Lets Talk About Women in Ministry Dr David

Let’s Talk… About Women in Ministry Dr. David Smith VP for Academic Affairs Kingswood University Nov 5, 2013

Question of Approach • A “Word Study” that leads to one more deadend and larger walls being constructed between Complementarians and Egalitarians? • or • A “Family Conversation” that sets grounds for common agreement…and future talks not arguments • Best history of the debate is found in Dr. Alan Johnson, A Meta-Study of the Debate over the Meaning of “Head” in Paul’s Writings Priscilla Papers Vol 20, No 4, Autumn 2006

Let’s Talk… Definition of Terms • Complementarian – sometimes called Hierarchical – Traditionalist Approach • The biblical passages dealing with men and women teaches a normative order at home and at church. Male leadership (headship) model. • One end of spectrum: Male leadership in public ministry • More common: Women are eliminated from the office of elder/pastor (i. e. , the teaching or ruling positions in the church). • Least restrictive: women can be appointed to any position in the church as long as she is ultimately under male leadership.

Let’s Talk… Definition of Terms • Egalitarian Approach • No distinction between men and women in church ministry; yet there are different camps within the church and their approach to scripture may be radically different • More Liberal perspective; all the scriptures which creates a distinction between men and women express a prevailing patriarchal opinion of the writer’s day. • More Evangelical view; Text is authoritative yet these passages are applicable only to specific times in specific situations. This teaching is not to be applied literally; it is not normative for the church today.

Let’s Talk about… The Trajectory of Scripture • Is it fair to say, “The Bible says it! I believe it!” • Or • Is the Word of God doing more than merely recreating His people but also re-forming and reshaping entire societies? • And will we become, as a culture, what the Lord wants us to be?

Let’s Talk about… The Trajectory of Scripture • Is there a growth and development in Biblical principles? • Conversation Partner • I. Howard Marshall – Beyond the Bible: Moving From Scripture to Theology

Let’s Talk about… The Trajectory of Scripture • Sacrifice – • What was once commanded (OT) is now obsolete (NT) • Salvation – • Gift to Israel alone • Inclusion of Gentiles is surprise to Jews and early church • Divorce – • From simple writ (OT) to sin (NT) Note esp. Mark 10: 10 -12 • Marriage – • Many Wives – polygamy seems to be condoned in OT • One wife (Creation norm and Re-creation goal) • Slavery -

Let’s Talk about… Theology, then and now • As society changes (and it constantly will) our delivery of the Gospel must be open to adaptation. • The form of the delivery system changes; not the Gospel Message. (e. g. ; Sermons in Book of Acts; 1 st century house church vs. 21 st century megachurch. • The profound pressure from the 1970’s women’s movement caused all evangelicals to alter their theology of the sexes. (e. g. , women in work-force, access to higher education, “the Pill”) • Society began to ask different questions and was essentially structured differently – as the Church we must respond to remain relevant.

Let’s Talk about… Theology, then and now • Culture has forced us to re-capture and re-create our theology of the sexes. • In reality, this is a gift culture has given to the Church. (Divine Providence? ) • Radical re-interpretations of Scripture have happened many times throughout history. • Bible forbade “usury”… and then come Capitalism. • Science (esp. Sun “revolving” around earth)… and then comes Kepler and Copernicus. • Kings were all the rage…then comes Democracy.

Let’s Talk about… Theology, then and now • Conversation Partners • Kevin Giles - The Trinity and Subordination: The Doctrine of God and the Contemporary Gender Debate • John Stackhouse – Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender

Let’s Talk about… Hermeneutics, then and now: • Our stated (and often un-stated) presuppositions will (pre)determine our interpretive outcome. • Conversation partners: • Gordon Fee – Commentary in 1 Timothy • William Webb – Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis

Let’s Talk about… Hermeneutics, then and now • But, let’s make certain that we recognize a new day and not speak of NOW as THEN • In most Complementarian circles, the argument is made, “We are traditional in our reading of Scripture” • Meaning, we can trace our argument back to the way the Bible has been traditionally read.

Let’s Talk about… Hermeneutics, then and now • Let’s listen to statements which reflect a “traditional” reading of Scripture • God has made women as a race or class as inferior to men, excluding them from leadership in the home, the Church, and the world in general. • Women should be kept silent in Church and in public. • Women are not equally made in the Image of God. • Women were made second, and therefore of second rank, inferior to men. • Women are more prone to sin and deception.

Let’s Talk about… Hermeneutics, then and now • Now, let’s listen to a standard Complementarian view: • Men and women are equal. • Sadly, the historic teaching of the Church have been just the opposite…from Jesus’ day right to the 20 th Century. • Men and women have different roles. • Men are given the role to lead, women are given the complementary and supportive role. • This thesis is determinative for interpreting texts such as 1 Cor 11: 3 -16; 14: 33 -35; Eph 5: 22 -33, 1 Tim 2: 11 -14 • Women may speak (just only not teach men)

Let’s Talk about… Hermeneutics, then and now • Now, let’s listen to a standard Complementarian view: • The order of creation, before the Fall • In the book, “Rediscovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, 19 of the 21 authors argue for their position based upon the order of creation, as found in Genesis 2) • Piper, “the loving headship of husbands or the godly eldership of me [is] the created order of nature” (pp. 73 -74). Men are to lead in ministry not because of women’s moral incompetence but because of God’s created order for manhood and womanhood. • In the historic tradition, theologians agreed that the Bible depicted women as a class or race inferior to men because of the chronological order. • In no commentary prior to 1960, can I find a claim that the Bible set men over women because of a once-given forever binding social order given in creation.

Let’s Talk about… Hermeneutics, then and now • Now, let’s listen to a standard Complementarian view: • Does this interpretive decision – Order of Creation make sense. • John Calvin doubts it, “Paul’s argument that women is subject to because she was created second does not seem very strong; for John the Baptist went before Jesus in time yet was inferior to Him. ” (Calvin Commentary on 1 Timothy, p 217) • Nothing is made of the order in Gen 2…only post fall (see Gen 3: 16)

Summary of Interpretive Trajectory of Kephalé (Head) • Today, we refrain from asking secondary questions such as, • “What is the lexical meaning of the word ‘head’ in Paul’s writings? ” • “In each context, is the word kephalé being used in a literal or metaphorical manner?

Summary of Interpretive Trajectory of Kephalé (Head) • Today, we pursue these foundational questions, • What is the overarching trajectory of the message of Salvation that Paul is proclaiming? • Does Paul’s message place limits to the restorative work of Jesus? • Does the hope-filled message of the Resurrection in actuality reverse the curse of Genesis 3? • As the Kingdom is being ushered in through the Work of Christ in the Church, what are the visible signs to which the Body of Christ and our society should model a “redeemedrenewed-restored-recreated-reimaged” people, with Christ as the Head? • Is not the restoration of gender equality as originally designed in Gen 1 -2 one of these signs of a fully redeemed society?