ERIK HAYDEN
Staff Writer
In 21st century America it is hard to believe that instead of shying away from being deemed sexist, some Christian denominations boldly declare that women should not have the role of pastor or preacher. This is largely because that these denominations believe in the equality of women, but adhere strictly to a literal interpretation of the Bible. On women’s ordination in the church, the Southern Baptist Convention, a strictly literalist evangelical denomination had this response to offer on their website, “Scripture teaches that a woman’s role is not identical to that of men in every respect, and that pastoral leadership is assigned to men.”
The idea that women are equal in a church setting but delegated to non-leadership roles may be derived from an evangelical take on marriage. In the eyes of evangelicals the husband and wife form an equal partnership but participate in different roles. The husband has the duty of being the head of the family while a wife may be seen as his comfort and his support. This may seem like a very medieval characterization, but it is a position taken by many mainstream evangelicals in accordance with verses like this: “encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” Titus 2:4-5.
Women’s roles are defined less by what is written in the Bible than how people interpret these verses. Society embraces many cultural stereotypes of race, gender, sexuality, or religion. While it easy for us to think of gender stereotypes with men in leadership positions and women as supporters, it is dangerous to impose these cultural stereotypes upon the biblical text.
It is very difficult to extrapolate based solely on scripture that women should not take church leadership. Even taking a strictly fundamentalist view of the Bible, in which every verse is viewed literally and without awareness of cultural and historical differences, it is very difficult to find clear cut evidence that a women’s role does not include church leadership.
The single verse by which such a ruling is defined by is 1 Corinthians 14:35 which states, “it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
Although the author, Paul, prescribes to the Corinthian church leaders different suggestions on improving the local chapter he is in no way creating a unifying order to which all churches should adhere. The early Christian church was very much a loose confederation of Jesus followers who developed in very different ways in different places. It is important to realize into the gravity that is being placed on one verse and remember what the purpose of the book of Corinthians is: a letter with advice to the Corinthian church that should not necessarily be employed by the entire church body at large.
Further dissection of this verse has split many preeminent Biblical scholars. Interpretations of the text have boiled down to doctrinal and theological disputes. Biblical Scholars like Dr. Steve Harper noted however that “it [1 Corinthians 14:35] does not even refer to who is leading the service….the silence of women on such occasions is …a sign of ‘reverence [in the cultural context].”
If the Bible doesn’t specifically say that women should not be church leaders then why would the Catholic church and conservative-theology protestant denominations uphold this idea while under fire from secular and civil rights activists? Tradition. The Catholic church is seeped in a millennia of tradition that has been born not of Biblical teaching but its own Papal authority and church structure. Likewise, conservative protestant denominations derive their viewpoint from cultural stereotypes that have largely been abolished with the rise of Women’s social movements.
Maybe its too trivial to use common sense when discussing matters of church structure and authority; it seems like denominations who want to keep an all male church leadership have found a way through single, isolated, Bible verses to reinforce their viewpoint. This isn’t devious or a conspiracy though. It’s the unique warts-and-all beauty of the current Christian establishment that there is a denomination that fits every almost every kind political or social persuasion.
09-21-07
