paul (Acts 9.36).

Then there was Phoebe (Romans 16.1&2) who was a “deacon” according to the Greek text.

Also, we find Priscilla and Aquila , “fellow workers.”

Paul also used this title for the women, Euodias and Syntyche (in Philippians 4.2,3)

and a few others (Colossians 4.11, Philemon 1.1,24).

This word is titular, not at all the word used by Jesus when calling for general laborers in the harvest.

In the 13th century the text was changed to masculinize the name in Romans 16.7 so that instead of reading “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.” It has now read for the past seven (7) centuries “Greet Andronicus and Junias...” It was not in keeping with the theology and dogmas of the pre-reformation Church that there could possibly have been a woman recognized as an apostle. It still would be unacceptable to a very large segment of Christianity today...

There is a rather large body of scripture giving evidence of several women recognized as having served the church and/or the people of Israel in ministry leadership roles. There isn’t a defense presented in these passages of scripture, just a matter of record, and in some instances, introduction.

The situations addressed by Paul concerning socio-cultural situations in Corinth and Ephesus were different from the norms of societal and cultural experience and expression elsewhere in the Greco-Roman world of the first century. (You might want to do some research on the temple prostitute practices in these areas at that time in history.) We do have to be aware of, and understanding of, the socio-cultural situations in which we desire to minister. And then attempt to bring the grace, healing and righteousness of the Kingdom to bear in those situations!

Change CAN come to those abnormal and unhealthy situations. The change of socio-cultural bias issues doesn't come by debate or exercises in legalism. Socio-cultural bias issue change should and must come through good balanced teaching and living healthy examples of relationships in community. We must not be stuck in, and perpetuate unhealthy and dysfunctional socio-cultural norms of the 1st, or the 21st centuries!

The bottom line for me in working alongside folks who are stuck in a gender-bias dogma is, "I am determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified..."

I doubt seriously that many of those folks are going to engage in a thorough Bible study on this subject. If there were that level of genuine, honest inquiry they probably would have already done the reading. It isn't complicated exegesis. Most people read with filters and have already accepted as fact what they hear from their pulpit/religious system of choice and do not read inquiringly and do the research for themselves.