Dr. Benjamin Spock (1903-1998), in his well-known study: "The Women's Movement: Political, Socioeconomic, and Psychological Issues," made the following somewhat controversial assertion: "Biologically and temperamentally, I believe, women were made to be concerned first and foremost with child care, husband care, and home care." This rigid perspective was very much reflective of the "settled norm" of a number of societies of Dr. Spock's day (especially of our own). This thinking was also quite evident in many churches, with women being relegated to almost "second-class citizenship" in the kingdom of God!! Men "graciously" allowed them to sit in the Sunday assemblies, but they had better keep their mouths closed (except when singing) and "be in submission" to the men. They could teach little children, but as soon as a 10-year-old boy was baptized, the woman was removed from the classroom (she can't teach a "man," you know). She could teach other women, but no man could hear the sound of her voice (or they would both go to hell). By way of example, check out the list of speakers and topics at the recent Contending for the Faith lectureship: Profiles in Apostasy #2. The talks given by the men have links where one may go to see the videos of their presentations. The classes taught by the women are NOT linked -- this is to "safeguard" against some unsuspecting man clicking on that link and actually hearing a woman teach (which could cost him his soul). Ridiculous!! I knew of an elder a number of years ago who would sit in the hallway outside the classroom where a woman was teaching the Ladies' Class so he could "check up on" what she was teaching. He wouldn't sit inside the classroom, however, as that would constitute "being taught by a woman." Oh, how our Father in heaven must grieve over us at times! We've taken a couple of passages written by Paul in which he deals with the need for brethren of diverse backgrounds (Jews and Gentiles, specifically) to accommodate some of their practices and behaviors to the cultural and religious sensitivities of their fellow believers in Christ, and we have twisted them to suit our own sectarian agendas!! That same principle of cultural sensitivity, by the way, is seen in the command to Gentiles to "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, and from the meat of strangled animals" (Acts 15:29), and in the command to Jews not to impose their convictions about circumcision upon the Gentiles. Not a one of these accommodations (even though they were commanded at that time among those peoples) were designed to be universally binding as everlasting decrees! Such is also the case in the matter of women "being silent" in the public assembly. This was a temporary accommodation to the culture and custom of the day for the purpose of peaceful coexistence in Christ until greater spiritual growth and maturity could occur ... nothing more.

Unfortunately, due to a seriously flawed methodology (or hermeneutic) for approaching the understanding of the inspired Scriptures (CENI -- command, example, necessary inference -- with its attendant "law of silence" and "law of expediency"), as well as a "restorationist" mindset that gravitates toward legalistic patternism with respect to the practices of God's people today (especially within the so-called "worship service" on Sunday), we have forfeited our liberty in Christ, returned to "redemption by regulation," and succeeded only in dividing ourselves into countless feuding factions. Along with this has come the suppressing of the right of a good many of our brothers and sisters to make full use of their God-given abilities in service to the Body. This is unconscionable! Shepherds, it is time to begin maturing your flocks so that you might lead them out of their religious ruts and unto those greener spiritual meadows that our Lord has prepared for us. We have grazed on Tradition long enough, and we are famished ... it is time to feast again on Truth. Shepherds, it is your responsibility to lead (not drive) your sheep to that place, and to get them there without killing them in the process. Not an easy task, but that is your calling.

Yes, this means change is coming! A frightening thought to many shepherds as well as sheep! However, this must be change NOT simply for the sake of change, or to be like our religious neighbors, but responsible change that brings us more in tune with God's will for His people. God never intended for His children to become fixated upon a certain stage in their spiritual development, but rather to grow and expand in their spiritual comprehension and in their worshipful expression and in their service to one another. There are no fences around LOVE. The walls have come down. We are free to be led by His Spirit into all He has called us and gifted us to be ... and that applies to both men and women! Are there genuine differences between men and women -- distinctions decreed by divine design as to purpose and function, both in the family and in the church? Of course there are, and this will be noted below. However, the irrefutable reality is: the overwhelming majority of the distinctions in place and enforced within our congregations today are not of God, but of men. We must honor God's distinctions -- those of mere men need to be discarded, or at the very least demoted from their elevated status as terms of fellowship and conditions of salvation.

