Evangelicals and women

At present the role of women in ministry is one of the most pressing topics among evangelical Christians.

Recent books reassessing complementarian and egalitarian perspectives on the Bible have provided some helpful reconsideration of the topic and reflection on the nature of leadership in the contemporary church. However, for onlookers from outside the evangelical church, the debate can seem antiquated and out of touch.

For those concerned to defend the faith and present Christianity at its best, it is worth reminding ourselves that concern for the mutual value of men and women has always been at the heart of the gospel. Regardless of current differences over the interpretation of Scripture and its application to leadership, Christians should be united in opposing casual sexism and promoting the value and worth of both sexes.

Sexism?

Claims that the Bible is sexist can be disconcerting. Woman can be described as weaker (1 Peter 3:7), more easily deceived (1 Tim. 2:14), and as a husband’s property (Ex.20:17). Some take it to imply women are second-rate citizens. It does not help that theologians in history have fuelled this misunderstanding. Thomas Aquinas, the great mediaeval theologian, quoted Aristotle’s description of women as ‘deficient and misbegotten’. Add to this the recent scandals surrounding the fall of male Christian leaders, which have often exposed misogyny, and the defence of the faith against sexism can sound hollow.

Partners

However, central to the Biblical story is that a husband and wife are to be partners in their marriage. In creation, Eve was made to be a ‘helper’ to Adam, using the same Hebrew term that describes the Lord as our helper. Women serve in a variety of roles, including judge (Judges 4:5) and prophet (Ex.15:20). The ‘wife of noble character’ in Proverbs 31 does business, buys fields and trades products. Women are among the close followers of Jesus and the first eyewitnesses to the empty tomb. Jesus speaks with them directly (John 4:7), treats them with dignity (Luke10:38-42) and creates a church in which they can serve (Acts 18:18).

Female heroes of faith

Many of the great heroes of faith in more recent times are women. Amy Carmichael, who ministered tirelessly among the downtrodden of India, rescued over 1,000 young girls from prostitution. One of the founders of the Mission Aviation Fellowship was Betty Greene who, having gained her pilot’s licence in World War II, would go on to complete over 4,600 mission flights around the world. At Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, there is a garden of trees planted to remember the ‘righteous’ Gentiles who assisted Jews: one of the few evangelicals represented in that garden is Corrie Ten Boom who, with her sister Betsie, enabled 800 Jews to escape the death camps to which they themselves would be sent. The list goes on – Gladys Aylward, Harriet Tubman, Catherine Booth – all famous examples of Christian women whose faith would dramatically impact the world.

While debates will continue about leadership within our local church congregations, we should not lose sight of the powerful witness to the world our Christian history is. There are plenty of blemishes on the actions of the institutional church, but we should never be ashamed of the gospel – the power of God that brings salvation to men and women. That gospel has transformed the lives of women and, through them, turned our world upside down.