Women, Called and Serving in Leadership

Why is this topic important?

February 16, 2010 on 3:13 pm | In Biblical Equality, Women in Ministry | 1 Comment

After writing a proposal for an interview on a topic important to women, I decided to share my proposal thoughts here.

I, of course, wrote a proposal to discuss the topic of women serving in leadership positions in the church.

I started off my proposal presenting how a “gender biased” interpretation of Scripture has been used for centuries to bar women from using their God given gifts and calls in the church.

Which lead to my next point – the Complementarian movement was birthed in response to women who no longer accepted the “no, you are not allowed to serve” and in response to the woman who were breaking through the “stain glass ceiling” in order to fulfill all God had placed within their hearts to perform for His glory.

I briefly spoke of the Egalitarian movement which was birth in response to the “oppression of women” voiced by many Complementarians.

What I really want to share in this post was my answer to the question “Why is this topic important?”

My Answer:

We may think this topic is simply a “church issue”, when in truth it has much larger ramifications. This issue, in fact, has the ability to affect all areas of society.

How So??

Many of those who purvey the Complementarian ideology espouse doctrines that have far reaching effects for all women.

Examples:

1) women should not be allowed to vote

2) women should not be allowed to hold ANY position of leadership or authority over men

3) gender roles were enacted by God – the woman’s God given role is to be a wife, mother, and a keeper of her home … and thus…

4) women are to remain at home as keepers of their homes – working outside the home is rebellion against the God given role for woman

5) men have the God given right of headship or rule over women

Many churches have unwittingly embraced Complementarian doctrine. They have done so based solely upon the issues of women serving as a Senior Pastor or Teacher and a basic agreement with the ideas of gender roles and headship of the husband in the family unit. They have not looked into, studied, or researched the deeper dark ramifications of this movements teachings.

I believe if they did they would be as appalled as I am at various facets of this ideology’s teachings concerning women.