May a woman be a deacon (or, more correctly, a deaconess) in the church of our Lord Jesus? The apostle Paul states that Phoebe was (Romans 16:1-2). I would refer you to my article about this marvelous Christian servant in: Reflections #299 -- Our Sister Phoebe: Deaconess of Cenchrea. Our English word "deacon" is simply the transliteration of a Greek word signifying a "servant; one who serves" -- more specifically: one who rendered service freely and willingly, as opposed to a "slave" (which is a different Greek term). The reality is -- the Body of Christ has always had very effective female servants who ministered to (rendered service to) their fellow believers in various capacities commensurate with their God-given abilities. Tabitha was a servant of the Lord and of His people. So was Lydia. So was Priscilla. Each one served with distinction in the distinctive areas of service to which God called and equipped them! Whether they were sewing seams in garments or sowing seeds of grace, they served!! In our congregations today we have many women serving as deacons, and, yes, some of this service involves some degree of leadership. Women are not only secretaries and office managers, but also children and youth ministers, counselors, custodians, providers of food and clothing to the community through church pantries, preparers of the weekly Communion, and the list goes on and on. Are these women servants?! Is there leadership involved in some of these areas? Yes, they are ... and yes, there is!! If we'd just cease our quibbling and squabbling over whether a "deacon" holds an "OFFICE," and simply realize they are responsible men and women called and equipped by God for SERVICE, I think we'd discover most of our concerns and conflicts were without any biblical foundation.

May a woman be a "preacher" within the church of our Lord Jesus Christ? May women proclaim the "good news" about what God's grace has accomplished for us through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son? Well, it might come as somewhat of a shock to some among us, but the very first proclamation of good news wasn't by Peter on the day of Pentecost, but rather by the women at the tomb on resurrection morning who were commanded by the angel to "go and tell" the good news that HE IS RISEN. These women then went forth and shared that message with the men! I guess they didn't get the memo that women were to "remain silent" in the presence of their superiors!! Priscilla apparently didn't get the memo either, for she clearly was involved in "mission work" with her husband, and is most often even listed first when the two are mentioned (which suggests to some scholars that she may actually have been the more active in the proclamation of the gospel). She certainly "taught a man" when she helped explain the Lord's will more perfectly to Apollos. I guess Phillip's four daughters didn't get the memo either, for Acts 21:9 says that these four women "prophesied." In other words, they were either fore-tellers or forth-tellers of God's Word. Either way, they were sisters-in-Christ, members of His One Body, who were speaking forth God's Word ... and, yes, I think it would be quite a stretch to suggest they only taught cradle roll classes and Ladies' Bible classes!!

To be a prophet (spokesman) of the Lord, one must speak out for the Lord ("prophesy"). In Joel 2:28-29, a passage that Peter says was evidenced on the day of Pentecost, we read -- "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 upon My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days." Yes, the will and message of God were spoken by both men and women. They BOTH had been given the Spirit for the express purpose of sharing the good news of God's grace, and the NT writings make it clear that BOTH men and women took an active role in doing just that. Our problem today is that our Sunday assemblies have evolved to something very much foreign to what they were in the first century. "Pulpit Ministers" did not exist as they do now. I'm not suggesting that such a position is necessarily wrong, I'm just saying that in the first century there wasn't a "paid professional" for every congregation. Such persons, to be perfectly honest, are far more "pastors" than "evangelists" in function. The message of God's grace, during the time of the early church, was spoken by one and all (every day) as they went about their daily lives and as they interacted with their families, friends and co-workers. Their assemblies were to encourage one another and stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not to "preach the gospel" year after year to those who were already saved. Back then, both men and women, young and old, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile evangelized -- they spoke for God the message of God. Yes, women were preachers -- and by being so, they fulfilled the prophecy of Joel, as well as the mission of the church. If we today would cease our quibbling and squabbling over who is "authorized" to stand behind a wood PULPIT in a brick building on Sunday, and simply realize that God has called us all to PREACH (to share the good news with others) in our daily lives, many of our problems would vanish rather quickly.

May a woman serve as a shepherd/elder/overseer within the church of our Lord Jesus Christ (and, as noted above, since in our culture and society the position of "the minister/preacher" is more "pastor" than "evangelist," this question, in my view, applies to this function as well)? Based upon my own study of this matter -- and I have studied it intensely for years -- I have to say that it is my understanding that women may NOT serve in this capacity within the Family of God. I realize that this statement will upset some of you (although it may relieve others), but let me explain why I believe this to be so. It is certainly NOT because I regard women as inferior in some way. Far from it. In my own estimation, women are God's greatest creation by far!! One theologian observed, "When it came to the creation, God saved His BEST work for LAST -- Woman!!" Woman was not created to be trampled on by men; they are not possessions or objects designed for our pleasure. They are to be our life-partners ... beside us, not beneath us; next to our hearts ... cherished ... treasured!!

Woman was created for man; that is a fact (1 Cor. 11:9). It is also a fact that man was charged with loving and nurturing her; meeting her needs before his own, just as Christ did with the church (His bride). And, just as Christ is head of the church, so is man head of the woman. Now, I know what you're thinking ... but you'd be wrong. I used to think this was about "authority" -- that man had authority over the woman. I've completely rethought that, and now believe it has much more to do with origins and distinctive functions and purposes. I have dealt with this in great depth in Reflections #216, and I would plead with you to please read that article carefully and prayerfully. God's design was that the man would take the lead within his family, and that he would especially take the spiritual lead as he led his wife and children into deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord. The church is also Family. In this Family of God, I firmly believe God intends the men to step up and accept their God-given responsibility as the spiritual leaders. They are to be the shepherds of the flock, with their task being to nourish and cherish the flock, just as the man nourishes and cherishes his wife and children! When men default, and women assume that function, there occurs a displacement in the divine order, which can only lead to varying degrees of dysfunction.

Throughout religious history women have been both deified and vilified, honored and harassed, allowed to serve, on the one hand, and forced into submission and silence, on the other. Needless to say, this has not helped relieve the natural tension between the sexes. The beauty of the Christian faith, however, is in the special spiritual leveling that has come to the children of God the Father. "There is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Yes, there are natural distinctions that are still evident; men are still men, and women are still women, after all. Paul is not suggesting a unisex scenario; the sexes still are to be distinct, and that includes God-ordained responsibilities that are unique to each. Nevertheless, the superior/inferior dichotomy that too frequently characterizes the secular and spiritual interaction and interrelationship of the sexes is forever abolished in the sacrifice of our Savior, who broke down those walls of distinction and demarcation. Slave and free, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, male and female "are all ONE in Christ Jesus!"

So, just how much, and in what areas, should our women be allowed to serve in their congregations? It is my judgment that the answer will vary from congregation to congregation. What might be deemed acceptable in one congregation, another may not yet be ready to embrace! As in all things, our choices must bring glory and honor to our Father, edification to the body of believers, and the furtherance of the gospel of grace to those who sorely need to hear and embrace it. A good thing can become a bad thing if it divides disciples. Our unity, harmony and oneness should never be sacrificed for the sake of some change that only a portion of the saints support, even if that change is inherently good. Too often, well-intentioned disciples rush reform! Needed reformation does not often come quickly, and rarely painlessly; it requires the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job! If a group is not yet ready, but is willing to study the matter, then "preach the Word ... with great patience and instruction" (2 Timothy 4:2). No, don't allow the "hard-heads" to hold the congregation hostage to their own will, and to hinder any forward progress (which they will do if they can); Paul forbids yielding to them for even an instant (Galatians 2:4-5). But, if genuine brethren are genuinely concerned about some proposed change, then be patient ... as long as all parties are willing to continue to study the matter with open Bibles and open minds.

Never .... I repeat -- NEVER .... be party to division in the Body of Christ. Some division, of course, is unavoidable. When we preach Truth, some will simply not tolerate it. They want their ears tickled, or they want tradition elevated above Truth. We dare not yield to such coercion, even though our stand for Truth will cause some to no longer walk with us. But, in other areas involving the normal growth and development of a body of believers, we must recognize that not all progress at the same rate. Thus, be patient ... but be persistent. Stagnation is not an option; we must move forward; we must also grow and progress; but let us do so in such a way that we may all advance together, as much as is humanly possible.

Yes, change is coming to the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is coming far more quickly in some locations than others ... but it IS coming. Much of this change is long overdue!! Most all of it will be met with resistance on the part of those who simply can't tolerate leaving their personal comfort zones. We must love these brethren and be patient with them and continue to instruct them -- up to a point. Reform must never be retarded, however, because a handful refuse to budge from their ruts. Bring them along if you can, but move along if you can't! In all things may LOVE be our guide, may UNITY be our motivation, and may CHRIST be our focus. If this be true, we will not go too far astray in our spiritual journey!